The Pilgrims & Plymouth Colony 1620 P11

Last week we talked about John Howland, a Pilgrim in his 20’s being swept overboard and his accident sentencing him to death except — There was a rope trailing along in the water behind the ship, and in a frantic effort Howland grabbed it. He desperately hung on and was dragged through pounding waves and turbulent waters before finally being pulled up on deck. Eventually, he reached the New World with the others and married fellow passenger Elizabeth Tilley. The two raised a family of 10 children.

But what if Howland had died when washed overboard? He certainly would have become nothing more than a tragic footnote in history, recorded as one of the many Pilgrims who died the first year. Howland helps us understand just how much a single life can be worth.

CONTENT SOURCED FROM: "The American Story, the beginnings" by David Barton and Tim Barton