#43 AT THE FIRST THANKSGIVING

                                                                 FRANCIS  COOKE

Sometime between September and mid-November 1621, fifty-three Pilgrims and at least a hundred Native Americans came together at the Plymouth Plantation to celebrate the end of a successful harvest. The three days celebration included feasting, games and military exercises and there was definitely an amount of diplomacy between the colonists and the native attendees.  My 12^th great grandfather, Francis Cooke and his teenage son John were at this first American Thanksgiving!

Attending were 4 married women, 5 adolescent girls, 9 adolescent boys, 13 young children and 22 men; all had been all passengers of the 1620 Mayflower sailing. They were the lucky ones who had made it through the grueling first year of settlement, including a harsh winter during which an epidemic of disease swept through the colony, felling nearly half of the original group. Some 78% of the women who had arrived on the Mayflower died during that first winter, a far higher percentage than for men and children.  (As many as two or three people died each day during their first two months on land. When the Mayflower sailed back to England the following April, she was sailed by only half her crew.) For the Pilgrims, the first Thanksgiving was celebrating the fact that they had survived their first year in New England.

When the colonists sat down to feast, they may have eaten wild turkey. They probably ate deer, fish and shellfish which were abundant in the region, as well as fruits and vegetables—cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, leeks, lettuce, parsnips, pumpkins-- that the colonist had grown in their home gardens. There were also wild plants that the English had learned to cook including Jerusalem artichokes, garlic, cranberries, Concord grapes, walnuts and chestnuts.  Potatoes were not available nor was it unlikely they prepared a sweet cranberry sauce for cranberries were more likely a tart garnish. Pumpkin pie would have been impossible, as the colony did not have butter, wheat, flour or an oven.

The Mayflower left Plymouth, England for America in September 1620, but the idea of a Plymouth colony had begun years before. Henry VIII and Elizabeth I had instituted religious reforms that limited the role of the Roman Catholic Church, but some Christian reformers worried that the English crown had not gone far enough, and they broke with the English church altogether. Many migrated to Leiden, Holland where they believed they would enjoy more religious freedom, but when that did not happen, it was decided to send the congregants to America to found a new colony where they could secure their English language and heritage and find economic opportunity.  After ten years in Holland, the Pilgrims made arrangements with the Virginia Company which had gathered investors to send an expedition to New England. Two ships were chartered, but the Speedwell was not sea-worthy enough for the voyage, so the Mayflower sailed alone; thus many of the English reformers were left behind. The Pilgrims had originally signed a contract with the Virginia Company to settle near the Hudson River, but rough seas and storms prevented the ship from reaching its initial destination. After 66 days, the Mayflower reached the shores of Cape Cod. 

                                                                Plymouth Rock

Before the settlers went ashore at Plymouth Rock, they signed the Mayflower Compact, agreeing to abide by the community laws and to work together for the good of the entire group. Then an expedition of Pilgrims went out to explore the area and they encountered a group of Native Americans. The Pilgrims stole food from the Native Americans, promising to return it when able: the Native Americans attacked the Pilgrims, the Pilgrims fired back and killed several. For the next few months, many of the settlers stayed on the Mayflower while ferrying back and forth to build their new settlement.

The Pilgrims benefitted from the presence of Squanhto, a native American who had spent time among English traders and spoke good English, and who taught them how to plant corn, where to fish and hunt beaver. The survivors were able to secure peace treaties with neighbouring tribes.  Within five years, the Plymouth Plantation began to thrive and build a largely self-sufficient economy; its population was disciplined and well-organized, and when it was decided to allow each family to farm its own land, the overall health of the colony improved.

 Francis Cooke (aka ffrancis Cooke, Franchoys Couck) was likely born about 1583. Around July 20, 1603, he married  Hester Mahieu; at that time the couple was living on the Levendaal, a canal on the southeast side of Leiden, Holland. He was English and a wool-comber; she was a Waloon (French-speaking Belgian) who had come from Canterbury England. Seven children were born to the couple, with six surviving infancy. In 1620, Francis and his son John (born in 1607) boarded the Separatist-bought Speedwell and sailed to England to meet up with the Mayflower. The two ships began the voyage on August 5, 1620 but the Speedwell leaked badly and had to return for a costly refitting. On the second attempt the two ships sailed about 100 leagues from England when the Speedwell was again leaking. Both vessels returned to Plymouth and the Speedwell was sold. (it was later revealed that there was, in fact, nothing wrong with the ship; the crew had sabotaged it to escape the year-long commitment of their contract.) Eleven people from the Speedwell, including Francis and John, boarded the Mayflower and the 103 passengers started out again.

On November 11, 1620, as the boat lay at anchor in Cape Cod Bay, Francis and 40 other passengers signed the Mayflower Compact. Francis was the 17th signer.

There was contact with natives. “Friday, February 16, 1621 was afir day; but the northerly wind continued, which continued the frost. This day after noon, one of people began a fowling, and having taken a stand by the creek side in the reeds, about a mile and a half from our plantation, there by him twelve Indians, marching towards our plantation, and in the woods he heard the noise of many more. He lay close till they passed, and then with what speed he could he went home and gave the alarm. So the people abroad in the woods returned and armed themselves, but saw none of them; only, toward the evening, they made a great fire about the place where they were first discovered.  Captain Miles Standish and Francis Cooke being at work in the woods, coming home left their tools behind the; but before they returned, their tools were taken away by the savages. The coming of the savages gave us occasion to keep more strict watch.” (Note: the tools were returned a month later.)

                                                                    The Anne

Hester and 2 younger children arrived on the Anne in 1623; they had waited in Europe until Francis was settled in the New World. Three more shiploads of Pilgrims travelled to Massachusetts after the Mayflower, including the Fortune (1621), the Anne and the Little James (both 1623). Passengers on these first four ships were called the “Old Comers” of Plymouth Colony and were given special treatment in later colonial matters.). As Plymouth was pretty barren, Francis and the family moved a few miles away to Rocky Nook on the Jones River; Francis named his place Cooke's Hollow

After the colony's common house had been completed, houses for the families were built. Since the winter had seen so many deaths, the Pilgrims were reduced to 19 families and each of these received a parcel of land about 50 feet deep. Lots were cast to determine each family's position in the "two rows of houses". This allotment was for their use for only the year, to build houses and plant gardens and they could not pass the land to their heirs. Francis Cooke's plot was on the south side of the street with neighbours Isaac Allerton and Edward Winslow.

Francis is listed as a carpenter and boat-builder.

The Cooke family received land in the Division of Land in 1623; this division marked the end of the Pilgrims’ early system of land held in common by all and gave each family a proportion of the land. “This had very great success, for it made hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been..and gave greater content. The women now went willingly into the field, and took their little ones with them to set corn; which would before allege weakness and inability.” Nothing like working for one’s own self to encourage industry! Francis Cooke appears to have been granted many different parcels of land in and around Plymouth; some of this land he gave to his sons. He maintained his residence at Plymouth even though he had received  these additional land grants. In the division of cattle in 1627, Frances’s family received black heifers and sheep.

Francis was very involved in community and Colony affairs. He was one of the “Purchasers” who assumed the colony’s debt in exchange for controlling trade. He served as an arbiter of neighbours' disputes, paid taxes, was able to bear arms, brought a lawsuit,  registered his cattle mark (a hole in the left ear and a slit in the right ear down the middle of the cow's ear), Francis was on the original list of freeman for Plymouth.  As a freeman, he had several duties; he served on inquests and numerous juries from 1638 to1648. His most notable case was that of Alice Bishop who admitted to brutally murdering her four-year-old daughter by slashing her throat and windpipe with a knife. As a juror, Francis probably witnessed Alice’s execution by hanging. In fact most, if not all, the colonists probably witnessed her execution.  Alice was the second Plymouth colonist and the very first woman in New England to be convicted of, and hanged for, murder.

Francis’ major service to the colony was in the highway realm where he was appointed to a committee to lay out and survey highways. 

In 1651, a fellow Pilgrim wrote: “Francis Cooke is still living, a very old man, and hath seen his children have children. After his wife came over with other of his children; he hath three still living by her, all married and have five children, so their increase is eight.

Frances died in Plymouth on April 7, 1663, aged about 80, and was buried at Rocky Nook (now Kingston, Mass.) His wife, Hester, died in Plymouth, after June 8, 1866.

 

FRANCIS COOKE

                b. Nov. 26, 1584 likely in Gates Hall Essex or (Blyth, Yorkshire

                m. Hester Mahieu (1578- 1666/1675) on June 30, 1603 in Leiden, Holland                                                 d. Apr 7, 1663 in Plymouth, Massachusetts                                                                                                my 12x great grandfather (Homuth-Pierson-Farnum line)

also 12x great grandfather to my son-in-law, Chris

Francis Cooke's Will 

The will of Francis Cooke, dated October 1659, left all his land and possessions to his wife, Hester. Below is a complete inventory of the estate of Francis Cooke, deceased 1663. I wasn't surprised to see his Bible listed, his feather bed, or his livestock or farm tools. But the chamber pot, alchemy spoons, a bucking tub and "other old lumber about the house"! Note: inventories are valued in pounds (L), shillings (s) and pence (d). There were 12 pence (or pennies) to a shilling and 20 shillings to a pound.

Imprs 2 Iron potts & 1 Iron skillett 00 16 00

Item 2 paire of pott hookes 00 01 00

Item 7 pewter Dishes & 2 basons 00 17 06

Item 3 pewter potts 00 06 06

Item 1 pewter bason 2 porringers & 1 salt seller 00 02 00

Item 1 pewter Candlesticke 00 02 00

Item 2 Alcemy spoones 00 03 00

Item 1 lanthorn 1 gallypot 00 01 00

Item halfe a Dozen of trenchers and one stone bottle 00 01 00

Item 3 olde ladles 00 00 06

Item 1 woodden tray 6 trenchers 00 01 00

Item 1 morter and pestell 00 02 00

Item 4 wooden Dishes 00 00 08

Item 1 earthen pan and 2 earthen potts 00 00 09

Item 1 great brasse kettls 01 06 00

Item 2 smaller kettles 00 08 00

Item 3 wooden pailes 00 03 06

Item 1 pewter Chamber pott 00 02 06

Item 1 warming pan 1 frying pan 00 10 06

Item 1 thwart saw 1 hand saw 00 03 06

Item 1 paire of pincers 1 hammar 00 02 06

Item 1 Drawing Knife 00 00 06

Item 1 water Tubb 00 01 06

Item 1 axe 00 01 06

Item 1 great Chaire 00 05 00

Item 3 smale Chaires 00 03 00

Item 1 gridiron 1 fiershovell 1 paire of tonggs 00 05 00

Item 2 paire of pothangers 00 06 00

Item 2 old musketts 00 12 00

Item 1 paire of sheers 1 paire of sissers 00 00 09

Item 1 great bible & 4 old bookes 00 10 00

Item 1 brush 00 00 02

Item 1 file and 1 paire of pincers 00 00 06

Item 1 Table & forme 00 06 00

Item 1 old bucking Tubb 00 02 06

Item 1 tubb & 2 kimnells 00 05 00

Item 1 Chist 00 03 00

Item 1 pair of Cards and one baskett 00 01 00

Item 1 Chist 00 02 00

Item 4 earthen potts 1 Cupp 2 wooden trayes 00 05 00

Item 1 Chern 1 old Cask & four bottles 00 05 06

Item 1 old trough & a forme 00 00 06

Item 1 woolen wheele & scales 00 04 00

Item 1 Iron Driping pan 00 03 00

Item 1 sifting trough and one old trough 00 03 00

Item 1 tray 1 tubb 1 box 00 03 00

Item 2 seives 00 02 06

Item 3 paire of sheep sheers 00 03 00

Item 3 paire of old Cards 00 01 06

Item 1 Cheespresse 1 Cheesfatt 00 01 00

Item 2 old ferkins & som sope 00 01 06

Item 2 old basketts & yarne 00 04 00

Item 1 feather bed & bolster 02 00 00

Item 1 paire of sheets 00 12 00

Item 1 Coverlid & blankett 01 00 00

Item 1 pound of Candles 00 00 06

Item 2 hoes 00 01 06

Item 1 Cushien 00 00 06

Item 2 Chistes & 3 boxes 01 06 00

Item 1 feather bed 1 bolster 1 pillow 03 10 00

Item 1 paire of sheets 10s 1 blankett 1 coverlid 15 01 15 00

Item 2 old Curtaines & vallence 00 02 00

Item 2 paire of sheets 01 10 00

Item 3 halfe sheets 00 06 00

Item 2 hatts 00 15 00

Item 1 long coate 25s 2 short coates 30s 02 15 00

Item 1 old coate & 1 Jerkin 00 15 00

Item 2 paire of briches 1 paire of Drawers 01 10 00

Item old clothes stockens gloves shooes 01 00 00

Item 4 shirts & smale linnine 01 10 00

Item 1 bed & beding in the loft 03 00 00

Item 20 lb of woole & 2 paire of old stockens 01 07 00

Item 8 paire of stockens 01 05 00

Item some other old lumber about the house 00 02 00

Item 2 mares & one yearling mare 26 00 00

Item 2 Cowes & one Calfe 07 10 00

Item 1 2 yeare old and 1 yearling heiffers 03 10 00

Item 16 sheep 08 00 00

Item 5 lambes 01 00 00

Item 4 smale swine 01 04 00

The sume apprised is 85 01 01

PLIMOTH PATUXET (formerly Plimoth Plantation) replicates the original settlement of the Plymouth Colony.. "The recreations are based on a wide variety of first-hand and second-hand records, accounts, articles and period paintings and artifacts. In the English village of the museum, trained first-person (historical) interpreters speak, act and dress appropriately for the period, interacting with visitors by answering questions, discussing their lives and viewpoints and participating in tasks such as cooking, planting and animal husbandry. The English Village represents the year 1627."

                                In November 2011, fire destroyed the Cooke house at Plimuth Plantation.