Pilgrim Courage: Settling the Plymouth Colony By Al M. Rocca
Pilgrim Courage Settling the Plymouth Colony Written by Al M. Rocca, PhD No part of this book may be reproduced or copied in any form, written or electronic, without written permission from the publisher. Product No. RP 105DSR ISBN 978-09643378-6-2 Library of Congress Control Number 2007937899 Printed in the United States of America Copyright 2007 Renown Publishing Redding California www.shasta.com/renown Clip Art courtesy of Desk Gallery, Zedcor, Inc. 1994
Table of Contents Chapter 1 William Hawkins and the Separatists Chapter 2 Voyage to America Chapter 3 Land at Last! Chapter 4 Life in Plymouth Colony Chapter 5 The First Thanksgiving
Chapter 1 William Hawkins and the Separatists William Hawkins enjoyed living near the waterfront in his hometown of Plymouth, England. For a 12-year old boy, alive in the year 1620, there was much to see and do. Ships from all over the world came and went every day. He liked to watch as exotic cargos of strange plants, animals and people arrived on these ships and passed through the port inspector s office. The busy port inspector s office was near his father s place of business--the Hawkins Maritime Carpentry Shop. William s father, Henry, worked almost every day in his shop to carve and construct many kinds of special wood fittings for ocean going ships. He was especially talented in making curved wooden spindles that held rope lines securely to the sides of the ship. People on the waterfront knew Mr. Hawkins as a man of strong integrity. He was honest and hardworking. Mr. Hawkins became so busy with new orders that he began to teach his son the skills of 1
2 Pilgrim Courage a maritime carpenter. William was to become an apprentice to his father and someday he would take over running the shop. It was a dreary morning on September 1, 1620 when William arrived at his father s shop after running some early morning errands. He already had been working for a week, learning the names of all the tools and watching his father shape oak spindles. Good morning father, said William. Sorry I am late, but Pier 15 and 16 are really crowded. Hello son, I am glad you are here, I have a big order that needs to be finished today, replied Henry, as he looked up and met his son s green eyes. William was in every way, a typical boy of his day. His sandy brown hair, parted in the middle, hung down unequally on both sides of his head, covering most of his ears. Not too heavy and not too slight, William s light skinned complexion contrasted sharply with his hair and dark colored shirt and breeches. Henry stopped working and stood up to his full six-foot height, turned and pointed to a pile of roughhewn wooden boards. I need you to cut those boards into two-foot lengths and bring them to me, said Henry, turning back to look at his son. Yes father, which saw should I use? Well, if you think you are ready, you can try the big crosscut saw, answered Henry. His son quickly shot back, I know I can do it. As William busied himself with the first cuttings, there was a sudden shuffling of feet. The
William Hawkins and the Separatists 3 front door swung open and in walked Jonathan Chivington, a local warehouse worker, who often delivered parts to shops on the waterfront. He cleared his throat and said, Mornin to ya Mr. Hawkins. The elder Hawkins stopped work and approached the visitor. It s good to see you, did you bring the chisels? Chivington, pulled a small wrapped package from his carrying pouch and handed it to Henry. I made sure the blacksmith sharpened them real good for ya, exclaimed Chivington, apparently pleased with his effort. A wide smile appeared on Henry s face as he shook hands with Chivington and said, I can always count on you. Henry went on, I need these new chisels to finish an important job. Mr. Chivington turned to leave. Then he remembered something. He moved toward Henry and said, I almost forgot, I ve a message for you. Reaching into his pouch he pulled out a short folded paper and he gave it to Henry noting, It s from the skipper of the Mayflower, Captain Christopher Jones. Henry quickly read the note. It looks like the Mayflower will be leaving soon and the captain needs the new tie-down spindles that I am making, Henry said. Chivington agreed, These Separatists have hired Jones and the Mayflower to take their religious group to the New World. The group has already tried