Individual Details
Edward Fuller
(Bef 4 Sep 1575 - Bet Jan 1621 and Apr 1621)
Edward was born in England before Sept. 4, 1575, when he was baptised in Redenhall, Suffolk/Norfolk County. His parents were Robert and Sarah (Dunkhorn) Fuller. His father, Robert, was a butcher or a tanner. Some accounts have Edward the son of Nicholas Fuller, and his sister as the Susannah who married William White of the Mayflower, but these connections have been discounted. Other accounts give his mother as Frances, but Frances appears to be his father's second wife.
Edward married in England but the name of his wife is unknown. James Savage, in his "Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England" says Edward Fuller's wife was named Ann, but there is no evidence to show this is in fact the case. There are several possible women that could have been Edward's wife. The following marriages of Edward Fullers were found in the parish register abstractions of the I.G.I. and one of them may very well be the Edward Fuller of the Mayflower:
Amy Lee, 21 November 1596, Abinger, Surrey, England
Ann Carpenter, 25 November 1597, Carlton, Bedford
Thomasine Sheppard, 2 May 1597, St. Gregory, Norwich, Norfolk
Joan Raven, 28 October 1599, Woodham Walter, Essex
Elizabeth Buck, 25 July 1602, Great Finborough, Suffolk
Barbara Colman, 10 June 1606, Chigwell, Essex
Agnes Croucher, 14 January 1607, West Horsley, Surrey
Church and government were linked at that time, to defy the established church was to defy the King, who was the head of the church. The policy in those days was to enforce absolute uniformity in religious belief which showed your faith in the King. That meant you had to belong to the Church of England, the church founded by King Henry VIII years ago when he disagreed with the Pope and abolished the Catholic Church. Still, some people felt that the Church of England needed to be "purified" of Catholic like rites even more, hence their name Puritans. Some of these Puritans went further and felt that they wanted to separate completely from the Church of England. They believed that individual people could speak to God themselves without the need of bishops or priests. This group wanted to establish their own church, they became known as Separatists. These groups were persecuted for their ideas and King James I vowed to "harry them out of the land, or else do worse." In 1608 a group of Separatists fled a village in northeast England called Scrooby for Holland.
Edward Fuller and his family were among the Separatists that went to live in Leiden, Holland. They called themselves Saints. While they were able to practice their religion freely in Holland, they noticed that their children were growing up speaking Dutch and forgetting their English customs. They also wanted land to farm rather than live in the city. After twelve years in Holland they decided to try a new land, ruled by England, but far enough away so they could practice their religion. They had read John Smith's account of New England and knew that Jamestown in the Virginia Colony which had been settled a year before their move to Holland, after much trouble, was now successful.
Without money to finance the voyage, they formed a joint-stock company with London merchants, promising to pay half of all profits made in the New World during the first seven years. King James I refused to give them a charter, but promised he wouldn't bother them if they came back to England to sail if they were peaceful. The name Pilgrims was now attached to the group as anyone travelling for religious reasons was called thus. In September 1620, 101/102 people, 51 of them Saints, the rest called "Strangers", boarded at Southampton, England with the intent of departing to the Virginia Colony in America. Saints or strangers, most of them were from the lower classes, had a trade, and intended to work hard.
Edward, his wife, and youngest son Samuel, first embarked in the Speedwell, but when the ship proved unseaworthy, transferred to the Mayflower and continued the voyage to the New World. Edward's older son, Captain Matthew, stayed in England until about 1640, when he too came to Plymouth with his wife and family. Edward's brother, Dr. Samuel Fuller, also came to America on the Mayflower with them. The Mayflower was small, wet and foul. Each adult passenger was assigned a small space below deck and was not allowed above. Clothes weren't washed and fresh food ran out. Amazingly, only one person died, and he was replaced by a baby boy named Oceanus, born to the Hopkins.
After 66 days at sea they arrrived off Cape Cod in New England instead of Virginia during November of 1620. Various historians debate whether this was intentional or not. The Strangers threatened mutiny, not liking landing at a wilderness instead of a settled colony. They had no right to settle there according to their patent's jurisdiction. The Pilgrim leaders quickly established control by assembling all the men and drawing up a form up government and writing the Mayflower Compact. Of the 65 adult male passengers, forty-one signed the document. Edward was the twenty-first signer of the Mayflower Compact.
They sail around the Cape to a place John Smith called Plymouth on his map. William White's son, Peregrine, was born in early December before they dock. Even though they find empty fields cleared for planting, it is winter. They find out that the fields had been cleared by New England Indians who had died of smallpox caught by white fishermen. The freezing winter and disease soon decimate the Pilgrims too. More than half of the 102 settlers die before spring. Both Edward Fuller and his wife, were among those who died that first winter, sometime between January and April of 1620/1. They are buried in unmarked graves on Coles Hill at Plymouth, Plymouth Co., MA. Their son, Samuel, was left to the care of his uncle Dr. Samuel Fuller.
Edward married in England but the name of his wife is unknown. James Savage, in his "Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England" says Edward Fuller's wife was named Ann, but there is no evidence to show this is in fact the case. There are several possible women that could have been Edward's wife. The following marriages of Edward Fullers were found in the parish register abstractions of the I.G.I. and one of them may very well be the Edward Fuller of the Mayflower:
Amy Lee, 21 November 1596, Abinger, Surrey, England
Ann Carpenter, 25 November 1597, Carlton, Bedford
Thomasine Sheppard, 2 May 1597, St. Gregory, Norwich, Norfolk
Joan Raven, 28 October 1599, Woodham Walter, Essex
Elizabeth Buck, 25 July 1602, Great Finborough, Suffolk
Barbara Colman, 10 June 1606, Chigwell, Essex
Agnes Croucher, 14 January 1607, West Horsley, Surrey
Church and government were linked at that time, to defy the established church was to defy the King, who was the head of the church. The policy in those days was to enforce absolute uniformity in religious belief which showed your faith in the King. That meant you had to belong to the Church of England, the church founded by King Henry VIII years ago when he disagreed with the Pope and abolished the Catholic Church. Still, some people felt that the Church of England needed to be "purified" of Catholic like rites even more, hence their name Puritans. Some of these Puritans went further and felt that they wanted to separate completely from the Church of England. They believed that individual people could speak to God themselves without the need of bishops or priests. This group wanted to establish their own church, they became known as Separatists. These groups were persecuted for their ideas and King James I vowed to "harry them out of the land, or else do worse." In 1608 a group of Separatists fled a village in northeast England called Scrooby for Holland.
Edward Fuller and his family were among the Separatists that went to live in Leiden, Holland. They called themselves Saints. While they were able to practice their religion freely in Holland, they noticed that their children were growing up speaking Dutch and forgetting their English customs. They also wanted land to farm rather than live in the city. After twelve years in Holland they decided to try a new land, ruled by England, but far enough away so they could practice their religion. They had read John Smith's account of New England and knew that Jamestown in the Virginia Colony which had been settled a year before their move to Holland, after much trouble, was now successful.
Without money to finance the voyage, they formed a joint-stock company with London merchants, promising to pay half of all profits made in the New World during the first seven years. King James I refused to give them a charter, but promised he wouldn't bother them if they came back to England to sail if they were peaceful. The name Pilgrims was now attached to the group as anyone travelling for religious reasons was called thus. In September 1620, 101/102 people, 51 of them Saints, the rest called "Strangers", boarded at Southampton, England with the intent of departing to the Virginia Colony in America. Saints or strangers, most of them were from the lower classes, had a trade, and intended to work hard.
Edward, his wife, and youngest son Samuel, first embarked in the Speedwell, but when the ship proved unseaworthy, transferred to the Mayflower and continued the voyage to the New World. Edward's older son, Captain Matthew, stayed in England until about 1640, when he too came to Plymouth with his wife and family. Edward's brother, Dr. Samuel Fuller, also came to America on the Mayflower with them. The Mayflower was small, wet and foul. Each adult passenger was assigned a small space below deck and was not allowed above. Clothes weren't washed and fresh food ran out. Amazingly, only one person died, and he was replaced by a baby boy named Oceanus, born to the Hopkins.
After 66 days at sea they arrrived off Cape Cod in New England instead of Virginia during November of 1620. Various historians debate whether this was intentional or not. The Strangers threatened mutiny, not liking landing at a wilderness instead of a settled colony. They had no right to settle there according to their patent's jurisdiction. The Pilgrim leaders quickly established control by assembling all the men and drawing up a form up government and writing the Mayflower Compact. Of the 65 adult male passengers, forty-one signed the document. Edward was the twenty-first signer of the Mayflower Compact.
They sail around the Cape to a place John Smith called Plymouth on his map. William White's son, Peregrine, was born in early December before they dock. Even though they find empty fields cleared for planting, it is winter. They find out that the fields had been cleared by New England Indians who had died of smallpox caught by white fishermen. The freezing winter and disease soon decimate the Pilgrims too. More than half of the 102 settlers die before spring. Both Edward Fuller and his wife, were among those who died that first winter, sometime between January and April of 1620/1. They are buried in unmarked graves on Coles Hill at Plymouth, Plymouth Co., MA. Their son, Samuel, was left to the care of his uncle Dr. Samuel Fuller.
Events
| Birth | Bef 4 Sep 1575 | Redenhall, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom | |||
| Baptism | 4 Sep 1575 | Redenhall, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom |  | ||
| Death | Bet Jan 1621 and Apr 1621 | Plymouth Colony, New England |  | | |
| Marriage | England, United Kingdom - Ann? | | |
Families
| Spouse | Ann? ( - 1621) |
| Child | Captain Matthew Fuller (1603 - 1678) |
| Child | Samuel Fuller Sr. (1612 - 1683) |
| Father | Robert Fuller (1548 - 1614) |
| Mother | Sara Dunkhorn (1558 - 1584) |
| Sibling | Thomas Fuller (1575 - ) |
| Sibling | Dr. Samuel Fuller (1580 - ) |
| Sibling | Ann Fuller ( - ) |
| Sibling | Elizabeth Fuller ( - ) |
| Sibling | Mary Fuller ( - ) |
| Sibling | John Fuller (1584 - 1614) |
Notes
Death
Died the first winter at Plymouth.Marriage
name unknown, came on the MayflowerEndnotes
1. Johnson, Caleb., Caleb Johnson's Mayflower Web Pages.
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2. Johnson, Caleb., Caleb Johnson's Mayflower Web Pages.
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3. Baker, Ellen., Compiled research files on the descendants of Edward Fuller of the Mayflower. (Washington State: Ellen Baker,