Samuel Fuller (Mayflower Physician) - Organizing of The Voyage

Organizing of The Voyage

Samuel Fuller was involved in the church’s decision to move to Northern Virginia per agreement with the Virginia Company and would later be a deacon of the Plymouth church. Fuller, along with key congregation members Edward Winslow, William Bradford and Isaac Allerton, sent a letter on June 10, 1620 to their agents in England (John Carver and Robert Cushman) who were organizing the Mayflower voyage. The letter expressed the frustration that they were having with changes being made to the terms and conditions of the contract covering the voyage as being re-written by Merchant Adventurers agent Thomas Weston who turned out to be quite disreputable in his dealing with the Mayflower company and also later in Plymouth. The complaints of unreasonable conditions expressed the June 1620 letter included – London merchants would keep half the housing and lands when the company was liquidated – they thought the lands and houses belonged to the settlers; they complained that a change in terms allowed only one day a week off from labor instead of the previously agreed two days, of which one day was to be for personal benefit and one day was for the Sabbath. When the Mayflower departed England, none of the complaints had been resolved as no one could agree to contract terms and conditions and the agreement had not been finalized. This problem continued for over a year until agent Robert Cushman arrived in the Fortune in November 1621 and was at least partially resolved.

In preparation for the Mayflower voyage, Samuel Fuller may have tried to learn the rudiments of medical knowledge, knowing that the Mayflower would not have a doctor on board.