14 Famous & Influential Puritans in Colonial America

The Puritans were English Protestants who sought to “purify” the Church of England of lingering Catholic practices. They were active in England in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. 

Many English Puritans escaped their homeland after facing persecution during the reigns of James I and Charles I in the first half of the 1600s. 

Ministers faced pressure from authorities and loyal congregants followed their ministers to the New World. The Puritans landed in New England and formed the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s.

Contrary to modern stereotypes, the Puritans enjoyed poetry and social gatherings and had large and loving families. Many were well-educated writers and thinkers who were deeply emotional. 

The Puritans of New England believed civil authorities should enforce religious laws. They were not tolerant to other religious groups. The downfall of the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony came in 1689, when their charter ended and new religious groups like the Quakers entered Puritan territory. 

This list includes the most influential Puritans of early colonial America. They were theologians, philosophers, and writers whose influence reaches the modern day. 

1) John Winthrop

1588-1649

John Winthrop is perhaps the most famous Puritan. He was born in England and moved to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630. 

Winthrop wrote the famous sermon, “A Model of Christian Charity,” in which he describes “a city upon a hill.” This phrase served as inspiration to colonists to live honorably and has been important throughout American history. 

Although strict in his theological and moral opinions, Winthrop was described as humble. He worked alongside servants in the early days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony to ensure its survival. 

Winthrop opposed the teachings of John Cotton and Anne Hutchinson during the Free Grace Controversy (more details below). He served as the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony for twelve years. 

2) Thomas Dudley

1576-1653

Thomas Dudley was a Puritan who helped form the Massachusetts Bay Colony. As a young man, Dudley served in the French Wars of Religion.

He and other Puritans faced growing persecution in England for their theological views, and sought life in the New World. 

Dudley assisted in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1628. He served as governor of the Colony and served on a committee for establishing Harvard College. 

Thomas Dudley founded Newtown, Massachusetts, which would later be named Cambridge. Dudley built a palisade around the town at his own expense to protect its population from Native Americans and animals. 

Dudley was the father of the poet Anne Bradstreet (described below). 

3) John Cotton

1585-1652

John Cotton was an English-born Puritan who openly opposed the Anglican church. He became a leading Puritan figure by the age of 27. 

Cotton’s sermons proved incredibly popular but they led him to be targeted by the Bishop of London, who attempted to stamp out Puritanism in England. 

In response, Cotton went into hiding and then left England in 1633 for the Massachusetts Bay Colony. His most devoted followers went with him, including the famous Anne Hutchinson. 

After arriving in the Colony, John Cotton came into conflict with leaders there over his Free Grace theology and some of the more radical teachings of Hutchinson. 

When Hutchinson faced trial for her views, Cotton initially attempted to support her but later withdrew his backings when his conscience could not condone her teachings. 

4) Thomas Hooker

1586-1647

Thomas Hooker, also known as the “Father of Connecticut,” was a Puritan minister born in England. He fled his homeland after being targeted for his Puritan views and sailed with John Cotton to Boston in 1633. 

Hooker participated in the infamous trials of Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson. 

He became the minister in Newtown but settled in what would become Hartford, Connecticut after a disagreement with Cotton over voting regulations. 

A sermon written by Hooker inspired the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, which outlined the governing of Connecticut until the territory received an official charter in 1662. 

5) John Endecott

~1600-1664

John Endecott, the “Father of New England,” was the longest-serving governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He served in this role for sixteen years. 

Endecott settled Salem and was a signatory of the Massachusetts Body of Liberties, which laid out individual liberties within the Colony. 

He was a zealous Puritan and was skeptical of modern fashions like long hair for men. Interestingly, Endecott protected Roger Williams after he was accused of sedition (described below). 

The beginnings of the Pequot War stem from orders given by Endecott following the murder of a Puritan man by Native Americans.  

6) Roger Williams

1603-1683

Roger Williams was a minister and theologian who faced banishment from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for his beliefs. Williams was English-born but grew frustrated with the corruption of the Church of England.

He immigrated to Massachusetts but soon found trouble there as well. Williams questioned the legitimacy of the charters that allowed the Massachusetts Bay Colony to operate on Native American land. 

He was found guilty of sedition and heresy in 1635 and was banished. Williams left the Colony in a blizzard and walked fifty-five miles in the snow before seeking shelter with the Wampanoags. He stayed with them for three months. 

Williams bought land from the Wampanoag sachem in Rhode Island and later settled permanently in Providence. He founded the Providence Plantations in 1636. 

Roger Williams’ Providence settlement provided an alternative to the Massachusetts Bay Colony’s strict rules. He welcomed those “distressed of conscience” to settle in Providence and many families joined him. 

Williams is remembered for succeeded in forming friendships with Native Americans and securing their trust. 

7) Anne Hutchinson

1591-1643

Anne Hutchinson is one of the most famous and controversial Puritan figures. She is remembered for her trial and banishment from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. 

Hutchinson worked as a midwife in England and led women’s sermon studies in her home. She was an adherent of the influential minister John Cotton. After Cotton was targeted for his Puritan teachings, he and his followers left for New England. 

Hutchinson’s oldest son traveled with Cotton to the New World. Anne and her large family followed shortly after. 

Cotton and his congregation butted heads with leaders in the Massachusetts Bay Colony because of their Free Grace teachings. Cotton and Hutchinson believed in that grace had a greater influence on salvation than good works. 

These beliefs launched the Free Grace Controversy and Hutchinson in particular was targeted by authorities. She hosted men and women in her home to discuss Cotton’s teachings. Hutchinson expanded on his beliefs by adding her own unorthodox interpretations. 

Her opinions on Free Grace led to her 1637 trial and eventual banishment from the Colony. Hutchinson and her family moved to Providence and later New Netherland. They were tragically murdered in a conflict between the Dutch and Native Americans.  

8) John Davenport

1597-1670

John Davenport was the co-founder of the New Haven Colony in Connecticut. The Colony operated from 1638 to 1664 but had no charter, little trade and farming, and ultimately failed. 

Davenport was educated at Oxford in England. He first traveled to Holland before emigrating to Boston, where he stayed with John Cotton. 

John Davenport envisioned the foundation of Yale University and the University’s Davenport College is named after this influential Puritan. 

9) John Eliot

1604-1690

John Eliot was a Puritan missionary who lived and worked in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was originally from England, where he served as an assistant to Thomas Hooker. 

After immigrating to Boston in 1631, Eliot participated in the trial of Anne Hutchinson and established the Roxbury Latin School. He spent most of his time ministering to the Native American population in his area. 

Eliot studied the Wampanoag language with the help of a captive Indian named Cockenoe. Eliot and Cockenoe worked together to translate and compile the Eliot Indian Bible, which was completed in 1660. 

This was the first Bible written in the Indian language. It introduced Native Americans to the faith and written language. 

10) Increase Mather

1639-1723

Increase Mather is one of the most famous Puritans in history. Mather was born in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and was named after the literal translation of the Hebrew “Yosëf” or “Joseph.”

Mather studied at Harvard College and graduated at only seventeen. He traveled to Ireland to complete a Master of Arts degree. 

Increase Mather took on the role of Harvard president in 1681. He attended the infamous Salem Witch Trials. Mather was the father of Cotton Mather (described below). 

11) Anne Bradstreet

1612-1672

Anne Bradstreet, the daughter of Thomas Dudley, was the first writer to be published in the American Colonies and was the first Puritan of American literature. 

Bradstreet grew up in England and was educated at home by her father. She read the classics extensively, as was common for girls in the Elizabethan period. 

After getting married at age sixteen, Anne Bradstreet became a mother to many children. She and her family moved from Northampton to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630. 

Bradstreet settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts and balanced motherhood and household management with writing poetry. Her work explores motherhood, marriage, her personal faith, and life as a Puritan. 

The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America is Bradstreet’s most famous work. It received praise in New England and England upon release. 

12) Edward Taylor

1642-1729

Edward Taylor was a Puritan poet. He emigrated from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1668 after his religious views cost him his teaching position. 

Taylor studied at Harvard after arriving in New England and wrote poetry on his spiritual and Puritan life. He preached at the First Congregational Church in Westfield, Massachusetts for over fifty years. 

He is considered one of the greatest early American poets. 

13) Cotton Mather

1663-1728

Cotton Mather was the son of Increase Mather and the grandson of John Cotton. He was an influential Puritan with interests in politics, social issues, and science. 

Mather received his Harvard education at the age of twelve. He is most famous for his involvement in the Salem Witch Trials. At first, Mather was indirectly involved and wrote a letter to a magistrate of the trial. 

He took a direct role in the execution of one guilty man named George Burroughs. Although this man recited the Lord’s Prayer before be hanged (which was taken as a sign of innocence) Cotton Mather insisted in his execution 

After his negative involvement in George Burroughs’ death, Mather encouraged Puritan involvement in the 1689 Boston Revolt.

This event occurred in response to the governorship of Sir Edmund Andros. His leadership attacked Puritan autonomy in Massachusetts.

Mather advocated small pox inoculation and published over 400 works in his lifetime. 

14) Jonathan Edwards

1703-1758

Jonathan Edwards is considered one of the most important theologians in American history. He led the revivalist movement of the eighteenth century. 

Edwards attended Yale at the age of thirteen and became a pastor at eighteen. His robust sermons kicked off the First Great Awakening and the many revivals that happened during this period. 

Religious devotion was revived as people heard Edwards and others preach. 

Jonathan Edwards wrote extensively during through his lifetime and 73 of his many works can be accessed online.