The story of Massachusetts as we know it today began with a group of religious separatists known as the Pilgrims and their ship, the Mayflower — but their story is not exactly the one you learned in school.
When it finally came time to set sail from England for the New World, just how high were the stakes for the 102 passengers aboard the Mayflower?
Carolyn Travers, librarian for the Mayflower Society, says it was nothing short of everything.
"They’d sold everything," Travers said. "I mean their homes, what possessions they didn’t need. I’m not sure what choice they had, really."
The cost of supplies, their rental of two ships — yes, two ships — and their patent for land at the northern edge of Virginia — yes Virginia — had left them deeply in debt. And as Walter Powell, executive director of the Mayflower society explains, their investors intended to be paid back.
"They’re doing it for business reasons," Powell said. "They could care less about the Pilgrim’s religious views. For them it’s just a business opportunity, a speculative opportunity."
And about those religious views …
"When you talk about 'the Pilgrims,' and they're all one religion and they all have this monolithic culture and this one way of looking at the world — no, it was a bunch of diverse people," Travers said.
Relatively speaking — they were all English. But as many as half were not a part of the religious separatist group. There were adventurers, with much needed practical skills, like John Alden, who was signed on board because he was a carpenter, Powell said, and protector advisors, who could keep the fledgling group safe, like Myles Standish, who had a military record and who was Catholic by background.
And then there were the More children, four youngsters who were shipped off when their father found out that they were actually fathered by another man.
"They’re like 2 to 6 years old," Travers said. "I mean, little kids, and their world has suddenly fallen apart. Their father isn’t their father, their grandparents aren’t their grandparents. Their mother doesn’t want them. Nobody connected to them wants them."
On Aug. 5, 1620, the Mayflower — and a second ship, the Speedwell — set sail from England for the New World. They did not get far. Twice, the Speedwell sprung leaks, forcing the ships back to harbor in England, delaying the Pilgrims' ultimate departure by more than a month.
"They never thought they’d have to do it in one ship," Powell said. "So there’s some painful decisions made. Roughly 30 passengers make the decision to transfer to Mayflower, thus it's overcrowded and they make the journey."
The delay would change the course of American history right from its start. When they first reached land on Cape Cod, the Pilgrims knew they were well north of their target. But it was now early winter, and then — as now — winter here was tough.
"Of course they never got down there because of the lateness of the season, the weather, attempting to navigate the Cape and running into shoals, they decided to instead explore the coast and South Shore here," Powell said.
They settled instead in present day Plymouth, outside their charter, in a clearing that was once a thriving native village, recently decimated by disease, likely introduced by early European explorers.
"When the Pilgrims decide to settle on what had been the native village of Patuxet, the Pilgrims look on this bare landscape and they see that as God’s providence," Powell said. "Of course, the Wampanoag would view that very differently."
That first winter was brutal for the Pilgrims. Roughly half of the Mayflower’s 102 passengers died, including three of the four More children. But Plymouth colony would, of course, take hold and, for better or worse, New England was now in motion.
"Had the Speedwell and the Mayflower left promptly in early August, perhaps they might have indeed traveled to their intended destination," Powell said. "It’s one of the great 'what ifs' because there’s so many in American history that continue to fascinate us."
Plymouth Colony was established right here in Massachusetts at least in part thanks to the faulty Speedwell, which left England with the Mayflower 395 years ago this week.
If you have a tale of forgotten Massachusetts history to share, or there's something you're just plain curious about, email Edgar at curiositydesk@wgbh.org. He might just look into it for you.
