John Alden was born around 1599. There are no records of his family in England, however, he may have been related to a group of Aldens located in Harwich. He and his bride to be, Priscilla Mullins, were among the Mayflower passengers who settled Plymouth Colony, in the New World, in 1620. John is believed to have been about twenty-one years of age when he left England. John and Priscilla were married in either 1621 or 1622.
Of Priscilla Mullins there is no record of her birth date but it is generally believed that she was born in or near Dorking, Surrey, England, and that she was in her mid to late teens at the time of the Mayflower's crossing.
Priscilla's parents William and Alice Mullins, as well as one brother Joseph, were also passengers aboard the Mayflower. Both of Priscilla's parents and her brother died the first winter at Plymouth. Priscilla still had family in England, a sister and a brother, William, who later migrated to the colonies.
John Alden was a cooper (barrel maker), and had signed on just as the Mayflower was being provisioned in Southampton, England. He was hired to care for the barrels and casks aboard ship. Within these containers were stored the beer, water, and other provisions that would be needed while crossing the Atlantic as well as afterwards.
William Bradford remarks, in his history Of Plymouth Plantation, that Alden was "a hopeful young man," and that his presence among their migrating company was much desired. Evidently he was also much "desired" by Priscilla Mullins Alden in that they produced 10 documented children and possibly an eleventh who died either at birth or while very young.
It is believed that John and Priscilla Alden have the largest number of descendents of all who migrated to America aboard the Mayflower. Included in that list are Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams. Not all of their descendants are of the political persuasion in that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow also descends from the Alden line.
Recommended Reading:
Sources:
Bradford, William. Samuel Eliot Morison, Editor. Of Plymouth Plantation, 1620-1647. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1991.
Heath, Dwight B. Introduction by. Mourt's Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth. Applewood Books, Bedford, Massachusetts, 1963. Originaly published in 1622.
Mary Trotter Kion - Mary Trotter Kion is a published author of both history and fiction. In addition, she has some six hundred articles published on the ...
