“The Pilgrims” commonly refers to the English colonists who arrived on the first four ships to early Plymouth: the Mayflower, the Fortune, the Anne, and the Little James.

Most of the passengers of these early ships were connected by ties of kinship, friendship, and shared religious belief.

Some of those who arrived after the Mayflower were supposed to have been part of her 1620 voyage.

When the Mayflower’s companion vessel, the Speedwell, developed leaks and had to be abandoned, people were left behind and forced to

seek passage over at a later time. These included many women and children.  In some cases, it took years for these families to be reunited.

In addition to the early passenger ships, other vessels arrived in the Colony’s first years for trade, fishing, and other colonizing ventures.