Winthrop was a Massachusetts Puritan. The Pilgrims were from Plymouth. They were separate colonies, with separate governors, until 1692. If you go to the Massachusetts State House, so I’ve been told, you can see portraits of every governor. For the early years they have the Plymouth ones as well as the Massachusetts ones.
In 1632, Governor Winthrop went to Plymouth to meet Governor Bradford, and on the return trip, in the absolute middle of nowhere, was carried over the North River, or the Indian Head River (the name changes in that area) by one James Luddam. There were no bridges, and no ferries, and that was the closest place to the coast you could get across without swimming. The place is still called Luddam’s Ford.
Forgive me, thank you for the correction! I added “Pilgrim” next to John Winthrop’s name in the title to highlight his relevance to the holiday. Both Puritans and Pilgrims were instrumental in laying the groundwork for the tradition, and in pronouncing a day of Thanksgiving.