treesinthewoods.com

by: Virginia Mucciaccio

As an introduction for those who are not deep into the history of the perilous Mayflower voyage, there were one hundred two passengers, which did not include the crew. Not all of the Separatists had left Leyden “that goodly and pleasante citie which had been ther resting place for near 12 years”; some stayed forever in Holland. Some Separatists joined them in England, as well as others who boarded who were called “Strangers” (John Alden, Myles Standish, Richard Warren, Edward Doty, Stephen Hopkins, etc). Of the fifty-three adult men, only twenty-one survived the first winter; of the twenty adult women (three pregnant) only six survived, four of who were married. There were twenty-nine children, nineteen boys and ten girls to the age of sixteen, plus two who were newborn; twenty-two survived as well as the two babies. Four families were wiped out by what was called “the great sickness”, and one half of the total passenger list died the first winter, among those, 'our' Degory Priest, who died on January 1, 1621. He did, however affix his signature to the Mayflower Compact. It is assumed this sickness was probably a form of pneumonia. Picture the men shoving off each morning in the shallop (similar to a rowboat which they carried on the voyage in pieces), rowing to shore and stepping out into the frigid water to haul the shallop onto the sand. Then they explored or worked each day in the bitter cold of December, shoved the shallop back into the seawater, hopping in and rowing back to the Mayflower. On board, they could only light small fires to cook with - not nearly warm enough to dry their heavy woolen clothing - and off they were again the next morning to repeat their daily chores on shore. And the situation on board the anchored 'Mayflower', was little better for the women and children who must have huddled together to keep warm. They buried the dead at night, many in the same grave, so that the Indians would not know of their losses. In later years, these remains were disinterred and placed in a sarcophagus.

"Mayflower with shallop ". by William Halsall, 1882

The Mayflower's Route from England to the New World in 1620

The Pilgrim's exploration in their shallop, December 6-12, 1620

The heavy cost of the 'first winter':

Timeline:

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Nothing definite is known of Degory’s origin, although it is thought he might be the Digorius, son of Peter Prust, baptized 11 August 1582 in Hartland County, Devonshire. The rarity of his given name as well as his surname, and the relevance of the date of baptism to his age have led historians to this supposition. He is listed as being of London, a hatmaker. In April of 1619 he deposed that he was forty years old. However, we do know that he was one of the early protesters who journeyed to Holland before October 1611 at which time his intentions to marry were posted. On 4 November 1611, before William Cornelious Tybault and Jacob Paedts, sheriffs, he and Sarah (Allerton) Vincent were married in Leyden, Holland, along with Sarah’s brother Isaac who married Mary Norris. Sarah was the widow of John Vincent.

Prior to the Mayflower sailing from England, Degory chose to leave Sarah in Leyden with their daughters Mary, born about 1613, and Sarah, born about 1615. After hearing of Degory's death, by the returning 'Mayflower' crew, Sarah (Allerton)(Vincent) Priest married Godbert Godbertson sometimes known as Cuthbert Cuthbertson, on November 13, 1621, by whom she had a son Samuel. In 1623, they sailed on the “Anne” with Mr. Godbertson, and settled in Plymouth on what was Degory’s allotted land portion as a settler, entitled to one portion. 'The Settlers' also obtained one share in the company for each ten pounds they invested. “Our” Mary Priest married Phineas Pratt in Plymouth about 1630 and died in Charlestown 7 March 1686/7. They had eight children, the first six born in Plymouth, and the last two in Charlestown. Our line of descent goes through son Aaron, their last child, born ca. 1649.

At this point, Phineas is a more interesting character, and offers more in the way of history. He arrived on the “Sparrow” in May or June 1622, many of them ailing, and the Pilgrims supported them throughout that summer. In the fall, he was one of Thomas Weston’s men who went to colonize an area north of Plymouth called Wessaguset (Weymouth), but they soon fell into difficulties by angering the Native Americans, stealing their corn. More details of this can be found at the Pilgrim Hall Museum website. This is a wonderful place to visit for information on ALL things Mayflower and Pilgrim. Encourage your children to use it for their school projects.

Phineas was by profession a “joiner”- the method of furniture construction during the 17th century. Joiners were highly skilled craftsmen who specialized in this work, and were valued more highly than carpenters. His gravestone (pictured at right) is in the Old Phipps Street Cemetery in the Charlestown area of Boston- it reads: “Here lies ye body of Phinehas Pratt, agd about 90 yrs decd April ye 19, 1680 & was one of ye first English inhabitants of ye Massachusetts Colony”.

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by: Virginia Mucciaccio
(photos by Peggy Baker)

On April 29, 2009, a tour to celebrate the Pilgrim Hall Museum’s Year of the Tulips, began in Den Haag, the Netherlands with five members of the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants taking part. With an enthusiastic, experienced Tour Director, Yvonne Zumpolle, resident of Groningen and multi-lingual art afficianado, the group was off to Den Haag and the Mauritshuis, a museum containing many works of Hals, Vermeer, and Rembrandt. Tuesday, the Queen’s Birthday, we traveled to Delft where the city was draped in Orange (for William of Orange, their liberator from the Spaniards) and the Nation’s colors. Later that afternoon, we rode to Delfshaven from which the Pilgrims set sail on the Speedwell in July 1620. The “Pilgrim Fathers Church” – Oude Kerk- is located in Delfshaven.

On Friday, Jim Baker and Cynthia Fisher of Plymouth, MA, Ruth Bohannon of Needham, MA, Ginny Mucciaccio of Dedham, MA, and Darla Moe of Sacramento, CA, were thrilled and moved to walk the lanes, streets, and alleys where their Pilgrim fathers had trod. Led by Dr. Jeremy Dupertuis Bangs, history was brought alive with his fabulous knowledge of the Pilgrims (see Presentation to Dr. Bangs on Page __). We visited Dr. Bangs’ Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, which he has created and serves as Director, on the anniversary of the day our ancestors arrived in Leiden in 1609.We visited the Lakenhal Museum which holds many paintings relating to the Pilgrims, showing the time in which they lived in Leiden, especially of the weaving industry they were part of.

Saturday was “Dutch” day, with a visit to the Keukenhof tulip gardens- acres and acres of floral delights – gorgeous colors, and hundreds of varieties. Sunday we moved to Amsterdam, and attended church services, celebrated in English, where the Pilgrims worshipped in the brief time they were in Amsterdam. Monday was more art- the Rijksmuseum full of masterpieces, and then the Van Gogh museum with its special exhibits. This was also the Remembrance of the Dead Day for all Dutch civilians and members of the armed forces who have died in wars and peacekeeping missions since the outbreak of World War II, held in Dam Square. Our last busy day was a ride to Palace ‘t Loo in Apeldoorn, the summer palace of the Royal Family, and our farewell dinner on the Prinsengracht, held in a 1600’s former warehouse, with its wooden floors and original beams. Dr. Bangs and his wife Tommie joined us, where we were all able to salute him and give him our thanks for dedicating his talents to continually researching our ancestors and creating such a living history to pass on to our descendants.

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Group in front of Hague Peace Palace

Looking at the 2nd oldest house in Amsterdam

Alice & Ginny enjoying the Leiden Museum