# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
explore the history of jamestown's early years

The Fort Period at Jamestown lasted from 1607, when the first colonists arrived, to circa 1624. By then, the settlement was expanding and James Fort had mostly fallen out of use. To explore key events from this period and the years leading up to it, click on a year in red below. Events shown in gold pertain directly to Jamestown, while events in green took place elsewhere in Virginia and events shown in white provide context or background information. Linked names, topics, and images lead to more information elsewhere on the website.

You can also explore our map of the fort site to learn more about what the archaeology at Jamestown has revealed.

before 1600

1600

1601

1604

1605

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Visit the real thing at Historic Jamestowne, explore the actual location and active archaeological dig, Jamestown Rediscovery, home of the first successful English settlement.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Newsela | Opinion: Two American holidays are not being taught about truthfully

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Kids History: The First Thanksgiving | History

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This video explores the chores and games of Pilgrim children in the 1620s. http://bit.ly/2wJsvKT

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Story of the Mayflower and the First Thanksgiving for Children: History for Kids - FreeSchool

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Plymouth Colony was the first official colony in Massachusetts. It was settled by a group of Separatist Puritans from England in 1620.

Many historic events took place at Plymouth Colony, such as the First Thanksgiving in 1621 when the pilgrims held a harvest celebration and invited the local Wampanoag tribe to the feast.

Plymouth Colony continued until 1691 when it was merged with Massachusetts Bay Colony.

The following is a timeline of Plymouth Colony:

1606:
♦ Plymouth Company was chartered by King James I with the goal to establish English colonies along the east coast of North America.

1607:
♦ Pilgrims leave England seeking religious freedom and settle in Leiden, Holland.

1619:
♦ Pilgrims seek investors to help fund their journey to North America.

July 1620:
♦ On July 31, the pilgrims leave Leiden aboard the Speedwell and sail to Delftshaven, England.

August 1620:
♦ On August 5, the pilgrims sail to Southampton, England where they meet the rest of passengers and the Mayflower.
♦ On August 15, the Speedwell and the Mayflower set sail from Southampton with the pilgrims aboard and head for "northern parts of Virginia."
♦ On August 13, the Speedwell begins to leak and the two ships dock at Dartmouth, England.
♦ On August 23, the crew repairs the Speedwell and the two ships set sail again but the Speedwell continues to leak and the ships dock at Plymouth.

September 1620:
♦ On September 16, some of the pilgrims from the Speedwell stay behind in England while the others board the Mayflower. The Mayflower departs Plymouth, England and sets sail for the New World.

November 1620:
♦ On November 6, William Butten dies of illness on board the Mayflower.
♦ Ellen More dies of illness on board the Mayflower.
♦ On November 9, the Mayflower passengers spot Cape Cod.
♦ The Mayflower attempts to sail south to their intended destination of the "northern parts of Virginia," which the pilgrims had a patent to settle, but are thwarted by dangerous shoals.
♦ On November 11, the Mayflower anchors in Provincetown harbor and the pilgrims create the Mayflower Compact which was a social contract designed to keep law and order in the new colony until a new patent could be obtained.
♦ Susanna White gives birth to Peregrine White on board the Mayflower in Cape Cod Harbor sometime in late November.

December - March 1620-1621:
♦ On December 4, Edward Thompson dies.
♦ On December 6, Jasper Moore dies.
♦ On December 7, Dorothy Bradford, wife of William Bradford, falls overboard and drowns in Provincetown Harbor.
♦ On December 8, James Chilton dies and his wife dies sometime later.
♦ On December 8, some of the pilgrims exploring on land encounter Wampanoag. A skirmish occurs but no one is injured in this "first encounter." The pilgrims decide to sail further south and arrive in Plymouth that evening.
♦ On December 20, The pilgrims choose an abandoned Wampanoag village, called Patuxet, for their new home.
♦ On December 21, Richard Bitteridge dies.
♦ On December 24, Solomon Prower dies.
♦ On January 1, Degory Priest dies.
♦ On January 8, Christopher Martin dies.
♦ On January 29, Rose Standish, wife of Miles Standish, dies.
♦ On February 21, William White dies.
♦ On February 21, William Mullins dies.
♦ On February 25, Mary (Norris) Allerton, wife of Isaac Allerton, dies.
♦ On March 24, Elizabeth (Barker) Winslow, wife of Edward Winslow, dies.
♦ John Allerton, Mayflower crewmen, dies sometime during the winter.
♦ Robert Carter dies sometime during the winter.
♦ Richard Clarke dies sometime during the winter.
♦ Mrs. James Chilton (first name unknown), wife of James Chilton, dies sometime during the winter.
♦ John Crackstone dies sometime during the winter.
♦ Sarah Eaton, wife of Francis Eaton, dies sometime during the winter.
♦ Moses Fletcher dies sometime during the winter.
♦ Edward Fuller and his wife die sometime during the winter.
♦ John Goodman dies sometime during the winter.
♦ John Hooke dies sometime during the winter.
♦ William Holbeck dies sometime during the winter.
♦ John Langmore dies sometime during the winter.
♦ Edmund Margesson dies sometime during the winter.
♦ Mary (Prower) Martin, wife of Christopher Martin, dies sometime during the winter.
♦ Mary More dies sometime during the winter.
♦ Alice Mullins, wife of William Mullins, dies sometime during the winter.
♦ Joseph Mullins, son of William and Alice Mullins, dies sometime during the winter.
♦ John Rigsdale and his wife Alice die sometime during the winter.
♦ Thomas Rogers, separatist, dies sometime during the winter.
♦ Elias Story dies sometime during the winter.
♦ Edward Tilley dies sometime during the winter.
♦ Ann (Cooper) Tilley, wife of Edward Tilley, dies sometime during the winter.
♦ John Tilley dies sometime during the winter.
♦ Joan (Hurst) (Rogers) Tilley, wife of John Tilley, dies sometime during the winter.
♦ Thomas Tinker dies sometime during the winter.
♦ Mrs. Thomas Tinker, wife of Thomas Tinker, dies sometime during the winter.
♦ Son of Thomas Tinker (name unknown), dies sometime during the winter.
♦ John Turner dies sometime during the winter.
♦ Both sons of John Turner (names unknown), die during the winter.
♦ Thomas Williams dies sometime during the winter.
♦ Roger Wilder dies sometime during the winter.
♦ Thomas English, Mayflower crewmen, dies sometime during that winter or spring before the Mayflower returns to England.
♦ Around March 16, a native named Samoset befriends the pilgrims. He tells them about Squanto and the other natives and arranges a meeting for them.
♦ Squanto, Massosoit and the other Wampanoag meet the pilgrims about four or five days later.

April 1621:
♦ On April 1, Plymouth colonists form an alliance with the Wampanoag and sign the Pilgrim-Wampanoag treaty.
♦ On April 5, Mayflower departs Plymouth and returns to England.
♦ Mid-April, Governor John Carver dies and William Bradford is elected the new Governor of Plymouth Colony.

August 1621:
♦ On August 14, Myles Standish and a handful of Plymouth colonists embark on a rescue mission to save Squanto after he was taken prisoner by a local native tribe. The colonists find Squanto unharmed and bring him back to Plymouth.

September - October 1621:
♦ The pilgrims celebrate their successful harvest with a harvest celebration, now known as the First Thanksgiving, which takes place sometime in late September or early October of 1621.

November 1621:
♦ The ship Fortune arrives bringing 35 new colonists with it but no supplies. With new mouths to feed, rations in Plymouth colony are cut in half.

November 1622:
♦ Squanto dies of an illness during a trading expedition to a neighboring Native-American settlement called Monomoy.

1623:
♦ The communal system of labor was abandoned this year because it was interfering with food production. Instead, each colonist was allotted one acre of land and was allowed to plant their own crops and trade the surplus.

July - August 1623:
♦ Two more ships, the Anne and Little James, arrive with around 100 new colonists.

September 1623:
♦ On September 10, Edward Winslow leaves Plymouth aboard the Anne and temporarily returns to England to sell a supply of timber and furs and to report to the colony's investors.

November 1623:
♦ On November 5, a fire destroys several buildings in Plymouth. A number of pilgrims who lost their homes and possessions in the fire later return to England.

1626:
♦ The colony builds its first trading house at Aptucxet on the south western side of the cape.

May 1627:
♦ Plymouth Colony begins to divide its major assets, beginning with livestock.

June 1630:
♦ The Winthrop fleet arrive in Massachusetts Bay with 700 colonists, some of whom settle in Plymouth Colony.

September 1630:
♦ On September 30, 1630, Plymouth colonist John Billington is hanged for murdering a fellow colonist John Newcomen. it is the first official execution in the North American colonies.

October 1630:
♦ The Handmaid arrives in Plymouth with 60 new colonists.

1632:
♦ Some Plymouth colonists are granted land at Green's Harbor, which is later incorporated as the town of Marshfield in 1640.

1634-6:
♦ Plymouth loses all four trading houses.

1637:
♦ A group of 10 men from Saugus receive permission to settle in Plymouth colony and choose the area that is now the modern day Sandwich on Cape Cod.

1640:
♦ The cattle trade with the Massachusetts Bay Colonists crashes due to slowing immigration to the colonies. Plymouth goes into economic decline.

1640-1660:
♦ The Great Puritan Migration comes to an end due to Puritan success in the English Civil War. Many colonists return to England.

1644:
♦ Some Plymouth colonists settle in Nauset on Cape Cod.

1646:
♦ Edward Winslow returns to England to work for Oliver Cromwell. Part of his duties includes helping to sell off the estates of Royalists. Winslow plans to return to Plymouth Colony but becomes involved in problems in England and never returns.

1649:
♦ Plymouth purchases a tract of land from Massasoit, which is later named Bridgewater.

1650-1660:
♦ Tension between natives and colonists increase during this period due to English expansion into native territory.

May 1657:
♦ On May 9, Governor of Plymouth Colony, William Bradford, dies.

June 1657:
♦ Thomas Pence is elected the new governor of Plymouth Colony.

June 1660:
♦ On June 13, Massasoit's son, Wamsutta appears at the Plymouth court and states that his father is dead and asks to have his named changed "according to the custom of the natives." He requests English names for him and his brother and receives the name Alexander Pokanokett for himself and Philip for his brother.

1662:
♦ That summer, Alexander dies under suspicious circumstances after being arrested in Plymouth on suspicion that he was hatching plans for a war against the colonists. His brother Philip succeeds him as the new Wampanoag leader.

August - September 1671:
♦ Tension between the natives and colonists increase when the colonists fear that Philip's people, the Pokanoket, are planning an uprising and attempt to confiscate their weapons.

September 1671:
♦ On September 29, Philips signs a new treaty with the English and promises obedience to the Plymouth government.

March 1673:
♦ On March 29, Governor Thomas Pence dies and Josias Winslow succeeds him as governor.

July 1675:
♦ The war spreads as the Wampanoag attack Taunton, Middleboro and Dartmouth.

May 1676:
♦ Communications are disrupted between Plymouth and Boston as the war continues to spread to other towns.

July 1676:
♦ On July 22, Plymouth court arranges for many Wampanoag children to be placed as servants with colonial families until they reach 24 or 25 years of age.

1681:
♦ Plymouth colony Governor Thomas Hinckley negotiates for a royal charter.

December 1686:
♦ On December 20, Sir Edmund Andros arrives as Governor of the Dominion of New England, which is a merging of New York with the New England colonies into one large royal colony. The Dominion is later overthrown in 1689.

October 1690:
♦ Plymouth troops take part in the Battle of Quebec during King William's War.

October 1691:
♦ On October 7, King William and Mary issue a new charter that combines Plymouth and Maine colonies with Massachusetts Bay.

June 1692:
♦ On June 9, the last meeting of the Plymouth General Court is held.
Sources:
Deetz, Patricia Scott and James Deetz. "Population of Plymouth Town, Colony & County, 1620-1690." The Plymouth Colony Archive Project, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2000, www.histarch.illinois.edu/plymouth/townpop.html
"The Fortune sails from Plymouth for England." Mass Moments, n.d. http://www.massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=357
"Plymouth Colony Timeline." Plimoth Plantation, n.d., www.plimoth.org/sites/default/files/media/pdf/historical_timeline.pdf

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Plymouth Colony was the first official colony in Massachusetts. It was settled by a group of Separatist Puritans from England in 1620. Many historic events took place at Plymouth Colony, such as the First Thanksgiving in 1621 when the pilgrims held a harvest celebration and invited the local Wampanoag tribe to the feast.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Plymouth Colony, America's first permanent Puritan settlement, was established by English Separatist Puritans in December 1620. The Pilgrims left England to seek religious freedom, or simply to find a better life. After a period in Holland, they set sail from Plymouth, England, on Sept. 16, 1620, aboard the , its 102 passengers spending 65 days at sea. Passengers, now known as the Pilgrim Fathers, included leader William Brewster; John Carver, Edward Winslow, and William Bradford, early governors of Plymouth Colony; John Alden, assistant governor; and Myles Standish, a professional soldier and military advisor. The Mayflower dropped anchor near present-day Provincetown on Nov. 21, 1620, and 41 male passengers signed the Mayflower Compact, an agreement to enact "just and equal laws for the general good of the colony." The Pilgrims finally landed at the site of present-day Plymouth, Mass., on Dec. 26, 1620.

By legend the Pilgrims stepped ashore at Plymouth Rock; their records do not mention this landmark. Settlers began erecting buildings and rough shelters for the winter. But harsh climate and illness took their toll. By the end of winter half the colonists had died. The colonists encountered the Indian Samoset, who surprised them by speaking English, learned from English traders on the coast of Maine. Samoset introduced the colonists to Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoag Indians, who signed a peace treaty with the Pilgrims. Squanto, another English-speaking Indian, acted as guide and interpreter, and with his help the colonists learned to plant corn, catch fish, and gather fruit. The Pilgrims invited the Indians to celebrate their first harvest in 1621, an event now celebrated as Thanksgiving Day. After Massasoit's death, the Wampanoag joined a tribal coalition to eliminate English settlers, but in the ensuing King Philip's War the Wampanoag were nearly exterminated. The colony gradually grew in size, and the original settlement known as the Plimoth Plantation expanded as settlers built houses in the area. Plymouth Colony retained its independence for over 70 years, and by 1691 its population exceeded 7,000. It was integrated with the Massachusetts Bay Company's much larger colony to establish the royal colony of Massachusetts — now the state of the same name.

Here are some topics to explore that relate to the Plymouth Colony. Looking at the articles, images, and other materials in this Research Starter may give you more ideas. Each topic has one or more articles to start you on your research, but remember that it takes more than one article to make a research paper. Continue your research with our list of articles below.

The reasons the Pilgrims emigrated from England.

The voyage of the Mayflower.

The impact of the colonists on the lives of the Indians.

Daily life at Plimoth Plantation.

William Bradford's History of Plimoth Plantation, 1620-1647.

Plimoth Plantation
www.plimoth.org
An informative Web site with information and many illustrations depicting life in the original Plymouth Colony.

U.S. Gazetteer: Plymouth, Massachusetts
http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/gazetteer-tbl?
city=plymouth&state=ma
From this page, either display a map with general census data for this area, or view and download more detailed census tables.

Native Americans and the Environment
cnie.org/NAE
Site contains hundreds of bibliographic entries and links to many Internet resources relating to North American native peoples. Resources are classified by tribal groups. Includes a clickable region map to help readers find information.

WWWVL: American Indians — Cultural Resources
www.hanksville.org/NAresources/indices/NAculture.html
An extensive list of links to Web sites that provide scholarly and commercial resources on North American native peoples.

NativeWeb Home Page
www.nativeweb.org
An excellent site for material on the native peoples of the Western Hemisphere and Australia/Oceania.

NMAI Exhibitions
www.nmai.si.edu
This Smithsonian Institution site contains information about the museum's exhibitions and research as well as an annotated listing of other Native American sites on the Internet.

Ethnologue
www.ethnologue.com
Contains the most authoritative classification database of the world's languages currently available. Searchable by language name, language family, and country; general search option also provided.

Internet History Sourcebooks Project
www.fordham.edu/halsall
From a historian at New York's Fordham Univ., a broad collection of mostly public-domain texts, arranged by sourcebooks on ancient, medieval, and modern history. Other history sourcebooks available here cover regions, religions, science, and women.

The World-Wide Web Virtual Library: Literature
www.internetbookinfo.com
The portion of the World Wide Web Virtual Library devoted to literature, writing, publishing, and related subjects. Comprehensive annotated links to related sites, especially for contemporary writing and publishing.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This content resource helps students who are beginning to write a research paper. The focus is on Plymouth Colony. Students will find a wealth of information on why Pilgrims emigrated from England and how they affected the lives of Indians. A glossary of topics and terms makes this a great research starter.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Plymouth

A group of poor farmers in England would eventually found a new colony in present day Massachusetts. These farmers grew concerned about the Church of England. They felt that the Church was too Catholic, and that they had not made sufficient reformations. These farmers chose to live a life which they felt was more strictly based on the teachings of the Bible. They called themselves the Puritans, or Pilgrims.

After separating themselves from the Church of England, they faced a great deal of persecution. In order to escape this persecution, they moved as a group to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Here they enjoyed religious freedom and security.

However, they were concerned about the bad influence that they felt the Dutch were having on their children. That, along with economic difficulties, led them to vote to migrate to the Americas in 1617.

On September 16, 1620, 102 of these pilgrims set out from London on a ship known as the Mayflower. 65 days later they spotted Cape Cod, and established the colony of Plymouth.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Plymouth A group of poor farmers in England would eventually found a new colony in present day Massachusetts. These farmers grew concerned about the Church of England. They felt that the Church was too Catholic, and that they had not made sufficient reformations. These farmers chose to live a life which they felt was more ...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
2011 17th-Century English Village Virtual Field Trip

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This is "2011 17th-Century English Village Virtual Field Trip" by Plimoth Patuxet Museums on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kids learn about the history of the Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony of Colonial America including the Mayflower voyage, establishing a Puritan settlement, their leaders, Squanto, the Native Americans, and Thanksgiving.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.