Learn more about your Mayflower ancestry by trying old recipes, playing pilgrim games and making some crafts.
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History of the Mayflower Children
Approximately 30 children—nearly 30% of the passengers were under the age of 18!
The Mayflower children were accustomed to hard labor as many of them had worked in Leiden to help provide for the family. Additionally, several teens joined the voyage as servants or indentured servants. These passengers were typically included in families but were not yet legal adults.
Teens brought as servants and typically listed with Plymouth families include: William Butten, a servant to Samuel Fuller, John Hooke an apprentice to Isaac Allerton family (but who died the first winter), and William Latham who came with the John Carver family.
The More children, Ellen, Jasper, Mary and Richard, are a part of a very sad story. They were the children of Samuel and Catherine More of Shropshire England. Their father Samuel had married Catherine More, a third cousin, to keep an estate and wealth in the family. When Samuel More discovered his wife was having an affair with Jacob Blakely who had fathered some, if not all, of the More children, he divorced Catherine and had the children administrated by John Carver and Robert Cushman who brought them to the New World. Carver and Cushman placed the children in various families: Ellen More was placed with Mr. Edward Winslow and his wife Elizabeth, Jasper More was placed with John Carver and his wife Katherine, Mary More and Richard More were placed with William Brewster and his wife, Mary. Only Richard More survived the first winter and grew to adulthood in New England and produced descendants.
That first winter of 1620—1621 brought “the Great Sickness” to the Colony and 50% of the passengers died. The children, as a group, fared best with only five children dying (servant John Hooke, Ellen, Jasper and Mary More, and the Tinker family’s infant son).
Twenty-five children survived, meaning a full half of the remaining Colony was under 18 years old! Several explanations are possible. The children may have had more robust physical constitutions, than the adults of the Colony. Another theory is that the children may have been fed and cared for by mothers who denied themselves food portions in favor of their children. Though no proof exists to support this, the mothers fared the most poorly with only four surviving the first year: Elinor Billington, Mary Brewster, Elizabeth Hopkins and Susanna White.
However, a new problem emerged. Thirty percent of the Colony’s children were either orphaned or abandoned in the New World. The caring of these orphans is one of the great untold stories of life in the first year of the Colony. It has been suggested that the health of these children ultimately increased the chances of survival of the entire struggling colony and helped to ensure their future. It also made for a Colony whose future leaders had been there since the establishment, including its governance, values and ethics.
Below is a list of all the children that boarded the Mayflower. Their approximate ages are shown in parentheses. Names shown in bold and all caps are known to have descendants:
- BARTHOLOMEW ALLERTON (7)
- MARY ALLERTON (3)
- REMEMBER ALLERTON (5)
- FRANCIS BILLINGTON (14)
- John Billington (16)
- LOVE BREWSTER (13)
- Wrestling Brewster (9)
- William Butten (15) DIED at SEA
- MARY CHILTON (13)
- JOHN COOKE (13)
- Humility Cooper (1)
- HENRY SAMSON (16)
- John Crackstone (18)
- SAMUEL EATON (1)
- SAMUEL FULLER (12)
- John Hooke (14)
- CONSTANCE HOPKINS (14)
- Damaris Hopkins (2)
- GILES HOPKINS (12)
- Oceanus Hopkins (born at sea)
- William Latham (11)
- Desire Minter (10)
- Ellen More (8)
- Jasper More (7)
- Mary More (4)
- RICHARD MORE (6)
- PRISCILLA MULLINS (17)
- JOSEPH ROGERS (17)
- ELIZABETH TILLEY (13)
- “Son” Tinker (infant)
- PEREGRINE WHITE (born at Providence Harbor)
- RESOLVED WHITE (5)
The following nine orphaned or abandoned children were taken in by Pilgrim families during a time when food and resources were scarce:
- Mary Chilton: became part of the widowed Myles Standish household
- John Crackstone: became part of the Allerton family
- Samuel Fuller: having lost both his parents, was taken in by his Uncle Samuel Fuller
- Richard More: became part of the Brewster household
- Priscilla Mullins: no record
- Joseph Rogers: was taken in by widower William Bradford
- Henry Samson: likely was in the Brewster household
- Elizabeth Tilley: no record
- Humility Cooper: likely into the Brewster household with her cousin Henry Samson until she was sent back to England
Information provided by the Oklahoma Mayflower Society, updated by Susan Abanor
Recipes
Based on ingredients and methods used by early colonists and Native Americans, here are some original Early New England recipes and related dishes, adapted from historical accounts and museum interpretations.
Nasaump is a traditional dish that the early Plymouth colonists adopted.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups grits or cornmeal
- 1 cup fresh or dried blueberries, raspberries, or a mix
- 1/2 cup crushed nuts, such as walnuts or hazelnuts
- 1 quart water
- Maple syrup or sugar to taste (optional)
Instructions:
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium.
- Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently until the porridge thickens.
- Sweeten with maple syrup or sugar if desired, and serve warm
Indian pudding was created by colonists who adapted their traditional English “hasty pudding” recipe to use native cornmeal instead of hard-to-find wheat flour.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups milk or cream
- 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup sugar (optional)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cold milk or cream
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 300°F.
- In a saucepan, bring 3 cups of milk or cream to a simmer over medium heat.
- Slowly whisk in the cornmeal, molasses, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt until the mixture is smooth.
- Remove from heat and pour the mixture into a greased baking dish.
- Slowly pour the remaining 1/4 cup of cold milk over the top of the pudding. Do not stir it in; this creates a distinct layer during baking.
- Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Serve warm, perhaps with a dollop of cream or ice cream.
Succotash is a Native American dish of corn and beans adopted by European settlers. The name comes from a Narragansett word for “broken corn kernels”.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
- 2 cups cooked shell beans or fresh green beans
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons butter or bear oil (if you can find it)
- Water or broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- In a pot or skillet, melt the butter or heat the oil.
- Add the chopped onion and cook until softened.
- Add the corn and beans and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add a small amount of water or broth to keep the mixture from drying out.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.
Essentials for Female Pilgrim/Colonial Clothing:
- Coif headwear
- Smock or Shift
- Waistcoat
- Apron
- Petticoat (also called a skirt)
- Latchet shoes
Costumes:
Essentials for Male Pilgrim/Colonial Clothing:
- Shirt
- Doublet
- Breeches
- Stockings
- Lachet Shoes
- Hat; either broad brimmed or flat
Costumes:
Arts & Crafts
Coloring Pages
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Games & Activities
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