Dear Gail, What a delightful story! Thank you for sharing!! Theresa Boock Board of Assistants Oregon Mayflower Society> From: Gailsline@aol.com> Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:24:04 -0400> To: mayflower@rootsweb.com> Subject: [MFLR] Plimoth Rock --the story> > > Below is a story I wrote in March 2002 for the Howland Quarterly:> > A Little History of Plymouth Rock> By Gail Ann Adams > Plymouth Rock has been an icon of the Pilgrims landing for as long as any of > us can remember. From our earliest school days we have the romantic vision > of this famous landing. > Historians disagree on this story. Indeed, the story may be glamorized but > the rock surely has a story to tell. Who knows, maybe John Howland and his > young bride Elizabeth sat upon the rock gazing at the ocean remembering their > former homes, all they left behind, and making plans to build their new home > and family. > There is no account of the “rock” by the first settlers, but we do know > that a rock was mentioned in 1714 as the “huge rock which is the boundary of the > town of Plymouth.” > In 1769 seven young Plymouth men formed the “Old Colony Club” for the > purpose of “solemnizing the anniversary of the arrival of our forefathers.” > One member, Deacon Ephraim Spooner, directed the focus of the group on Plymouth > Rock. As a boy he had witnessed a certain Elder Thomas Faunce and his > efforts to save and honor the Rock. > Thomas Faunce was born in 1647, son of John Faunce and Patience Morton. > John arrived in Plymouth Colony in 1623 on the Anne. Thomas was acquainted with > several of the Mayflower passengers. He died in 1746 at the age of 99. > In 1741 when Thomas Faunce was 95 the town of Plymouth was going to > construct a wharf around the huge boulder. He protested and once again recounted the > story of the rock. This story was memorialized by the Old Colony Club with > an annual celebration of Forefather’s Day honoring the landing of the “> first-comers.” > This story is also recorded in James Thatcher’s History of Plymouth published > in Boston in 1835. A beautiful picture of the story is painted in Dr. > LeBaron and His Daughters, published by Riverside Press in 1901 by Jane G. Austin: > “….on a fine sunshiny morning…an open wagon was driven slowly and carefully > into the town from the direction of Eel River. In the centre of it was > placed an armchair, and upon this was seated an old, old man, whose ninety-five > years had bowed the once stalwart figure, seamed the face with a thousand > wrinkles, bleached the hair to the whiteness of raw silk, and stolen the strength > of a voice once powerful in its Maker’s praise; but they had not been able to > quench the memory, or dull the affections, or break the spirit of that brave > soul, for this was ELDER FAUNCE, the last man left alive who had talked with > the Pilgrims face to face, had heard their wondrous story from their own > lips, and had followed them one after another to their nameless graves. And now > today, hearing that the Forefather’s Rock was in danger itself going down to > a forgotten grave, he had risen from his bed, and tenderly protected and led > by the children and grandchildren who cared for his old age, he had come to > say good-bye to the Rock, and to identify it with a certainty for generations > to come. > “As the wagon, with its escort of old and middle-aged and young descendants > of the patriarch passed slowly to town, it paused once that the Elder might > drink from the Pilgrim Spring of ‘sweet and delicate water,’ and as a > grandson brought him the clamshell filled to overflowing, the old man tasted thrice, > then poured the rest upon the ground saying: ‘It is as the water from the > well of Bethlehem.’ > “And so the wagon rolled on up the hill to the center of town; for by this > way would the patriarch be brought, that h e might look once more at the old > church, just about to be replaced by a new one, and the Burying Hill and the > ancient houses which he as a boy had seen erected… > “Young men and maidens, old men and children, they gathered in a sort of > hushed excitement, waiting when he waited, and following when he moved; for the > word had gone forth in some mysterious way that Elder Faunce had come among > them for the last time and that he had something to declare. > “Through the town, down Leyden Street, past the doctor’s house and past the > minister’s that strange cortege moved slowly on, until passing under the > brow of Cole’s Hill to he Rock, it halted, and two stalwart grandsons, stepping > into the wagon, raised the old man tenderly, and stayed him while others > pressed forward, and would have grasped his hands and welcomed him, but he, with > solemn majesty, moved on unheeding, until, standing close beside the Rock, he > took off his hat, and simply said: ‘Thank God.’ > “Covering his white locks, and leaning upon his staff, the Elder spoke, and > told the people how he had talked man to man with the last of the Pilgrims—> with John Howland and his wife, with John Alden, Giles Hopkins, and George > Soule, and Francis Cooke and his son John, Mistress Cushman, born Mary Allerton, > who died but yesterday, in 1699. > “ ‘Children,’ said the old man, looking around upon the people while such > stillness reigned that the surf breaking upon the outer beach became distinctly > audible, its grand diapason bearing up the quavering and slender voice. ‘> They all said that upon this Rock they stepped ashore, from the first man to > the last; ay, and the woman too, for John Winslow’s wife, who was Mary Chilton, > came here before she died, even as I come today, and I stood by while she > set her foot upon it, and laughed, and said she was the first woman of the > Mayflower to step upon the Rock, and now this was her seventy-fifth birthday. > And ye, children of my blood, I charge you to remember how, year by year, while > God lent me strength, I brought you here on Forefather’s Day and set your > feet upon this Rock, and told you what mighty things the Fathers had done for > you, and laid upon you to do them honor, and to serve God even as they had > served Him, with all your strength, and all your mind—yes, and with your life, > whensoever He calls for it. > “ ‘It is true, grand sire,’ spoke out the nearest man; and a score of > voices echoed, ‘It is true.’ > “ ‘Then come ye forward, sons and grandsons, and set your feet upon the > Rock once more in my sight, and never forget this day, you nor your children’s > children, to the last generation.’ > “So man by man, down to the boy of ten, the Faunces came and stood > bareheaded on the Rock, and passed on, until the tale was told; and finally the Elder > himself knelt down, and kissed that precious relic, and prayed that it might > never be forgotten or the sons of the Pilgrim sires fall short of the bright > example of their fathers. > “Then exhausted and silent, he suffered his children to raise him and place > him again in what had become, in some sort, a triumphal chariot, and so take > him home by way of the waterside, followed by a vast concourse of people.” > In 1774 patriot Col. Theophilus Cotton and a group of Liberty Boys decided > to move the Rock to the Town Square for the Forefather’s Day celebration. > Unfortunately the upper third of the Rock broke away. The upper part was placed > on the square and a Liberty Pole was erected. > In 1834 this upper third was moved to Pilgrim hall and the following year > the Rock was enclosed by an iron fence designed by George W. Brimmer of Boston. > In 1880 the upper third finally made its way home and was joined to the > base. The date “1620” was carved into the Rock at this time. The date had been > on the Rock for many years in paint. An ornate stone canopy was completed > by Hammatt Billings. > During the Plymouth Tercentenary in 1920 guardianship passed to the > Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Rock was moved one last time for renovations on > the waterfront. Its final resting place is under a portico donated by the > National Society of Colonial Dames of America. > In researching for this article, I did find some historians who were > skeptical about the Thomas Faunce story. I kept coming back to the same question: “> Why would Thomas Faunce make it up?” Thomas had heard the story from his > father and some Mayflower passengers themselves. It seems reasonable that when > Thomas’ father arrived in 1623 on the Anne that stories would be shared with > the new-comers. Surely they told how they searched for water, a place to > build, the starving time, losing half their number that first winter, and > perhaps even about the “rock.” > Faunce was a ruling Elder and obviously loved and respected for a large > crowd came to hear him speak that day in 1741. Clearly, this Rock held a special > place for the early folks of Plymouth. > We owe Thomas Faunce and the founders of the Old Colony Club a debt of > gratitude. Thomas knew our John and Elizabeth and helped keep the memory of those > “first-comers” alive. As for me, I will continue to visit the “Rock” and > ponder the stories it could tell.> > > > > **************Vote for your city's best dining and nightlife. City's Best > 2008. (http://citysbest.aol.com?ncid=aolacg00050000000102)> Frequently-asked questions may often be answered by visiting the FAQ page for this list at: http://www.craigrich.net/mayfaq.htm> -------------------------------> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MAYFLOWER-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message _________________________________________________________________ Now you can invite friends from Facebook and other groups to join you on Windows Live™ Messenger. Add now. https://www.invite2messenger.net/im/?source=TXT_EML_WLH_AddNow_Now