Little is known about Carver's ancestry or early family life. Jeremy Bangs notes that Carver and his wife Mary were members of the Walloon church in Leiden, Holland on February 8, 1609. The Flemish Walloon community was fleeing religious persecution in their homeland (then part of the Spanish Netherlands, now split between Belgium and France), as were the Puritan separatists who came to Holland from England around 1607.
Carver was a deacon in Leiden about 1609 at about age 25, and he is believed to have been born sometime before 1584. Leiden records of St. Pancras Church state that Carver buried a child on July 10, 1609. Sometime shortly after the death of the child, his wife Mary died.[3][4] He later married Katherine White who was a prominent member of the Leiden English separatist church, though the exact date is not known. She was originally of Sturton in Nottinghamshire, eldest daughter of Alexander White. Carver became much more involved in the Leiden church after marrying Katherine, making a close association with Puritan pastor John Robinson, husband of Katherine's younger sister Bridget.[5][6]
Preparing for the New Worldedit
Carver and Robert Cushman began negotiations with officials of the Virginia Company in London in 1617 for land in the Colony of Virginia where they could live and be self-governing. They came in contact with Sir Edwin Sandys, an acquaintance of church elder William Brewster and a leading member of the Virginia Company. They had to put together seven articles for the Council for Virginia, signed by all the senior Puritan church members, which acknowledged the supremacy of the king and the Church of England.[7]
To fund the Mayflower voyage, the Leiden congregation turned to Thomas Weston and the Merchant Adventurers, London businessmen interested in supporting the voyage in hopes of profit. Carver had the task of organizing the voyage and negotiating funding with Weston and the Adventurers along with Cushman as the chief agent. In 1620, they were in Aldgate, London where they negotiated with Weston for financial backing.[8] Weston hired the Mayflower, and it sailed from London to Southampton to rendezvous with the Speedwell, which was carrying the Pilgrims from Leiden in Holland. Carver was in Southampton in June 1620 purchasing supplies for the Mayflower voyage, along with Christopher Martin.[9] Carver was very wealthy and provided much of his personal fortune to invest in the joint-stock company and in the Mayflower voyage itself.[9]
Carver and his wife Katherine boarded Mayflower with five servants[5][9][10][11] and seven year-old Jasper More, one of the four children of the More family who were sent in the care of the Pilgrims.[12] Carver seems to have been elected governor of the Mayflower for the duration of the Atlantic crossing.[9]
The Mayflower anchored off Cape Cod in November, 1620, and the Mayflower Compact was signed aboard ship on November 11; it became the first governing document for Plymouth Colony.[13] Carver may have been the author of the Compact, and was definitely its first signer. He was subsequently chosen to be governor of Plymouth Colony.[14]
The first winter in Plymouth Colony was exceedingly difficult, as the colonists suffered greatly from lack of shelter, diseases such as scurvy, and general conditions on board ship.[15] Nearly half the Mayflower passengers died in the course of a few months. The first will drawn up in New England was that of William Mullins, and it was written on his behalf by Carver while Mullins was on his deathbed. It was signed as the last will and testament of Mullins by Carver, Mayflower's captain Christopher Jones, and the ship's surgeon Giles Heale. This is the only known copy of Carver's signature.[5]
On March 22, 1621, Governor Carver and Wampanoag leader Massasoit worked out a treaty of peace and mutual protection. This treaty lasted for more than half a century.[16][17]
Carver died in April or May 1621, aged 56 years, and his wife died five or six weeks later.[1][5]
Familyedit
John Carver married Mary de Lannoy sometime before February 8, 1609.[3] She was a Walloon (Huguenot) of L’Escluse, France. She may have been related to Philip de Lannoy (Delano), who came to Plymouth on the Fortune in November 1621. The couple buried a child at St. Pancras in Leiden on July 10, 1609;[4] Mary died soon after in July 1609.
He married Katherine (White) Leggatt sometime before May 22, 1615. She was the widow of George Leggatt. Mayflower genealogist Robert S. Wakefield spells her name as Catherine, but seventeenth century documents use Katherine. She died sometime in May 1621, some 5–6 weeks after Carver's death.[1][5][18] John and Katherine buried a child at St. Pancras in Leiden November 11, 1617.[4] He had no known surviving descendants.[3]
Deathedit
Carver had been working in his field on a hot day in April 1621 when he complained of a pain in his head. He returned to his house to lie down and soon fell into a coma, and he died within a few days, not long after April 5, 1621. William Bradford was chosen to replace him as governor; Bradford was recovering from illness, so Isaac Allerton was chosen to be his assistant.[19][20][21] After all the secret burials that were performed all winter, the settlers wished to bury the governor with as much ceremony as possible. Bradford wrote in April 1621:
He was buried in the best manner they could, with some vollies of shot by all that bore armes; and his wife, being weak, died within five or six weeks after him.[1]
^ abcdEugene Aubrey Stratton, Plymouth Colony: Its History and People, 1620-1691, (Salt Lake City: Ancestry Publishing, 1986), p. 259
^. Archived from the original on 2016-06-23. Retrieved 2013-04-21.
^ abcdA genealogical profile of John Carver, (a collaboration of Plimoth Plantation and New England Historic Genealogical Society accessed 2013-04-21) (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-11-01. Retrieved 2013-04-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ abcEugene Aubrey Stratton, Plymouth Colony: Its History and People, 1620–1691 (Salt Lake City: Ancestry Publishing, 1986), p. 18
^ abcdeCharles Edward Banks, The English ancestry and homes of the Pilgrim Fathers who came to Plymouth on the Mayflower in 1620, the Fortune in 1621, and the Anne and the Little James in 1623, (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2006), p. 44
^Nick Bunker, Making Haste from Babylon: The Mayflower Pilgrims and their New World a History (New York: Knopf 2010), pp. 108–109
^Nathaniel Philbrick, Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and War (New York: Viking, 2006), p. 19
^Charles Edward Banks, "The English Ancestry and Homes of the Pilgrim Fathers" (2006)
^David Lindsay, Mayflower Bastard: A Stranger amongst the Pilgrims (New York: St. Martins Press, 2002), pp. 30, 53, 222 n. 21
^George Ernest Bowman, The Mayflower Compact and its signers, (Boston: Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1920). Photocopies of the 1622, 1646 and 1669 versions of the document pp. 7–19.
john, carver, plymouth, colony, governor, john, carver, pilgrims, braved, mayflower, voyage, 1620, which, resulted, creation, plymouth, colony, america, credited, with, writing, mayflower, compact, first, signer, also, first, governor, plymouth, colony, john, . John Carver was one of the Pilgrims who braved the Mayflower voyage in 1620 which resulted in the creation of Plymouth Colony in America He is credited with writing the Mayflower Compact and was its first signer and he was also the first governor of Plymouth Colony 1 2 3 John Carver1st Governor of Plymouth ColonyIn office November 1620 April 1621Preceded byOffice establishedSucceeded byWilliam BradfordPersonal detailsBornbefore 1584EnglandDiedApril 1621Plymouth ColonyResting placeCole s Hill Burial GroundSpousesMary de Lannoy m 1609 died 1609 wbr Katherine White m 1615 1621 wbr a Children2 predeceased both parents OccupationDeaconProfessionGovernorMayflower in Plymouth Harbor by William Halsall 1882 Contents 1 Life in Leiden 2 Preparing for the New World 3 Mayflower voyage 4 Life in Plymouth 5 Family 6 Death 7 Notes 8 References 9 External linksLife in Leiden editLittle is known about Carver s ancestry or early family life Jeremy Bangs notes that Carver and his wife Mary were members of the Walloon church in Leiden Holland on February 8 1609 The Flemish Walloon community was fleeing religious persecution in their homeland then part of the Spanish Netherlands now split between Belgium and France as were the Puritan separatists who came to Holland from England around 1607 Carver was a deacon in Leiden about 1609 at about age 25 and he is believed to have been born sometime before 1584 Leiden records of St Pancras Church state that Carver buried a child on July 10 1609 Sometime shortly after the death of the child his wife Mary died 3 4 He later married Katherine White who was a prominent member of the Leiden English separatist church though the exact date is not known She was originally of Sturton in Nottinghamshire eldest daughter of Alexander White Carver became much more involved in the Leiden church after marrying Katherine making a close association with Puritan pastor John Robinson husband of Katherine s younger sister Bridget 5 6 Preparing for the New World editCarver and Robert Cushman began negotiations with officials of the Virginia Company in London in 1617 for land in the Colony of Virginia where they could live and be self governing They came in contact with Sir Edwin Sandys an acquaintance of church elder William Brewster and a leading member of the Virginia Company They had to put together seven articles for the Council for Virginia signed by all the senior Puritan church members which acknowledged the supremacy of the king and the Church of England 7 To fund the Mayflower voyage the Leiden congregation turned to Thomas Weston and the Merchant Adventurers London businessmen interested in supporting the voyage in hopes of profit Carver had the task of organizing the voyage and negotiating funding with Weston and the Adventurers along with Cushman as the chief agent In 1620 they were in Aldgate London where they negotiated with Weston for financial backing 8 Weston hired the Mayflower and it sailed from London to Southampton to rendezvous with the Speedwell which was carrying the Pilgrims from Leiden in Holland Carver was in Southampton in June 1620 purchasing supplies for the Mayflower voyage along with Christopher Martin 9 Carver was very wealthy and provided much of his personal fortune to invest in the joint stock company and in the Mayflower voyage itself 9 Mayflower voyage edit nbsp Signing the Mayflower Compact 1620 a painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris 1899Carver and his wife Katherine boarded Mayflower with five servants 5 9 10 11 and seven year old Jasper More one of the four children of the More family who were sent in the care of the Pilgrims 12 Carver seems to have been elected governor of the Mayflower for the duration of the Atlantic crossing 9 The Mayflower anchored off Cape Cod in November 1620 and the Mayflower Compact was signed aboard ship on November 11 it became the first governing document for Plymouth Colony 13 Carver may have been the author of the Compact and was definitely its first signer He was subsequently chosen to be governor of Plymouth Colony 14 Life in Plymouth editMain article Plymouth Colony The first winter in Plymouth Colony was exceedingly difficult as the colonists suffered greatly from lack of shelter diseases such as scurvy and general conditions on board ship 15 Nearly half the Mayflower passengers died in the course of a few months The first will drawn up in New England was that of William Mullins and it was written on his behalf by Carver while Mullins was on his deathbed It was signed as the last will and testament of Mullins by Carver Mayflower s captain Christopher Jones and the ship s surgeon Giles Heale This is the only known copy of Carver s signature 5 On March 22 1621 Governor Carver and Wampanoag leader Massasoit worked out a treaty of peace and mutual protection This treaty lasted for more than half a century 16 17 Carver died in April or May 1621 aged 56 years and his wife died five or six weeks later 1 5 Family editJohn Carver married Mary de Lannoy sometime before February 8 1609 3 She was a Walloon Huguenot of L Escluse France She may have been related to Philip de Lannoy Delano who came to Plymouth on the Fortune in November 1621 The couple buried a child at St Pancras in Leiden on July 10 1609 4 Mary died soon after in July 1609 He married Katherine White Leggatt sometime before May 22 1615 She was the widow of George Leggatt Mayflower genealogist Robert S Wakefield spells her name as Catherine but seventeenth century documents use Katherine She died sometime in May 1621 some 5 6 weeks after Carver s death 1 5 18 John and Katherine buried a child at St Pancras in Leiden November 11 1617 4 He had no known surviving descendants 3 Death editCarver had been working in his field on a hot day in April 1621 when he complained of a pain in his head He returned to his house to lie down and soon fell into a coma and he died within a few days not long after April 5 1621 William Bradford was chosen to replace him as governor Bradford was recovering from illness so Isaac Allerton was chosen to be his assistant 19 20 21 After all the secret burials that were performed all winter the settlers wished to bury the governor with as much ceremony as possible Bradford wrote in April 1621 He was buried in the best manner they could with some vollies of shot by all that bore armes and his wife being weak died within five or six weeks after him 1 Notes edit marriage may have been earlier than 1615References edit a b c d Eugene Aubrey Stratton Plymouth Colony Its History and People 1620 1691 Salt Lake City Ancestry Publishing 1986 p 259 Pilgrim Hall Museum John Carver Archived from the original on 2016 06 23 Retrieved 2013 04 21 a b c d A genealogical profile of John Carver a collaboration of Plimoth Plantation and New England Historic Genealogical Society accessed 2013 04 21 Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2012 11 01 Retrieved 2013 04 21 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link a b c Eugene Aubrey Stratton Plymouth Colony Its History and People 1620 1691 Salt Lake City Ancestry Publishing 1986 p 18 a b c d e Charles Edward Banks The English ancestry and homes of the Pilgrim Fathers who came to Plymouth on theMayflowerin 1620 theFortunein 1621 and theAnneand theLittle Jamesin 1623 Baltimore Genealogical Publishing Company 2006 p 44 Nick Bunker Making Haste from Babylon The Mayflower Pilgrims and their New World a History New York Knopf 2010 pp 108 109 Nathaniel Philbrick Mayflower A Story of Courage Community and War New York Viking 2006 p 19 Charles Edward Banks The English Ancestry and Homes of the Pilgrim Fathers 2006 a b c d Philbrick p 42 Stratton p 407 in Bradford s own words Stratton p 405 David Lindsay Mayflower Bastard A Stranger amongst the Pilgrims New York St Martins Press 2002 pp 30 53 222 n 21 George Ernest Bowman The Mayflower Compact and its signers Boston Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants 1920 Photocopies of the 1622 1646 and 1669 versions of the document pp 7 19 Stratton pp 142 413 Rothbard Murray Rothbard 1975 The Founding of Plymouth Colony Conceived in Liberty Vol 1 Arlington House Publishers Dana T Parker Reasons to Celebrate the Pilgrims Orange County Register Nov 22 2010 1 Retrieved 28 Jan 2011 Heinsohn Robert Jennings Pilgrims and Wampanoag The Prudence of Bradford and Massasoit Sail 1620 Archived from the original on 30 November 2010 Retrieved 27 October 2010 Nick Bunker Making Haste from Babylon The Mayflower Pilgrims and their New World a History New York Knopf 2010 pp 108 110 Nathaniel Philbrick p 102 Stratton p 143 David Lindsay Mayflower Bastard A Stranger amongst the Pilgrims New York St Martins Press 2002 p 46External links edit nbsp Wikisource has the text of the 1885 1900 Dictionary of National Biography s article about Carver John Plimoth Plantation Web site Portals nbsp England nbsp Monarchy nbsp North America Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title John Carver Plymouth Colony governor amp oldid 1181685889, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
