1620: Mary Chilton at Plymouth Rock

Mary Chilton is my 9th-Great Grandmother on the Crosby side.

Legend has it that Mary Chilton was the first female from the Mayflower to set foot on Plymouth Rock.

Mary Chilton (bef 1607≈1679) is my 9th-Great-Grandmother. She was about 14-years-old when, in 1620, she arrived in Plymouth Harbor aboard the Mayflower. Mary made the journey with her father, James Chilton (≈1556-1620), and her mother Susannah (?-1620). The Pilgrims spent the winter of 1620 on the Mayflower at anchor in Plymouth Harbor. Mary’s father James, at age 64, was the oldest person to make the journey and died in the harbor during the first winter. Mary’s mother Susannah died shortly after. Mary, now an orphan, became the ward of either Myles Standish or John Alden.

There is no formal mention of Mary Chilton being the first female to set foot on land in Plymouth. However,  as several sources point out, there is nothing that says she wasn’t first.  Most importantly no other claims of being first exit.

There are no known portraits of Mary Chilton. However, because of the legend there are several paintings and etchings depicting Mary arriving at Plymouth.  We know this because the artists tell us who the subject is: Mary Chilton.  More recently, a porcelain doll of Mary was even created. So, what we do have are “artist interpretations” of Mary’s appearance.

Between 1623-1627, Mary married John Winslow (1597≈1674) and and they moved to Boston.  Together they had nine children.

You can be sure that I will pass this legend onto my daughter along with Girls of the Mayflower, a four page play by Amy Puetz.  The main character in the play is Mary Chilton.

This is a case where a legend provides us with something useful.