Pilgrim Village Families Sketch: Desire Minter
Robert Charles Anderson
Birth: Desire Minter was born by about 1618, and
possibly
much earlier.
Death: She died in England
sometime before 1651.
Ship: Mayflower,
1620
Life in England: The Minter family came from
Norwich,
Norfolk, and Desire may have been born there. She returned
to
England before May 1627. According to Bradford’s history of
Plymouth
Colony, she “returned to her friend and proved not
very well and died in
England.” “Friend” in this case means a
relation or
guardian.
Life in Holland: She has been tentatively
identified as the
daughter of Sarah and William Minter. Sarah Willet,
daughter of
Thomas and Alice Willet, married (1) William Minter, (2)
Roger
Simmons on August 18, 1618, and (3) Roger Eastman before
May 10,
1622. On that date, she and her husband agreed with
Thomas Brewer about a
financial arrangement for a child of
Sarah and William Minter. The child is
not named, but was
probably Desire.
Life in New
England: Desire Minter came to Plymouth
Colony with John and
Catherine Carver; another child under
their care, Jasper Moore; two
manservants, John Howland and
Roger Wilder; an unnamed maidservant; and a
servant boy,
William Latham. The Carvers died during the first year,
and
another family must have Desire, but the specifics are unknown.
Desire
received an acre of land in the division of land in 1623,
but her name did
not appear in the May 1627 division of cattle,
indicating that she had left
by that time.
Family: There is no information on any
family members other
than that listed above.