On Board the Mayflower

On board the Mayflower there were 25 to 30 crew members and 102 passengers.  The church members numbered 41 and the others were passengers who had joined them on board in England.  These two groups apparently referred to themselves as "Saints" (the Puritan Separatists) and the "Strangers" (everyone else). It's not surprising that on the 66 day voyage they didn't always get along. Quarters were tight and the "Saints" prayed and sang hymns and held services and had little else to do.   The strangers didn't always appreciate their godliness (and no doubt "holier than thou" attitude) and made disparaging remarks.  The Saints of course were not going to put up with that having left their homes to find religious freedom.  The funny thing is, they wanted freedom to practice their faith, but didn't tolerate others freedom of religion. The strangers were comprised of individuals and families who were tradesmen looking for a fresh start in the New World.
For all of their apparent disdain of each other, both groups soon realized that to survive in this foreign environment they would have to work together.  Collectively, the entire group became known as the Pilgrims. 

The passenger list from the Mayflower was well documented by Gov. William Bradford.

Below is a list of Pilgrims which our family appears to be related to. The Mayflower passenger established descendant lines have been traced down to our family lines, but in order to prove it to the standards of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants we would have to find birth, death and marriage certificates.  I have provided these for the line going to William Brewster.  The paperwork has been submitted and we are currently awaiting a reply, which could still take another month or more.  Proving this one line took quite a bit of extra research and money so I am not anxious to prove the other lines.  I am satisfied that the other lines are correct based upon research conducted by numerous individuals across the US while working on their family trees, and historical documents I have located. 

Our family Mayflower passengers are shown below.  I have indicated which Family the line connects (A - Ayer) (S - Sawyer)


Church members
William Brewster (A)
Mary Brewster, wife of William (A)
Love Brewster, son of William (A)
Wrestling Brewster, son of William (A)


Strangers
John Alden (A)
William Mullins (A)
Alice Mullins, wife of William (A)
Priscilla Mullins, Daughter of William (A)
Joseph Mullins, Son of William (A)
John Tilley (S)
Joan Tilley, wife of John (S)
Elizabeth Tilley, daughter of John (S)
Edward Tilley, brother of John (S)
Anne Tilley, wife of Edward (S)
Humility Cooper, niece of Anne Tilley (S)
Henry Samson, nephew of Anne Tilley (S)
Richard Warren (S)
Stephen Hopkins (S)
Elizabeth Hopkins, wife of Stephen (S)
Constance Hopkins, daughter of Stephen (S)
Giles Hopkins, Son of Stephen (S)
Damaris Hopkins, Son of Stephen (S)
Oceanus Hopkins, Son of Stephen (S) 

John Howland (S)

Next up...The voyage and Land Ho!