William White

William White (25 January 1586/7 21 February 1621) was a passenger on the Mayflower. Accompanied by his wife Susanna, son Resolved and two servants, and joined by a son, Peregrine, on the way, he traveled in 1620 on the historic voyage. He was a signatory to the Mayflower Compact and perished early in the history of Plymouth Colony.

English origin William White of the Mayflower was baptized 25 January 1586/7 at Wisbech, Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England, son of Edward and Thomasine (Cross)(May) White.

Further, there is confusion about William White in Leiden. Records reveal that there were two men of that name living there, other than Mayflower William White about 1620 and both appear to have been still there after the Mayflower departed. Aside from the William Whites in Leiden confusion, an additional contributing factor was the name of the wife of one of the William Whites – Ann – which erroneously has connected the Whites with the Fuller family.

The White family, as recalled by William Bradford in 1651, per their Mayflower voyage, and the birth of Peregrine: "Mr. William White, and Susana, his wife, and one son, called Resolved, and one borne a ship-bord, called Peregrine; and *2* servants, named William Holbeck and Edward Thomson."

The Mayflower departed from Plymouth in England on 6/16 September 1620. The small, 100-foot ship had 102 passengers and a crew of about 30-40 in extremely cramped conditions. By the second month out, the ship was being buffeted by strong westerly gales, causing the ship's timbers to be badly shaken with caulking failing to keep out sea water, and with passengers, even in their berths, lying wet and ill. This, combined with a lack of proper rations and unsanitary conditions for several months, attributed to what would be fatal for many, especially the majority of women and children. On the way there were two deaths, a crew member and a passenger, but the worst was yet to come after arriving at their destination when, in the space of several months, almost half the passengers perished in cold, harsh, unfamiliar New England winter.

William White was the eleventh signatory to the Mayflower Compact. His servants William Holbeck and Edward Thompson were not of age and could not sign the Compact.

In May 1621, Susanna White became the first Plymouth colony bride, marrying Edward Winslow, a fellow Mayflower passenger whose wife had perished on 24 March 1621. At least five children were born to Edward Winslow and his wife Susanna.

And though deceased, in the 1623 Division of Land, White received five acres (akers) "lyeth behind the forte to the little ponde." (lying behind the fort to the little pond). Edward Winslow, his wife Susanna's husband since 12 May 1621, received four acres in the same section. White's sons Resolved and Peregrine were both listed with their step-father Edward Winslow and mother Susanna in the 1627 Division of Cattle, and moved with their parents to Marshfield in 1632.

About 1638, the Winslows moved with Susanna's sons Resolved and Peregrine White, to Green Harbor, now called Marshfield, Massachusetts. Edward Winslow later became Governor of Plymouth County, and was also the colony agent in England. In England, his diplomatic skills soon came to the attention of Oliver Cromwell, the new Puritan leader of the country. Cromwell required Winslow head a joint award reparations commission to assess damage caused by Danish ships.

Edward Winslow lived in England the last six years of his life, serving the government there. When his will was written in 1654 as resident of London, the document stated that he left his New England property to his son Josiah "hee (sic) allowing to my wife a full third parte thereof for her life also" so it is probable that his wife did not follow him to London. Edward Winslow died of fever on 7/8 May 1655 while on a British military expedition in the Caribbean.

There is no trace of Susanna's death beyond a sales record in 1647, and no further record of Susanna has been found. Though she was the wife of one colony governor and the mother of another, the first bride in the colony and the mother of the famed Peregrine White, she seems forgotten in the records. (a marriage to Anna Fuller was disproven years ago) and had two sons. White died on 21 February 1621. Susanna remarried on 12 May 1621 to Edward Winslow and had five children with him. The date of Susanna's death is uncertain — sometime between 18 December 1654 (Edward Winslow's will) and 2 July 1675 (Josiah Winslow's will where she is not mentioned). She was buried in Winslow Cemetery in Marshfield where her sons Resolved and Peregrine White and their wives were buried. Edward Winslow died on a British military expedition in the Caribbean in 1655 and was buried at sea.

Children of William White and his wife Susanna: Resolved White was born about 1615 in England; he died sometime after 19 September 1687. He is buried with his first wife Judith Vassall in Winslow Cemetery, Marshfield, Massachusetts. Resolved White married twice. On 5 November 1640, he married Judith Vassall, daughter of William Vassall, in Scituate, Massachusetts. She was born in England about 1619 and was buried in Marshfield on 3 April 1670. The couple had eight children born in Scituate between 1642 and 1656. On 5 October 1674, he married Abigail, widow of William Lord, in Salem. She was born in England and died in Salem between 15 and 27 June 1682.

Peregrine White was born aboard the ship Mayflower late in November 1620 and died in Marshfield on 20 July 1704. He married Sarah Bassett, daughter of William Bassett, by 6 March 1648/9 and had seven children. She died in Marshfield on 22 January 1711.

In 1651, William Bradford recalled William White, writing that "Mr. White dyed soon after ther landing. His wife married with Mr. Winslow (as is before noted). His *2* sons are married, and Resolved had *5* children, Peregrine tow [sic], all living. So their increase are now *7*." Death of William White William White died on 21 February 1621. He was buried in Cole's Hill Burial Ground in Plymouth, likely in an unmarked grave as with most from the Mayflower who died that first winter. His name appears on the Pilgrim Memorial Tomb (sarcophagus) on Cole's Hill. The date of death of his wife Susanna, who became the second wife of Edward Winslow, is uncertain. She was buried in the Winslow Cemetery, Marshfield, as were her sons Resolved and Peregrine and their families. Edward Winslow died on a British military expedition in the Caribbean in 1655 and was buried at sea.

Servants traveling with White family

William Holbeck. He boarded the Mayflower as an indentured servant. He did not sign the Mayflower Compact so it may be presumed he was under the age of 21, possibly in his teens. His surname was not especially a common one. It may be assumed that he came from the same region of England as the White family, but the origins of this family have not been located.

William Holbeck died during the first winter at Plymouth. William Bradford reporting that "Mr. White and his two servants died soon after landing."

Edward Thomson (or Thompson). He boarded the Mayflower as a servant to William White. He did not sign the Mayflower Compact which indicates he was not yet 21 years of age, and was probably in his teens. His English origins are not known and due to his very common name, difficult to research. He may have come from the same area of England as the White family, whose origins are known. Edward Thompson was the first Mayflower passenger to die, as reported by William Bradford, after the ship's arrival at Cape Cod, probably on 4 December 1620. This was several weeks before the Pilgrims located and decided to settle at Plymouth. Several memorials to him and others from the Mayflower who were the earliest to die exist today at Provincetown on Cape Cod.