Roger Williams (c..1603-March 1683)
Bill FedererRoger Williams (c.1603-March 1683) was a British-born clergyman who founded the Providence Plantation in Rhode Island. A graduate from Pembroke, 1624, he was ordained in the Church of England, 1628. An…
Samuel Rutherford (c.1600-March 1661)
Samuel Rutherford (c.1600-March 1661) was Rector of St. Andrew's Church in Scotland and one of the commissioners at Westminster Assembly in London, 1643-47. In 1644, he wrote the controversial book,…
Oliver Cromwell (April 25, 1599-September 3, 1658)
Oliver Cromwell (April 25, 1599-September 3, 1658) was the Lord-Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1653-58. He was offered the title of King of England by…
Edward Johnson (September 1598-April 23, 1672)
Edward Johnson (September 1598-April 23, 1672) the founder of Woburn, Massachusetts, was a contemporary of Massachusetts Governor John Winthrop. He became a trader, author, historian, and in 1654, witnessed the…
Edward Winslow (October 18, 1595-May 8, 1655)
Edward Winslow (October 18, 1595-May 8, 1655) joined the Separatists, a persecuted group of Christian refugees, in Leyden, Holland. Edward Winslow helped their pastor, William Brewster, print illegal religious pamphlets…
Pocahontas (c.1595-March 1617)
Pocahontas (c.1595-March 1617) was the daughter of the North American Indian Chief Powhatan. In 1607, she befriended the English settlers of the Jamestown Colony. Captain John Smith recorded her intervention…
William Bradford (March 1590-May 9, 1657)
William Bradford (March 1590-May 9, 1657) was a Pilgrim leader who helped establish the Plymouth Colony. Sailing in the Mayflower, he was chosen as governor of the colony in 1621,…
John Winthrop (January 22, 1588-April 5, 1649)
John Winthrop (January 22, 1588-April 5, 1649) was the founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630), being elected 12 times consecutively as its governor. In England, he was a member…
Thomas Hooker (July 7, 1586-July 7, 1647)
Thomas Hooker (July 7, 1586-July 7, 1647) was the founder of Hartford, Connecticut in 1636. A Cambridge University graduate, Thomas Hooker was persecuted in England after having gotten involved with the…
John Cotton (December 1585-December 23, 1652)
John Cotton (December 1585-December 23, 1652) was a powerful Puritan minister and scholar in Boston, Massachusetts. Born in England, he fled to the colonies in 1632 to avoid religious persecution.…