Edward Fuller was born 4 September 1575 in Redenhall with Harleston, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom to Robert Fuller (c1548-1614) and Sarah Dunkhorn (1551-1584) and died 11 January 1621 Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States of unspecified causes. He married Anne Hopkins (1581-1621) 1602 in Redenhall with Harleston, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom.
1620 passenger on the Mayflower and early settlers of Plymouth Colony.
Vital Statistics
- Son of Robert Fuller and Sara Dunkhorn. Robert was a butcher in the Norwich area.
- Brother to Samuel Fuller (1580-1633) - fellow Mayflower passenger
- Born 1575 (Baptized 4 Sept 1575 - at Redenhall Parish, Harleston, Norfolk, England. )
- Married to Ann
- Died 1621 (Between 1621-Jan-11 and 1621-Apr-10 : During first harsh winter in Plymouth)
Biography
His Brother, Samuel Fuller (1580-1633) took his apprentice and servant William Butten with him and sailed to North America. He left his wife behind in Plymouth (England) to care for his young child, which later died in Plymouth. Samuel's brother 'Edward Fuller joined him, along with Edward's wife Ann. The settlers founded a colony in North America and named it Plymouth Colony, after the city they had set out from.
Scrooby Separatists
Scrooby Separatists were a mixed congregation of early English Protestants / non-conformists founding living in the border region of of South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. They were called "Separatists" because of their rebellion against the religious authority of the Church of England, the official state religion. In 1607/8 the Congregation emigrated to Netherlands in search of the freedom to worship as they chose. Shortly after that they were the basis of the group to sail in the Mayflower to the New World.
In 1604 the Puritan minister John Robinson (1567-1625) left his position at Cambridge to become pastor of St. Andrew's Church in Norwich. In the face of persecution from King James I of England, Robinson left Norwich and soon made his way to the village of Scrooby. Samuel Fuller went to Scrooby as well at this time, presumably influenced by Robinson. In 1609 the Separatist congregation at Scrooby escaped to Holland and made their way to the city of Leiden, where they could worship as they pleased. Fuller went with them to Leiden and became a deacon in their congregation.
Voyage of the Mayflower
Edward Fuller crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower with his wife and his 12 year old son, Samuel Fuller (1608-1683). Also accompanying the family was Edward's brother Dr. Samuel Fuller. Edward Fuller was the twenty-first signer of the Mayflower Compact. Both Edward Fuller and his wife died during the first winter in Plymouth Colony. Samuel survived and lived with his uncle after the death of his parents.
Mayflower at Provincetown Harbor
The Mayflower, originating from London with a group of Adventurers bound for the New World rendezvoused on 22 July with the Speedwell just arriving from Holland with a group of religious refugees from Leiden. Originally intended to sail jointly to the English Colony in Virginia it soon became evident that Speedwell was not seaworthy. Passengers and cargo were combined onto Mayflower (with many left behind) for the journey, finally departing on September 9.
During the voyage fierce storms blew the ship off course, arriving at Cape Cod on the Eastern Massachusetts coastline on November 9th. For two days they attempted to sail south to Virginia but exhausting supplies and fierce storms caused them to abort this effort and drop anchor at what is now Provincetown Harbor. On November 11th, the group decided to settle here and start their own colony. They wrote a governmental contract called the Mayflower Compact, Stephen was the 21st of the 41 signers on this document.
Signing the Mayflower Compact 1620, a painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris 1899
About the middle of December 1620, the ship moved and dropped anchor in Plymouth Harbor. All the while the pilgrims were conducting several exploring missions of the area and negotiations with the local natives. Almost half of the passengers died, suffering from an outbreak of a contagious disease described as a mixture of scurvy, pneumonia and tuberculosis. In the spring, they built huts ashore, and on March 21, 1621, the surviving passengers disembarked from the Mayflower into their new settlement at Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Marriage & Family
Edward's wife is commonly believed to be named Ann though no historic documentation exists supporting this name. Edward and his wife had two sons: Mathew and Samuel. Samuel traveled with his parents on the Mayflower. Mathew, however, traveled to Plymouth in about 1640 with his wife and three children. Descendants of his brother still live around the Plymouth area to this day.
- Samuel Fuller (1608-1683) - Mayflower passenger in 1620 at age 12.
- Matthew Fuller - Came to Plymouth later in 1640 with his wife and three children. Matthew became a captain and colony leader. He married Frances and had children Samuel, John, Mary, Anne, and Elizabeth as is listed on his will.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Matthew Fuller (1603-1678) | October 1605 England | 1678 Barnstable, Barnstable County, Massachusetts | Francis Iyde (1605-1678) |
| Samuel Fuller (1608-1683) | 8 April 1608 Redenhall, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom | 31 October 1683 Barnstable, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States | Jane Lathrop (1614-c1680) |
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Thomas Fuller (1573-1659) | 13 December 1573 Redenhall with Harleston, Norfolk, England | 30 May 1659 Redenhall with Harleston, Norfolk, England | Anne Gilmore (1578-1632) |
| Edward Fuller (1575-1621) | 4 September 1575 Redenhall with Harleston, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom | 11 January 1621 Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States | Anne Hopkins (1581-1621) |
| Ann Fuller (1577-1638) | |||
| John Fuller (1578-1608) | |||
| Samuel Fuller (1580-1633) | 20 January 1580 Redenhall, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom | September 1633 Plymouth Colony, Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States | Alice Glascock (1585-1613) Agnes Carpenter (1582-1615) Bridget Lee (1600-1667) |
| Robert Fuller (1581-1614) | |||
Famous descendants
- Robert Fuller List of Famous Descendants - father of three Mayflower Pilgrims.
Famous descendants include Melville Weston Fuller, Joseph Smith, Jr., David Souter, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Erskine Hamilton Childers. Smith descends from Edward's son Samuel who married John Lothropp's daughter Jane
Vital Records
Bradfords Passenger List
From the 1651 list of Mayflower passengers by Gov Wm Bradford:
Edward Fuller, and his wife, and Samuell their sonne.
Edward Fuller and his wife dyed soon after they came ashore; but their sone Samuell is living, and maried, and hath 4 children or more.
Cole's Hill Memorial
A large monument was erected in 1921 on Cole's Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts to honor the many pilgrims who came to Plymouth Colony in the Mayflower but died during the first terrible winter and were buried here. This person is one of those person's listed thereon.
Pilgrim Monument
National Monument to the Forefathers, commemorates the Mayflower Pilgrims, (including this person) who came to Plymouth Colony in 1620 on the Mayflower. Dedicated on August 1, 1889, it is thought to be the world's largest solid granite monument. Located on an 11 acre hilltop site on Allerton Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
References
- MainTour Plymouth Colony
- Immigrant Ships To America/First Families/Mayflower
- wikipedia:en:Edward Fuller (Mayflower passenger)
- Mayflower Families
- Pilgrim Hall Museum - Listing for Edward Fuller
- The Fuller Family in England and America by Herbert and Florence Fuller (1971) covers the families of Edward and Samuel in great detail but is known to have errors.
- The Fullers of Redenhall, England - NEHGR 55:192,410 by Francis H Fuller.
- Edward Fuller - disambiguation
Footnotes (including sources)
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