Welcome to Sail1620.org, home of the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Society consists of descendants of the Pilgrims, the 102 English passengers who came to New England from Holland and England aboard the ship Mayflower in 1620.

Our multi-award winning Web site is designed to be a fun as well as educational road map to this corner of 17th century history. Within the pages of this website we have tried to provide you with useful information, not just about our state society, but also a clear and factual reference to the lives and history of the Pilgrim Forefathers, the Plymouth Colony, and their ship the Mayflower.

HISTORY AGREES...

"[The Mayflower Compact is] the first example in modern times of a social compact or system of government instituted by voluntary agreement conformable to the laws of nature, by men of equal rights and about to establish their community in a new country." — John Quincy Adams
PA Mayflower Newsletter

The Winter 2011/12 edition of the SMDPA Newsletter is now available for download. Get your FREE copy today.

Read more...
 
Distinguished Mayflower Descendants

Famous Mayflower DescendantsWhat do Marilyn Monroe, George Bush and Dr. Spock have in common? Possibly you. Visit our distinguished descendants gallery to learn who your famous cousins are. You may be surprised to discover who you have common genes with.

Read more...
 
The Truth About Priscilla, Spinning in Early Plymouth Colony
Written by Jill M. Hall   

The Truth About PriscillaWhen Longfellow imagined the John Alden-Priscilla Mullins-Miles Standish love triangle, he depicted Priscilla spinning as Alden arrived to offer Standish’s marriage proposal. The image of a spinning maiden is an old one, and both in the time of the Pilgrims (early 1600s) and in Longfellow’s day (mid-1800s) this image was shorthand for female industry and piety as well as domestic tranquility. Longfellow was undoubtedly invoking that symbolism when he chose spinning as Priscilla’s activity, but do the historical facts support that choice?

Read more...
 
The Pilgrim Story 2.0
Written by James W. Baker   

The Pilgrim story is known the world over as one of America’s founding narratives. The traditional account—the flight from religious persecution, exile in Holland, the 1620 voyage and the Compact, landing on Plymouth Rock, the fatal first winter, and the First Thanksgiving—has achieved canonical status. However, this narrative did not spring forth from history fully formed; rather it has evolved over time and is still being shaped by changing social and political circumstances.

Read more...
 
Mayflower and Me K-12 Curriculum

Now available for teachers "Mayflower and Me K-12 Curriculum". This curriculum is a MUST for all educators, schools and organizations throughout the world, a MUST for adventurers searching myths and misconceptions in history, a waste if not utilized and passed on.

Read more...
 

Please donate to help fund our Educational Programs

SMDPA News

The Pennsylvania Society will hold a recreation of the Pilgrims' Worship service at it's annual Thanksgiving Service Sunday, November 20, 2011, at the Willistown Meeting House, Newtown Square, PA.

Read more...