Who Was On the Mayflower? — Known Passengers and Crew on the Mayflower Voyage

Summary of Who Was on the Mayflower

When the Mayflower left Plymouth, England on September 6, 1620, there were two distinct groups of people on board:

1. Passengers
2. Crewmembers

The passengers can be broken down further into three distinct groups:

1. Separatists from Leiden
2. Planters recruited by the Merchant Adventurers
3. Servants, Indentured Servants, and Apprentices

Facts About the Documented People on the Mayflower

Various sources provide passenger lists, but the exact number of people who were on the ship during the first voyage to America will never be known. As of today, it has been documented:

1. There were 102 passengers on the Mayflower when it left Plymouth, England on September 6, 1620.
2. 50 of those passengers were Separatists from Leiden, Netherlands, who were given permission to move to America and establish a colony. Soon after the Mayflower arrived at Cape Code, a child was born, so the total number of colonists in the Separatist group was 51.
3. There were 34 passengers who were recruited by the Merchant Adventurers to make the journey to America. Some of them were families looking for a new start and some of them were workers who were hired to help start the colony. One of the passengers, William Butten, died on the voyage, which dropped the number to 34. However, a child, Oceanus Hopkins, was born, which pushed the number back to 34.
4. There were 18 documented passengers who were servants, indentured servants, apprentices, or placed in the care of other passengers.
5. When the Mayflower arrived at Cape Cod, there were 102 documented passengers. Peregrine White was born on November 20, making 103 passengers.
6. Most accounts of the Mayflower Voyage indicate there were 20-30 crewmembers. At least 6 of them are known and documented.

Mayflower Passengers — Separatists from Leiden

Quick Facts About Mayflower Passengers from Leiden

• Mary Allerton, the daughter of Isaac and Mary Allerton, was the last living passenger of the Mayflower Voyage. She died in 1699. 
• William Bradford served as the Governor of Plymouth 30 times. Each term was for one year.
• William Brewster served as the religious leader of Plymouth and was an advisor to William Bradford.
• Samuel Fuller was the first doctor in Plymouth.
• When the Mayflower left Plymouth, there were 50 passengers from Leiden. After the ship reached Cape Code, Peregrine White was born, pushing the total number of Separatists to 51.

Members of the Leiden Separatist Congregation and Their Family Members (51 Total)

Isaac Allerton Family (5)

1. Isaac Allerton
2. Mary Allerton, wife
3. Bartholomew Allerton, son
4. Remember Allerton, daughter
5. Mary Allerton, daughter

William Bradford Family (2)

1. William Bradford
2. Dorothy Bradford, wife

William Brewster Family (4)

1. William Brewster
2. Mary Brewster, wife
3. Love Brewster, son
4. Wrestling Brewster, son

John Carver Family (2)

1. John Carver
2. Catherine Carver, wife

James Chilton Family (3)

1. James Chilton
2. Susanna Chilton, wife
3. Mary Chilton, daughter

Francis Cooke Family (2)

1. Francis Cooke
2. John Cooke, son

John Crackstone Family (2)

1. John Crackstone
2. John Crackstone, son

Edward Fuller Family (4)

1. Edward Fuller
2. Wife, no name given
3. Samuel Fuller, son
4. Dr. Samuel Fuller, brother of Edward

Thomas Rogers Family (2)

1. Thomas Rogers
2. Joseph Rogers, son

Edward Tilley Family (4)

1. Edward Tilley
2. Ann Tilley, wife
3. Humility Cooper, niece
4. Henry Sampson, nephew

John Tilley Family (3)

1. John Tilley
2. Joan Tilley, wife
3. Elizabeth Tilley, daughter

Thomas Tinker Family (3)

1. Thomas Tinker
2. Wife, no name given
3. Son, no name given

John Turner Family (3)

1. John Turner
2. Son, no name given
3. Son, no name given

William White Family (4)

1. William White
2. Susanna White, wife
3. Resolved White, son
4. Peregrine White, son

Edward Winslow Family (2)

1. Edward Winslow
2. Elizabeth Winslow, wife

Leiden Passengers Traveling Alone (6)

1. Moses Fletcher
2. John Goodman
3. Desire Minter
4. Degory Priest
5. Thomas Rogers
6. Thomas Wilson

Mayflower Passengers — Recruited by the Merchant Adventurers and Separatists (53 Total)

Quick Facts About the Passengers and Servants on the Mayflower

• John Billington Sr. was the first Englishman convicted of murder in America. In 1630, during an argument with colonist John Newcomen, he shot and killed him. Billington was convicted of murder and hanged.
• John Alden was hired to work on the Mayflower, but decided to stay in Plymouth.
• Priscilla Mullins married John Alden but was also courted by Myles Standish after his wife, Rose, died. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow memorialized the story of Mullins, Alden, and Standish in the poem “The Courtship of Miles Standish,” which he published in 1858.
• Myles Standish was the military leader of Plymouth and had a reputation for having a quick temper. In 1632, he founded the town of Duxbury, Massachusetts.
• Gilbert Winslow was Edward Winslow’s brother but was not a member of the Leiden congregation.
• George Soule survived the first winter and fought in the Pequot War in 1637.

John Billington Family (4)

1. John Billington
2. Eleanor Billington, wife
3. John Billington, son
4. Francis Billington, son

Francis Eaton Family (3)

1. Francis Eaton
2. Sarah Eaton, wife
3. Samuel Eaton, son

Stephen Hopkins Family (6)

1. Stephen Hopkins
2. Elizabeth Hopkins, wife
3. Giles Hopkins, son
4. Constance Hopkins, daughter
5. Demaris Hopkins, daughter
6. Oceanus Hopkins, son

Christopher Martin Family (2)

1. Christopher Martin
2. Mary Martin, wife
3. Solomon Prower, son of Mary Martin from first her marriage

William Mullins Family (4)

1. William Mullins
2. Alice Mullins, wife
3. Priscilla Mullins, daughter
4. Joseph Mullins, son

John Rigsdale Family (2)

1. John Rigsdale
2. Alice Rigsdale, wife

Myles Standish Family (2)

1. Myles Standish
2. Rose Standish

London Passengers Traveling Alone (7)

1. Richard Britteridge
2. Peter Browne
3. Richard Clarke
4. Richard Gardiner
5. Edmund Margesson
6. Richard Warren
7. Gilbert Winslow

Men Hired to Work for One Year (5)

1. John Alden
2. John Allerton
3. Richard Ely
4. Thomas English
5. William Trevore

Servants, Indentures, and Apprentices

1. William Butten — Servant, Samuel Fuller.
2. Robert Carter — Servant or Apprentice, William Mullins.
3. Dorothy — Maidservant, John Carver.
4. Edward Doty — Servant, Stephen Hopkins.
5. William Holbeck — Servant, William White.
6. John Hooke — Apprentice, Isaac Allerton.
7. John Howland — Servant, John Carver.
8. John Lancemore — Servant, Christopher Martin.
9. William Latham — Servant or Apprentice, John Carver.
10. Edward Leister — Servant, Stephen Hopkins.
11. Ellen More — Indenture, Edward Winslow.
12. Jasper More — Indenture, John Carver.
13. Richard More — Indenture, William Brewster.
14. Mary More — Indenture, William Brewster.
15. George Soule — Servant or Employee, Edward Winslow.
16. Elias Story — Unknown, in the care of Edward Winslow.
17. Edward Thompson — Unknown, in the care of William White.
18. Roger Wilder — Servant, John Carver.

Mayflower Crewmembers (6)

1. Christopher Jones — Ship’s Master/Captain
2. John Clarke — First Mate and Ship’s Pilot
3. Robert Coppin — Second Mate and Pilot
4. Giles Heale — Ship’s Surgeon
5. Andrew Williamson — Seaman
6. John Parker — Seaman

Significance of the Passengers on the Mayflower Voyage

The passengers on the Mayflower — regardless of their purpose — are important to the history of the United States for many reasons. Although they established the first permanent English settlement in New England and went on to inspire thousands of Puritans to emigrate to America, perhaps the most important thing the Pilgrims did was simply survive. The first winter they spent in Plymouth was brutal. They were ravaged by sickness and short on food. Only 52 colonists survived the first winter.