Christopher Jones (sailor)

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Christopher Jones (c.1570 - March 1622) was master of the Mayflower between at least 1609 and 1622 and captained it on the transatlantic voyage that established the Plymouth Colony settlement.

Jones was born in about 1570 in Harwich, Essex, England, the son of Christopher and Sybil Jones. When his father died, he received a ship called Marie Fortune. Jones married Sarah Twitt on 23 December 1593; she died, and was buried on 23 May 1603 in Harwich. Jones married again later that year, on 2 November 1603, to Josian Grey nee Thompson, and shortly thereafter moved to Rotherhithe, Surrey. He later owned a ship called the Josian, named after his wife.

In 1609, he became the master of the Mayflower, owning a quarter of the ship. The ship was employed transporting goods such as wine, spices, and furs. In 1620, he took the Pilgrims to Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Jones River in nearby Kingston, Massachusetts was named by the Pilgrims after Captain Jones.

Jones was buried in the graveyard of St. Mary's Church, Rotherhithe on 5 March 1622.