Plymouth Colony: A Love Story

John Alden and Priscilla Mullins were most likely the third couple to be married in the Plymouth Colony. The story goes that Miles Standish asked John to court Priscilla on his behalf and that Priscilla smiled demurely and asked John if he wanted to speak for himself.
.
And he did.
.
And he got the girl.
.
Aw.
.
The stuff of romance.
.
Then there's the story of Humility Cooper. Humility came on the Mayflower in 1620, in the custody of her aunt and uncle Edward and Ann (Cooper) Tilley. She was little more than a year old at the time. When Edward and Ann died the first winter, Humility was sent back to England. There is no record that she ever married or had children.
.
This intriques me. What if things had turned out differently for Humility Cooper? What if she had not gone back to England? What if she fell in love and married?
.
Ah, the tales we could weave....
.
And then there's Mary Chilton. In 1620, at the age of 13, Mary came with her parents on the Mayflower. Her father was one of the first who died after the ship had anchored off Provincetown Harbor. Edward Winslow's brother John had come to Plymouth on the ship Fortune in 1621. Sometime between 1623 and 1627, John Winslow married Mary Chilton.
.
I can just picture Mary and her girlfriends rushing to the shore at the news that a ship had been spotted on the horizon! Mary would have watched the passengers disembark, her gaze landing on the handsome (of course he's handsome. It's my story!) fellow seated third from the back of the rowboat.
.
I imagine she and her friend Priscilla (Priscilla and John A. were not yet married) giggled and batted their lashes at the newcomers...discreetly, of course. Maybe John A. was already in love with Priscilla by this time. What if John A. saw Priscilla giggling with Mary and his heart grew heavy?
.
What if became worried that Priscilla might throw him over for one of the men who had just arrived? Oh, the torture! John Alden had hired on as a cooper on the Mayflower, never intending to stay in Plymouth. But given the choice, he decided to stay.

I submit that he fell in love.

Who knows the romantic intrigue that might have transpired in the months between these two couples, and the other unmarried men and women in the Plymouth Colony?

.

Could it be possible that Constance Hopkins was a contender for John Alden’s affections? Constance came with her father Stephen, step-mother Elizabeth, brother Giles, and step-sister Damaris on the Mayflower in 1620, at the age of 14. Constance's future husband, Nicholas Snow, arrived on the ship Anne in 1623.

.

Constance was probably one of the young ladies who stood with Mary and Priscilla when that first ship arrived. But she had to wait until Nicholas arrived in 1623. What if she thought she'd never have a chance at the happiness her friends were experiencing? It wasn't like there was a plethora of eligible bachelors (or bachelorettes) in Plymouth Colony.

.

What fun to look at our forefathers (and mothers) as something other than the staid Pilgrims who gave us Thanksgiving turkey and dressing, and squash dressing, and pumpkin pie!

.

Some of them were young, and optimistic, and longing for a wonderful life in a new land.

.

A new life with the right man or woman by their side.

.

If you'd like to look at the list of passengers on the Mayflower and weave a tale or two of your own, click here.

.

In honor of our Mayflower girls, I’m giving away a copy of Wendy Lawton’s Almost Home: A Story Based on the Life of the Mayflower's Mary Chilton. Leave your email address in your comment, and whether you prefer Kindle edition or Paperback.