Humility Cooper is one of the characters of the Mayflower, with one can't help but show empathy.
She was born to Robert Cooper and Joan Gresham in 1619 in Holland but is sometimes listed as an orphan by the time of the trip of the Mayflower. However, this is disputed.
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We do know from William Bradford's records that Humility arrived at Plymouth Rock with Edward and Agnes Tilley. Agnes was her mother's sister.
There are a few possibilities, and all were common.
- Her mother had died, and her father turned her over to Edward and Agnes to take to the New World.
- Both her parents had passed away
- Her mother died, and her father abandoned her (highly unlikely)
The most likely is the first incident.
After arriving at Plymouth, Edward and Agnes did not survive the first winter, and Humility, ages about 1 or 2, was again left alone.
She most likely was not sent back between 1627 - 1639, although some records say she was sent back as early as 1621, which is unlikely due to the name "Humillitie Cooper" showing up in the records.
By 1638, at the age of 19, she was living in the parish of Holy Trinity, London, and was baptized there as an adult on 17 March 1638/9.
No further record of her has been found, outside of the fact that William Bradford, writing in 1651, indicates she had died.
Humility eventually sailed back to England in about 1638 (age 19). From William Bradford’s 1651 writing, she “was sent for into England” - by whom it is not known, possibly her father.
Her return to England may have occurred sometime in about 1638 or prior to that.
She was baptized at Holy Trinity of the Minories in London on March 17 or 19, 1638/9, with the record stating she had been born in Holland. Bradford also states that she had died by the year 1651.
Humility Cooper Family Chart
Parents:
Robert Cooper (1591 - unknown)
Joan Gresham (1590 - 1620)
Siblings: None