Home      Welcome      Membership      Histories      Compact      Research      Officers      For Members      Links

 Histories

History of the Utah Society

History of the General Society

The first organization of Mayflower Descendants was founded in 1894 in New York City. The founders were influenced by efforts to return the original manuscript of William Bradford's Of Plimoth Plantation to the United States. The first Annual Meeting of the New York Society was held November 22, 1895. During 1896 similar State Societies were formed in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. Representatives from these four Societies met in Boston later that year to discuss the possibility of forming a General Society. Preliminary resolutions were adopted, and on January 12, 1897, delegates from the existing Societies met to form the General Society. That group adopted a constitution, elected officers, and adopted insignia for the new organization. Mr. Henry E. Howland of New York was elected the first Governor General.

The Constitution reflected the way the organization was formed, and it remains important today. The organizers were careful to form a "federal body" which did not take control of the State Societies. The General Society directs the membership qualifications and approves applications, but each State Society has control over its own affairs. A General Congress is held every three years for governance and election of officers. Among the important functions of the General Society is the chartering of new State Societies.

From this formation over 100 years ago, the organization has grown, both in the United States and internationally. The first state to be chartered by the General Society was Illinois in 1897. Utah was charted in 1948. 

Some states found that their organizations worked better by establishing Colonies. Colonies share the administrative responsibilities for their Societies and make it easier for members to attend and participate. By 1963, all fifty states and the District of Columbia had established Societies. The latest charter was granted to the Canada Society in 1980.

Since its formation, the General Society has participated in many exciting events related to the memory of the Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony. In 1897 the General Society announced the return of Bradford's manuscript, which was restored to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts later that year. During the first few years of the 20th Century a Pilgrim Monument was erected in Provincetown, MA. The General Society participated in the planning and dedication of that monument. In 1941 the General Society was able to purchase the Edward Winslow House in Plymouth, and the house became the Society headquarters in 1946. During the 1950's the Society supported the early efforts of Plimoth Plantation, Inc., as that organization began to establish the living museum now located a few miles south of the Plymouth Townsite. In 1957 officers of the General Society participated in the formal reception of the Mayflower II in Plymouth. On that occasion the Governor General presented a silver bowl to Captain Alan Villiers, who piloted the ship from England to Plymouth Harbor.

These and many other events are described in the Centennial History of the General Society Of Mayflower Descendants, 1897-1997, which is the primary source for this information.

History of the Mayflower Voyage

On July 22, 1620, the Pilgrims boarded the ship Speedwell in Delfthaven, Holland, and said their tearful good-byes to their friends and church-members whom they were leaving behind.  In fact, they were leaving the majority of their church congregation behind--even their pastor, John Robinson, was not coming with them.  But the intent was to send these first few men and women to establish the colony: then the rest of the church would be able to come over later.  Pastor Robinson preached a sermon on Ezra 8:21.  As the time to depart arrived, Pastor Robinson fell to his knees and "with watery cheeks commended them with most fervent prayers."

The Pilgrims sailed on the Speedwell from Delfthaven, Holland to Southampton, England, where they met up with the Mayflower that had just come down from London.  The Mayflower had a number of other passengers from England that the Pilgrims did not really know yet--they were friends or investors that had become interested in the voyage while the Pilgrims were trying to raise enough money to undertake the trip.  In Southampton, the ships were loaded with food and supplies for the voyage: but the Pilgrims were so short of money they had to sell off most of their oil and butter before they could leave.  The Mayflower and Speedwell departed for America on August 5 from Southampton, but after just a short time sailing through the English Channel they were forced into Dartmouth because the Speedwell was leaking.  They were delayed several weeks, but finally headed off to America from Dartmouth on August 24.  They Mayflower and Speedwell cleared the English channel, and were nearly 300 miles into the Atlantic when word came that the Speedwell was again leaking, and would have to turn back.  The two ships returned to Plymouth, England, where it was decided that the Speedwell was not capable of making the voyage.  About 20 passengers, most quite frustrated with the voyage and very happy for an excuse to quit, were sent home to England and Holland.  The remaining passengers and cargo were transferred from the Speedwell over to the Mayflower. 

Finally, after a month of delays and problems, the Mayflower put to sea again, leaving Plymouth, England on September 6, 1620, with 102 passengers (three of which were pregnant women), and a crew of about 30.  For the first half of the voyage, the Mayflower had good winds and weather.  The of the passengers were troubled by sea-sickness, but they would get used to it.  A young boy, Oceanus, was born to Stephen and Elizabeth Hopkins.

One of the sailors on the voyage was remembered as having been very vulgar and rude.  He used to laugh at the passengers sea-sickness, and told everyone he hoped to throw half of them overboard after they had died, and then take all their possessions for himself.  He cursed and swore terribly.  In the end, though, he ended up being the first to get sick, and soon died of a very painful disease, and was in fact the first person thrown overboard.  The Pilgrims saw the hand of God in his death, as Bradford wrote "Thus his curses light on his own head, and it was an astonishment to all his fellows for they noted it to be the just hand of God upon him."

Unfortunately for the passengers, the smooth sailing came to an end about half-way across the ocean.  The Mayflower was hit with many strong storms and cross-winds, and the ship was so badly shaken that she became very leaky, with water dripping and falling down upon the passengers that were living between the decks.  The storms were often bad enough that the Mayflower's crew had to take down the sails, and just let the storm blow the ship wherever it wanted.  During one of these bad storms, one of the main beams of the ship bowed and cracked, causing some of the crewmembers and passengers to fear the ship would not be able to continue the voyage.  After consulting with the master, Christopher Jones, it was decided the ship was sturdy, and had a good history of surviving such storms, so a great iron screw was used to raise the main beam back into place.

During another storm, passenger John Howland happened to come above deck, and was swept off the ship into the ocean.  He just managed to grab a hold of the topsail halyards, and held on long enough for the Mayflower's crew to rescue him with a boathook.  William Bradford noted, "though he was something ill with it, yet he lived many years after and became a profitable member both of church and commonwealth".  Howland is an ancestor to many people, including Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and George Bush, actor Humphrey Bogart, and founder of the Mormons Joseph Smith.

Finally, the passengers and crew began to sense they were getting close to land.  Three days out, a young boy, William Button, who came on the Mayflower in the custody of doctor Samuel Fuller, died.  He was the first passenger to die, and the only passenger to die while the ship was at sea.  On the morning of November 9, after more than two months at sea (not to mention a month of delays on board the ships back in England), they spotted land, which they later found to be Cape Cod.  After 2750 miles, traveling at an average speed of just under 2 mph, the voyage was nearly over.

The Pilgrims were planning to build their settlement around the mouth of the Hudson's River near present-day Long Island, New York; but when the Mayflower turned south, she nearly shipwrecked in some difficult shoals off the coast of Cape Cod.  The Pilgrims decided not to risk another attempt, but instead to explore the region around Cape Cod.  They anchored in what is now Provincetown Harbor on November 11, 1620.  Since they were no longer going to settle where they had thought, and did not technically have the permission of the King of England, the Pilgrims drew up the so-called "Mayflower Compact," to give themselves the authority to establish a government there--it was a temporary solution, until an official patent could be obtained.

With the voyage having come to an end, the Pilgrim men set out to explore Cape Cod and gather firewood, while the Pilgrim women were brought ashore to do the laundry.

The foregoing history was obtained from Caleb Johnson's web site, www.mayflowerhistory.com.