The Elizabeth
Thomas Hastings and his first wife, Susan, sailed from Ipswich, England on The Elizabeth in April 1634. While his English home has yet to be established, his fellow passengers on The Elizabeth may provide some useful clues. It is well known that the “Great Migration” immigrants tended to travel in groups – family, church or community. Given this, the origins of his fellow travelers are highly relevant. It is also suggested by historians that the sequence of registration is important because passengers traveling together tended to get registered together. If this is true, the names of Underwood and Smith(e) are particularly worth tracking.
From the matrix below, we can easily see that virtually all of his fellow passengers were from the East of England. Most were from the East Anglia region northeast of London which was then known as the Eastern Association. This pattern is consistent with what is known of the more general immigration patterns of the “Great Migration.” There were a few key factors that caused so many of our ancestors to leave East Anglia. The region had been the economic power house of England but it was hard hit by an economic depression in the first half of the 1600s. Perhaps not coincidentally, the Puritan movement developed deep roots in East Anglia and its bordering counties. Dedham, Essex, for example, (see John Sherman below) was considered a “hot bed” of Puritan agitation. The Church of England eventually tired of this and helped drive the militants to the new world.
The Elizabeth left Ipswich, Suffolk, England on April 10, 1634. The ship’s “master” was William Andrews. Both the master and ship are known to have made subsequent trips although no record (other than departure) of this particular voyage remains. Typically, ships making this voyage weighed between 10 and 100 tons (the Mayflower was quite big at 180 tons) and traveled at 7 – 10 knots with a passenger load of around one hundred. Interestingly, Master William Andrews was known to be an Ipswich man and he eventually settled in New England, on or after 1635.
* Possible passengers (not on all lists):
1 Phebe (Wilson) Barnard was married first to a Whiting. There is some conflicting sources on this that need to be reconciled.
2 Ursula (Scott) Kimball was the sister of Thomas Scott also on the Elizabeth.
Other unconfirmed Passengers: Justinian Holding/Holden (c1612 – 1691). Bond’s Watertown places him on The Elizabeth.
| Passenger(s) | Origins |
| John & Phobe (Wilson1) Bernard | Due to some factors, to include their order on the ship manifest, he thought to have been b. at West Bergholt, Suffolk with connections to Dedham, Essex. While this may be possible it is largely inferential. |
| William & Sarah Blomfield | |
| Humphrey & Bridgett Bradstreet | He was b. in Ipswich, Suffolk, had family roots in Bentley, Essex & worked in Capel St. Mary, Suffolk |
| John Clearke | London with connections to Risby & Stratford, Suffolk. |
| John & Anne Crosse | Suffolk |
| William Cutting | vicinity of Great Bromley, Essex |
| Robert & Mary Day | |
| John Firmin | probably Sudbury, Suffolk |
| Henery Glouer | Dennington, Suffolk. Cannot be traced in New England. |
| Robert & Katherine Goodall | Framlingham, Suffolk |
| Henery & Anne Gouldson (aka Goldstone) | He was b. in Wickham Skeith, Suffolk, and worked at Bedingfield, Suff. |
| Henery & Susan (Stone) Kimball | He was b. in Lawford, Essex. They also had connections to Rattlesden, Suffolk |
| Richard & Ursula (Scott2) Kimball | He was b. in Hitcham, Suffolk with connections to Rattlesden. |
| Thomas & Elizabeth Kilborne | He was b. in Wood Ditton, Cambridgeshire |
| Edmond & Mary Lewis | |
| Isaake & Sarah Mixer | Capel St. Mary, Suffolk |
| George & Elizabeth Munnings | Rattlesden, Suffolk |
| John Palmer | |
| Danyell Pierce | Norwich, Norfolk |
| Thurston & Elizabeth Raynor | Elmsett, Suffolk |
| Robert Sherin | |
| John Sherman | Suffolk & Dedham, Essex. Ties to Kemball families. |
| Thomas & Elizabeth (Strutt) Scott | Rattlesden, Suffolk. Thomas was brother-in-law of Richard Kemball |
| Samuel & Elizabeth Smithe | Whatfield, Suffolk |
| John & Elinor Spring | Probably Lavenham, Suffolk |
| Martin & Martha (Fiske) Underwood | Great Bentley, Essex with Suffolk (prob. Elmham) roots. |
| Richard & Rose Woodward | Worked in Suffolk but original home unknown. |
| Joseph Mosse or Morse | Dedham, Essex |
|
Sarah Reynolds |
|
| Susan Munson | Origins unknown. She is inconsistently described as a servant of Thomas Hastings who traveled in the employ. |
| Rebecca Isaacke | |
| Anne Dorifall | |