This disheveled and despondent-looking Pilgrim is Dorothy (May) Bradford. She’s my first cousin (10x removed). She somehow fell off the Mayflower and drowned while the ship was anchored in the calm waters of what is now known as Cape Cod Bay. Dorothy was only 23 years old. Besides her historically notable husband, she also left behind a toddler, who had been left behind with family in the Netherlands because the voyage was deemed too dangerous.
Dorothy was the niece of fellow Mayflower passenger William White, my 9th great-grandfather. At the time of Dorothy’s death, she was married to William Bradford, who would later become the governor of the Plymouth colony.
Bet you never learned about Dorothy in history class. Nobody ever talks about Dorothy.
Here are some other Mayflower items related to my ancestry…
-- Less than 40 of the 102 passengers of the Mayflower were actually what we call Pilgrims. And 13 of those Pilgrims were either my ancestors or cousins. (BTW, use of the word “Pilgrim” as applied to Mayflower passengers is attributed to William Bradford. He refers to himself as a pilgrim in a poem he penned.)
-- William White, my 9th great-grandfather, died during the “general sickness” that first winter. Nearly half of all the other Mayflower passengers died that first winter at Plymouth as well.
-- My 9th great-grandmother, Susanna White, is one of only four women of the Mayflower to survive that first winter. She likely helped prepare the very first Thanksgiving dinner the following year.
-- On November 20th, 1620, while still onboard the Mayflower, Susanna gave birth to Peregrine White, my eighth great-granduncle. He was the first child born to the Pilgrims in the “New World*.”
-- Resolved White, the first-born son of William and Susanna, older brother of Peregrine, and my 8th great-grandfather, was only 5-years-old when he sailed with his parents on the Mayflower.
Some more information about the Mayflower voyage can be found on my website at www.markix.net/mayflower
* I use “New World” with a touch of irony; I also have Native American ancestors. Some of my family was already part of the “New World.” Also, BTW, my family’s role in American History is not limited to the Mayflower.
My painting is 11” x 15” gouache on illustration board. It was originally intended to be part of a Mayflower book project, but that project was put on hold.
(Genealogy screenshots from WikiTree.com)
With the exception of my Native American heritage for really depressing reasons, my family history is well-documented. I have a boatload of notable genetic relatives. And sadly, Dorothy is not the only tragic historical figure in my family tree. There’s a lot of messy and ugly history among some of the branches.
