John Carver

Date of Birth: bef. 1584

Place of Birth: England

Date of Death: April 1621

Place of Death: Plymouth Colony

Ethnicity: English

John Carver was a passenger on board the Mayflower voyage in 1620, which dropped anchor at the tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on November 21, 1620. A Pilgrim, he is credited with writing the Mayflower Compact, on the day of their arrival; he was the first of 41 of the ship’s 101 passengers to have signed it, on board the ship, that day. The Pilgrims formed the Plymouth Colony; the Compact was its first governing document. John was elected the first Governor of Plymouth, serving from November 1620 to April 1621, his death. The killer in the slasher film Thanksgiving wears a John Carver mask while committing his murders during the Thanksgiving season, 402 years after John’s death. John himself did not participate in the first New England Thanksgiving, which took place months after his death, most likely in October 1621.

John was born in England and moved to Leiden, Netherlands c. 1607, along with many other Protestants who were leaving religious persecution, or were dissatisfied with the moderation of the English Reformation. He lived there until the Mayflower’s departure in the summer of 1620. John was married to Mary de Lannoy, until her death, and then to Katherine (White) Leggatt, until his death. Mary was a Walloon Huguenot. Katherine was a prominent member of the English separatist church in Leiden. John had at least two children, one with each wife, both of whom died before their parents did.

Sources: https://howwisethen.com
http://mayflowerhistory.com
https://ew.com
https://www.horrornewsnetwork.net