Did you ever wonder what the differences were between Pilgrims and Puritans?

 

Here is a direct, high-density breakdown of how historians view these colonial terms, timelines, and numbers:

1. Are "Pilgrims" only those from the Mayflower?

No, but with a strict historical asterisk.

While the 102 passengers on the 1620 Mayflower voyage are universally known as The Pilgrims, historians generally extend the term to the initial wave of religious separatists who arrived in Plymouth Colony on the next three ships: the Fortune (1621), the Anne (1623), and the Little James (1623). Those who arrived on these first four ships are formally referred to by genealogists as "The Old Comers."

2. Are "Puritans" only those who came during the Great Migration?

No.

"Puritan" is a religious definition, not a migration window. The Puritan movement began in England in the 16th century and included millions who never left Europe. Furthermore, Puritans continued to migrate to New England throughout the late 17th and 18th centuries. The ones who arrived during the Great Migration are simply called "Great Migration Puritans."

3. Was the Great Migration 1620–1640?

Technically 1629–1640.

The Mayflower (1620) was an isolated, separate event. The Puritan Great Migration officially kicked off in 1629 with the chartering of the Massachusetts Bay Company and the arrival of Governor John Winthrop's fleet in 1630. It abruptly ended in 1640 with the start of the English Civil War, which gave Puritans a reason to stay in England and fight the King rather than flee across the Atlantic.  

4. What did they call colonists who arrived between 1640 and 1776?

There is no single label for this 136-year span because immigration diversified drastically. Instead, historians categorize them by distinct geopolitical waves:

• The Cavaliers (1642–1675): Royalist elites and their servants fleeing the English Civil War to settle Virginia (like our ancestor, Colonel George Mason I).
• The Quakers (1675–1725): Thousands of religious dissidents settling the Delaware Valley (Pennsylvania and New Jersey).
• The Scotch-Irish and Germans (1717–1775): The massive, pre-revolution frontier wave that pushed through Pennsylvania down into the Appalachian backcountry (like our Boyds and Irvines).

5. How many people living in the US today are direct descendants?

Because New England colonists had massive families and incredibly low infant mortality rates relative to Europe, their descendant pool grew exponentially over 400 years.  

• Mayflower Pilgrims: The General Society of Mayflower Descendants estimates that roughly 10 million Americans (approx. 3% of the current population) are direct descendants. 
  
• Puritans: Estimates for descendants of the 20,000 Great Migration Puritans range from 20 to 30 million Americans (approx. 6% to 9% of the population).

Due to generations of internal marriages within early New England, if you possess a confirmed lineage to one of these groups, you almost always map back to dozens of them at the exact same time.

Thank you Gemini AI for your wisdom and assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy