George Morton (pilgrim father)

George Morton or George Mourt (c. 1585 – 1624) was an English Puritan Separatist. He was the publisher of, and perhaps helped write, the first account in Great Britain of the founding of Plymouth Colony, called Mourt's Relation.

He was from Bawtry,South Yorkshire, England, and member of the Scrooby Congregation of separatists who eventually became the Mayflower Pilgrims. Morton, who had moved to Leyden, Holland with the congregation, stayed behind when the first settlers left for Plymouth, Massachusetts. He continued to orchestrate business affairs in Europe and London for their cause—presumably arranging for the 1622 publication of, and perhaps helping write, Mourt's Relation. In 1623 Morton himself emigrated on the ship Anne to Plymouth Colony with his wife Juliana Carpenter and her sister, Alice Southworth, who was to become the second wife of Governor William Bradford.

George Morton died in 1624, the year after he arrived in Plymouth. His widow Juliana then married Manasseh Kempton, who had also arrived in 1623 on the Anne. After Morton's death, Governor Bradford took a keen interest in helping to raise the Morton children.

George Morton's children by his only wife, Juliana, were:

George Morton's descendants found prosperity in the New World and became leaders in business and government. Among the most notable are:

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