Moses Fletcher facts for kids
Moses Fletcher (born around 1564 – died 1620 or 1621) was an English Separatist who lived in Leiden, Holland. He sailed to America in 1620 on the famous Pilgrim ship Mayflower. Moses Fletcher signed the Mayflower Compact, an important agreement for the new colony. Sadly, he passed away during the Pilgrims' first winter in the New World.
Contents
Moses Fletcher's Early Life in England
Moses Fletcher was born around 1564 in Kent County, England. He likely grew up in the Sandwich area. He married Mary Evans in 1589, and all ten of their children were baptized there. Moses worked as a smith, which means he made things out of metal.
Moses was a sexton (a church official) at St. Peter's Church in Sandwich. However, he became involved with the Separatist movement. Separatists wanted to separate from the official Church of England. Because of this, he was removed from the church three times.
In 1609, Moses and others were punished for burying a child outside of church rules. They believed the church's burial ceremonies were too much like the Catholic Church. They thought these ceremonies were wrong. On June 12, 1609, Moses Fletcher was officially removed from the Anglican church. This happened along with the wife of another future Mayflower passenger, James Chilton.
Moses was removed again on November 6, 1609. This time it was for burying his own daughter, Judith, in a way the church didn't approve of. His final removal from the church was announced on February 11, 1610.
Life in Leiden, Holland
After 1610, Moses Fletcher and his family left Sandwich. They traveled to Leiden in the Dutch Republic (modern-day Holland). There, they joined the Separatist church that had recently started there. They sought a place where they could practice their religion freely.
Moses's first wife, Mary, likely died around the time they moved to Leiden. He remarried in Leiden on December 21, 1613. His new wife was Sarah, a widow. Records from Leiden confirm that Moses was a blacksmith.
Leiden records also show Moses Fletcher as a witness. In 1616, he witnessed the engagement of Zachariah Barrow. Two years later, in 1618, Moses's oldest son, John, married a Dutch woman named Josina Sacharias in Leiden. Two of Moses's daughters, Priscilla and Elizabeth, also married in Leiden later on.
Journey on the Mayflower
Moses Fletcher traveled on the Mayflower by himself. We don't know if his second wife, Sarah, stayed in Holland with his children. She might have also passed away before the journey.
William Bradford, a leader of the Pilgrims, wrote about Moses. He listed Moses Fletcher as one of ten men who traveled alone. The Mayflower left Plymouth, England, on September 6, 1620.
The ship was small, about 100 feet long. It carried 102 passengers and 30-40 crew members. Conditions were very crowded. After two months, strong storms hit the ship. Water leaked in, and passengers were often wet and sick. Food was scarce, and conditions were unsanitary. Many people became ill, especially women and children.
Two people died during the voyage. But the worst was yet to come. After arriving in America, almost half the passengers died. This happened during the cold, harsh first winter in New England.
On November 9, 1620, after about three months at sea, they saw land. It was Cape Cod Hook, now known as Provincetown Harbor. They tried to sail south to their planned destination in Virginia. However, strong winter seas forced them back to Cape Cod. They anchored there on November 11.
On that day, the Mayflower Compact was signed. This was an agreement to create fair laws for the new colony. Moses Fletcher was one of the men who signed it. He died sometime during that difficult first winter.
Moses Fletcher's Family
Moses Fletcher married twice:
- (1) Mary Evans on October 30, 1589. They married at St. Peters Church in Sandwich, England. They had ten children between 1590 and 1609. Eight of them were baptized at St. Peters. Mary died sometime between 1609 and 1613. Her burial place is unknown.
- (2) Sarah _____ Denby on December 21, 1613, in Leiden. Sarah was the widow of William Denby. Moses was about 49 years old at this time. They did not have any children together. Sarah is believed to have died in Holland. Her burial place is also unknown.
Only three of Moses's children are known to have married: John, Priscilla, and Elizabeth. None of his children are known to have come to the New World.
Here are the children of Moses and Mary Fletcher, all baptized in Sandwich, England:
- Mary, baptized January 4, 1590.
- John, born about 1592. He married Josina Sarcharias in Leiden in 1618. They had at least four children.
- Catherine, baptized September 1, 1594.
- Richard, baptized January 2, 1597.
- Priscilla, baptized March 24, 1600. She married three times in Leiden:
* Timothy Coit on April 4, 1626. They had four children. * Help or Solomon Terry on June 1, 1637. They had one daughter. * Jan Janzoon Vermont on July 29, 1652.
- Moses, baptized October 10, 1602. He died as a baby.
- Elizabeth, baptized April 4, 1604. She married twice in Leiden:
* Casper Barnaart. * Michiel Voorchoren on May 21, 1636. They had four children.
- Jane, baptized February 8, 1607.
- Moses, baptized April 2, 1609.
- Judith, died as a baby on November 6, 1609.
Death and Burial
Moses Fletcher died during the winter of 1620-1621. William Bradford recorded his death. Moses was one of many passengers who died soon after arriving. They suffered from a widespread sickness that winter.
Moses Fletcher was likely buried in an unmarked grave at the Cole's Hill Burial Ground in Plymouth. Many Mayflower passengers who died that first winter were buried there. His name is remembered on the Pilgrim Memorial Tomb on Coles Hill in Plymouth.
Descendants of Moses Fletcher
When Moses Fletcher died, he left behind ten children. Later research found that he had thirteen grandchildren and twenty great-grandchildren in Holland. It is believed that he has descendants living in the Netherlands today. None of Moses Fletcher's descendants are known to have moved to colonial New England.
The General Society of Mayflower Descendants lists fourteen members who can trace their family back to Moses Fletcher and his wife Mary. All of these family lines come through his daughter Priscilla.
