Nadene Goldfoot
We can celebrate Thanksgiving lots remembering how the Mayflower ship with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30 left England and landed at Plymouth Rock, America (near the tip of Cape Cod,after a grueling 10 weeks at sea on their off-course venture of a destination to Virginia, 400 years ago on November 21, (OS November 11) 1620. It's a miracle they landed at all and had not sunk in the sea. They were headed for much warmer waters and their venture had brought them to a very cold climate of what would become tiny Massachusetts, the 6th of 50 states by 1788.
The Mayflower started off with only 65 passengers when they left London in the middle of July 1620 and sailed down the Thames River to the southern coast of England where it anchored at Southampton, Hampshire. They sat and waited for the Speedwell in a rendezvous planned to take place on July 22 which was coming from Holland with John Robinson's congregation of Leiden. Both ships were to leave for America by the end of July, but a leak was discovered on the Speedwell which had to be repaired. "The Pilgrims had originally hoped to reach America by early October using two ships, but delays and complications meant they could use only one," The Mayflower.
There were 74 men and 28 women - 18 were listed as servants, 13 of which were attached to separatist families. There are thought to have been 31 children on the Mayflower, with one child being born during the voyage (aptly named Oceanus). The crew were led by Captain Christopher Jones, but it is unknown just how many crew there were.
While on the ship, the men wrote up the "Mayflower compact." The Mayflower Compact, originally titled Agreement Between the Settlers of New Plymouth, was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the male passengers of the Mayflower, consisting of separatist Puritans, adventurers, and tradesmen. Signing the covenant were 41 of the ship's 101 passengers while the Mayflower was anchored in Provincetown Harbor within the hook at the northern tip of Cape Cod.
"IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the first Colony in the northern Parts of Virginia; Do by these Presents, solemnly and mutually, in the Presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid: And by Virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions, and Officers, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general Good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience. IN WITNESS whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape-Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth, Anno Domini; 1620.
The main record for the voyage of Mayflower and the disposition of the Plymouth Colony comes from the letters and journal of William Bradford, who was a guiding force and later the governor of the colony. His detailed record of the journey is one of the primary sources used by historians, and the most complete history of Plymouth Colony that was written by a Mayflower passenger." 
The people on board were encouraged to embark by John Robinson, their pastor. John didn't sail with them, but stayed in Holland with his remaining flock. His son, Isaac, took the next ship going there. Not all were the Pilgrim Separatists. Some were servants of people on board.
The reason these people wanted to leave Holland was because they were English and their children were speaking Dutch, and the parents wanted them to remember their roots and speak English instead. They were English immigrants who had left England because of the lack of freedom of religion. They were all Christians, but their branch was different than the king's beliefs, and all citizens had to belong to his branch. The king's religion followed the Episcopalian and not the Catholic religion. To get a ship to America, they had to return to England.
The surviving crew members returned to England when the Mayflower set sail on April 5, 1621. Of the settlers, only 52, including Trevor and Ely, were still alive when the FORTUNE, the next ship, arrived in November 1621.
The Pilgrims stole the thunder of others who came before them. The Pilgrims and Plymouth Rock have eclipsed the earlier 1607 English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, as the place where America was born. "In 1607, 104 English men and boys arrived in North America to start a settlement. On May 13 they picked Jamestown, Virginia for their settlement, which was named after their King, James I. The settlement became the first permanent English settlement in North America." It was made up by businessmen, not people looking for religious freedom.
My mother, a Robinson, was not related to John Robinson, pastor, as far as I can tell, but a lot of Robinsons came over from England or Wales at that time. Our grandfather's loving story was that our Robinson came over not on the Mayflower but the ship after that, making it sounding like Isaac unless there were more Robinsons with him on "the next ship." Maybe he was only telling us a fact he had learned in school and not family history. We don't know as he ran away from home at about the age of 16 and never went back because of an overzealous father who was too strict.
Descendants of JOHN (Rev.) Robinson
1 JOHN (Rev.) Robinson b: Bet. 1575 - 1576 in Sturton Nottinghamshire, or Lincolnshire, England d: February 19, 1624/25 in Leyden, Holland Immigration: Leyden, Holland Age at death: 50 est.
. +Bridget White b: 1579 in Sturton Nottinghamshire, England d: 1643 in Massachusetts m: February 15, 1602/03 in Greasley, Nottinghamshire, England Age at death: 64 est. m: February 15, 1602/03 in Greasley, Nottinghamshire, England
.... 2 John Robinson b: Bet. 1606 - 1609 in Norwich, Norfolk, England d: Aft. 1643 in Massachusetts Age at death: 37 est.
.... 2 Bridget Robinson b: 1608 in Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands d: in Leyden, Holland
.... 2 [1] Isaac Robinson b: Bet. 1610 - 1620 in Reusel-de Mierden, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands, Leiden, Holland d: 1704 in Barnstable, Barnstable County, Massachusetts Immigration: 1631 Plymouth, Massachusetts Age at death: 94 est.
........ +Mary Isledon d: Aft. November 08, 1669 Age at death: ?
.... *2nd Wife of [1] Isaac Robinson:
........ +Margaret Hanford b: 1619 in Fremington, Devon, England d: Bef. June 13, 1649 in Barnstable, Barnstable County, Massachusetts m: June 27, 1636 in Scituate, Plymouth, Massachusetts Age at death: 30 est. m: June 27, 1636 in Scituate, Plymouth, Massachusetts
.... *3rd Wife of [1] Isaac Robinson:
........ +Mary Faunce b: July 25, 1628 in Plymouth, Massachusetts d: Aft. November 08, 1699 in Plymouth, Massachusetts m: 1650 in Plymouth, Massachusetts Age at death: 71 est. m: 1650 in Plymouth, Massachusetts
.... 2 Jacob Robinson b: February 07, 1620/21 in Greasley, Nottingham, England d: May 26, 1638 in Leyden, Holland Age at death: 17
.... 2 Mercy Robinson b: Abt. 1614 in Leyden, Holland d: March 27, 1623 in Leyden, Holland Age at death: 9 est.
.... 2 [2] Fear Robinson b: 1614 in Leyden, Holland d: Abt. March 1669/70 Age at death: 56 est.
........ +Samuel Baker b: Abt. 1614
.... *2nd Husband of [2] Fear Robinson:
........ +John Jennings m: September 08, 1648 m: September 08, 1648
Resource:
Plymouth Colony-its History & People 1620-1691
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayflower
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayflower_Compact
https://www.mayflower400uk.org/education/mayflower-passengers-list-an-interactive-guide/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States)
