Who was the Susan Constant named after?

Answer 1

I have been tracing my mother's family history for some time. I can trace family members back into the 17th century with an unbroken line. The family have a long association with working on the River Thames. Many of them have been Freemen of the River through their membership of the Company of Watermen and Lightermen, they have been river pilots and fishermen. The family now live in Gravesend, Kent (where Pocahontas is supposedly buried in St. George's Church and where the family attended for worship) however there is documentary evidence that families with the same name lived in Southwark and Stepney during the 17th century. This is very close to Limehouse where I believe the Virginia Company sent forth its settlers to the new world. In the National Archives I have found many references to vessels with the name Constant eg navy worship Constant John. I am told that there is a tradition of naming vessels after family members. I cannot prove that this is the case with my family but I speculate that it might be possible given that Constant is a fairly unusual name, the family have a very long association with working on the river and that they have been resident in the relevant location. I hope that my information may inspire someone to research further. Mrs Lesley Hillyer

There is now support for the theory that 'Susan Constant' was not the ships name at all. The very earliest document concerning the ship had it labeled as the 'Sarah Constant'. There is enough growing support that there was recently a park in Richmond, Virginia named 'Susan Constant Shrine Park'. There is also a Susan Constant chapter for the Daughters of the American Revolution.