The Little Bird a Twice-Weekly Newsletter for Curious Seniors Nancy A

The Little Bird A Twice-Weekly Newsletter For Curious Seniors Nancy A. Franks, Editor Week Of September 20th – 26th, 2020 Issue II Topic: The 400th Anniversary Of The Voyage Of The Mayflower

“Where’d you hear that?” “The Little Bird told me!”

Mayflower’s Voyage 1620 On September 6, 1620, the Mayflower left Plymouth, England for her voyage to the New World.

The original plan was that two ships would transport the Pilgrims across the Atlantic - the Mayflower and the Speedwell.

Shortly into their voyage, the Speedwell began to leak. Within a

week, conditions were quite severe. The pumps could not keep up

with the seawater that came pouring in.

The two ships docked in the nearest harbor in Dartmouth, England and repairs began. The Mayflower and the Speedwell departed for a second time. After sailing about three hundred miles, leaks in the Speedwell caused the two ships to turn back once again. This time, the two ships docked in Plymouth, England, Imagine the fear and

frustration of the passengers and crew!

It was determined that the Speedwell would not make the trip. Supplies were transferred to the Mayflower. Tough decisions had to be made.

Because the Speedwell was unable to make the trip across the Atlantic Ocean, many passengers had to stay behind, Some men traveled alone – or with just a son. The rest of the family remained in England.

Many tears were shed as the Mayflower left Plymouth, England.

The passengers were The Mayflower And The Speedwell In Dartmouth Harbor by Leslie Wilcox 1971 getting a late start. Pilgrim Hall Museum – Plymouth, Massachusetts (oil on canvas – 42” x 84”) Conditions were extremely crowded on the Mayflower. No one could predict when they would be united with their loved ones.

th 2020 marks the 400 anniversary of Mayflower’s historic voyage. Sizing Up The Mayflower Man Overboard

How big was this ship that took 102 brave John Howland was John Carver’s servant. His passengers and its crew across the stormy Atlantic? exact age is unknown. It was believed that he was It’s important to note that the dimensions for the in his late twenties. Mayflower are approximate. No plans or records were left behind – and of course, there are no During a violent storm. John fell overboard. It is a photographs or videos. The measurements are miracle that he was able to grasp a topsail halyard based on years of research by historians and just in time. Somehow crew members using boat maritime architects. hooks managed to get John Howland safely back on board. Sparred Length: 136 feet This includes the extensions beyond the hull. John Howland lived until 1673. He has millions of Passengers did not have 136 feet of living space. descendants living today, including former President George W. Bush. Other well-known Beam (Width At The Widest Point): 25 feet descendants of John Howland included Humphrey Bogart, Ralph Waldo Emmerson, and Draft (Minimum Depth): 12 ½ feet President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Thirsty? Drink Some Beer! Sick? Call The Barber! The Mayflower carried numerous barrels The barber-surgeon on the of beer, although no one can say exactly Mayflower was Giles Heale. At the how many. Beer was an essential part of time, a barber-surgeon learned his sea life in the 1600s. trade by working alongside someone with more experience. Of course, there were barrels of water as well. Unfortunately, after standing in the Barber-surgeons not only washed This beer tankard made barrels for several weeks, the water was no from oak staves fastened and trimmed beards and hair, they longer safe to drink. by birch hoops is on also provided medical care. That’s display at Pilgrim Hall right! They extracted teeth and That meant that everyone had to drink Museum. It was brought aboard the Mayflower by performed minor surgeries. It is beer - including children. Unlike beer passenger Peter Browne. today, the alcohol content was quite low – believed that Heale had just completed his apprenticeship. maybe 1% to 3%. Fortunately, that was just enough to keep the beer from spoiling. At age twenty-five, his position on

It was necessary to ration the beer aboard the Mayflower was probably his first the Mayflower. Each person was allowed real job. He was certainly kept busy! to consume just one gallon per day. By the During the second half of the voyage, time the ship reached Plymouth harbor, many passengers and crew became beer was in short supply. ill. Oldest Passenger Aboard The Mayflower At age sixty-four, James Chilton was the oldest passenger on the Mayflower. He was traveling with his wife and his youngest daughter, Mary. Sadly, James died on December 64 8, 1620 while the Mayflower was anchored off of Provincetown, Massachusetts. His wife died during the first winter.

Youngest Mayflower Passenger Meet John Alden & Pricilla Mullins At just one year-old, Humility Cooper Twenty-one year old John was the youngest passengers aboard the Alden was hired as the cooper Mayflower. She was traveling with for the Mayflower’s voyage. her uncle and aunt, Edward and Ann Because all of the food and Tilley. Both Edward and Ann died 1 drink aboard the ship was during the first winter. Humility was sent back to stored in wooden vessels, England or Holland sometime later. having a craftsman that maintained these barrels was Pilgrim Puts Their Best Foot Forward critical. He was given the Mayflower passenger, opportunity to return to William Mullins sure England, but he chose to stay. brought along a lot of John married fellow Mayflower passenger Pricilla footwear! Was it an Mullins. Pricilla made the voyage with her extreme case of over parents, William and Alice, and her brother, packing? No, he was Joseph. a shoemaker. He planned to supply shoes and boots to his fellow colonists. This is an excerpt from his Tragically, Pricilla lost all of her family members will. Can you figure out how many shoes he during the first winter. packed? John Alden, William Bradford, and a group of “XXI dozen of shoes, and thirteene paire of bootes colonists founded the town of Duxbury, north of w[hi]ch I give into the Campanies hands for forty Plymouth. pounds at seaven years and if they like them at that rate.” It’s A Boy Passengers Susanna and William White are believed to have brought this cradle from Holland.

Their son, Peregrine, arrived during the final days of November 1620 while the Mayflower was anchored off of Provincetown. He was the first child born to the Pilgrims in America. Peregrine was welcomed by his older brother, Resolved, who was about five years old.

Peregrine died in 1704 at the age eighty-three. He and his wife, Sarah, spent their married life in the town of Marshfield.

The cradle is now on display at Pilgrim Hall Museum in Plymouth.

Don’t miss the next issue of The Mayflower II Little Bird©! No one knows for sure what happened to the The topic will be: Pumpkins.

In 1955-1956, the Mayflower II was constructed in England to Sources: www.plimoth.org, mayflowerhistory.com, commemorate the ties between England and America. The replica http://sites.rootsweb.com/~mosmd/clothing.htmhttp s://www.pilgrimhall.org, recently returned to Plymouth, Massachusetts after undergoing an $11.2 http://mayflowerhistory.com, https://prabook.com/web/john.alden/3721592and million dollar renovation project in Mystic, Connecticut. interviews with Plimoth Plantation historians