Sarah Morton
What Ever Happened to Sarah Morton?
If you have ever read the book Sarah Morton's Day, then
you have probably learned a lot about a day in the life of a Pilgrim
girl. But, that was just one day in the life
of Sarah Morton. There were many other days!
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Sarah was born in 1618 in Leyden, Holland
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Sarah's parents, George and Juliana, were married in 1612, also in Leyden
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George worked as a merchant, someone who buys or sells goods for a profit
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Sarah had a sister named Patience, and two brothers, Nathaniel and John
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In 1623, when Sarah was 6 years old, her father decided the family would move to the New World
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The Mortons either traveled on a ship called Anne, or a ship called Little James. Historians aren't sure which, since both ships arrived in Plymouth about a week apart from each other in the summer of 1623.
Sarah was born in 1618 in Leyden, Holland and came to Plymouth
in 1623 with her family. On July 22, 1612, some six years before
Sarah was born, Sarah's father, George Morton, married her mother,
Juliana Carpenter, also in Leyden, Holland. After their marriage,
George continued his work as a merchant (someone who buys or sells
goods for profit) in Leyden where Sarah was raised along with
her brothers and sisters: Patience, Nathaniel, and John.
In 1623, when Sarah was just 6 years old, her father decided the
family would move to the New World. Though some historians think
that Sarah and her family boarded the ship Anne to go
to Plymouth Colony, other historians think that they may have
traveled on the ship Little James, for both ships arrived
in Plymouth about a week apart from each other during the summer
of 1623.
Joining Sarah's family on that voyage was her aunt, Alice Carpenter
Southworth. Alice Carpenter Southworth was the sister of Sarahs
mother and had traveled with the Morton family to New England
to marry William Bradford, the governor of Plymouth Colony. Sarahs
youngest brother, Emphraim, was born either just before the family
left Holland or soon after their arrival in Plymouth Colony. Sadly,
shortly after arriving to New Plymouth in 1623, Sarahs father
died in June of 1624.
By 1627, Sarah's mother had married again to a man named Manasseh
Kempton. Though they had no children together, they continued
to live in Plymouth Colony. Also by 1627, Sarah may not have been
living with her family anymore. Records show that she might have
been living with the family of Ralph and Joyce Wallen.
When she was 26 years old, Sarah Morton married a man named George
Bonham on December 20, 1644. Sarah and George eventually had six
children: George, jr., Ruth, Patience, and three other girls each
named Sarah. George, jr. was born in 1656. He married Elizabeth
Jenney on April 27 th, 1681 and they had seven children. Ruth
married a man named Robert Barrow and they had one child. Patience
married Richard Willis on December 28 th , 1670 and they had one
child named Ruhamah. Unfortunately, two of Sarah's youngest daughters,
both named Sarah, died at a very young age. Her last child, named
Sarah also, lived until 1704.
Sarah Morton Bonham died in Plymouth in 1694 at the age of 76.
Her husband, George Bonham, lived another 10 years, and died at
the age of 84.
Homework Help
WHO WERE THE PILGRIMS
Did you know that the "Pilgrims" weren't really pilgrims at all?
WHO ARE THE WAMPANOAG
Learn more about the "People of the First Light."
THE MAYFLOWER
Discover more about the ship, the people, and the journey.
THANKSGIVING
The history goes much further back than Plymouth and 1621.
GROWING FOOD
What it meant to the Wampanoag and the English Colonists.
BUILDING A HOME
Two very different approaches to building a home.
WHAT TO WEAR
Articles on Wampanoag and Colonial clothing.
PLAYING AND LEARNING
Through games we still play today, important skills were developed.
WHAT'S FOR DINNIER
What the Colonists and Wampanoag thought fit to eat and drink.
ANIMALS
The Wampanoag and Colonial views on animals and their purpose.
A CHILD'S ROLE
The important place of children in both cultures.
SARAH MORTON
There were many other days in her life than in the book Sarah Morton's Day.
VOCABULARY WORDS
Definitions to common words and terms used in 17th-Century Plymouth.
