The Pilgrims of 1620

I guess you could say the voyage of the the Mayflower was the start of America, but it was John Smith who led the way from England to the "New World" a few years earlier. By the time 1620 came around, people were ready to forge on to a new life in a unknown land. There was actually 2 ships filled with pilgrims wanting to brave the sea to the New World. The Mayflower and the Speedwell. The Speedwell kept developing leaks in the ship as she went into deeper waters. After the 3^rd attempt, she turned back to England and the Mayflower sailed on.

The Mayflower set sail from England in September of 1620 with 102 men, women and children. They arrived in Cape Cod in November of that year. It was a harsh, physicality demanding three month trip. That first winter was a test of survival, not having been there to plant anything the spring before, they stayed on the ship through the winter. Only 53 walked off the ship to land the following March. The rest had died on board due to disease from the confined and unsanitary conditions on ship.

They were only allowed a extremely limited space per person, on the ship. Imagine nowhere to put your trash, only a limited space to hang your laundry to dry....if you did every week. People just didn't have the clothes like we do now. They did good to have a clean dress or trousers to change into every 3 or 4 days. Bathing was probably far between baths.

During the harsh winter, there was several explorations to land and back to the ship. The men would bring back descriptions of the land, what food they could find, and the people they found on land. While the others were on the ship, those who could, took care of the sick and dying. Some of the crew had parished along with passengers.

When March finally came, spring had arrived, it was time to go ashore. The building of dwellings and houses began at once. Each family was allowed so much area for a house and planting space in the spring.

William Bradford became Governor when John Carver died in 1621. Bradford held the Governorship for eleven years, and other offices until his death in 1657. The Plymouth colony was in what is now Plymouth county, Bristol County and Barnstable County in Massachusetts. The colony ended as such in 1691 when charter was rewritten to become the Province of Massachusetts Bay.

Sources:

Plymouth colony

The Pilgrims Story