James Chilton (Mayflower Pilgrim) - On The Mayflower

On The Mayflower

The Mayflower departed Plymouth, England on September 6/16, 1620. The small, 100-foot ship had 102 passengers and a crew of about 30-40 in extremely cramped conditions. By the second month out, the ship was being buffeted by strong westerly gales, causing the ship‘s timbers to be badly shaken with caulking failing to keep out sea water, and with passengers, even in their berths, lying wet and ill. This, combined with a lack of proper rations and unsanitary conditions for several months, attributed to what would be fatal for many, especially the majority of women and children. On the way there were two deaths, a crew member and a passenger, but the worst was yet to come after arriving at their destination when, in the space of several months, almost half the passengers perished in cold, harsh, unfamiliar New England winter.

On November 9/19, 1620, after about 3 months at sea, including a month of delays in England, they spotted land, which was Cape Cod. And after several days of trying to get south to their planned destination of the Colony of Virginia, strong winter seas forced them to return to the harbor at Cape Cod hook, where they anchored on November 11/21. The Mayflower Compact was signed that day.

In 1650 Bradford wrote: James Chilton and his wife also died in the first infection, but their daughter Mary is still living and hath nine children; and one daughter is married and hath a child. So their increase is ten.

He died on December 18, 1620, only about a month after signing the Mayflower Compact, thought by some scholars to be the first written constitution. He was the only signer of the Compact who died while the Mayflower was anchored at Cape Cod. There are two Provincetown memorials to him and others who died shipboard in November and December 1620, with a small memorial plaque at Winthrop Street Cemetery and the larger Mayflower Passengers Who Died At Sea memorial plaque at Bas Relief Park.

His wife Susanna died about a month after him, dying during the First Sickness at Plymouth sometime after January 11 or 21, 1621. James was apparently buried ashore on Cape Cod, location now unknown as with others buried then. His wife is commemorated in Coles Hill Burial Ground, and, as with others buried then, in an unmarked grave. Her name appears on the Pilgrim Memorial Tomb, Plymouth, Massachusetts as "James Chilton's wife".