Canadian Society of Mayflower Descendants

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Canadian Society of Mayflower Descendants

Members of the Canadian Society of Mayflower Descendants descend from passengers aboard More: csmd.org Twitter:

Membership in the Canadian Society of Mayflower Descendants is open to anyone over the age of 18 who can document their direct bloodline descent from a passenger aboard the Mayflower. Ours is the first society of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants to be formed outside the United States.

09/02/2026

This week sees the next instalment in this new series of Wayback Wednesday articles from our Canadian Society of Mayflower Descendants' Surgeon General, Dr. Carol Martin ! Three Visits to Early Plymouth:
6. Timber, Medicinal Plants, and Salt
The timber here is excellent—cedar, beech, pine, oak, and more. We’ve already sent back a sample worth two or three hundred pounds, along with beaver pelts and other furs. The land also offers valuable medicinal plants like sassafras, sarsaparilla, and alkermes berries, which are worth a good deal in England. I hope to bring some back myself. We also expect to produce salt soon. If we could sell it to the fishing ships, the profits might rival the riches of Spanish America. There’s a promising salt-making site a mile from the settlement, and we hope to start production soon.

08/26/2026

This week sees the next instalment in this new series of Wayback Wednesday articles from our Canadian Society of Mayflower Descendants' Surgeon General, Dr. Carol Martin ! Three Visits to Early Plymouth:
5. Beaver Skins and Trading Plans
There’s great potential here in the fur trade. We have access to beaver, otter, martin, fox, and raccoon skins, which bring good prices in England. Right now, we’re sailing south to the Hudson River, where Dutch traders obtain furs from the Indigenous people. We expect to do well there too. After Christmas, we plan to return north and trade for more skins before the fishing season begins again in February. We hope to fish early in the year, then trade again in May, and perhaps return to England by Christmas 1624. But don’t expect me too soon—if I’m delayed, it’ll only be because there’s still more profit to be made.

08/12/2026

This week sees the next instalment in this new series of Wayback Wednesday articles from our Canadian Society of Mayflower Descendants' Surgeon General, Dr. Carol Martin ! Three Visits to Early Plymouth:
4. Abundance of Fish
The fishing here is almost unbelievable. If someone came prepared with all the right equipment, they could easily double their investment. For example, during foggy days at sea, we dropped anchor and went fishing—and in just an hour, we caught 100 large cod. If we had stayed longer, we could have filled the ship. Over the whole voyage, I believe we caught more than a thousand. Sometimes we caught them just for sport and tossed them back. One cod weighed nearly 100 pounds! We also caught turbot, and one was big enough to feed our entire ship. The fishing grounds up and down the coast—places like Monhegan, Pemaquid, and the Isles of Shoals—hosted about 400 fishing vessels this year, and nearly all made good profits.

07/29/2026

This week sees the next instalment in this new series of Wayback Wednesday articles from our Canadian Society of Mayflower Descendants' Surgeon General, Dr. Carol Martin ! Three Visits to Early Plymouth:
3. Description of the Plymouth Settlement
Let me tell you about the layout of the town at Patuxet. It sits on a hill near the sea, well-placed for shipping. There are about twenty houses, with several being quite well built, and others improving as time allows. The layout forms a broad street, and at the upper end is a strong fort with six mounted cannons. The fort is constantly manned, so no native can approach unseen. The town is enclosed by an eight-foot palisade with three main gates. There are some livestock too—goats, pigs, hens—and a good number of honest and hardworking men committed to earning profit for the investors.

07/25/2026

2026 Annual Conference and AGM!
2026 Nova Scotia Mayflower Colony Conference
Friday & Saturday, 02 & 03 October 2026
Old Orchard Inn, Wolfville, Kings County, NS
History as Community
REGISTRATION-
Wheelchair accessible
Advance registration required - $35 (includes refreshments Friday evening and Saturday morning)
SCHEDULE
Friday 02 October
6:00-6:50 Registration and Refreshments
6:00-6:50 Meet, Greet - Visit Displays
6:50- 7:00 Greetings and introductions -Cheryl Anderson, Acting Regent, NSCMD
7:00-8:00: Dr. Jennifer MacDonald
8:00- 9:00: Canadian Society Governor (The Rev. Dr.) W. Becket Soule
–––––––––––––––––
Saturday 03 October
9:00-10:00 Registration – Old Orchard Inn
Refreshments/Meet & Greet
10:00-10:15 Welcome, Greetings & Introductions – Cheryl Anderson, Acting Regent NSCMD;
Greetings from CSMD- Governor, (The Rev. Dr.) W. Becket Soule
Janet Eisses, Vice Regent, NSCMD
10:15-11:15: Dr. Roger Lewis
11:15-11:30: Recognition of New Members and Supplementals
11:30-12:45 – Lunch Break on your own
12:45-1:00: Group Photo - Bill Curry
1:00-2:00: Governor (The Rev. Dr.) W. Becket Soule
2:00-2:30 Ancestral Roll Call, Annual General Meeting, Election of Officers
2:00-2:30: Proving your Mayflower Ancestry Workshop
with Colony and Society Past Historian, Judi Archibald
2:30-3:00 Wrap up with raffle draws, perhaps a keepsake to take home!
Safe Journey Home!
To Register for the conference, please click on this link:

07/22/2026

This week sees the next instalment in this new series of Wayback Wednesday articles from our Canadian Society of Mayflower Descendants' Surgeon General, Dr. Carol Martin ! Three Visits to Early Plymouth:
2. Arrival and Conditions at Plymouth
When we arrived in New England, we found our settlement—Patuxet (now called Plymouth)—in excellent health. Not a single person, young or old, was sick. Another ship, sent out six days after us, had actually arrived ten days before us and also reported everyone well. Remarkably, a woman on our ship gave birth to a healthy baby boy on the voyage, and even an elderly woman—around 80—arrived in good health. These are signs, I believe, of God’s grace, especially as some of these people had been unwell before. It’s uplifting to see such health and strength at a time when we didn’t expect it.

07/08/2026

This week sees the next instalment in this new series of Wayback Wednesday articles from our Canadian Society of Mayflower Descendants' Surgeon General, Dr. Carol Martin ! Three Visits to Early Plymouth:
LETTER NUMBER ONE In the following letter of Emmanuel Altham from September 1623, addressed to his brother Sir Edward, he describes his journey, the Plymouth Colony, and the vast potential of New England.
Emmanuel Altham to Sir Edward Altham
September, 1623
1. Departure and Voyage to New England
Dearest brother,
I promised to write when the first opportunity came, and even if I hadn’t made that promise, the bond we share would have urged me to write anyway. You’ve always shown great kindness and loyalty to me, which I deeply appreciate. Now that I’ve embarked on a journey that some of my friends disapprove of, and one that might earn me some criticism, I want to be honest with you about what I’ve seen and experienced—not just what I’ve heard. We left the Isle of Wight and arrived safely in New England on August 5th, three months and a day later. The voyage was stormy and unpleasant, and I’ve learned that the sea was made more for necessity than comfort. But thanks be to God, I’ve enjoyed excellent health and have gained much from the experience.

07/01/2026

This week sees the next instalment in this new series of Wayback Wednesday articles from our Canadian Society of Mayflower Descendants' Surgeon General, Dr. Carol Martin ! Three Visits to Early Plymouth:
After the Little James was seized to pay debts in 1625, Emmanuel Altham stayed behind in England. He made one more independent voyage to New England, but by mid-1626 his early enthusiasm for the colony had faded. Harsh conditions and poor profits convinced him to seek opportunity elsewhere.
With the help of his well-connected brother, Sir Edward, Altham joined the East India Company. He served in India, raided Portuguese strongholds in East Africa, and later commanded the Company’s fort at Armagon. There he rebuilt defenses, grew wealthy, and dreamed of a grand return home—dreams cut short by his death in early 1636.
Fortunately, Altham’s vivid letters from Plymouth survived, offering a candid, richly detailed glimpse into the colony’s early years.

06/17/2026

This week sees the next instalment in this new series of Wayback Wednesday articles from our Canadian Society of Mayflower Descendants' Surgeon General, Dr. Carol Martin ! Three Visits to Early Plymouth:
Emmanuel Altham made his first journey to New England in 1623 aboard the Little James, a small ship sent to assist with fur-trading and fishing. As “Captain,” Altham wasn’t the sailing master but was in charge of trade, defense, and decisions like capturing enemy vessels (he had privateering rights). After a year, he returned to England during which time Altham wrote three letters describing his experiences.
Emmanuel Altham arrived in New England full of hope—but within a year, the harsh realities of colonial life sent him searching for adventure elsewhere. His path led from the struggling Plymouth settlement to commanding a fort in India… and his letters capture it all in vivid detail.

06/03/2026

This week sees the next instalment in this new series of Wayback Wednesday articles from our Canadian Society of Mayflower Descendants' Surgeon General, Dr. Carol Martin ! Three Visits to Early Plymouth:

EMMANUEL ALTHAM (1600–1635/1636): A GENTLEMAN ADVENTURER

Now we move on to the four letters written by Emmanuel Altham (1600—1635/36) from New England describing his visits there during the years from 1623 to 1625.

Emmanuel Altham was born into a gentlemanly English family with strong ties to commerce and the legal profession rather than the aristocracy. As a younger son, he inherited little wealth and few prospects at home. Defying his family’s expectations, he sought adventure and fortune through overseas trade. He became an investor and agent for the Company of Adventurers for New Plymouth and emerged as a passionate supporter of the colony. Driven by ideals of honour and a romanticized view of commerce, he helped sustain English backing for the Pilgrims, even when profits were limited and conditions in the colony were harsh.

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