George Soule (Mayflower passenger)

George Soule (c. 1593 – between 20 September 1677 and 22 January 1679) was an English colonist who was one of the indentured servants on the Mayflower and helped establish Plymouth Colony in 1620. He was one of the signers of the Mayflower Compact.

Nothing certain is known of his life in England other than that he came on the Mayflower being credited to the London contingent as an Edward Winslow manservant or apprentice, along with Elias Story and a little girl Ellen More, who both died in the first winter.

George Soule was mentioned in Bradford’s recollections of the Winslow group: "Mr. Edward Winslow; Elizabeth, his wife; and *2* men servants, called Georg Sowle and Elias Story; also a little girle was put to him, called Ellen, sister of Richard More". He continues: "Mr. Ed. Winslow his wife dyed the first winter; and he is maried with the widow of Mr. White, and hath *2* children living by her marigable besides sundry that are dead. One of his servants dyed, as also the little girle, soone after the ships arrival. But this man Georg Sowle, is still living and hath *8* children".

Nothing for certain is known of George Soule's origins. For five years, noted Mayflower researcher and biographer Caleb Johnson managed a fairly intensive search for Soule's English origins; he examined a number of likely ‘George Soules’ in various parts of England and subsequently concluded that the most promising candidate of all the ‘George Soules’ he reviewed was that of Tingrith, Bedfordshire, baptized in February 1594/5.

It is believed that George Soule was in London when he joined Winslow for the Mayflower voyage. Droitwich, in northern Worcestershire, the family home of the Winslows at that time, was a salt mining place connected in a business way with the Salters Company of London in trade. With that, it is believed the London association of Winslow and Soule was established.

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