A thoroughly researched and richly detailed account of the life of Plymouth Colony First Lady Penelope Pelham Winslow, wife of Josiah Winslow, the first American-born Governor of Plymouth Colony. Historian Michelle Marchetti Coughlin explores the life of a colonial English woman of influence during the eventful years of Plymouth Colony's early beginnings, the eruption of war, and the end of its independence. Tracking fragmentary records and traces of Penelope Winslow's material world, Coughlin illuminates the story of a long forgotten historical figure and offers fresh insight into the experiences of women in early New England.

This book reconstructs the life of Mehetabel Chandler Coit (1673--1758), the author of what may be the earliest surviving diary by an American woman. A native of Roxbury, Massachusetts, who later moved to Connecticut, she began her diary at the age of fifteen and kept it intermittently until she was well into her seventies. A previously overlooked resource, the diary contains entries on a broad range of topics as well as poems, recipes, folk and herbal medical remedies, religious meditations, and financial accounts. An extensive collection of letters by Coit and her female relatives has also survived, shedding further light on her experiences. Michelle Marchetti Coughlin combs through these writings to create a vivid portrait of a colonial American woman and the world she inhabited. Coughlin documents the activities of daily life as well as dramas occasioned by war, epidemics, and political upheaval. Though Coit's opportunities were circumscribed by gender norms of the day, she led a rich and varied life, not only running a household and raising a family, but reading, writing, traveling, transacting business, and maintaining a widespread network of social and commercial connections. She also took a lively interest in the world around her and played an active role in her community. Coit's long life covered an eventful period in American history, and this book explores the numerous -- and sometimes surprising -- ways in which her personal history was linked to broader social and political developments. It also provides insight into the lives of countless other colonial American women whose history remains largely untold.

"First published in the United Kingdom under the title The Mayflower generation by Chatto & Windus, an imprint of Vintage, a Penguin Random House company"--Verso.

The product of three decades of research, this brilliant novel reveals the story (1587-1620), before the famous Atlantic crossing. Rich with details of 16th & 17th century England and Holland, the dramatic path to the Mayflower is illuminated, filled with risk and romance. Who will board the ship? Was it for love, land, or religious freedom?