THE PILGRIMS

The Pilgrims were a small band of people who came to North America for religious freedom. The Protestant reformation, which begin in England during the reign of Henry VIII, became well established after the English defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. Henry VIII became the head of the Church of England, replacing the Pope, but there was never any question of a true religious freedom as we define it today. The primary tool for these changes in religious thought was the translation of the Bible into English from Latin, and the first general circulation of this version between 1557 and 1560. Early in 1557 several ministers began to hold religious services on their own and they became known as Separatists or Brownists (after Robert Brown, on of the leaders). These people became known as the Pilgrims, as opposed to the Puritans, who claimed the right to worship as they saw fit, but did not leave the Church of England.

The Pilgrims established a church at Scrooby in Lincoln, where they listened to the preachings of John Robinson. Laws came into effect that provided for the imprisonment of those who did not attend the Church of England, with the requirement that they conform within three months following their imprisonment or leave the country. Refusal to conform was to result in death without the benefit of clergy. The Scrooby congregation determined to move to Holland, where there was greater freedom, but they were unable to obtain a license to migrate. In October 1607 they attempted to sail from Boston to Holland secretly but were caught and imprisoned. After a month all but seven of the men were released. In 1608 another attempt was made to leave from Grimsby but the captain became frightened and sailed with only a few women and children aboard, leaving the men to be imprisoned. After this attempt, further mass movements were stopped. But by 1609 the majority of the Pilgrims had arrived by ones and twos in Amsterdam. In 1609 they moved to Leyden and over the next eleven years (until 1620) the community slowly grew until it numbered over 1,000.

The Pilgrims remained loyal to England and, although they had found peace and religious freedom in Holland, they were concerned that their children were losing the ability to speak English and were marrying into Dutch families. The group requested permission from King James to settle in the Virginia Colony and, although they were refused the protection of the English flag, the King agreed not to molest them. With this statement they were able to obtain a patent from the London Company to settle on what is now the New Jersey coast. Their financial backing came from a group of about 70 sympathetic London merchants known as the Adventurers. Their agreement required all income from the colony to go into a common fund which was to be divided according to shares between the colonists and the Adventurers at the end of seven years.

THE MAYFLOWER VOYAGE

In July of 1620 a small band of Pilgrims sailed on the Speedwell from Delfts-haven to Southampton, where the Mayflower was waiting. Two weeks later the two ships sailed from Southampton for Virginia. Before they were out of the English Channel, the Speedwell began leaking badly and they turned in to Dartmouth for repairs. On September 2nd they started again but once more trouble developed and they were forced to put in to Plymouth.

On September 16, 1620 the Mayflower sailed alone for Virginia with 104 passengers, of which only half were of the Leyden congregation. On November 11th it anchored in Cape Cod Harbor at Long Point off the present site of Provincetown. The Pilgrims decided to sail south, where their patent lay, but after encountering dangerous shoals and roaring breakers, they turned back with the decision to settle near the Cape. Since the settlement was to occur outside of the patent granted by King James, the members of the Company met in the cabin of the Mayflower off the shore of Cape Cod on November 21, 1620 and drew up and then signed the document known as the Mayflower Compact. This document was designed to establish a means of maintaining law and order in the new colony, but has become famous as the document that established the foundations of civil and religious liberty for the United States of America. The Mayflower Compact established the first government formed by the consent of those governed and 150 years later it formed the foundation of Jefferson's Declaration of Independence as well as the Constitution of the United States. It is reprinted in the appendix to this section.

By 1630 the colony numbered about 300 persons, but the Adventurers had been paid. As the Puritans began to gain power in England more and more groups of settlers arrived so that by 1640 there were over 3,000 in the colony. In 1629 the Puritans had established the Plymouth Colony to the south and it grew to number near 4,000 by 1634.

There were 104 passengers, including 24 heads of families, on the Mayflower. Of these families, 22 were to leave descendants.

NOTE: Because Thankful and Elizabeth Fuller's grandfather and great grandfather were Mayflower Pilgrims, everyone who is descended from Thankful and Jabez Crippen through Hazel Marie Crippen Carlton or who is descended from Elizabeth and Samuel Rowley through Kathryn Virginia Gee Carlton is eligible for membership in the Society of Mayflower Descendents, with headquarters in Plymouth, Massachusettes and branches in most states.

BEFORE 1575

ROBERT FULLER (THE BUTCHER) AND HIS WIFE

All that is known of Robert is that he was a butcher and the father of the Mayflower Pilgrim Edward Fuller.

ABOUT 1575 - 1621

EDWARD FULLER AND ANN

Edward was born September 4, 1575 in Redenhall, Norfolk, England. He probably was never with the Pilgrims in Holland but instead joined them in Southampton. Edward and his wife arrived on the Mayflower and he signed the Mayflower Compact in 1620. Although his wife's name is unknown, some researchers believe she may have been Ann. They were among the nearly half of the original Pilgrims who died during the first winter of 1620-1621. Twelve of the sixteen mothers and thirteen of the twenty five fathers who arrived on the Mayflower died that winter. It is estimated that Edward died between January 11 and April 10, 1621. Ann probably died soon after January 11th. They were probably buried in the unmarked mound that the Pilgrims made so that the Indians would not know how many had died. Many of these remains were removed to the Pilgrim Sarcophagus in Plymouth, Massachusetts and it is likely that Edward and Ann's remains are among them. The marble sarcophagus now sits in a hilltop park overlooking Plymouth Harbor near a statue of Massasoit, the Indian Chief who came to the aid of the surviving Pilgrims. Edward Fuller's name is engraved on the tomb along with the names of the others who died that first winter. Edward and Ann had a single son, who came on the Mayflower with them:

Samuel Fuller (Son of Edward Fuller) Samuel was born in 1612, before the Mayflower sailed, so he would have been a child of eight during the voyage. There was an older Dr. Samuel Fuller (our Samuel's Uncle) who signed the Mayflower Compact and he also had a son named Samuel who would have been near to the age of our Samuel, but who was probably born after arrival of the Pilgrims at Cape Cod. To complicate matters even further, both Samuels named their first sons Samuel.

ABOUT 1616 - 1683

SAMUEL FULLER (I) (SON OF EDWARD) AND JANE LOTHROP

Samuel (I)(Son of Edward) was born around 1612 and was a child of eight during the voyage of the Mayflower in 1620. His father and mother died during the first winter in the colony. He was brought up by his Uncle, Dr. Samuel Fuller, at Plymouth. In 1623 his Uncle died. Samuel left his Uncle's house with his cattle and swine to seek a home on his own. He was declared a freeman of the Colony in 1634 and he settled in Scituate. He married Jane Lothrop between April 8 and 18, 1635. One account says that Captain Miles Standish performed the marriage. Jane was born in 1614, the daughter of Reverend John Lathrop of Scituate. In 1636 they built the 15th house in Scituate on Greenfield Street at Kent Street. The houses of this period were very rough affairs. The walls consisted of poles filled between with stones and clay. The roof was of thatch, the windows of oiled paper, and the floor of hand sawed planks. Samuel and Jane also had 20 acres of land east of Bellhouse Neck. Between 1639 and 1644 they followed Janes' father, Reverend John Lathrop, to the new town of Barnstable (now in Massachusetts). Jane died between 1658 and 1683. Samuel died between October 31 and November 10, 1683 in Barnstable at Mr. Cudworth's house in Scituate. Samuel and Jane had nine children:

Hannah Fuller Bonham

Hannah married Nicholas Bonham.

Samuel (II)(Son of Samuel, Son of Edward) Fuller

Samuel was baptized February 11, 1637. He married Anne Fuller. [We do not know who Anne's father was, although he was not Samuel (The Mayflower Pilgrim)].

Elizabeth Fuller Taylor

Elizabeth married Joseph Taylor.

Sarah (I) Fuller

Sarah was baptized August 1, 1641 and she died young.

Mary Fuller Williams

Mary was baptized June 16, 1644 and she married Joseph Williams.

Thomas Fuller

Thomas was born March 18, 1651 and he died young.

Sarah (II) Fuller Crowell

Sarah was born December 10, 1654 and she married John Crowell.

John Fuller

John was born about 1656 and he married Mehitabel Rowley. John is our Fuller ancestor.

Unknown Fuller

A baby was born on February 8, 1658 and died in infancy. Because no name is recorded this may have been a still birth.

ABOUT 1656 - 1732

(LITTLE) JOHN FULLER AND MEHITABEL ROWLEY

Little John was born about 1656 in Barnstable, Massachusetts. He was known as Little John to distinguish him from his Uncle John Fuller. He married Mehitable Rowley, the daughter of Moses and Elizabeth Fuller Rowley, about 1678 in Barnstable. Mehitable was born January 11, 1660 in Barnstable. In 1683 John's father Samuel, died. The will left John "4 acres of marsh, 3 year old horse running in woods, dwellinghouse, orchyard, and all out housing, the indian Jaell, a cart, plow, tooles, one fatt cow, my bald faced horse, my great bible, and one third of the other cattle." John and Mehitable lived in the dwellinghouse at Scorton Neck until 1694 when they moved to East Haddam, Connecticut. John Fuller died May 20, 1726 in East Haddam and Mehitable died there about 1732. We are uncertain how many children John and Mehitable had but there were at least two daughters:

Thankful Fuller

Thankful was baptized May 9, 1688 or 1689 in Barnstable, Massachusetts. She is the Mayflower Pilgrim Fuller ancestor of the descendants of Hazel Marie Crippen Carlton. Elizabeth Fuller Elizabeth was born in 1693. She is the Mayflower Pilgrim Fuller ancestor of the descendants of Kathryn Virginia Gee Carlton.


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THE ANCESTORS OF HAZEL MARIE CRIPPEN CARLTON

1680 - 1785 JABEZ CRIPPEN AND THANKFUL FULLER

Jabez was born about 1680 in Falmouth. He married Thankful Fuller on July 9, 1707 in Colchester, Connecticut, where his family was living.

1742 - 1782 SAMUEL (I) CRIPPEN AND KEZIA ALGER

Samuel was born on July 7, 1724 in Colchester. He married Kezia Alger on February 23, 1742 or 1743 in Kent, Connecticut.

1749 - 1808 DARIUS (I) CRIPPEN AND ABIGALE STEVENS

Darius was born in 1749 in Sharon, Connecticut. (However, there is a possibility that he was born in 1755.) He married Abigail Stevens on March 1, 1776 in Pittsford, Vermont.

1782 - 1877 SAMUEL (II) CRIPPEN (OF HOPE) AND RUTH TUTTLE

Samuel was born on June 24, 1782 in Pittsford, Vermont. He married Ruth Tuttle in North Ore. County, New York in 1809.

1815 - 1887 JACOB CRIPPEN AND MARY

Jacob was born on March 15, 1815 in New York. He married Mary (her surname is unknown), probably in 1834 or 1835.

1841 - 1916 REUBEN CRIPPEN AND MALINDA (I) MILER

Reuben was born Febrary 28, 1841 in Ohio or Illinois. On December 11, 1867 he married Malinda Miler,

1886 - 1981 JAMES EDWARD CRIPPEN AND HAZEL (I) VAN BUSKIRK

Ed, as he was always known, was born June 18, 1886 in LaPlatte, Nebraska. He married Hazel Van Buskirk on December 23, 1908 in Omaha.

THE ANCESTORS OF KATHERYN VIRGINIA GEE CARLTON

1693 - AFTER 1721 SAMUEL ROWLEY AND ELIZABETH FULLER

Samuel was probably born between 1680 and 1695. He married Elizabeth Fuller on March 4, 1713. They lived in East Haddon, Massachusettes.

**see section THE GEES, GILETTES, AND ORVIS'

In ye name of God, Amen. -- We whose names are underwrtittten, the loyall subjects of our dread and fovaraigne Lord, King James, by ye grade of God, of Great Britaine, France, & Yreland King, defender of ye faith. &c., haveing undertaken for ye glorie of God, and advancement of ye Christian faith, and honour to our king and countrie, a voyage to plant ye first colonie in ye Northerne parts of Virginia, doe by thefe prefents solemnly and mutually in ye prefense of God, and one of another, covenant and combine soufelves togeather into a civill body politick, for our better ordering & prefervation & furtherance of ye ends aforesaid; and by vertue hearof to enacte, conftitute, and frame fuch just & equall lawes, ordinances, Acts, conftitutions, & offices from time to time, as fhall be thought most meete & convenient for ye generall goode of ye Colonie, unto which we promife all due submiffion an obedience. Yn witnefs whereof we have hereunder subfcribed our names at Cap-Codd ye 11. of November, in e year of ye raigne of our soveraigne lord, King James, of England, France, & Yreland ye eighteenth, and Scotland ye fiftie fourth, Ano: Dom. 1620.

John Carver

William Bradford

Edward Winflow

William Brewfter

Ifaac Allerton

Myles Standifh

John Alden

Samuel Fuller

Chriftopher Martin

William Mullins

William White

Richard Warren

John Howland

Stephen Hopkins

Edward Tilley

John Tilley

Francif Cooke

Thomas Rogers

Thomas Tinker

John Rigdale

Edward Fuller

John Turner

Francis Eaton

James Chilton

John Cracfton

John Billington

Mofes Fletcher

John Goodman

Degory Prieft

Thomas Williams

Gilbert Winflow

Edmond Margefon

Peter Brown

Richard Britterige

George Soule

Richard Clark

Richard Gardiner

John Allerton

Thomas Englifh

Edward Doty

Edward Leifter

This page was updated on 2-21-98. If you have queries or comments, email rcarlton@arkansas.net