To Peter Browne, signing on to the Mayflower as the group’s carpenter probably signaled the start of an adventure. Although he played a vital role in founding Plymouth Colony, he has never received much acclaim.
Until researcher and writer Caleb Johnson published "The Probable English Origin of Mayflower Passenger Peter Browne, And His Association with Mayflower Passenger William Mullins," in The American Genealogist (No. 79, July, 2004, pp. 161-178), Browne's background was unknown.
Peter Browne from Dorking, England
Now we know Peter was baptized at Dorking in Surrey, England, in January of 1594/5, son of a William Browne associated with the Mullins family of Dorking. Joseph and Alice Mullins and daughter Priscilla were Mayflower passengers. The parents died the first winter and Priscilla became written into history books as wife of John Alden.
Peter first married, around 1624, the widowed Martha Ford, who came on the Fortune. Her husband died on the journey or shortly thereafter. Peter helped raise step-children John and Martha Ford and he and Martha had children Mary and Priscilla before her death sometime before 1630.
Peter then wed Mary, whose surname is unknown. They had a daughter Rebecca and a child whose name is unknown.
Plymouth Had 20 Houses in 1623
Peter’s skills as a carpenter were valuable in the new settlement. Building shelters was a top priority. By late 1621, there were seven dwellings and four storehouses. By 1623, when additional ships had brought more settlers, the Colony had twenty houses.
The earliest houses were probably "earthfast," with wooden corner posts sunk directly into the ground, and not built on stone foundations.
The Pilgrims used traditional English building methods. They found plentiful supplies of oak, pine and walnut. Builders constructed massive oak frames connected by mortise and tenon joints and fastened with wooden pins called "treenails." After the pieces were fitted together, the house frame was raised. Men filled the frame with woven wooden "wattle," and women and children covered it with clay "daub," before adding exterior boards for weather protection.
Peter's younger brother, John Browne, came to Plymouth Colony about 1632 and settled in nearby Duxbury.
Peter Browne’s Death and Estate Inventory
Then Peter, a young man in his 30s, died, probably a victim of the sickness that killed many others the fall of 1633. His widow Mary presented the inventory of his estate to the Plymouth Court Oct. 28, 1633.
In addition to his carpentry and farming tools, Peter owned 130 bushels of corn, six goats, five lambs, a cow and several pigs. Household goods included a variety of bedding, cooking utensils, two brass candlesticks, some pewter and the essential chamber pot. The household had a Bible, a cradle and several chests.
Peter died without a will and left four children under age 10. The court placed the older two in Plymouth families, stipulating that at the end of the period they were bound for—Mary, 9 years, and Priscilla, 12 years--each be provided the sum of 15 pounds.
The widow Mary and her two Browne children received the balance of the estate after debts were paid.
Six Generations of Peter Browne Descendants
Peter Browne’s progeny increased. As part of its Five Generations Project, the Mayflower Society has published a book giving five generations of Peter Browne’s descendants, plus birth data for sixth generation descendants. There are more than 500 surnames associated with his descendants.
(A companion article gives resources for researching Plymouth Colony ancestors.)
SOURCES not mentioned in the text include records of the Pilgrim Hall Museum and of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.
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