The Women who Came in the Mayflower: Including the Excerpt 'Women Pioneers' by Mrs John A. Logan

By Annie Russel Marble and Mary Simmerson Cunningham Logan

“The Women who Came in the Mayflower” is a 1920 work by Annie Russel Marble within which she looks at the female passengers of the 'Mayflower', an English ship that transported early Pilgrims to the New World in 1620. The ship has since become an important part of American history and culture, as well as the subject of innumerable works of art, plays, films, poems, songs, books, etc. This fascinating treatise is highly recommended for those with an interest in this famous sea voyage and in American history and culture in general. Contents include: “Women Pioneers, by Mrs John A. Logan”, “Foreword”, “Endurance and Adventure — The Voyage and Landing”, “Communal and Family Life in Plymouth 1621-1623”, “Matrons and Maidens Who Came in the Mayflower”, and “Companions Who Arrived in the Fortune and the Ann”. Read & Co. History is republishing this classic work now complete with the excerpt “Women Pioneers” by Mrs John A. Logan.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read & Co. History
• Release date: Aug 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781528790857

Book preview

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THE WOMEN

WHO CAME IN

THE MAYFLOWER

By

ANNIE RUSSEL MARBLE

INCLUDING THE EXCERPT

Women Pioneers

BY MRS JOHN A. LOGAN

First published in 1920

Copyright © 2020 Read & Co. History

This edition is published by Read & Co. History,

an imprint of Read & Co.

This book is copyright and may not be reproduced or copied in any

way without the express permission of the publisher in writing.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available

from the British Library.

Read & Co. is part of Read Books Ltd.

For more information visit

www.readandcobooks.co.uk

Contents

WOMEN PIONEERS

By Mrs John A. Logan

FOREWORD

CHAPTER I

ENDURANCE AND ADVENTURE — THE VOYAGE AND LANDING

CHAPTER II

COMMUNAL AND FAMILYLIFE IN PLYMOUTH 1621-1623

CHAPTER III

MATRONS AND MAIDENSWHO CAME IN THE MAYFLOWER

CHAPTER IV

COMPANIONS WHO ARRIVEDIN THE FORTUNE AND THE ANN

WOMEN PIONEERS

By Mrs John A. Logan

The Guiding Hand of Deity, as in all things, can be seen in the ultimate landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, New England.

The persecutions inflicted by the bishops and zealots upon dissenters from the mother church, who were denominated Separatists caused them to seek a new field where they hoped to be allowed to worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences.

After many unsuccessful attempts, they finally left England, in 1608, and took up their abode in Amsterdam, Holland. There are many conflicting traditions and reports as to the welcome they received in Dutchland. There was, beyond question, disinclination on the part of the Ruler and the people to extend to them cordial hospitality, lest the friendly relations might be interrupted between England and Holland. They were, however, allowed to remain at Amsterdam until, of their own volition, they removed to Leyden, the principal manufacturing town of the Netherlands. They hoped by this change to better their condition and secure employment for the artisans among them who had had training and experience in the factories in England. They endured unspeakable hardships, disappointments and the loss of many of their numbers in Holland. They had gained little but respite from persecution by leaving their homes in England.

Their saintly Bishop, John Robinson by name, hoped that at Leyden, with more lucrative resources, through the possibility of securing employment, they might eventually obtain permanent homes and probably increase the number of followers of their creed. They soon found, however, that Leyden offered little encouragement.

Meanwhile, they heard marvelous stories of the American Continent and of the opportunities it offered for material prosperity, absolute freedom of conscience and perfect religious liberty.

It had been impossible, handicapped as they were by untoward environment, for them to save any money or extend their privileges in any manner. Chained by necessity to daily arduous labor for existence, and enfeebled by illness and misfortunes, they were well nigh exhausted when relief came in the form of agents seeking colonists for America, and Merchant Adventurers trying to procure settlers for rich plantations in the new country. The povery of these noble people is evident from the hard terms to which they were obliged to submit in their contracts with the agents and the Merchant Adventurers to procure passage to the Land of Hope and Liberty.

After months of negotiations, the Pilgrims finally embarked on the Speedwell, a craft scarcely sea-worthy for the voyage from Delfshaven to Southampton to join the proposed expedition. They reached that port after perilous experiences, which had the effect of discouraging very many of the party, causing the dispirited to abandon their leaders on their arrival at Southampton.

However, the indomitable spirits of such men as Robert Cushman, John Carver, and others were not to be dissuaded from their purpose. Hence, after another long period of waiting and tedious negotiations with the Merchant Adventurers and agents of companies interested in securing colonists for the New World, the Mayflower was chartered between the 12th and 22nd of June, 1620. Captain Thomas Jones was in command of the ship; John Clarke as first mate or pilot, an experienced navigator, having crossed the Atlantic many times previously; Robert Coppin was second mate or pilot—he had been once at least on a voyage to the New World; Master Williamson, purser; Dr. Giles Heale, from discovery by the Mayflower descendants, was, doubtless, surgeon of the Mayflower.

There were on board one hundred and two souls. The ship was poorly provided with means of defense, having but three pieces of ordnance and some small arms and ammunition. But these brave souls, some of them with families, and their meagre household effects, dared to set out for a land where they hoped to secure not only religious liberty but opportunity for amassing fortunes.

Alack! with all their religious fervor and heroism a man's a man for a' that, and it required skilful management on the part of the wisest to adjust the many difficulties and dissolve the innumerable conspiracies that were continually being formed between the zealous but unreasonable religionists and the agents of the Merchant Adventurers to change the plans of the leaders of the sect, whose chief object was to establish a colony of their own faith.

Floating the English Union Jack, the Mayflower was piloted by Thomas English, the helmsman of the shallop of the Mayflower, into Plymouth