Who were the passengers and crew on the Mayflower?

The Passengers

Various authors quote different number of passengers ranging from 102 -104.  When the Mayflower finally left Plymouth on September 16th (new calendar) was crowded on the between decks with passengers.  The Mayflower Migration by Robert Charles Anderson counts 104 pasengers.  Available at Americanancestors.org.  it summarize all that is currently known about the Pilgrim Fathers, Mothers and Children.   Anderson divides the passengers into two large groups.   The first group is the Leiden Contingent which had 69 members.  The second group is the "London" Contingent with 35 members.   

Leiden  group was comprised of the following: William and Mary Brewster and children Love and Westling:  William and Dorothy May Bradford;  William and Susanna Jackson White with sons Resolved and Peregrine and their servants William Holbeck and Thomas Thomson;  Isaac Allerton and wife Mary Norris Allerton, their three children Barthomew, Remember and Mary and his servant John Hooke; John Allerton;  John and Catherine White Leggatt Carver, Desire Minter, and his four servants John Howland, Roger Wilder, William Latham, and a maidservant;  Edward and Elizabeth Barker Winslow and two servants George Soule and Elias Story; John Crackstone and his son John; Myles and Rose Standish; Thomas Tinker and his wife and son; Francis and Sarah Eaton with their son Samuel; John and Alice Rigsdale; John Goodman; Thomas Williams; John Turner and two sons; Francis and Hester Mahiue Cooke; Edward Fuller, his wife and son Samuel; Samuel Fuller and servant William Button; Degory Priest; James Chilton and his wife and their daughter Mary;  Moses Fletcher; Thomas Rogers and his son Joseph;  John Tilley, his wife and their daughter Elizabeth;  Edward and Ann Tilley  with niece Humility Cooper and cousin Henry Sampson.

The London Group is comprised for the following members:  William Mullins and his wife , children Joseph and  Priscilla and their servant Robert Carter;  Peter Brown; Christopher Martin, his wife and two servants Solomon Prower and John Langmore; Richard Warren;  Richard More and siblings Jasper, Ellen and Mary; Stephen and Elizabeth Hopkins, his children Giles and Constanta, their children Damaris and Oceanus and their servants Edward Doty and Edward Lester;  John Alden; John and Ellen Billington and their sons John and Francis;   finally Richard Clark, Thomas English, ---- Ely, Richard Gardiner, Edmund Margesson, and William Trevor.


The Crew of the Mayflower


The Mayflower would have had about thirty men of whom half died in the voyage and first winter.  Only a few are identifiable through the records.   If no name is listed below, then his name is not known.  


1.  Ship's Master-  Christopher Jones.    He and three others bought the Mayflower in 1608.  He was about 50 when commanding the Mayflower to Plymouth.  2.   Ship's Pilot and Master's Mate- John Clarke  had previously been a pilot to Jamestown in 1611 and was captured by the Spanish and imprisoned for 5 years.   He made another trip to Jamestown in 1618 after his release. 3.  Master's Mate-  Robert Coppin.  4.  Cooper- John Alden was hired in Southampton, England when the Mayflower was provisioned. The cooper built, repaired and maintained the ship's barrels. He was essential because the barrels stored all the food stuffs and drink.  He was given the choice to remain or return with Mayflower.  The Alden Family is truly grateful that he decided to stay.   5. Ship's Surgeon- Giles Heale survived to return home to England.  He was so admired by the Pilgrims that he was given a copy of the Ainsworth Psalter.   6Master Gunner  cared for cannon and related supplies and died in the first winter becoming sick while exploring Cape Cod.  7Ship's Carpenter was responsible for repairing leaks, caulking, splicing masts, and all ship-related damages. When the Mayflower’s main beam cracked during the middle of the voyage, the master carpenter made the repairs using the giant screw that the passengers had brought to help build their houses and barns.  He also help to reassemble the Pilgrim’s dismantled shallop, stored betwixt the decks.  8. The Boatswain was responsible for the rigging, rope, tackle, sails, anchors and longboat.  William Bradford noted that he was "a proud young man, who would often curse and scoff at the passengers, but when he grew weak they had compassion on him and helped him."  He was one of many who died the first winter.  9. The four Quartermasters maintained the cargo hold and setting the shifts and watch hours.  They were responsible for fishing and maintaining the lines, hooks and harpoons.  Three of the four died the first winter.  10. The Ship's Cook maintained the food supplies and prepared the meals for the crew.  The ship's cook room was typically located in the forecastle of the ship.  He died the first winter.


The above information is based on the research of Caleb Johnson, whose fuller descriptions are located on Mayflowerhistory.com and They Knew That They Were Pilgrims.