The Blessing left London in July of 1635 and arrived in Massachusetts Bay that August, fifteen years after The Mayflower. Onboard were Richard More and Christian Hunter, who would marry one year later, both were just 20 years old. They were directly in the path of one of the biggest hurricanes about to hit New England and experienced it together while first meeting and falling in love.
Shortly before the Mayflower reached Cape Cod in November of 1620, Richard More turned 6 years old. In early December, his older brother by one year Jasper More aged 7 succumbed to illness and died onboard. He was buried in the dunes nearby, one of the many early, unmarked graves.
Samuel More paid a hefty £100 (over double the cost for each child) to place all four children; Elinor, Jasper, Richard and Mary “such a spurious broode” (as he referred to them); onboard the Mayflower as indentured servants in the hands of “honest & religious people”.
In 1616 Samuel More confronted Katherine More with an accusation of adultery. None of their children looked anything like him, instead they particularly resembled Jacob Blakeway, ‘a fellow of meane parentage and condicon’ from a common Yeoman farming family that for years had leased land from Katherine’s Father.
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