Francis Cooke

     Francis Cooke was born circa 1583 at England; He was probably born no earlier than 1583, as he must have been under sixty in 1643 in Plymouth, and yet not much after 1583 if he married in 1603. He appears frequently in Plymouth records on grand and trial juries, as a surveyor of the highways, on various ad hoc committees, and in a number of land transactions.¹ He married Hester Mayhieu, daughter of Jean Mayhieu and Jane (?), on 20 July 1603 at Leiden, Holland.¹ Francis Cooke died on 7 April 1663 at Plymouth, Plymouth Co, Massachusetts; Francis lived out his life in Plymouth and lived to be about 80 years old.²
     The origins of Francis Cooke have not yet been uncovered. When Francis married Hester Mayhieu in Leiden in 1603, he was listed as a wool comber from England and was accompanied by his friends Philip Deveau and Raphael Roelandt. Hester, although born at Leiden, was listed as of Canterbury, England, and was accompanied by both her sister Jenny Mayhieu, and her mother Jenny Mayhieu. Since Francis was of Leiden six years before the Pilgrims arrived, it is not known whey he moved to Holland. Religious persecution of Protestants did not really begin until 1604 when King James took the throne.
In 1606, the Cookes left Leiden and went to Norwich, Norfolk for a time (for what reason is unknown) but returned to Holland for the baptism of their son John between January and March 1607.
THe family was originally to come to the New World on the "Speedwell" but after that trip ended disasterously, Francis embarked on the "Mayflower"'s famous voyage along with son John. Hester and the other family members came later on the "Ann". Francis Cooke was the 17th signer of the Mayflower Compact.¹