Gathered Saints - The Pilgrims and Thanksgiving

Plymouth Rock is a deserving American shrine, butThe season and our present necessity made us glad
the legends surrounding it - and the so-called Pilgrimsto accept of it. So, we returned to our ship with the
who stepped on it - are not as interesting as thenews to the rest of our people, which did much
facts.Contrary to popular belief, the coast of Northcomfort their hearts." In addition to the landings on
America was well known to Spanish, French, DutchNov. 21, there were other exploratory landings on the
and other English colonists prior to the arrival of a28th, 29th and 30th.Abandoned cornfields and Indian
reformist religious sect we associate withvillages were found on the mainland. A smallpox
Thanksgiving.George Weymouth explored Maine inepidemic and Indian warfare had wiped out the
1605 and brought back five Indians to London. Threecoastal Pawtuxit. This was a fateful stroke for the
of them were turned over to Sir Ferdinando Gorges,Pilgrims. They were too exhausted and few in
harbormaster at Plymouth, England.Contact withnumber to contest hostile natives or clear forest in
these pleasant and dignified Native Americans sowinter.Upon returning to the ship, the entire company
intrigued Gorges that he spent the rest of his lifevoted to build at Plymouth Harbor. The "Mayflower"
promoting colonization among them.Largely throughweighed anchor and sailed across Massachusetts
Gorges' enthusiasm, two colonies were launched inBay.So anxious were some of the men to get
1607 - one at Jamestown, Virginia; the other atstarted, ten of them disembarked during the night
Sagadahoc, Maine. Jamestown survived, butand were waiting the next morning when the main
Sagadahoc gave up a year later when its leader,party came ashore.THEN the Pilgrims stepped onto
George Popham, died.Fishing expeditions to Newthe great rock at the end of a channel through the
England continued, however. If the haul was sparse,oyster flats. The date was Dec. 22, 1620.A few
Indians often were kidnapped and sold in Spain aswomen remained aboard the "Mayflower" until March
slaves. One of these was a Pawtuxit brave named31 when the ship began the voyage home. The ship
Tsquantum. He was to play a decisive role in thereturned the following year with supplies and then
Pilgrims survival.It should be remembered that thesailed out of American history. First WinterMany
religious folks we call Pilgrims today were known thenPilgrims died that first, terrible winter. Bodies were
as "Separatists" for their determination to breakburied secretly so the Indians would not detect the
away from the Church of England. They calledplight. Survivors need not have worried. An unknown
themselves "Gathered Saints" and their otherfriend was restraining the nearest Indians 40 miles
companions "Strangers."The name "Pilgrim" did notaway.Tsquantum, who was sold into Spanish slavery,
come into use until 1792 - 172 years later - when amanaged to escape and make his way to Plymouth,
local poet so termed all Plymouth Colony membersEngland. There he found safety with Sir Gorges who
whether Saints or Strangers.Nor should Pilgrims bereturned him to America on a fishing vessel.It was
confused with Puritans - today's Congregationalists --this Indian, called Squanto by the Pilgrims, who now
who colonized Boston in 1629. The latter weresat in the lodge of the Wampanoak and advised
reformists of the Church of England and disdainedfriendship with the colonists.The Pilgrims were
the Gathered Saints.Stylized paintings of New Englandalarmed in March when Squanto, Massasoit and 60
settlers in black clothing, broad-brim hats for men andwarriors lined up on a rise overlooking the colony.
starched bonnets for women, depict Puritans.Imagine the colonists' surprise when Squanto hailed
Plymouth colonists wore individual, rough dress. Justthem: "Welcome Englishmen!"Edward Carver,
37 members of the "Mayflower" voyagers weresecretary of the colony, walked slowly to the
Gathered Saints. The other 65 were workmenentourage, his arms extended to show he carried no
seeking opportunity.A young boy, servant to Samuelweapon.Said Squanto: "Do you dare to walk among
Fuller, died on the 66-day voyage across the Atlantic.us alone?"Carver replied, "Where there is love, there
However, Elizabeth Hopkins gave birth to a son; sois no fear."So began a lasting friendship between the
the ship's manifest of 102 passengers wasPilgrims and the Wampanoak. Squanto made frequent
maintained.The famous "Mayflower Compact" wasvisits to the colony to teach the Pilgrims how to
signed en route only by the Saints minority to governhunt, fish, plant corn with a herring for fertilizer, make
themselves - not to plant democracy, as is so oftenpopcorn balls with maple syrup and play a dice game
thought. Pilgrims ArriveBy the time the Pilgrims landed,called hubdub.By Fall, the Pilgrims had built homes and
there were thriving colonies at St. Augustine, Fla.gathered in a "goodly" crop of corn. In gratitude, they
(1565); Jamestown, Va. (1607); Port Royal, Novainvited Massoit and Squanto to a Thanksgiving feast.
Scotia (1613); Quebec, Canada (1613); and Albany,The two invited guests showed up with 60
N.Y. (1614).The "Mayflower" voyage, sponsored byWampanoak braves and stayed three days.Squanto
the London Company, aimed for the Hudson Riverdied a year later while leading a trading trip for winter
that was considered to be part of the Virginiacorn. He shares with Pocahontas at Jamestown the
territory. However, contrary winds drove the ship togratitude of English settlers who probably would have
the tip of Cape Cod, now Provincetown, Mass., onperished without Indian help. Rock SymbolPilgrims paid
Nov. 17, 1620.Several trips ashore were made tolittle attention at first to the shore-side rock on which
replenish water and firewood while the Pilgrimsthey finally stepped ashore. It simply was a
assessed their situation.The tangle of shoals, badconvenience used as such for many years.In 1741, it
weather and discontent among the Strangers ledwas decided to build a wharf at the channel. A
them all to gave up their original destination and optcrib-work of logs was constructed, and the landing
for immediate settlement. Eventually they replacedrock covered to its top surface. There the rock
their unexecuted London Company charter with aformed part of a pavement to be ground down by
new one from Gorges' New England Company.Afterwagons.It was during this construction that Elder
resting for a couple of seeks, a party of 18 menFaunce, 95, asked to be carried to the site so he
assembled a pre-fabricated boat and set out tocould see the boulder that his father had always
reconnoiter. The "Mayflower" captain claimed to havedescribed to him as the "Forefathers' Rock."A
visited the bay once before. He assured hiscontemporary account related that the old gentleman
passengers that good colony sites were near by.The"bedewed it with his tears and bid to it an everlasting
scouting party camped overnight on Cape Codadieu."The emotional scene impressed the Plymouth
where it discovered several bushels of buried corninhabitants to such an extent the rock achieved a
and a human skull with remnants of blond hair.On thelasting symbolism."Animated by the glorious spirit of
second day, the men beat off a dawn attack by fiveliberty," the citizens of Plymouth in 1744 determined
Indians then coasted along the shore. They wereto preserve Plymouth Rock. The great stone was
looking for a harbor which Coppin, the "Mayflower's"lifted from its bed by jacks and 30 yoke of oxen.In
pilot, said he had once visited. William Bradford laterthe process, the rock split. The larger, bottom part,
recounted the search:"After some hours' sailing, itfell back into its socket. The top was moved to the
began to snow and rain. About the middle of thefoot of a Liberty Pole in the public
afternoon, the wind increased. The sea became verysquare.Independence Day 1834 was celebrated at
rough, and we broke our rudder. It was as much asPlymouth by moving the upper rock piece to a newly
two men could do to steer our shallop with a couplebuilt Pilgrim Hall. During the transfer, the rock fell from
of oars. "The storm increasing, and night drawing on,a wagon and broke into two pieces. It is this mended
we bore what sail we could while we could see.break that is visible to visitors today.The Plymouth
Herewith, we broke our mast in three pieces, andSociety bought the old wharf in 1859 and built a
our sail fell overboard. Yet, by God's mercy, wemarble canopy over the piece of Plymouth Rock
recovered ourselves and struck into the harbor.imbedded there.Finally, in 1880, the upper parts of the
"However, the pilot was deceived in the place androck were cemented to the original base. The rock
said the Lord be merciful unto us, but his eyes neverwas once more whole - in three sections but
saw the place before; and that he and the master'sone-third smaller from loss of fragments chipped off
mate would have run us ashore in a cove full ofover the years for souvenirs. The date 1620 was
breakers before the wind. "It was very dark, andcarved to replace painted numerals.The rock was
rained sore. Yet, in the end, we got under the lee ofmoved in 1925 to its present location under a new
a small island remained there all that night in safety.canopy at the high-tide line. There the famous relic is
"The next day was a fair, sun-shining day. We foundonce again washed by the sea twice a day.Lindsey
ourselves to be on an island, secure from the Indians,Williams is a Sun columnist who can be contacted
where we might dry our stuff, fix our pieces andat:Website: with several hundred of Lin's Editorial &
rest ourselves. This being the last day of the week,At Large articles written over 40 years.Also featured
we prepared there to keep the Sabbath."On Monday,in its entirety is Lin's groundbreaking book "Boldly
we sounded the harbor and found it fit for shipping.Onward," that critically analyzes and develops
We marched into the land and found divers cornfieldstheories about the original Spanish explorers of
and little running brooks - a place, we supposed, fitAmerica.
for situation. "At least, it was the best we could find.