Only about a third of the Mayflower passengers were part of the religious refugees who fled England to live in the more tolerant Holland before sailing on the famous ship. Stephen Hopkins and his second wife, Elizabeth were among those who sailed for other reasons. His biography is amazing. He was born in 1581 in Upper Clatford, Hampshire, England. By 1604 he was living in Hursley, Hampshire and married to Mary. Their first child was daughter […]
I’m hiding out in the 17th Century until news in the 21st Century improves. The Stephen Hopkins Family make a marvelous distraction. They traveled to Plymouth, MA on the Mayflower in 1620. Stephen and Elizabeth are one of the more famous and fascinating couples among the eighteen couples aboard. On this trip to North American Stephen traveled with his second wife, Elizabeth Fisher Hopkins, and three children. Elizabeth was pregnant with a fourth child when they […]
Eighteen women voyaged with their husbands aboard the Mayflower in 1620. Only four were still alive a year later. I doubt any of them decided for themselves if they would go on that dangerous journey or remain behind, not knowing when – or if – they’d ever see their husbands again. We know very little about most of them; some not even their names. Seventeenth-century women had few choices or rights. Most went from the […]
I prepared the March articles before Russia invaded Ukraine. Let me add, #StandWithUkraine. The Mayflower is arguably one of the more famous ships in nautical history. The fact we know anything about it 400 years after its famous voyage is a nautical miracle. Had it not carried the Pilgrims across the stormy north Atlantic back in 1620, it would have likely faded away with little fanfare. Such was the fate of many other ships of […]
I’ve been offering blog readers tours of places that played a role in the Mayflower story. You can visit Scrooby, York, and Boston in England at your leisure. Before we emigrate with the Pilgrims to Holland, I want you to meet a few Pilgrim Authors – that is authors who have researched and written about the Mayflower story. These people have devoted years to researching and writing about the fascinating stories behind the Mayflower story. […]