List of A Journey to the New World characters

Remember on the cover of the reissue

All of the characters that appear in A Journey to the New World. Many of the characters also appear in the film adaptation.

Main characters

Remember Whipple

Main article: Remember Whipple

Alison Pill as Remember

Remember "Mem" Patience Whipple (born August 23, 1608) was a Pilgrim who sailed on the Mayflower. She was the daughter of Grace and Master Whipple and the older sister of Blessing. Mem grew up in Leyden, Holland. In 1620, her parents decided to move to the New World for religious freedom. On the Mayflower, Mem became close friends with Humility "Hummy" Sawyer. Once they reached the New World, the Pilgrims began a new settlement called Plymouth.

Supporting characters

Blessing Whipple

Blessing Whipple (born c. 1618) was the sister of Remember. She was around ten years younger than Mem. Blessing was described as resembling their mother, Grace. Her first word after "Mama" was "dank-u", which means thank you in Dutch. This horrified her mother, who was worried that her children would eventually become Dutch. They decided to leave Holland and traveled to the New World. After her mother's death, her father married Hannah Potts who was said to be "good with" Blessing. In later life, she moved to Boston and married a cousin of Remember's husband.

Grace Whipple

Brenda Bazinct as Grace

Grace Whipple ("Mam;" died April 3, 1621) was the mother of Remember and Blessing Whipple. Devoted to her religion and way of life, she was not entirely happy in Holland. As such she was horrified when Blessing, a baby at the time, said a word in Dutch. Just a few months later, her family left Holland and set sail for the New World. She became sick shortly after settling in Plymouth. Her family moved her to the sick shed in mid-February 1621. However, her condition did not improve so she was brought back to their cabin, where she passed away less than two months later.

Hannah Potts

Susannah Hoffman as Hannah

Hannah Whipple (formerly Potts) was a Pilgrim who sailed on the Mayflower to the New World. Her first husband, Edward died in February 1621. Hannah gave birth to their son the same day, but the baby died an hour later. After the deaths of her husband and son, she found it hard to speak and became very quiet. Hannah married Master Whipple in October 1621, becoming a stepmother to Remember and Blessing. She moved to Boston with her two sons following the death of her second husband.

Hummy Sawyer

Humility Sawyer (born August 23, 1608), better known as Hummy, was the daughter of Richard and Elinor Sawyer. After meeting in Southampton, she became best friends with Remember with whom she coincidentally shared a birthday. Just before boarding the Mayflower, Hummy's mother passed away. Her father then entered into a state of "melancholy", which only worsened in Plymouth. He later decided to return to England to be near his wife's grave. Hummy grieved having to leave her best friend and promised to come back one day at the time. Unfortunately, she and Mem never saw each other again.

Master Whipple

Andrew Airlie as Master Whipple

Master Whipple ("Father") was the husband of Grace and father of Remember and Blessing. He was particularly "clever with carpentry and fixing things". His family were Saints of the Holy Discipline and lived in Holland to escape the religious persecution they faced in England. In 1620, they sailed on the Mayflower to the New World. There they began a new settlement called Plymouth. His wife soon became sick and later died in April 1621. He married, Hannah Potts, on October 4, 1621. Master Whipple had two sons with Hannah and spent the rest of his life in Plymouth.

Minor characters

Sally Cahill as Mistress Billington

• Master and Mistress Billington, also called "The Bilgewaters", were the parents of Francis and John. They often argued loudly with each other. Mistress Billington was particularly rude.
• Dorothy Bradford (died December 7, 1620) was the wife of William. She left her son, John, behind in Southampton, which caused her to be depressed. Dorothy later fell overboard and drowned.
• Edward Potts (died February 16, 1621) was the husband of Hannah. He died of sickness.
• Elinor Sawyer (died 1620) was the wife of Richard and mother of Humility. She died just before the planned voyage to the New World.

Cody Jones as John Billington

• Francis and John Billington were the sons of Master and Mistress Billington. They were known to be rude and were constantly causing trouble. Mem disliked them and called them the "Bilgewater boys".
• Giles Heale, a surgeon who treated Will Butten on the Mayflower.
• Hobomock was an Indian and friend of Squanto who also helped the Pilgrims.
• John Alden was a member of Plymouth Colony. He spent a lot of time with Priscilla Mullins.
• John Carver (died spring 1621) was the first governor of Plymouth Colony. He and his wife died within days of each other during the spring of 1621.
• Master Jones was the captain of the Mayflower. Remember often checked with him about the progress they had made towards the New World each day.
• Mary Chilton was a passenger on the Mayflower. Remember called her "Air Nose" since "she had such a high opinion of herself."
• Massasoit, also called Ousamequin, was the sachem of the Wampanoag. In October 1621, he and ninety of his tribe attended a feast hosted by the Pilgrims.

Donald Burda as Myles Standish

• Myles Standish was one of the leaders among the men. He signed the Mayflower Compact. His wife, Rose, died in January 1620.
• Patience was the sister of Mrs. Whipple. Her name was used for her niece's middle name.
• Priscilla Mullins (born c. 1602) was a friend of Remember. By February 1621, Priscilla lost everyone in her family due to sickness. Remember referred to her as "Lark" after larkspur.
• Richard Sawyer was Hummy's father. He sailed to the New World hoping to "make a better living". Richard was devastated when his wife Elinor died before the voyage. His grief worsened once he reached the New World. He ultimately returned to England to be near Elinor's grave.
• Samoset was a sagamore of his tribe, the Wabdnaki. He learned English from fisherman. Samoset approached the Pilgrims in March 1621.
• Samuel Fuller was a Deacon and surgeon. He refused to give his servant, Will, any medicine to combat his fever, resulting in his death.

Kenneth Charlette as Squanto

• Squanto was an Indian who became an ally to the Pilgrims. He helped them plant corn, which ensured their survival for the coming winter. Squanto also converted to the Pilgrims' faith. After Mem gave him some pudding, he began calling her "Mistress Pudding".
• Will Butten (died November 6, 1620) was a good friend of Mem and Hummy. He was a servant of Deacon Fuller. Will became badly sick on the Mayflower and eventually died.
• William Bradford was a leader of Plymouth who signed the Mayflower Compact. He was elected governor after John Carver's death in the spring of 1621.
• William Brewster was the Ruling Elder of the Saints. In Holland, he began printing books that spoke against King James of England.

Epilogue characters

• Grace and Humility Endicott were the twin daughters of Remember Whipple and William Endicott. They were named after Mem's mother and best friend.
• Humility Albright was Mem's great-great-great granddaughter. She found Mem's journal in her parents' attic in 1850.
• William Endicott was the husband of Remember. He and his wife moved to Boston in 1630. William and Mem had twin daughters, Humility and Grace.