Pilgrim Village Families Sketch: Edward Leister
Robert Charles Anderson
Birth: Edward Leister was born in
England.
Death: His place and date of death are
unknown.
Ship: Mayflower,
1620
Life in England: Nothing is known of his life in
England.
Life in New England: Edward Leister, along with
Edward
Doty, came to Plymouth Colony as servant to Stephen Hopkins.
The
two servants committed the second offence in the colony,
a duel fought “upon
a challenge at single combat with sword
and dagger.” Both were wounded,
although not seriously, and
were punished by having their head and feet tied
together.
Leister was included in the land division of 1623, but his
name
does not appear in the division of cattle held in Plymouth
Colony in
May 1627, so he had left the colony by then.William
Bradford in his history
of the colony wrote that “after he was at
liberty, went to Virginia and there
died.” His name does not
appear, however, in either of the two lists of
Virginia inhabitants
compiled in February 1623/4 and February
1624/5.
Family: As a servant, Edward Leister was most
likely unmarried.