The Pilgrim Fathers of New England: A History

What It's About

This book traces the story of the Pilgrim Fathers from their religious dissent in England through their exile in Holland, their crossing of the Atlantic, and the founding of the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies. It follows the early hardships of settlement — the first winters, relations with neighbouring Native American tribes, and the slow establishment of a working colonial government — before broadening out to cover the wider growth of Puritan New England, including the founding of Harvard, the arrival of Roger Williams, and the colonies' early conflicts and controversies.

Key Concepts

The book is as much about the religious convictions driving the Pilgrims as it is about the practical business of colonisation. It treats the Separatists' break from the Church of England, their years as exiles in Leiden, and their decision to risk the Atlantic crossing as the moral core of the story, then follows how those convictions shaped the government, discipline, and daily routine of the colony they built. Later chapters take in the colony's internal disputes, its dealings with rival settlements, and formative figures such as Miles Standish and Roger Williams.

About the Author

W. Carlos Martyn (1841–1917) was an American writer and clergyman known chiefly for his biographical and historical works on religious figures and movements, including studies of Martin Luther and the Huguenots.