John Crackston facts for kids
John Crackston (born around 1575 – died around 1620/21) was an English Separatist. He came from the Netherlands with his son John on the famous Pilgrim ship Mayflower. John Crackston also signed the important Mayflower Compact.
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Leaving England
Separatists were people who did not agree with the official Church of England. They wanted to practice their religion in their own way. These different beliefs were not allowed in England at the time.
John Crackston was likely born around 1575. We know this from a document about his daughter's wedding. It is thought that he moved to the Netherlands from Colchester in Essex, England. Another record from his daughter Anna's marriage in Leiden in 1618 says she was from Colchester.
Life in Leiden
John Crackston's name first appears in legal papers in Leiden, Netherlands, on June 16, 1616. He and another Mayflower passenger, Moses Fletcher, witnessed a promise of marriage for Zachariah Barrow.
Crackston’s daughter, Anna (also called Anne), married Thomas Smith in Leiden on December 12, 1618. The records say Anna was an unmarried woman from Colchester, England. Her friend Patience Brewster was at her wedding. Patience also became a Mayflower passenger. She later died in Plymouth in 1634.
The Mayflower Journey
In 1620, John Crackston joined other church members from Leiden on the Mayflower. His son John came with him. It is believed that John Crackston's wife had already died. His daughter Anna had married in 1618 and did not travel with them.
William Bradford, who was a leader of the Pilgrims, wrote in 1651 that Crackston and his son John boarded the Mayflower.
John Crackston and his son left Plymouth, England, on September 16, 1620. There were 102 passengers and about 30 to 40 crew members on board. On November 19, 1620, the Mayflower reached land at Cape Cod. They officially landed on November 21. Before leaving the ship, they wrote the Mayflower Compact. This document set rules for how they would live and treat each other in their new home. The Mayflower was supposed to land in the Colony of Virginia. However, the ship was too damaged, forcing them to land at Cape Cod, which is now called Provincetown Harbor.
John Crackston signed the Mayflower Compact. He signed his name as “John Craxton.” His son, John Jr., was probably not yet 21 years old, so he did not sign the Compact.
John Crackston's Family
We do not know the name of John Crackston's first wife.
John Crackston and his first wife had two children:
- Anna (Anne) Crackston was born around 1600, likely in Colchester, England. She married Thomas Smith in Leiden in 1618.
- John Crackston (Jr.) is mentioned in the 1627 Division of Cattle records as “John Crakstone,” with the Allerton family. His name also appeared in the 1623 Division of Land as “John Crackston,” with the Winslow family. It is believed that John Crackston Jr. died sometime after 1627. We do not know where he was buried.
Death and Burial
John Crackston (Sr.) died in the winter of 1620. Governor William Bradford wrote that Crackston died after getting lost in the woods. His feet became frozen, and he got a fever. The exact date of his death is unknown. Like most passengers who died that winter, he was probably buried in an unmarked grave at Cole's Hill Burial Ground in Plymouth. His name is spelled “John Craxston Sr.” on the Tomb.
Images for kids
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Signing the Mayflower Compact 1620, a painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1899)
