Who Was at the "First" Thanksgiving? Fun Facts about Captain Myles Standish

I hope you are enjoying our Fun Facts Series and especially our special part of Who Was at the "First" Thanksgiving. Today we are looking at Captain Myles Standish. See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

1. Myles Standish was born somewhere between 1584-1587 in Lancashire, England. His birthplace and year is often debated.



Myles Standish 



2. He was a member of Queen Elizabeth’s army. At one point he was stationed in Holland where he became acquainted with John Robinson (the minister of the Separtists). He was hired by the Pilgrims to be their military captain to establish and coordinate the colony’s defense.
3. He and his first wife, Rose, were on the Mayflower. He was the fourth to sign the Mayflower Compact. Rose died during the first winter.
4. He led the exploratory missions to explore Cape Cod and Plymouth. He was very involved in deciding where to settle.



The March of Myles Standish (1623) By Armstrong and Company; Baker, Joseph E. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons



5. Squanto and Myles Standish first met the Massachusetts chief Chickatawbut in 1621. During a skirmish between Myles Standish and the Massachusetts two of the Massachusetts chiefs died. The Massachusetts avoided further contact with the colonists after that.
6. He married his second wife, Barbara in 1623. She came on the Anne to Plymouth. They had seven children together.
7. He led trading and military expeditions. He also led the party in search of the alleged killers of Squanto.



Myles Standish and His Soldiers Entering Indian Country By Internet Archive Book Images [No restrictions], via Wikimedia Commons



8. He was on the receiving end of JohnBillington’s rants. Billington refused to follow his orders.
9. He made several trips to England to bring trading goods back and negotiate with the Merchant Adventurers.
10. In 1628 his family moved to Duxbury. Duxbury was most likely named after his family’s estate in England. He was given 120 acres of land when they divided the land in 1627 and this became Duxbury.



Captain Myles Standish's Grave By Swampyank (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons



11. He died on October 3, 1656, in Duxbury apparently from kidney stones. He was buried in Duxbury’s Old Burying Ground that is now known as the Myles Standish Cemetery.

Sources:

• Johnson, Caleb. Myles Standish. http://mayflowerhistory.com/standish-myles/
• Land of the Brave Editors. Myles Standish. https://www.landofthebrave.info/myles-standish.htm