Our guest at the May 2009 dinner meeting was Judith H. Swan, Governor General of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. Governor Swan was born in Massachusetts and now resides in California. She holds a masters degree in business. She has served as Governor of the Orange County, California Mayflower Society and is the former Treasurer of the General Society. She began her duties as Governor of the General Society September 2008.
In her presentation, Governor Swan focused on the women of the Mayflower, recounting some interesting and perhaps not well known facts about the women passengers. Oceanis Hopkins was the only child born during the voyage. Of the 102 passengers, there were no single adult women on the ship. Including the voyage itself and the time the ship was in the harbor, the women of the Mayflower spent six months onboard in cramped dirty quarters, which probably accounts for the high death rate of the Mayflower women. Of the nineteen women who came to Plymouth, thirteen died the first winter and another died later. Mary Chilton was the first woman to set foot on Plymouth Rock. As the colony grew, women gained more rights and privileges with respect to land ownership and the governance of the colony.
Governor Swan gave an update on the General Society. She declared that the Society has two primary goals–to attract and retain new members and to improve the infrastructure of the Society. The Society will emphasize education, develop a new program to attract junior members, streamline the budget, redesign the web site, and accept applications through all Mayflower passengers beginning January 1, 2010.
Thank you, Governor Swan, for your enlightening presentation.
