Colonists and the Colony

Current articles in this section:

1. The Mayflower Compact

2. The "Pilgrims" as People

3. "Stitches in Time: Sewing in Plymouth Colony"

4. Residents of Plymouth According to the 1627 Division of Cattle

5. Timeline of Plymouth Colony 1620-1692

Residents of Plymouth according to the 1627 Division of Cattle

Historians at Plimoth Plantation use primary sources—those books, letters and documents which the English colonists left behind—to tell us about the past and how to recreate it accurately for our visitors. We chose to recreate the year 1627 in our English Village because that was a very important year in Plymouth Colony. It was the year that the colonists finished their contract with the “Merchants,” wealthy men in London who had “adventured” their money, paying for some of the travel expenses and supplies used to set up the colony in the hopes of making a profit. In anticipation of the relationship between the London Merchants terminating, and with the men in the town due to receive the land they were promised, much of the jointly owned property of the town was divided up. Fortunately for us, many of these historical documents survive. The 1627 Division of Cattle is one of them.

The Division of Cattle is a complete list of all the residents of Plymouth as of May 1627. It divides them into 12 “lots,” with 13 people per lot sharing the use of one cow or calf and two goats. Families are generally kept together within each lot, and single men are listed throughout. In some places on the original document, names are scribbled in where newborns are included with the rest of their family.

Some of the residents listed in the Division of Cattle were amongst those who celebrated their first harvest in New England with at least 91 Wampanoag men in 1621. This event has come to be known as “the First Thanksgiving” in popular culture, but was not thought of in that way by its participants. For more information about the 1621 event, you can go to our Thanksgiving section or to our award-winning online learning center "You are the Historian."

Please note that the list below is reproduced as written in the original document. 17th-century spelling had no stringent guidelines as we have today, so names or words written elsewhere may be spelled differently. Emphasis is added.

Division of Cattle, May 22, 1627

1. The first lot fell to ffrancis Cooke & his Companie Joyned with him
his wife Hester Cooke.
3 John Cooke
4 Jacob Cooke
5 Jane Cooke
6 Hester Cooke
7 Mary Cooke
8 Moses Simonson
9 Phillip Delanoy
10 Experience Mitchaell
11 John ffance
12 Joshua Pratt
13 Phinihas Pratt

2. The second lot fel to Mr Isaac Allerton & his Companie joined to
him his wife ffeare Allerton.
3 Bartholomew Allerton
4 Remember Allerton
5 Mary Allerton
6 Sarah Allerton
7 Godber Godbertson
8 Sarah Godbertson
9 Samuell Godbertson
10 Marra Priest
11 Sarah Priest
12 Edward Bumpasse
13 John Crakstone

3. The third lot fell to Capt Standish & his companie joyned to him
2 his wife Barbara Standish
3 Charles Standish
4 Allexander Standish
5 John Standish
6 Edward Winslow
7 Susanna Winslow
8 Edward Winslow
9 John Winslow
10 Resolved White
11 Perigrine White
12 Abraham Peirce
13 Thomas Clarke

4. The fourth lot fell to John Howland & his company Joyned to him
2 his wife Elizabeth Howland.
3 John Howland Junor
4 Desire Howland
5 William Wright
6 Thomas Morton Junor
7 John Alden
8 Prissilla Alden
9 Elizabeth Alden
10 Clemont Briggs
11 Edward Dolton
12 Edward Holdman
13 Joh. Alden

5. The fift lot fell to Mr. Willm Brewster & his companie Joyned to him
2 Love Brewster
3 Wrestling Brewster
4 Richard More
5 Henri Samson
6 Johnathan Brewster
7 Lucretia Brewster
8 Willm Brewster
9 Mary Brewster
10 Thomas Prince
11 Pacience Prince
12 Rebecka Prince
13 Humillyty Cooper

6. The sixt lott fell to John Shaw & his companie Joyned
1 to him
2 John Adams
3 Eliner Adams
4 James Adams
5 John Winslow
6 Mary Winslow
7 Willm Bassett
8 Elizabeth Bassett
9 Willyam Bassett Junor
10 Elysabeth Bassett Junor
11 ffrancis Sprage
12 Anna Sprage
13 Mercye Sprage

7. The seaventh lott fel to Stephen Hopkins & his companie Joyned to
2 him his wife Elizabeth Hopkins
3 Gyles Hopkins
4 Caleb Hopkins
5 Debora Hopkins
6 Nickolas Snow
7 Constance Snow
8 Willam Pallmer
9 ffrances Pallmer
10 Wilm Pallmer Jnor
11 John Billington Senor
12 Hellen Billington
13 ffrancis Billington

8. The eight lot fell to Samuell ffuller & his company Joyned to him
2 his wife Bridgett ffuller
3 Samuell ffuller Junior
4 Peeter Browne
5 Martha Browne
6 Mary Browne
7 John fford
8 Martha fford
9 Anthony Anable
10 Jane Anable
11 Sara Anable
12 Hanah Anable
13 Damaris Hopkins

9. The ninth lot fell to Richard Warren & his companie Joyned wth
2 him his wife Elizabeth Warren
3 Nathaniell Warren
4 Joseph Warren
5 Mary Warren
6 Anna Warren
7 Sara Warren
8 Elizabeth Warren
9 Abigall Warren
10 John Billington
11 George Sowle
12 Mary Sowle
13 Zakariah Sowle

10. The tenth lot fell to ffrancis Eaton & those Joyned wth him his
2 wife Christian Eaton
3 Samuell Eaton
4 Rahell Eaton
5 Stephen Tracie
6 Triphosa Tracie
7 Sarah Tracie
8 Rebecka Tracie
9 Ralph Wallen
10 Joyce Wallen
11 Sarah Morton
12 Robert Bartlet
13 Tho: Prence

11. The eleventh lott fell to the Governor Mr William Bradford and
2 those with him, to wit, his wife Alles Bradford and
3 William Bradford, Junior
4 Mercy Bradford
5 Joseph Rogers
6 Thomas Cushman
7 William Latham
8 Manases Kempton
9 Julian Kempton
10 Nathaniell Morton
11 John Morton
12 Ephriam Morton
13 Patience Morton

12. The twelveth lott fell to John Jene & his companie joyned to him,
2 his wife Sarah Jene
3 Samuell Jene
4 Abigall Jene
5 Sara Jene
6 Robert Hickes
7 Margret Hickes
8 Samuell Hickes
9 Ephraim Hickes
10 Lidya Hickes
11 Phebe Hickes
12 Stephen Deane
13 Edward Banges

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