For this week’s 52 Ancestor Challenge, I’ll write about my 10th great grandfather, John Cooke. Those of you who read last week’s post concerning his father, Francis Cooke, know that John accompanied his father on the Mayflower when it sailed in 1620. John’s mother and younger siblings followed in 1623 on the ship, the Anne. Part of the reason the Leiden Separatists (commonly known as the Pilgrims) wanted to leave Holland was because they were worried about getting their children away from bad influences.
I thought it would be interesting to see what other boys traveled on the Mayflower to see who my grandfather’s friends would be in Plymouth. There were nine boys on the Mayflower between the ages of 11 and 17.
My 10th great grandfather John Cooke was 12 or 13 years old and traveled with his father. They both survived the first winter and went on to live long lives. They were members of the Leiden Separatists. The rest of the family joined them in 1623.
Giles Hopkins was 12 years old when he traveled on the Mayflower with his entire family. His baby brother, Oceanus, was born during the voyage. Unfortunately the baby died before he was three. Giles and his family were not part of the Leiden Separatists. They met up with the Pilgrims in Southampton after being recruited by the Merchant Adventurers (investors) to help out with the colony. Giles had the advantage over some of the boys of traveling with his entire family. Plus, his father was the only one who had previous experience in the New World, as he had been part of a previous misadventure in Jamestown, Virginia. He might have given the family some insight on how to survive. Giles lived a long life as a contributing member of Plymouth.
Samuel Fuller was also 12 years old when he traveled on the Mayflower. He was traveling with his parents and his uncle, also named Samuel Fuller. They were part of the Leiden Separatists. Samuel’s parents died the first winter and his uncle took him in. His uncle was educated and acted as a physician for the colony until his own death in 1634 during a smallpox epidemic. Samuel grew up, married, had several children and died at the age of 75. Samuel appears to have had the dubious honor of being the only Mayflower passenger to have owned a slave. At the time of his death, he owned a Native American slave, named Joel, whom he bequeathed to his own son, John. His death was in 1683, eight years after King Phillip’s war when all local Native Americans had been either killed or sent into slavery, most often in the Bahamas.
William Latham was 11 years old when he traveled on the Mayflower. He was a servant, traveling without any members of his family. He was a member of the Carver household. When the Carvers died in the Spring of 1621, about six months after their arrival, he went to work for the Bradfords. He lived with them for about ten years. He eventually moved to Massachusetts Bay Colony and married a young woman half his age (she was apparently on the rebound from a failed romance). She cheated on him with at least one other man. She and her lover were both hanged, the only people ever put to death for adultery in Massachusetts Bay or Plymouth colonies. William left New England shortly after that, returning to England, and then traveling to the Bahamas, where he and his companions ended up starving to death!
John Crackstone, an older teen, traveled on the Mayflower with his father. They were Leiden Separatists. His father died the first winter and he moved in with the Allertons. In 1627, when he would have been in his early twenties, he got lost in the woods, developed hypothermia, and died a few days later, after developing a fever.
John Billington was 16 when he traveled with his entire family on the Mayflower. His family was not part of the Leiden Separatists. They had joined the expedition in England. Their motive for traveling was for financial gain. His entire family survived the first winter. The following Spring, the colonists were still reeling from the loss of half of their party to disease and starvation, including the loss of their Governor and his wife. They were working hard to get crops planted in the fields so that they could survive the coming year. They were also apprehensive about their relationship with the local population. In the midst of this atmosphere, John wandered into the woods and got lost. There was a great commotion in the colony as a search party had to be sent out to find him. At last it was discovered that he had been taken in by a native tribe. They kept him safe until a band of men could come to retrieve him. They found him no worse for wear, well-fed, and adorned with beads.
John’s brother, Francis Billington, was 14 when the family arrived in Plymouth. He caused a commotion almost as soon as the ship had anchored in the harbor. He shot off a pistol while in the hold of the ship! Not only could he have accidentally killed someone, he came very close to blowing up the entire ship. His bullet barely missed a large barrel of gun powder that was stored in the hold. Whatever his punishment, it appears to have set him straight, as Francis went on to live a long life in the community. His older brother, John, passed away in 1627, of unknown causes. His father bears the ignominious distinction of being the first murderer in Plymouth. He was hanged in 1630 for shooting his neighbor to death.
The other two teenagers were both 17, significantly older than John Cooke. Joseph Rogers was a Leiden Separatist who traveled with his father. His mother and younger siblings stayed behind. His father died the first winter and it appears his family never followed. Joseph lived with the Bradfords for about ten years and then went on to marry and have children. He died at the age of 75. Similarly, Henry Samson traveled with his aunt and uncle, Edward and Ann Tilley, who died the first winter in Plymouth. Henry went on to live a long life in Plymouth, marrying and having children, and dying at the age of eighty.
It appears that, just like today, the boys who fared the best in Plymouth colony were those who had strong family support and an opportunity to learn good values.
And what about my 10th great grandfather, John Cooke?
He grew up in the colony, surrounded by his family. He became a well-respected member of the community, serving on juries and helping to resolve disputes. When he was 27, he married Sarah Warren, a daughter of a fellow Mayflower passenger. They had five daughters. During King Phillip’s war he turned his house into a garrison where neighbors could gather for safety during attacks.
He became a deacon in the Congregationalist church. However in his later years he developed opposing views to some of the doctrines. He was excommunicated from the church because he was adversely influencing some of the parishioners. He started his own congregation of Baptists in a corner of Plymouth colony that was eventually incorporated into Rhode Island. That church has continually held services since 1680 and still exists today as the First Baptist Old Stone Church in Tiverton, Rhode Island.
John died in 1695 at the age of 88, the last surviving male member of the Mayflower passengers. There is a plaque in his honor in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. It was erected in 1903 when family lore indicated that he had been buried there. This was not the case and his exact burial location is not known. However the plaque remains as a testimony to the man who contributed so much to his community.
The inscription reads:
John Cooke Memorial Fairhaven Massachussetts
Sacred to the Memory of
JOHN COOKE
who was buried here in 1695.
“The last surviving male Pilgrim of those who came in the Mayflower. First white settler of this town, the pioneer in its religious, moral, and business life. A man of character and integrity and the trusted agent for this part of the Commonwealth of the Old Colonial Civil Government of Plymouth.
Here is the lineage of my family back to John Cooke. He has numerous descendants living today. If you are related to him or any of the members of my family tree, I’d love to hear from you!
Mom and Dad
daughter of Lee H Rutledge and Verena Burry
Me
Sources:
Plymouth Colony: Its History and its People, 1620 – 1691 by E.A. Stratton, 1986
Winthrop’s Journal, “History of New England”, 1630-1649
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Hmm seems we have the same ancestor by different wives. I know where John is buried.