The information for this blog post comes from: Mayflower Families through Five Generations.
Volume Sixteen, Part 1 John Alden
John Alden possibly met Priscilla Mullins and her family on the Mayflower during the voyage. He was about 22 years old*.
I believe that John Alden stayed in Plymouth because he had met and fallen in love with Priscilla during the voyage. Those feelings probably increased after the Mayflower settled in Plymouth, when Priscilla's parents and brother died during the winter of 1620 and 1621.
The story goes that Miles Standish's wife had died during the "general sickness" - between 1620 and 1621- that aflicted nearly half the passengers and crew from the Mayflower. Supposedly Standish asked John Alden to speak to Priscilla for him regarding Standish marrying Priscilla. John went to the Captain of the Mayflower and asked for the Captain's permission, possibly because he was the leader of the Company at the time. The Captain gave his permission and John went to speak with Priscilla.
At one point during John and Priscilla's discussion, it is said that John states that Standish wants to court her.
Priscilla's answer to that was "Why don't you speak for yourself John?" John apparently didn't answer but left the dwellng.
John and Priscilla were married after this encounter, but the date is unknown..."tho' their's was possibly the third marriage at Plymouth Colony. It was possibly taken place before the division of land in 1623/4. Only John was mention in the documents from this so is is "assumed" that Priscilla was included."
By May 1627 the couple had two children. There is no record of the births of their children. Their first child Elizabeth was born in the years of 1624-1625,
In 1627 there was a division of Cattle. That document states that John, Priscilla and their children Elizabeth and John Alden in the "fourth lot" which received "one of the 4 heyfers came in the Jacob Called Raghorne".that fell to John Howland & his company Joyned to him" Came in the Jacob Called Raghorn" (Raghorne is a breed of cattlle) (PCR, 12:10; Plymouth Colony by Stratton, 422)
As the colony grew by other ships with passengers from England, the families started to "outgrow" the settlement. Eventually John and Priscilla - and their children - by grant the family moved to the settlement called Duxbury/Duxburrow, northeast of Plymouth.
There the family grows to 10 children. In this volume it states "that the size was similar to a mmmmobile home, possibly with a loft or a 2nd floor.
The Aldlen House remained in the family until 1892, Jonathan's family. It was transferred to the Alden Kindred in 1907.
The house is now owned by the Alden Kindren, purchased in 1907. (Alden Family in Alden House, 128.)
The original house no longer stands. In it's place a house was built in 1653.The Alden Kindred of America, Inc., owns and maintains the house.
In March 1633, John Alden was taxed1pound.4schillings.In March 1634 he was taxed the same amount.
That same year John was imprisoned in Boston. Apparently he was imprisoned for bring supplies to the Piscataque settlement. He was the nearest representative from Plymouth he was arrested for trading on the river. While not at the murder, when arriving at the trading post he was arrested due to the "one-sided version of the murder arrived before him".
Thomas Pence intervened explained that the murder took place before Alden was present, and so he was released. Apparently the trading rights over the area was continued for some time.
Alden served as an agent for the Plymouth Colony many time. He was a Deputy Governor twice when the Governor was absent.
From 1656 through 1658 he served three terms as treasurer, councils of war, and other committees. He mowed lawns, tended to his cattle, whose marks were a "long round cut". He was given land on the Blewfish River, which was a "marshy brook in the eastern part of Duxbury".
John and Standish were granted 300 hundred acres "on the north side of the South River."
By 1943 John had a son named John Alden Jr.. They were both sent to Sandwich to end a disput regarding how the town of Sandwich was to be divided.
In 1643 Mr. John Alden, John Alden Jr. and Jos(eph) were had land in Duxboro.
John Alden Sr. was listed as having been granted lands "about" Saughtuckquett to the west, named Duxbury New Plantation in 1656.
He was brought into court over "not being more sympathetic to the newly arrived Quakers;being granted land rights in Green's Harbor; was dispatched to Sandwicih to settle a dispute regarding the town's granted land which was to be divided"He was one of many who were selected for as a plantation trustee regarding dividing lands that were already inhabited, later known as Duxbury Platantion.
By 1660 he was grated 10 pounds as he was "low in his estate, and required to "spend much time at the courts on the country's occasions, and so hath done this many years, the Court have allowed him a small gratuity, the sum of ten pounds."
John Alden appeared in a few more land, as well as being one of the Members of a Council of war in April 1667, purchases to deal with threats from the French and Dutch, as well an increase in threats with the Narragansetts.
Joh Alden was a member of a Council of War in April 1667 due to threats from the Narragansetts.
When King Philip's War started in 1675, John Alden was a senior advisor to Govenor Winslow of the Plymouth Colony.
IN 1675, John Alden was one of the origianl 71 original propriotors and was assigned lots in November of 1679 - the 15th lot.
John Alden distributed his real estate amongst his sons through the use of deeds. The distribution started in July of 1674, with distributions to his sons David, Joseph, Jonathan [ours] his lands in Duxbury. David and Jonathan was given first right of purchase to five acresof salt march in Duxbyrt and "my whole proportion in the Major's PUrchase commonly so-called being the thirty-fifth part of said purchse.
John Alden Sr. died on the 12h of September 1687 (by the old calendar which is 12 days before our current calendar).
Jonarthan Alden was granted as the Administor of his father's estate. The estate's worth was totaled at 48 pounds, 17 schillings, "6d" [dollars?]
On 13th June 1688, the heirs of John Alden Senior's estate of Duxbury, released Jonathan Alden from his position of executor.
*Indicates information taken from "Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, Volume Sixteen Part 1, John Alden
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