A LEGACY OF FAITH Chapter 1 Arrival in ;:-.- V ; i >,< A decade after the 'Mayflower' brought the Pilgrims from the British Isles to Plimoth (Plymouth), Massachusetts , in 1621, the brigantine 'Lyon' landed at nearby Nantasket with a passenger list of 20 immigrants. The list included a godly preacher by the name of Roger Williams , and his wife, from Bristol , England . Rev. Roger Williams is credited more than anyone else with bringing and establishing Baptist teachings, originally referred to as Anabaptist, to the New World . For the next century, the results of his sometimes controversial ministry provided the foundation for one of the ; vjr strongest religious denominations in . These Pilgrim settlers, and the original Puritan and Quaker settlers of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, all brought with them a strong desire to freely worship God and build "a church without a Bishop and a state without a King". These early immigrants were the beginnings of a 150 year exodus of people from the British Isles. They were escaping the Church of England's oppressive stance against free religious thought and the extremely high rents and taxes being imposed by dominating landowners. This exodus is known as the "White Sail" era and one can only imagine the trauma these families must have endured as they left family and friends. They knew they would likely never see them again, and with only the limited worldly possessions they could carry, endured untold hardships voyaging to an unknown future. These immigrants established the New World and brought with them a variety of religious practices that would become the foundation of most Christian denominations that exist in today. From these beginnings, it was almost two centuries before organized churches became established on Prince Edward Island . During that period, the trials and tribulations of the various denominations are interesting stories of hardship and strong differences of opinion. They are far too extensive and complex to detail here, but all centered on the effort to bring salvation to those inhabiting the New World . Our story will only refer to them as they share the effort to gain a foothold in what is now the three Maritime provinces of Canada , and in particular, the establishment of the Baptist Church in Charlottetown , Prince Edward Island .