<P> The presence of outsiders such as the Strangers and the Particulars was a considerable annoyance to the Pilgrims . As early as 1623, a conflict broke out between the Pilgrims and the Strangers over the celebration of Christmas, a day of no particular significance to the Pilgrims . Furthermore, a group of Strangers founded the nearby settlement of Wessagussett and the Pilgrims were highly strained, both emotionally and in terms of resources, by their lack of discipline . They looked at the eventual failure of the Wessagussett settlement as Divine Providence against a sinful people . </P> <P> The residents of Plymouth used terms to distinguish between the earliest settlers of the colony and those that came later . The first generation of settlers, generally thought to be those that arrived before 1627, called themselves the Old Comers or Planters . Later generations of Plymouth residents referred to this group as the Forefathers . </P> <P> A fairly comprehensive demographic study was done by historian John Demos for his seminal 1970 work on the Pilgrims A Little Commonwealth . He reports that the colony's average household grew from 7.8 children per family for first - generation families to 8.6 children for second - generation families, and to 9.3 for third - generation families . Child mortality also decreased over this time, with 7.2 children born to first - generation families living until their 21st birthday . That number increased to 7.9 children by the third generation . Life expectancy was higher for men than for women . Of the men who survived until the age of 21, the average life expectancy was 69.2 years . Over 55 percent of these men lived past 70; less than 15 percent died before the age of 50 . For women, the numbers are much lower, owing to the difficulties inherent in childbearing . The average life expectancy of women at the age of 21 was only 62.4 years . Of these women, less than 45 percent lived past 70, and about 30 percent died before the age of 50 . </P> <P> During King Philip's War, Plymouth Colony alone lost eight percent of its adult male population . By the end of the war, one - third of New England's approximately 100 towns had been burned and abandoned . This represented a sizable demographic effect on the English population of New England . </P>

What problems did the early plymouth settlers faced