Young John Howland enjoyed climbing the sails and masts and sat in the crow's nest with the lookout, often, on the ship Mayflower. He fell overboard one stormy day in a strong gale. But he managed to grab a trailing halyard and was pulled back with a boat hook. [Source: "The Story of the Old Colony" by Sam Morison]
John was the servant of John Carver, who was selected to be the first governor of Plymouth Colony. John Carver died soon after he did some sowing of corn in the hot sun on the plantation, in the spring of 1621.
Elizabeth had spent her childhood in Leiden, Holland. She spoke and read Dutch as well as English. Her future husband, John Howland, taught her how to read English on the Mayflower journey. She was 13 years old. After her parents died during the first Plymouth winter, she lived with Governor Bradford's family until her marriage, at age 16.
John was the pilgrims' first agent to Indians at Chusnoc, Augusta, Maine in 1621. Later, c. 1623, John and wife, Elizabeth, ran a trading post for trade between the Plymouth Colony and the Indians to pay off their debts to those who sponsored their trip to America. [Source: researcher Polly Shaw at genforum.com, see Dickinson family, genforum.]
Here is the long list of their children, all born in Massachusetts:
1623 Desire
1627 John
1627 Joseph
1629 Hope
1634 Elizabeth, our ancestor who married John Dickenson
1636 Lydia
1637 Ruth
1640 Hannah
1644 Jabez
1649 Isaac
unk Deborah
John Howland was in charge of the fur trading post at Kennebec, Maine in 1634. John's name was among the councillors in the March 1636 list of Plymouth Colony freemen and he was the deputy for the Plymouth General Court.
In 1638, John bought property in Kingston, Rhode Island, calling it "Rocky Nook Farm".
John was prominent in the church, so he "assisted in the imposition of hands" upon Rev. John Cotton, Jr., when he was ordained pastor, c. 1669. [I wonder what this means. Maybe you blog readers understand?]
John wrote his will on the 29th of May 1672; it was proved 6 Mar 1673. He died in February 1673, and I quote: in the "Towne of Plymouth; last man left of those on the Mayflower; age 80."
JOHN HOWLAND
BORN: 1592 in Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire, England
MARRIED: 25 Mar 1623 in Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts
DIED: 23 Feb 1673 in Plymouth, Plymouth, MA
ELIZABETH TILLEY
BORN: abt 1607 in Henlow, Bedfordshire, England
DIED: 22 Dec 1587 in Swansea, Bristol, MA
SOURCES:www.newenglandancestors.org, "The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633; www.gencircles.com, Researcher, paulamein 121301; Elizabeth's grave information: Find a grave #21561583.
