Meredith Platt

ESCAPE! Englishman takes family to America in 1635 for religious freedom. Meredith Platt

Matthew Mitchell makes the biggest decision of his life. He will take his wife and eight children to America. A religious war is starting and factions are heating up. England is too dangerous for survival. Soon they will knock on his door. Traveling by night to Bristol, they board the ship The James and sail for more than three months through howling winds, crashing waves, and a major hurricane before arriving in Boston. Now they face hunger, cold, and attacks by Indians as they move from town to town. Matthew becomes a founder of three Connecticut towns: Springfield, Wethersfield, and, finally, Stamford. His struggle for survival sends a message of hope and resilience in this personal drama as the family is steeled by adversity and the pursuit of their dreams.