Pilgrim Hall Museum - Beyond the Pilgrim Story

Peregrine White was the first child born to the Pilgrims in the New World. His parents, William and Susanna White, had boarded the Mayflower with their young son Resolved. Susanna gave birth to Peregrine before the end of November (Old Style calendar), 1620 while the Mayflower was anchored in Provincetown Harbor. (Click here for an explanation of Old Style/New Style calendars.) Pilgrim Hall owns and exhibits the cradle of Peregrine White. Click here for a picture of the cradle

William White died the first winter, Susanna White married fellow Mayflower passenger Edward Winslow. In 1636, the family, now numbering 6 - Edward and Susanna White Winslow, Resolved and Peregrine White, and the two children born to Edward and Susanna, Josias and Elizabeth Winslow - moved to the new settlement of Marshfield, north of Plymouth.
Peregrine had his first military experience at age 16 and continued to serve in the militia, first as a lieutenant and then a captain. Like most of the settlers, Peregrine was a farmer. He also served his community as a representative to the General Court.

Peregrine married Sarah Basset about 1648. Sarah’s parents, William and Elizabeth Bassett, had been members of the Leiden Separatist community. They arrived in Plymouth in 1621 in the Fortune. Sarah was born after their arrival in Plymouth, sometime before 1627. The Bassets had considerable land in Marshfield and Peregrine moved onto his in-laws land, buying several adjacent pieces of property as the years progressed. Peregrine and Sarah had 7 children.
At age 78, Peregrine officially joined the Marshfield church. He lived until July of 1704, dying at Marshfield aged 83. Click here for Peregrine White’s will and the inventory of his estate at the time of his death.