Mayflower Passengers and Their Leiden Connection
The Mayflower carried 102 passengers. The 60 below are grouped by how well their time in Leiden is documented — from clearly documented residents to the "Strangers" who joined the voyage in England and never lived in Leiden at all.
In Leiden before they left for America
The bigger picture
Eleven years, one congregation, six documented families
The English Separatists first fled England for religious reasons and settled in Amsterdam, where their pastor, Richard Clyfton, chose to stay behind as John Robinson led the group on to Leiden around 1609. For about eleven years they lived, worked and worshipped in this Dutch city, before travelling from Leiden to Delfshaven, then England, and finally the Mayflower voyage in 1620.
Likely born in Leiden
Born in Leiden
Only John Cooke's baptism is on record — in the Walloon Church, not the Dutch Reformed church. The other five have no birth or baptism record at all; their Leiden birth is inferred from their parents' own presence in the city around the right years. Click a name for the details.
Passengers with clear evidence of residence in Leiden
Documented residence in Leiden
House purchases, citizenship registers, marriage and church records place these passengers and their households in Leiden. Where we have a dedicated record trail on this site, the name links through to it.
- William Brewster
- Mary Brewster
- Isaac Allerton
- William Bradford
- Dorothy May Bradford
- John Carver
- Katherine (White) Carver
- James Chilton
- Mary Chilton
- Francis Cooke
- John Crackstone
- Moses Fletcher
- Edward Fuller
- Samuel Fuller
- Degory Priest
- Thomas Rogers
- Joseph Rogers
- Ann (Cooper) Tilley
- John Tilley
- Joan (Hurst) Tilley
- Elizabeth Tilley
- Thomas Tinker
- John Turner
- Thomas Williams
- Edward Winslow
- Elizabeth (Barker) Winslow
Associated with the Leiden group, but not equally certain for each person
Leiden connection possible or uncertain
These passengers are linked to the Leiden congregation historically, but the evidence placing them in the city personally is thinner or still being worked through. See what the evidence actually shows, name by name →
Joined in England, not part of the Leiden congregation
No Leiden record
These passengers, often called the "Strangers," boarded in England and have no documented connection to Leiden. Their absence here reflects the historical record, not a gap in our research. Several of them, though, became tied to the Leiden families anyway — through service, marriage, land deals and outright conflict, once aboard the ship or settled in Plymouth. See how their paths crossed →
Genealogical research in Dutch archives
Need help with your own Dutch family history?
Radicae offers genealogical research services for family historians working with Dutch records, including family tree research, archive research and translation of Dutch records. Personal tours in the Netherlands and one-on-one consultations on genealogy and DNA research are also available.
Get in touch