Friends Good Will

The original ship on the

First of May in the year 1717 "Friends Good Will" (Fiends Good Will  Sloop rigged with a sparred length of 101 ft ) Port Larne on the north east coast of Antrim.  Larne (from the Irish: Latharna meaning "Lothair-na"—the domain of a Viking chieftain) is a substantial seaport and industrial town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland.  

http://www.michiganmaritimemuseum.org/
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This new one in on the Great Lakes.

A monument in Curran Park commemorates  this first emigrant ship to sail from Larne heading for Boston.

Edward Goodwin, master, departed Larne  with fifty two persons and arrived in Boston Sept. 9-16, 1717). 

Meeting constant head winds the ship made very poor progress, and food ran so low that the people were on the verge of starving.  Captain Goodwin fortunately fell in with another vessel and obtained provisions.  But, continual bad weather brought further delay, and hunger again threatened.  The meager gift of water, bread, and meat brought only a temporary reprieve from starvation.

The crew soon were set to catching dolphins and sharks which a "Good Providence” placed in their path.   Rains came and the water was gathered from the decks to quench the thirst.  When May, June and July, months of constant anxiety, had passed August brought so great a storm that the ship lay like a thing deserted, her decks awash, her sailors weak and exhausted.  With September the sun shone, but their hunger increased, and in desperation they began to speak of drawing lots to decide whom should be eaten first.  The Captain how ever now held out hope of land and about the second week of September the "Friends Goodwill” crept up Boston harbor with only one of her company dead.

 

http://www.ulsterscotsagency.com/ulsterscotmayjune05no5.asp

From 1701 to 1717 some 250 new arrivals were warned to leave town immediately, and for the next five years figures show that a further 330 were similarly warned. Among them were said to be 49 passengers who had arrived on a single ship from Ireland, but we have no record of its name. It is conceivable, given the closeness in numbers to those on the Friends Goodwill, that it was her passengers who were being referred to.

 My ancestor headed to the northern part Carolina through the Dismal Swamp.  There was one Carolina then.