Several postings to the list question the phrase: "...when the Pilgrims came to New England they had never tasted water..." Authors will sometimes exaggerate to make a point. In this case the exaggeration is considered to be 'very slight.' Please refer to the following information provided by author Billie Redding Lewis, the above quote being hers. Mrs. Lewis has spent many years researching primary and secondary sources not only for the American colonies but in Europe as well. She is very familiar with the lives and times of her Pilgrim and Puritan ancestors, her books even include photo's of ancestral churches and homes. A list of her books is included at the end of this message. Following is her web-page: http://home.switchboard.com/billiereddinglewis. Mrs. Lewis taught British History and Literature for over twenty years. Now, as to the subject matter, in early times of Europe water was often contaminated and the source of many diseases. Streams could not even be considered 'safe' due to upstream contaminants by animals and humans. Sources of potable water possibly included local springs and hand-dug wells; however, even some of these were not 'pure' and were considered to be 'risky.' Boiled water was likely used for cooking, and possibly for drinking by some, although I do not know this to be factual. (Water from some European public water systems was not recommended to American tourists as recently as 20 years ago, imagine its content 300+ years ago.) Distilling alcoholic beverages in early times was a primary means to obtain potable liquids. I believe we need to research more primary/secondary sources and not base our conclusions on 'how we feel' nor from 'Shirley Temple' type text-book history summaries. Please understand this posting is intended to provide facts about our ancestors, it has nothing to do with today's morals. I can post more info which Mrs. Lewis has provided if you like. Following is 'some' subject info by Mrs. Lewis, with her consent: 1. I think more people need to read about the founding fathers and their travels and travails to appreciate our country, and to know why Franklin County, Virginia became the whiskey-making capital of the country, for example. The lack of pure water in the Old World created a custom of drinking alcoholic beverages for safety, our ancestors then carried this necessary habit to the New World. 2. No one said the Pilgrims had not SEEN water, but they didn't bathe often in Europe in early eras and when they did it was not with purified water. If one visits museums and looks at the state gowns of royal families one will see stained clothes, not from being stored for centuries but from the lack of washing the last time they were worn. 3. Gov. Bradford wrote about the adventurers during one expedition (while the Mayflower was still in port), when trying to find a place to settle in today's Massachusetts: . . "...they found water & refreshed themselves being ye first New -England water they drunke of, and was now in thir great thirste as pleasante unto them as wine or bear had been in (their) fortimes." Ref: Bradford's PLIMOUTH PLANTATION 1901 edition) 4. The Puritans who came ten years later brought with them forty-two tuns of wine and 10,000 gallons of wine on the ARABELLA with only fourteen tuns of water. 5. John Alden was not a religious Pilgrim as were most of the other Pilgrims. He, like Miles Standish, was hired to come with the Mayflower Pilgrims. Miles Standish was hired to be their military leader and John Alden, a cooper by trade, was hired to keep the beer and wine kegs tightly sealed. "Alden had plenty to do to keep the barrels tight and sampling them occasionally to see that air was not getting in to spoil the contents." (REF: Willison's SAINTS AND STRANGERS P. 131) Probably Bradford's journal should be read again by all family researchers, not only for our own history but for European history as well.) 6. People cannot SURVIVE without L I Q U I D. Beer and wine are sterilized liquids because of the alcohol content. Water to us is a necessity, but to Europeans three hundred plus years ago, pure water was not part of a meal; however, beer, wine, and mead were. (Mrs. Lewis tells me mead is a drink, a combination of beer mixed with wine and honey, it was served as a 'typical drink' at an Elizabethan banquet when Mrs. Lewis was researching in England. NMcD) Billie Redding Lewis I am providing a list of Mrs. Lewis' books below for information. NMcD Book 1. REDDING FAMILY & THEIR FAMILIES (History of N.England's founding fathers-both Pilgrims and Puritans) 7 editions (This book was bought by the California State Educational Department. 2. ACROSS THE BLUE RIDGE (6 editions) 3. PIONEERS OF THE VIRIGNIAS (out of print) 4. SOME EARLY SOUTHERN SETTLERS (2 editions) 5. THOMAS UNDERWOOD, 1650 IMMIGRANT (His descendants& their royal connections) 4th ed. 1998 6. ANCESTORS ALONG THE JAMES (Virginia's Old Waterway) 7. ACROSS THE BLUE RIDGE SUPPLEMENT 8. COUNTY KENT, ENGLAND; THE TUDOR PERIOD. (out of print) 9. ULSTER-IRISH, A MISNOMER. (out of print) Mrs. Lewis' books may be found in many holdings including DAR, Library of Congress, Family Library in Salt Lake City, National Mayflower Society Library, Connecticut Society, Virginia State Library, WV State Archives, Midland Texas Library, Allen County Library in Ft. Wayne, IN, New York Public Library and in many European and numerous 'local' libraries in the USA. I'm not a relative of Mrs. Lewis nor do I have any connections to her, I just happened upon her works a week ago. Neil McDonald