Questions Frequently Asked by Students

How did the Mayflower get its name? Ships were usually named for objects in nature, people, or virtues. The May flower was the flower of the English Hawthorne tree. The owner of the Mayflower was Christopher Jones. His previous ship was named the Josian, named after his wife.

Is there a map of the Mayflower's route? There are some maps of the Mayflower's route on this page of my web site.

What did the Pilgrims bring with them to America? The Pilgrims did not write down lists of the things they brought, so we do not know exactly. Captain John Smith (the same guy rescued by Pocahontas) suggested colonists to Virginia should bring clothing (waistcoats, shirts, pants, collars, stockings, shoes, etc.), along with needles, canvas for making beds and blankets, and spare material to make additional clothing. He suggested each man should bring 8 bushels of wheat, 2 bushels of peas, 2 bushels of oatmeal, 1 gallon of whiskey or brandy, 1 gallon of oil, 2 gallons of vinegar, some sugar, spice and fruit. He recommended body armor, a sword, a belt, a bandolier, 20 pounds of gunpowder and 60 pounds of shot (mostly for hunting birds). He suggested a family of six should bring the following tools: 10 hoes, 7 axes, 5 saws, 2 hammers and 6 chisels, 3 shovels, 2 spades, 2 hatchets, one grindstone, nails, a pick-axe, and various other small tools. For cooking he suggested each family bring an iron pot and kettle, a large frying pan, a gridiron, two skillets, 1 spit, along with various platters, dishes and spoons. He suggests if the number of colonists are large, they should bring fishing nets, hooks and lines; cheese and bacon; and some live cattle and goats.

Were there any blacks on the Mayflower?
There were no blacks on the Mayflower. The first black person known to have visited Plymouth was 30-year old John Pedro, presumably a servant or slave, who stopped at Plymouth in 1622 before heading on to Jamestown, Virginia. There are no records of any blacks living in Plymouth Colony until 1643, when an individual referred to simply as "the blackamore" is listed as one of the men between the ages of 16 and 60 who was capable of carrying arms in the defense of Plymouth (think of it as the first Selective Service list in America). The next mention of a black in Plymouth records seems to be a 1653 court record mentioning a "neager maide servant of John Barnes" who testified on her master's behalf in a lawsuit against John Smith. During the King Philip's War of 1676, a black named Jethro was captured by the Indians, but taken back by the colonists a few days later. In a subsequent court action, he was ordered to be a servant for two more years and then he was to be freed. Plymouth, for the most part, had servants and not slaves, meaning that they usually got their freedom after turning 25 years of age.