John Alden, "Mayflower" Passenger

John Alden (c.1599 - 12 September 1687 South Duxbury, Plymouth Colony) John Alden is said to be the first person from the Mayflower to set foot on Plymouth Rock in December of 1620.

Birth date

The gravestone for John Alden states he died sometime in 1687 (exact date illegible on gravestone though his profile states September 12, 1687) "aged near 88 years." Admittedly, this gravestone was erected in 1980 by Alden Kindred of America, but I presume that group would have been in best position to adjudicate competing claims about his birth year.

If we generously assume he was born 12/31/1598 and died January 1, 1687, then he would have been 87 years and one day (or perhaps two). It seems dubious anyone would describe such an individual as "aged near 88 years." Thus, unless the gravestone is assumed to be incorrect, the overwhelming probability is that John was born in 1599, as documented by numerous sources.

Lineage

• Efforts to locate John Alden's birthplace and have so far been inconclusive. Although he joined the Mayflower at Southampton County, Hampshire, England, no records have been found of John in Southampton, and he was not necessarily a native of that place.
• John Alden's parentage is unknown. Genealogy depends on original documentation for proof of lineage. If you cite a link, please make it to a place that shows original documents - NOT Wikipedia or other non-primary sources.

Marriage

Priscilla Mullens (also spelled 'Mullins') (c.1603 Dorking, Surrey, England - c.1688 Duxbury, Plymouth County present-day Massachusetts), daughter of William Mullens (c.1578 Dorking County, Surrey, England - 21 February 1621 Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts) and Alice Mullens (c.January 1574 St. Martin, London, Middlesex, England - c.1620 Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts)

The Alden Children

Priscilla and John Alden had ten children, with a possible eleventh dying in infancy. Although not documented, it's presumed that the first three children were born in Plymouth, and the remainder in Duxbury.

1. John Alden, Jr. (1623 - 1701) Born at Plymouth, John moved to Boston and married Elizabeth Phillips Everill, widow of Abiel Everill, 1 April 1660 at Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts; John and Elizabeth had thirteen children. He was a mariner and became a naval commander of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was a member of the Old South Church of Boston and his headstone is embedded in the wall there. On a trip to Salem John Alden was accused of witchcraft and spent fifteen weeks in a Boston jail. He escaped shortly before nine other accused were executed during the Salem witch trials. Later exonerated, Captain John Alden died at Boston, Massachusetts, on 14 March, 1701.
2. Elisabeth Alden (c.1624 - 1717) married William Pabodie (also recorded as 'Peabody'), a civic and military leader of Duxbury, where all thirteen of their children were born. They later moved to Little Compton, Rhode Island, where Elizabeth died on 31 May, 1717, at the age of ninety-four.
3. Joseph Alden (c.1627 - c.1697) Moved to Bridgewater where he farmed land purchased from the Indians by his father and Myles Standish. He married Mary Simmons and they had seven children. Died 8 February 1696/97 at Bridgewater, Plymouth County, Massachusetts
4. Jonathan Alden (c.1632 - 1697) married Abigail Hallett on 10 December 1672 at Duxbury, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. Jonathan and Abigail lived in Duxbury and raised six children in the original Alden home, which he received from his father, and which passed to his son upon his death on 14 February, 1697.
5. Sarah Alden (c.1628 - 1674), whose marriage to Alexander Standish, son of Miles Standish, belies any idea of a feud between the Aldens and the Standish family. Sarah and Alexander had at least seven children and lived in Duxbury until Sarah’s death on 12 August 1674.
6. Ruth Alden (1634 - 1674) married John Bass 12 May 1657; had seven children; died 12 October 1674 at Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts.
7. Priscilla Alden (1639 - 1689) No record of marriage nor children
8. David Alden (c. 1645 - 1719) married Mary Southworth, daughter of Constant Southworth of Plymouth Colony, and had six children. Described as "a prominent member of the church, a man of great respectability and much employed in public business."
9. Rebecca Alden (c.1649 - 1688), married Thomas Delano of Duxbury before30 October1667. They had nine children.
10. Robert Alden (1649 - 1685)
11. Mary Alden (c.1659 - c.1688) No record of marriage nor children

NOTE: Zachariah Alden and Henry Alden have been incorrectly identified as sons of John and Priscilla Alden in various publications. For information on the genealogy of Henry Alden, see Mayflower Descendant 43:21-29,133-138; 44:27-30,181-184.

Biographical Summary

John Alden (1599?–September 22, 1687) was a tradesman who emigrated to America in 1620 with the Pilgrims on the Mayflower and was among the founders of the Plymouth Colony. He was originally hired by William Bradford and others to be their cooper. Though he could have returned to England the following year, he chose to stay in the new colony.

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 had 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 trespassing 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.

There are several theories regarding Alden's ancestry. According to William Bradford's Of Plimoth Plantation, he was hired as a cooper in Southampton, England just before the voyage to America. In The English Ancestry" and "Homes of the Pilgrim Fathers, Charles Edward Banks suggested that John was the son of George and Jane Alden and grandson of Richard and Avys Alden of Southampton. However, there are no further occurrences of the names George, Richard, and Avys in his family, which would have been unusual in the seventeenth century. Another theory is that John Alden came from Harwich, England where there are records of an Alden family who were related by marriage to Christopher Jones, the Mayflower's captain. In this case, he may have been the son of John Alden and Elizabeth Daye.

In 1634 Alden was jailed in Boston for a fight at Kenebeck in Maine between members of the Plymouth Colony and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. While Alden did not take part in the fight (which left one person dead) he was the highest ranking member the Massachusetts Bay colonists could get their hands on, and it was only through the intervention of Bradford that he was eventually released.

Alden, and several other families, including the Standish family, founded the town of Duxbury in the 1630s and took up residence there. He served as Duxbury's deputy to the Plymouth Court throughout the 1640s, and sat 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 built a house in Duxbury, which still stands today. By the 1660s, Alden's frequent public service, combined with his large family, 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. Through 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. Alden and his wife Priscilla lie buried in the Miles Standish Burial Ground in Duxbury.

Notes

• John Alden is remembered chiefly because of a popular legend, put into verse in 1858 as The Courtship of Miles Standish by his descendant Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, concerning his courtship of Priscilla Mullins. There is no known historic basis to the legend.
• Alden's house in Duxbury, built in 1653, is open to the public as a museum. It is run by the Alden Kindred of America, an organization which provides historical information about him and his home, including genealogical records of his descendants.
• A rifle supposedly owned by John Alden is in the collection of the National Firearms Museum (National Rifle Association), Fairfax, Virginia: "The most valuable item in the museum's collection is a .66-caliber Italian wheel lock carbine that came over on the Mayflower in 1620 with Pilgrim John Alden."
• Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a descendant of John Alden, as were John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Orson Welles, Dan Quale, Raquel Welch, Frank Nelson DOubleday, Samuel ELiot Morison, Gamaliel Bradford, Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, Herbert Henry Dow, Martha Graham, Martha Stewart, Adlai Stevenson III, Jam Garrigue Masarysk, Dick Van Dyke, Julia Child, William Cullen Bryant, John Trumbull, Ned Lamont, Matt Hasselbeck, Jordan Narvey, Lila Battis, and (presumably) Marilyn Monroe.

References

• Addison, Daniel Dulany. "The Life and Times of Edward Bass, First Bishop of Massachusetts". Houghton, Mifflin, 1897
• Alden, Ebenezer. "Memorial of the Descendants of the Hon. John Alden". S.P. Brown, 1867
• Hawthorne, Julian. "The History of the United States from 1492 to 1910 Volume 1: 1492-1910". BiblioBazaar, LLC, 2007. ISBN 1426485417, 9781426485411.; p.61-62
• Longfellow, H.W. "The Courtship of Miles Standish", 1858
• National Society of Colonial Dames. "First Record Book of the Society of Colonial Dames", 1897; Ch.75
• Waters, Henry Fitz-Gilbert. "The New England Historical and Genealogical Register". New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1898; p.435-440

Links

Detailed biography - http://www.alden.org/our_family/aldenbiography.htm

• Alden Family website - http://www.alden.org/kindred/kindred_index.htm
• Find-A-Grave memorial - http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=15
• Washington Post article - http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/museums/national-firearms-museum,...
• National Firearms Museum - http://nra.nationalfirearms.museum/tour/gallery/Gallery2.asp
• Mayflower Passengers - http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/Passengers/JohnAlden.php
• Wiki Bio - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Alden_%28Pilgrim%29
• Pilgrims of Plymouth - http://pilgrims.net/plymouth/history/
• John Alden site - http://tinyurl.com/JohnAldenWerelate
• http://www.jscott.tierranet.com/ancestry/taylor/hayden.htm

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Crew Member of the Mayflower, signer of the Mayflower Compact

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Came over on the Mayflower

[http://familypedia.wikia.com/wiki/John_Alden_(c1599-1687)]

Vital statistics
John Alden (1599–September 22, 1687) - Parents uncertain (See biography)
1599 : Born in England - probably Harwich, Essex (circa 1599) 1620-Sep-6 : From a list of the 102 passengers onboard the Mayflower during its trans-Atlantic voyage of September 6 - November 9, 1620, among them the 50 Pilgrim settlers of Plymouth Colony in what is now Massachusetts. 1620-Nov-13 : The group remained onboard the ship through the next day, a Sunday, for prayer and worship. The immigrants finally set foot on land at what would become Provincetown on November 13. 1622/1623 : Married Priscilla Mullins (1602-1680) 1687-Sep-22 : Died in Duxbury, MA : Biography Early Plymouth_Colony settler (1620) from the Mayflower and he is said to be the first passenger of The Mayflower to set foot on Plymouth Rock in 1620.

John Alden was hired as a cooper in southampton by the Leiden separatists and was given a choice of remaining or returning to england. He was also one of the founders of the Plymouth Colony and the seventh signer of the Mayflower Compact. Distinguished for practical wisdom, integrity and decision, he acquired and retained a commanding influence over his associates. Employed in public business he was first recorded as a Governor's Assistant in 1632, the Duxbury Deputy to the General Court of Plymouth, a member under arms of Capt. Miles Standish's Duxbury Company, a member of Council of War, Treasurer of Plymouth Colony, and Commissioner to Yarmouth.

John Alden had settled with the Separatist congregation in the Plymouth Colony, though was not likely a member himself. A year or two after arriving, John Alden was wed to Priscilla Mullins, daugher of prominent (and wealthy) fellow colonist William Mullins who perished in the first winter.

From 1633 until 1675 he was assistant to the governor of the colony, frequently serving as acting governor and also sat on many juries, including one of the two witch trials in the Plymouth Colony.

In 1634 Alden was jailed, in Boston, for a fight at Kennebec in Maine between members of the Plymouth Colony and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. While Alden did not take part in the fight (which left one person dead) he was the highest ranking member the Massachusetts Bay colonists could get their hands on, and it was only through the intervention of Bradford that he was eventually released.

In later years Alden became known for his intense dislike of the Quakers and Baptists, who were trying to settle on Cape Cod. A letter survives complaining that Alden was too strict when it came to dealing with them.

John Alden was the last male survivor of the signers of the Mayflower Compact of 1620, and with the exception of Mary Allerton, he was the last survivor of the Mayflower's company. He died at Duxbury on September 12, 1687. Both he and his wife Priscilla lie buried in the Miles Standish Burial Ground.

The Alden residence is also in Duxbury, on the north side of the village, on a farm which is still in possession of their descendants of the seventh generation. He made no will, having distributed the greater part of his estate among his children during his life time.

John Alden's House was built in 1653 and is open to the public as a museum. It is run by the Alden Kindred of America, an organization which provides historical information about him and his home, including genealogical records of his descendants. John and Priscilla had the following children who survived to adulthood: Elizabeth, John (accused during the Salem witch trials), Joseph, Priscilla, Jonathan, Sarah, Ruth, Mary, Rebecca, and David. They have the most descendants today of all the pilgrim families.

Ancestry There are several theories regarding Alden's ancestry. According to William Bradford's Of Plimoth Plantation, he was hired as a cooper in Southampton, England just before the voyage to America. In The English Ancestry and Homes of the Pilgrim Fathers, Charles Edward Banks suggested that John was the son of George and Jane Alden and grandson of Richard and Avys Alden of Southampton. However, there are no further occurrences of the names George, Richard, and Avys in his family which would have been unusual in the seventeenth century.

Another theory is that John Alden came from Harwich, England where there are records of an Alden family who were related by marriage to Christopher Jones, the Mayflower's captain. In this case, he may have been the son of John Alden and Elizabeth Daye.

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American Colonial Figure. One of the charter members of the Plymouth Colony in America, he arrived on the first voyage of the "Mayflower". At the time of the sailing of the vessel in 1620 for America, he was about twenty-one years old. William Bradford, second governor of the colony, wrote that John Alden was "hired for a cooper, at South Hampton (England), where the ship victualed (brought on food for the voyage); 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." His trade of cooper (barrel maker) was one of the vital trades needed by the colonists. John married fellow Mayflower pilgrim Priscilla Mullins, about 1623, but the exact date has been lost to history. He became one of the Purchasers and Undertakers for the colony, serving also as Assistant in the Colony government, Deputy Governor, Colony Treasurer, and a member of the committee in charge of revising laws. He was one of the founders of Duxbury, Massachusetts, and owned several pieces of property. Although he died without a will, an inventory of his property at the time of his death was taken in November 1687. A legend of a rivalry between himself and pilgrim Miles Standish for Priscilla Mullins arose, and was first published in the book, "Collection of American Epitaphs and Inscriptions" in 1814, by Timothy Alden. The story was popularized by the poem, "The Courtship of Miles Standish" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1858, however, there is no documentation of such a rivalry to have existed in any of the records of the Plymouth Colony. (bio by: Kit and Morgan Benson)

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One of the original Mayflower passengers, arrived in America 1620.

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Of the Mayflower - he was the friend of Miles Standish, sent by Miles to court Priscilla, whose response apparently was "speak for thyself, John", and he did.

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John Alden may be descended from an Alden family that was residing in the parish of Harwich, co. Essex, England: a family that was related, by marriage, to the Mayflower's master Christopher Jones. He was about twenty-one years old when he was hired from Southampton to be the cooper (barrel-maker) for the Mayflower's voyage to America. The Pilgrims' joint-stock company gave him the option to stay in America, or return to England. He chose to stay, and about 1622 or 1623 he married fellow Mayflower passenger Priscilla Mullins, an orphaned young woman originally from Dorking, co. Surrey, England, whose parents William and Alice, and brother Joseph, had all perished in the first winter at Plymouth. A fictional account of John and Priscilla Alden's courtship and its entanglement with Myles Standish, is the subject of the famous Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem, "The Courtship of Myles Standish".

Halberd found in the cellar of the John Alden house archaeology site in Duxbury. It is on display at the Pilgrim Hall Museum in Plymouth. Likely a combination of his practical skills as a cooper and carpenter, and his young wife Priscilla's substantial inheritance of company shares, John Alden quickly rose up to become a prominent member of the Plymouth Colony. He was elected an assistant to the governor as early as 1631 and was regularly reelected. He was one of the men who purchased the joint-stock company from its English shareholders in 1626, and was involved in the company's trading on the Kennebec River. In 1634, he was involved in a fur trading dispute that escalated into a double-killing (trespasser John Hocking and Plymouth colonist Moses Talbot). He was held by the Massachusetts Bay Colony for questioning, which caused a major jurisdictional controversy as Plymouth Colony leadership felt the Bay Colony had no authority to detain him.

The Alden House in Duxbury that was built by John Alden about 1651. It is currently maintained by the Alden Kindred of America. John Alden, along with Myles Standish and several other Plymouth Colonists, founded the town of Duxbury to the north of Plymouth. Dendrochronological evidence suggests the men had started building their houses there as early as 1629. Alden served the town of Duxbury as deputy to the Plymouth Court throughout the 1640s, and served on several committees and sat on several Councils of War. He also served for a time as colony treasurer. About 1653, he built the Alden House, which is still standing and is maintained by the Alden Kindred of America. By the 1660s, John and Priscilla Alden had a growing family of ten children. Combined with his numerous public service duties (which were mostly unpaid positions) he was left in fairly low means. He petitioned and received from the Plymouth Court various land grants, which he distributed to his children throughout the 1670s. He died in 1687 at the age of 89, one of the last surviving Mayflower passengers.

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https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Alden-63

'John Alden (abt. 1598 - 1687)

John Alden

Born about 1598 in Harwick, Essex; (Southampton, Hampshire,) England

Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]

[sibling%28s%29 unknown]

Husband of Priscilla (Mullins) Alden — married about 12 May 1622 in

Plymouth, Plymouth Colony (Massachusetts) Father of Elizabeth (Alden) Pabodie, John Alden Jr, Joseph Alden Sr., Sarah (Alden) Standish, Jonathan Alden Sr., Priscilla Alden, Ruth (Alden) Bass, Rebecca (Alden) Delano, David Alden and Mary Alden Died 12 Sep 1687 in Duxbury, Plymouth Colony Profile managers: Robin Lee [send private message], Becky Syphers [send private message], and Mayflower Project WikiTree [send private message] Alden-63 created 21 Sep 2010 | Last modified 22 Sep 2016 This page has been accessed 11,240 times.

Categories: Mayflower Passengers | Massachusetts Bay Colonists | Mayflower Family Member | Mayflower Compact signatories | New Plimoth | Duxbury, Massachusetts | Miles Standish Burial Ground, Duxbury, Massachusetts | US President Direct Ancestor.

This person was a passenger on the Mayflower. Join: Mayflower Project Discuss: MAYFLOWER NOTICE The parents listed for this individual are speculative and may not be based on sound genealogical research. Sources to prove or disprove this ancestry are needed. Please contact the Profile Manager or leave information on the bulletin board. Several set of parents have been suggested but none had genealogical proof Until definitive proof is found, please do not add parents to this profile, there are just too many theories to settle on just one.

Contents

[hide] 1 Biography 2 Sources 3 Additional Reading 4 Biography 5 Acknowledgments Biography

Name: John Alden

Birth Date: 1598 or 1599 (Uncertain)Birth place: Southhampton or

Harwich, Essex, England (Uncertain).[1]

Parents: (Uncertain)[2]

Death date: 12 Sep 1687[1][2] Death place: Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts[1][2] 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 The Mayflower to have set foot on Plymouth Rock in 1620.[3] He was also one of the founders of the Plymouth Colony and the seventh, and last living, 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 other members 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. 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 1687. Both he and his wife Priscilla lie buried, interestingly enough, in the Miles Standish Burial Ground. His memorial has a biography, pictures and links to those of many family members.[4]: Inscription:

NEAR HERE LYES BODY OF MR. JOHN ALDEN WHO DIED IN DUXBURY SEPT 12, 1687 AGED NEAR 88 YRS. 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: Pulled from Rootsweb.Ancestry.com See file in section O.S. Ancestry, CompuServe, by Jennifer Bates Nath, 72634, 1265, Stratton quoting from Bradford (Ford) 2/40. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] 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, [11] 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 arrived 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 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.

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." [6]

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. [12]

The London merchants who financed the Pilgrims were losing money on their investment. The Pilgrims 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. [13]

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?"[14]

5/5/20161"In 1660 the General Court noted that 'In regard that Mr Alden is low in his estate, and occationed (sic) to spend much time att (sic) the courts on the countreyes (sic) occations (sic) and soe (sic) hath done this many yeares (sic), the Court have alowed {sic} him a smale (sic) gratuity, the sume (sic) of ten pounds, to be payed (sic) by the Treasurer' (Pilgrim Church Records) 3:195)."

[15]

Sources

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Anderson, Robert Charles, "John Alden", The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Vol. I, Boston, New England Historic Genealogical Society 1995 ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Esther Littleford Woodworth-Barnes and Alicia Crane Williams, Mayflower Families through Five Generations, Vol. 16 Part 1 of 3, John Alden, Boston, Mass.: General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2002, 1. ↑ Citation Needed ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed 24 Aug 2016), memorial page for John Alden, Sr (1598–1687), Find A Grave Memorial no. 15, citing Myles Standish Burying Ground, Duxbury, Plymouth County, Massachusetts; the accompanying photographs by williamknight57 and Jenory are materially informative and provide a legible image of the inscribed data. ↑ Eugene Aubrey Stratton, FASG. Plymouth Colony Its History & People The Generations Network, Inc., Provo, Utah: Ancestry Publishing, 1986), 232-233, 331. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Charles Henry Pope, The pioneers of Massachusetts, a descriptive list, drawn from records of the colonies, towns and churches and other contemporaneous documents. (Boston: C.H. Pope, 1900), 12. ↑ Duxbury Records 974.42 D9800 ↑ William Richard Cutter, Edward henry Clement, Samuel Hart, Mary Kingsbury Talcott, Frederick Bostwick, Ezra Scollay Stearns. joint editors. Genealogical and family history of the state of Connecticut; a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation. 4 vols. (New York: Lewis historical publishing company, 1911). 1:370-72, 2:1134, 4:1746. ↑ George F. Willison, Saints and Strangers, (Cornwall, New York: The Cornwall Press, 1943) 407, 48. ↑ John T. Landis, Mayflower descendants and their marriages for two generations after the landing : including a short history of the church of the pilgrim founders of New England (Baltimore, Maryland: Southern Book Co., Baltimore, 1956). ↑ Charles Edward Banks, The English Ancestry and Homes of the Pilgrim Fathers, 1929. ↑ Charles M. Andrews, The Colonial Period of American History The Settlement Volume 1, (Conn.: Yale University Press), 270. ↑ Andrews, The Colonial Period of American History The Settlement 269. ↑ Andrews, The Colonial Period of American History The Settlement p? ↑ Stratton, FASG, Plymouth Colony Its History & People 233. See also:

Alden, Ebenezer. Memorial of the Descendants of the Hon. John Alden Randolph, Mass.: Samuel P. Brown, 1867. 164 pages. (Archive.org : accessed 24 Aug 2016). Anderson, Robert Charles. "John Alden," The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Vol.1. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995. p.21-26. Anderson, Robert C. The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants to Plymouth Colony, 1620-1633. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004. Andrews, Charles M., The Colonial Period of American History The Settlement Volume 1, CT: Yale University Press. Banks, Charles Edward. The English Ancestry and Homes of the Pilgrim Fathers Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. 1976. Bradford's History "Of Plymouth Plantation," Boston: Wright & Porter Printing Company, 1898. Cutter, William Richard, Edward henry Clement, Samuel Hart, Mary Kingsbury Talcott, Frederick Bostwick, Ezra Scollay Stearns. joint editors. Genealogical and family history of the state of Connecticut; a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation. 4 volumes. New York: Lewis historical publishing company, 1911. (Archive.org : accessed 24 Aug 2016). Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed 24 Aug 2016), memorial page for John Alden, Sr (1598–1687), Find A Grave Memorial no. 15, citing Myles Standish Burying Ground, Duxbury, Plymouth County, Massachusetts; the accompanying photographs by williamknight57 and Jenory are materially informative and provide a legible image of the inscribed data. Landis, John T. Mayflower descendents and their marriages for two generations after the landing : including a short history of the church of the pilgrim founders of New England, Baltimore, Maryland: Southern Book Co., Baltimore, 1956. Lippincott, J.B. and Joseph Thomas M. D. LL. D. Lippincott's Pronouncing Biographical Dictionary. Philadelphia, PA: University of Nevada, Reno Library, 1890. Pope, Charles Henry. The pioneers of Massachusetts, a descriptive list, drawn from records of the colonies, towns and churches and other contemporaneous documents. Boston: C.H. Pope, 1900. (Archive.org : accessed 24 Aug 2016). Stratton, Eugene Aubrey, FASG. Plymouth Colony Its History & People. The Generations Network, Inc., Provo, Utah: Ancestry Publishing, 1986. Willison, George F., Saints and Strangers, Cornwall, New York: The Cornwall Press, 1943, Third Printing. Woodworth-Barnes, Esther Littleford and Alicia Crane Williams. Mayflower Families through Five Generations. Vol 16 Part 1 of 3, John Alden. Boston, Mass.: General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2002. Source for the Illustrations: Ancestry.com. Library of Congress Photo Collection, 1840-2000. 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 Additional Reading

Bowman, George Ernest. The Mayflower Reader. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978. Mayflower History website : accessed 24 Aug 2016. Mayflower History website - Caleb Johnson : accessed 24 Aug 2016. Wikipedia for Mayflower Compact : accessed 24 Aug 2016. Wikipedia for John Alden : accessed 24 Aug 2016. The Alden Kindred website : accessed 24 Aug 2016. Thayer, Elisha. Genealogy of Fourteen Families of the Early Settlers of New England (J. Farmer, Hingham, 1835) Page 9 Caleb Johnson's Mayflower History at [1]

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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Acknowledgments

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- At least 40 different profiles were merged to make this composite. At least 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.

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Passenger of the Mayflower.

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Mayflower passenger

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Capt. John Alden Sr. was a crew member on the historic 1620 voyage of the Pilgrim ship Mayflower. Rather than return to England with the ship, he stayed at what became Plymouth Colony. He was hired in Southampton, England, as the ship's cooper, responsible for maintaining the ship's barrels. He was a signatory to the Mayflower Compact. He married fellow Mayflower passenger Priscilla Mullins, whose entire family perished in the first winter.

He served in a number of important government positions such as Assistant Governor, Duxbury Deputy to the General Court of Plymouth, Captain Myles Standish's Duxbury militia company, a member of the Council of War, Treasurer of Plymouth Colony, and Commissioner to Dartmouth.

Many theories have been ventured about the English origins of John Alden. The definitive modern survey of each of them was published by Alicia Crane Williams in 1989-1991. Robert Charles Anderson, general editor of the multi-decade "Great Migration" effort to establish everything known and unknown about the earliest European immigrants to New England, says that although one or two of the hypothesized origins are "tempting," none of them are proved.

Research by historian Charles Edward Banks published in 1929 theorized that John Alden may have come from the Alden family of Harwich in Essex, England. Harwich is an ancient North Sea port, northeast of London, which was the homeport of the Pilgrim ship Mayflower and home of its captain, Christopher Jones. The Alden family of Harwich had distant connections to Jones, residing there in the 17th century and possibly related to him by marriage. The only certainty about his English background were Bradford's words that Alden “was hired for a cooper, (barrel maker) at Southampton, where the ship victuled; and being a hopeful young man, was much desired, but left to his liking to go or stay when he came here; but he stayed, and maryed here.” Author Charles Banks states that the employment of Alden “at Southampton” does not necessarily mean that he was a resident of the seaport and may have only been there to work temporarily when the Mayflower arrived. Banks notes a young John Alden about the same age as the Mayflower passenger was a seafarer in Harwich in the early 17th century.

Banks also reports that John Alden, said to have been born in 1599, residing in Southampton in 1620, may have been the son of George Alden the fletcher (arrow maker), who disappeared – probably dying in that year – leaving John, an orphan, free to take overseas employment. Jane, the widow, may have been his mother and Richard and Avys his grandparents. The tax list of Holyrood Ward in 1602 list the names of George Alden and John's future father-in-law William Mullins.

The Mayflower departed Plymouth, England, on September 6, 1620. The 100-foot ship had 102 passengers and a crew of about 30-40 in extremely cramped conditions. By the second month out, the ship was being buffeted by westerly gales, causing the ship‘s timbers to be badly shaken with caulking failing to keep out sea water, and with passengers, even in their berths, lying wet and ill. This, combined with a lack of proper rations and unsanitary conditions for several months, attributed to what would be fatal for many, especially the majority of women and children. On the way, there were two deaths, a crew member and a passenger, but the worst was yet to come. After arriving at their destination, in the space of several months, almost half the passengers perished in the cold, harsh, unfamiliar New England winter.

On November 9, 1620, after a month of delays in England and about two months at sea, they spotted the Cape Cod Hook. After several days of trying to get south to their planned destination of the Colony of Virginia, strong winter seas forced them to return to the harbor at Cape Cod Hook, now called Provincetown Harbor, where they anchored on November 11. The Mayflower Compact was signed that day.

Rogers Group, depicting the courtship of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins: "Why Don't You Speak for Yourself, John?" (1885) John Alden was among the original settlers of the Plymouth Colony. Although not himself a Separatist, he had been hired to be a cooper (barrel maker) and decided to join the journey when she set sail, perhaps with the hope of becoming prosperous in the New World. Alden's rivalry with Miles Standish for the affection of Priscilla Mullins is told elaborately in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "The Courtship of Miles Standish" (1858).

From 1633 until 1675, he was assistant to the governor of the Plymouth Colony, frequently serving as acting governor and also on many juries.

In 1634, Alden was jailed, in Boston, for a fight at Kenebeck in Maine between members of the Plymouth Colony and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The fight involved a fur trading dispute that escalated into a killing of Plymouth colonist Moses Talbot by John Hocking by a shot to the head. Hocking was then immediately killed by Plymouth colonists by a shot to the head.

While Alden did not participate in the fight, he was the highest-ranking member from Plymouth that the Massachusetts Bay colonists found to arrest. It was only through the intervention of Bradford that he was eventually released.

John Alden married Priscilla Mullins on May 12, 1622. She was the only survivor of the Mayflower Mullins family. They had ten children. Priscilla died in Duxbury between 1651 and her husband's death in 1687. Both were buried in the Myles Standish Burial Ground in Duxbury, Massachusetts. John Alden was an extreme ancestor to president John Adams and his family. A direct descendant of John was Scott Alden (1907–1977), who served as an assistant to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.

Children of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins; Elizabeth was born in 1623 and died in Little Compton, Rhode Island, on May 31, 1717. She married William Pabodie on December 26, 1644 in Duxbury MA, and had thirteen children. Her grave and that of her husband are in the Old Commons Cemetery in Little Compton. John Jr. was born about 1626 and died in Boston on March 14, 1701/2. He married Elizabeth (Phillips) Everill on April 1, 1660, and had fourteen children. He was a survivor of the Salem witch trials, of which he wrote a notable account. Joseph was born about 1628 and died in Bridgewater on February 8, 1696/7. He married Mary Simmons about 1660 and had seven children. Priscilla was born about 1630. She was alive and unmarried in 1688. Jonathan was born about 1632 and died in Duxbury on February 14, 1697. He married Abigail Hallett on December 10, 1672, and had six children. Jonathan was buried in the Old Cemetery in South Duxbury. Sarah was born about 1634 and died before the settlement of her father's estate in 1688. She married Alexander Standish about 1660 and had eight children. Ruth was born about 1636 and died in Braintree on October 12, 1674. She married John Bass in Braintree on February 3, 1657/8, and had seven children. Among her children was Hannah Bass, paternal grandmother of future United States President John Adams. Mary was born about 1638. She was still alive and unmarried in 1688. Rebecca was born in 1649 and died in 1688. She is buried in The Old Burying Ground (Myles Standish Cemetery) in Duxbury, Massachusetts. She married Thomas Delano in 1667 and had nine children. David was born about 1642 and died in Duxbury between July 2, 1718, and April 1, 1719. He married Mary Southworth by 1674 and had six children. Final days and legacy[edit]

Myles Standish Burial Ground, the final resting place of John and Priscilla Alden

John Alden's House, built ca. 1653, in Duxbury, Massachusetts John Alden was the last survivor of the signers of the Mayflower Compact. He died at Duxbury on September 12, 1687. Both he and his wife Priscilla lie buried in the Myles Standish Burial Ground.

The Alden residence is also in Duxbury, on the north side of the village, on a farm which is still in possession of their descendants of the seventh generation. He made no will, having distributed the greater part of his estate among his children during his lifetime.

A wheel-lock carbine owned by John Alden is housed at the NRA's National Firearms Museum; it is the only known surviving firearm to have crossed the Atlantic aboard the Mayflower. The rifle was found hidden in the Alden house during a 1924 restoration.

John Alden's House, now a National Historic Landmark, was built in 1653 and is open to the public as a museum. It is run by the Alden Kindred of America, an organization which provides historical information about him and his home, including genealogical records of his descendants. John and Priscilla had the following children who survived to adulthood: Elizabeth, John (accused during the Salem witch trials), Joseph, Priscilla, Robert, Jonathan, Sarah, Ruth, Mary, Rebecca, and David. They have the most descendants today of all the pilgrim families.

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• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Apr 16 2018, 5:39:34 UTC
• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Apr 16 2018, 5:40:10 UTC

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• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Apr 15 2018, 18:18:35 UTC
• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Apr 15 2018, 18:23:17 UTC
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Alden-63

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Grandpa John was quite a team player and leader amongst the Puritans at Plymouth Rock and other sites on the east coast of the American colonies.

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