John Alden : Family tree by Kirk HESS (kirkhess)
WWW: http://www.WikiTree.com/wiki/Alden-63
Mayflower Passenger
UnverifiedParents|
[[Category:Massachusetts Bay Colonists]]
[[Category:Mayflower Passengers]]
[[Category:Mayflower Family Member]]
[[Category: Mayflower Compact signatories]]
[[Category:New Plimoth]]
[[Category: Duxbury, Massachusetts]]
[[Category: Miles Standish Burial Ground, Duxbury, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:US President Direct Ancestor]]
Until definitive proof is found, please do not add parents to this profile, there are just too many theories to settle on just one.
Name: John Alden
Birth Date: 1598 or 1599 (Uncertain)
Birth place: Southhampton or Harwich, Essex, England (Uncertain). Parents: (Uncertain)See Source: Woodworth-Barnes, Esther Littleford and Williams, Alicia Crane, Mayflower Families through Five Generations, Vol. 16 Part 1 of 3, John Alden, Boston, Mass.: General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2002. p. 1
Death date: 12 Sep 1687
Death place: Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Residence date: 1620
Residence place: Plymouth (later Duxbury), Massachusetts
Marriage: John Alden married Priscilla Mullins at Plymouth about 1622.CHILDREN of John and Priscilla Alden: Elizabeth, John, Jr., Joseph, Sarah, Priscilla, Jonathan, Ruth, Mary, Rebecca, and David. William Pabodie was the husband of their daughter Elizabeth.
Narrative 1 John Alden is considered to be the first passenger of the famous passenger ship [[Space:The Mayflower|The Mayflower]] to have set foot on Plymouth Rock in 1620. He was also one of the founders of the Plymouth Colony and the seventh, and last living, [[:Category: Mayflower Compact signatories|signer]] of the Mayflower Compact. Alden probably has the largest number of descendants of the Mayflower Passengers.
Alden was renowned for his practical leadership and integrity. He held a commanding presence over the others of the colony. Though he eventually held several distinguished positions he started his career as a laborer.
Alden was a carpenter who was hired to be the cooper for The Mayflower, which was docked in Southampton, England. Over the years Alden became the Governor's Assistant, the Duxbury Deputy to the General Court of Plymouth, a member under arms of Captain Miles Standish's Duxbury Company, a member of the Council of War, the Treasurer of Plymouth Colony and eventually Commissioner to Yarmouth (now in Maine).
John Alden was not a pilgrim and had no religious motives for leaving England as the other pilgrims did. While repairing The Mayflower, Alden decided he would follow along with the ship and try to find prosperity in the New World. However, he may have had some incentive from a young woman named Priscilla Mullins. Although, he wasn't the only one to fall for Mullins. Captain Miles Standish would come to have feelings for her during the long voyage to the New World. The love triangle would come to an end when John Alden finally married Priscilla Mullins about 1623.
In 1634, while serving as a member of the Plymouth Colony during a meeting with the Massachusetts Bay Colony members, Alden was jailed when a fight between the groups resulted in the death of one man. He was not involved in the fight, but was the highest ranking member of the group and took responsibility. He would later be released.
Alden became known for his later dislike of the Quakers who were settling Cape Cod.
John Alden died at Duxbury on 12 September 12, 1687. Both he and his wife Priscilla lie buried, interestingly enough, in the [[:Category: Miles Standish Burial Ground, Duxbury, Massachusetts|Miles Standish Burial Ground]]. His [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=15 memorial] has a biography, pictures and links to those of many family members.[http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=15 John Alden] memorial at Find A Grave.
[[Space:The John Alden House|The John Alden House]] was made into an historic building in 1904 to honor the memories of the original settlers.
Narrative 2 The seventh signer of the Mayflower Compact.In Plymouth Colony: "He was a surveyor of highways; a member of a committee for raising a force against the Indians; deputy from Duxbury from 1641 to 1649; a member of the Colony's council of war, 1646, 1653, 1658, and 1667; treasures, 1656-1658; Governor's Assistant, 1632-1641; and from 1650 to 1686. Twice he was deputy governor, 1664-1665, and in 1677.""reputedly a fine speaker and was interested in military affairs. Though not of the Leyden church, Alden was distinguished for practical wisdom, integrity, and decision, and early acquired and retained a commanding influence over his associates. In every position he occupied, he fulfilled his duties promptly and to the satisfaction of his employers.""He was probably one of the seven well persons left at one time to care for the sick and dying in that terrible first winter."Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and is a descendant of his in the eight generation. John Adams is also a descendant of his.
Narrative 3 John Alden appears to have originated from an Alden family residing in Harwich, Essex, England, that was related by marriage to the Mayflower's master Christopher Jones. He was about 21 years old when he was hired to be the cooper, or barrel-maker, for the Mayflower's voyage to America. He was given the option to stay in America, or return to England; he decided to stay.
At Plymouth, he quickly rose up from his common seaman status to a prominent member of the Colony. About 1622 or 1623, he married Priscilla, the orphaned daughter of William and Alice Mullins. They had their first child, Elizabeth, around 1624, and would have nine more children over the next twenty years. John Alden was one of the earliest freemen in the Colony, and was elected an assistant to the governor and Plymouth Court as early as 1631, and was regularly re-elected throughout the 1630s. He also became involved in administering the trading activities of the Colony on the Kennebec River, and in 1634 witnessed a trading dispute escalate into a double-killing, as Moses Talbot of Plymouth Colony was shot at point-blank range by trespasser John Hocking, who was then shot and killed when other Plymouth men returned fire. John Alden was held in custody by the neighboring Massachusetts Bay Colony for a few days while the two colonies debated who had jurisdiction to investigate the murders. Myles Standish eventually came to the Bay Colony to provide Plymouth's answer in the matter.
Alden, and several other families, including the Standish family, founded the town of Duxbury in the 1630s and took up residence there. Alden served as Duxbury's deputy to the Plymouth Court throughout the 1640s, and served on several committees, including the Committee on Kennebec Trade, and sat on several Councils of War. He also served as colony treasurer. In the 1650s, he build the house at left, in Duxbury, which still stands today. By the 1660s, Alden's frequent public service, combined with his large family of wife and ten children, began to cause his estate to languish, so the Plymouth Court provided him a number of land grants and cash grants to better provide for his family. Throughout the 1670s, Alden began distributing his land holdings to his surviving sons. He died in 1687 at the age of 89, one of the last surviving Mayflower passengers.
Additional Notes: The Aldens seem to be such a part of the American Myth. John has been described as a tall man, and one of the tallest of those at Plymouth. Some of his descendants also were very tall. Pricilla is supposed to have been "comely" or very pretty. They have a great many living descendants. When many of us think of the voyage of the Mayflower, the hardships of the early settlement at Plymouth, and the story of the first thanksgiving, we picture John and Priscilla Alden.
6-9-2015
Birthplace might have been Southhampton, England.
Mayflower passenger in 1620, 21 years old. He was a cooper.Moved to Duxbury, MA 1632. His house in Duxbury, MA may still be visited. Buried near Eagle Tree Pond, Duxbury, MA in the Myles Standish Burial Ground.Research: See file in section O.S. Ancestry, CompuServe, by Jennifer Bates Nath, 72634, 1265 PLYMOUTH COLONY ITS HISTORY & PEOPLE by Eugene Aubrey Stratton, pgs. 232-233, 331, quoting from Bradford (Ford) 2/40.
The Pioneers of Massachusetts by Pope, pg. 12.
Sources: Duxbury Records 974.42 D9800Cutter, Genealogy of Connecticut 974.6C991 Vol. l, 2, 4 pg. 370-72, 1134, 1746.
Saints and Strangers, Willison, pg 407, 48.Mayflower Descendants and their Marriages, Southern Book Co., Baltimore 1956.Ancestral Summary: Extensive research has been done into the ancestry of John Alden, but nothing has conclusively been found. There are two major theories that have been presented over the years:
Charles Edward Banks, in his book, the English Ancestry and Homes of the Pilgrim Fathers, 1929, puts forward a theory that John is the son of George Alden and Jane(?) and grandson of Richard and Avys (Aoys) Alden of Southampton, England. Since Bradford says John Alden was hired in Southampton, this would be a logical place to start looking for Alden's. No other supporting evidence has been found, and it has been noted by many researchers that the names George, Richard, and Avys do not occur anywhere in John Alden's family. Naming children after parents and grandparents was an extremely common practice in the seventeenth century, and the absence of such a name is nearly enough evidence to disprove this theory.
The currently popular theory is that John Alden came from Harwich, Essex, England. There was a sea-faring Alden family living there, who were related by marriage to Christopher Jones, captain of the Mayflower. It has ben suggested John Alden may be the son of John Alden and Elizabeth Daye, but this is not fully proven either.
William Bradford wrote, in his history of Plymouth Plantation. "John was hired for a cooper (barrel maker) at Southampton where the ship (Mayflower) victualed, and being a hopeful young man was much desired but left to his own liking to go or stay when he came here; but he stayed and married here." and Bradford later wrote, "John Alden married Priscilla, Mr. Mullin's daughter, and had issue by her as is before related.
John Alden was assistant for the Plymouth colony for many years, and was deputy governor for two years. His marriage to Priscilla Mullins was the subject of the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem, "The Courtship of Myles Standish", which although a classic has little factual basis. John and Priscilla were among the founders of the town of Duxbury.
In 1634, John Alden was on the Kennebec River assisting in the forceful removal of John Hocking who was illegally fishing and trading on land that had been granted to the Pilgrims. Hocking refused to leave, and when the party arrive at his ship by canoe to board and remove, he shot and killed Moses Talbot. In return, Hockings was shot and killed. The Massachusetts Bay Colony took matters into its own hands, and arrested John Alden (even though he was not the one who fired the shot). Myles Standish was sent by Governor Bradford to obtain Alden's release, which he successfully did.
In his later years, John Alden was on many juries, including even a witch trial--though in Plymouth's case, the jury found the accuser guilty of libel and the alleged witch was allowed to go free. Plymouth Colony only had two witch trials during its history, and in both cases the accuser was found guilty and punished.
John and Priscilla Alden probably have the largest number of descendants of any Mayflower passenger, but with stiff competition from Richard Warren and John Howland. They are ancestors to Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Vice President Dan Quayle.
See notes on Priscilla Mullins.More ref: The Pioneers of Massachusetts by Pope, p. 12, of the Mayflower.Nothing is known for certain of his English background other than Bradford's words that Alden "was hired for a cooper, at South=Hampton, where the ship victuled, and being a hopeful young man, was much desired, but left to his own liking to go or stay when he came here (Plymouth Colony; but he stayed and married here."The Colonial Period of American History, The Settlement, Volume I,by Charles M. Andrews, Yale University Press. Pg. 270 John Alden was a crew member of the Mayflower hired at Southhampton, England. He was employed as a cooper to look after the beer hogsheads (barrels). He remained in the colony instead of returning to England on the Mayflower probably because of the attractions of Priscilla Mullins, whom he may have known and courted before he joined the ship.Pg. 269. The London merchants who financed the Pilgrams were losing money on their investment. The Piligrams decided to buy out the merchants for fl,800 plus the merchants debts of f600. Plymouth Colony formed a joint-stock company. The Plymouth planters had no money to pay for the shares. Thus eight men, including Bradford and Alden, held themselves responsible for the debits of the Colony in exchange for a complete monopoly of the trade of the Colony and exclusive use of its boats. The source of profit would be trade with the Indians. This agreement was to last six years 1633 to 1639. At the end of six years the eight men still owed money. To pay off the last f400, John Alden and Miles Standish sold 300 acres of land.Alden, John (1599-1687), one of the Pilgrims, born in Southampton, England, went to America on the Mayflower in 1620 and was a signer of the Mayflower Compact. He was one of the founders of the first permanent English settlement in New England. In 1623 Alden married Priscilla Mullens (1604-85?), another Pilgrim. In 1627 or shortly afterward, together with the Plymouth colonist, Myles Standish, he founded Duxbury, where he lived until his death. Alden was active in the affairs of the Plymouth Colony, serving alternately as assistant to the governor and as deputy from Duxbury. He lived longer than any of the other signers of the Mayflower Compact.
Alden's fame rests chiefly on the romantic tale written by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "The Courtship of Myles Standish" (1858). In the poem, Alden, deeply in love with Priscilla Mullens, proposes to her on behalf of his shy friend Standish, whereupon she inquires, "Why don't you speak for yourself, John?" The Colonial Period of American History The Settlement, Volume 1 by Charles M. Andrews, Yale Unversity Press
== Sources ==
- Source: Woodworth-Barnes, Esther Littleford and Williams, Alicia Crane, Mayflower Families through Five Generations, Vol 16 Part 1 of 3, John Alden, Boston, Mass.: General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2002.
- Source Robert Charles Anderson, "John Alden",The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Vol.I. Boston, New England Historic Genelogical Society 1995 p. 21-26
- Source: http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/index.php and http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/Genealogy/crew.php (Caleb Johnson)
- Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayflower_Compact
- Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Alden
- Source: http://www.alden.org/default.htm, the Alden Kindred website
- Source: Title: Lippincott's Pronouncing Biographical Dictionary, University of Nevada, Reno Library. Philadelphia, PA, USA: J.B. Lippincott,Joseph Thomas M. D. LL. D, 1890. Found on line at google books
- Source for the Illustrations: Title: Library of Congress Photo Collection, 1840-2000 Author: Ancestry.com Publication: Name: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007.Original data - Various photo collections from the L Note: Ancestry.com, Library of Congress Photo Collection, 1840-2000 (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007
- Source: [htps://archive.org/stream/memorialdescend01aldegoog#page/n6/mode/2up Memorial of the Descendants of the Hon. John Alden] Ebenezer Alden S. P. Brown, 1867 - 164 pages
- Source: [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=15 John Alden] memorial at Find A Grave.
Bradford's History "Of Plymouth Plantation", Wright & Porter Printing Company,Boston, 1898.
Willison, George F., Saints and Strangers, The Cornwall Press, Cornwall, NY, 1943, Third Printing
Banks, Charles Edward, The English Ancestry and Homes of the Pilgrim Fathers Who Came to Plymouth,
Genelogical Publishing Co., Inc. Baltimore, 1976
Bowman, George Ernest, The Mayflower Reader, Baltimore, Genelogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978
== Acknowledgments ==
At least 40 different profiles were merged to make this composite. Three biographical sketches were found in the merged profiles. The illustrations were added by Michael Stephenson. The authors of the biographies are Unfortunately not known at this time. Additional sources were listed in the original profiles and have been backed up off-line.Last change 1/5/2015 by [[Sylvester-413 | David Sylvester]] and [[Nally-4|Becky Syphers]]
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== Biography ==
- MEMORIAL.:I. I. Hon. John Alden, ancestor of most persons bearing the name of Alden in this country, was one of the Plymouth Pilgrims, and the last male survivor of those who came in the May Flower, and signed the compact in her cabin in 1620.
:He was not of the Leyden Church, but, as Bradford in his "History of Plimouth Plantation " informs us, "was hired for a cooper at Southampton, where the ship victuled; and being a hopful yong man was much desired, but left to his own liking to go or stay when he came here; but he stayed and marycd here"
:He was distinguished for practical wisdom, integrity and decision, and early acquired and retained during his long life a commanding influence over his associates. He was much employed in public business ;, was an assistant to the Governor for many years: and in every position he occupied fulfilled hi3 duties promptly and to the satisfaction of his employers.
:His ancestors in England have not been traced, so far as is known to the writer.
:He was born in 1599, and' died" at Duxbury 12th September 1687, "in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people,—and his sons buried him."
:He m. probably in 1621, Priscilla, dau. of Mr. William Molines, or Mullens, who with his wife came also in the May Flower, and both died in the February succeeding their landing.
:Tradition represents Priscilla to have been very beautiful in her youth; and John also was a comely person; and considering his other accomplishments, it is not surprising, that when he was sent by Captain Standish, after the death of his wife, to solicit her hand in marriage, she preferred the messenger to the message.
::: "As he warmed and glowed, in his simple and eloquent language,
:::Quite forgetful of self, and full of the praise of his rival,
:::Archly the maiden smiled, and, with eyes overrunning with laughter :::Said, in a tremulous voice, 'Why don't you speak for yourself, John?'"
:Their residence after a few years was in Duxbury, on the north side of the village, on a farm which is still in possession of their descendants of the seventh generation, having never been alienated.
:He made no will, having distributed the greater part of his estate among his children during his life time. Jonathan, his third son with whom he resided on the old homestead, administered on his estate, and made a final settlement with the heirs June 13, 1688.:The settlement is as follows - "We whose names are subscribed, personally interested in the estate of John Alden senior of Duxbury, Esquire, lately deceased, do hereby aknowledge ourselves to have received, each of us our full personal proportion thereof from Jonathan Alden, Administrator thereof, do by these presents for ourselves, our heirs and executors acquit, discharge fully the said Jonathin Alden, his heirs forever of and from all rights, dues, demands whatsover, relating to the aforesaid eseate.:In witness wheref we have hereunto subscribed and sealed this 13 day of JuneAnno Domini 1688.
:John Alden, (Sea?.)
:Joseph Alden, Seal.)
:David Alden, Seal.) 1
:Priscilla Alden, Seal.)
:William Payrody, Seal.):Alexander Standish, Seal.) in the right of Sarah, my wife, deceased.
:John Bass, Seal.) in the right of my wife Ruth, deceased.
:Mary Alden, Seal.)
:Thomas Dillano, Seal.)
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