This is not your typical Mayflower history. Oh, it talks about all the basic things – how most of the Saints spent a few years in Leiden, how the Speedwell, didn’t. But this book takes twelve of the passengers, plus the Mayflower captain and a Native American, and goes into detail about their lives. And the unexpected thing is, this author writes not just about the most well-known of the Pilgrims (Bradford, Winslow, Standish), but also about some of the ones you don’t hear as much about, such as the More siblings. Even if you know a lot about the Pilgrims, you will probably learn a few more details from this book.
Whittock has a chapter for each of these individuals, and starts by discussing their lives, as much as is known, before they boarded the Mayflower. For some, there is not much information, and the author is scrupulous in noting when the information is incomplete, inconclusive, or even contradictory. While he discusses some incidents that happened to all of the Pilgrims, he will discuss how the individual in that chapter was specifically involved. Sometimes they were an instigator for the incident. One thing I like about this book was his chapter titles, such as “The Lover’s Story: John Alden and Priscilla Mullens”.Other chapters tell The Mother’s Story or The Soldier’s Story, for example.
For his sources, Whittock looked at Bradford’s book, Of Plymouth Plantation, as well as contemporary studies. He also has utilized recent discoveries of the Society of Mayflower Descendants, or the societies of the individual passengers. By dividing the chapters up by individuals, the author can focus mainly on that person, and can look more deeply into their possible motives for their actions. He also includes “Strangers” such as the ship’s captain, as well as the people usually referred to as “Saints”. Some started the voyage as Strangers, but you could say they became Saints once they decided to stay. If this was your family, how would you research them? The Society of Mayflower Descendants is the repository of much information about the Pilgrims and their progeny. Also, almost all of the Mayflower ancestors have their own separate organization. If you have discovered patriots in your tree, but not yet found a pilgrim, you might check out the “Patriot to Passenger Project”. There is a PDF document, which should be updated regularly, with the listing of all documented Patriots who have a documented relationship with a Mayflower Passenger. You can find it at https://themayflowersociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Patriots-Project-27-Aug.-2023.pdf