John Alden
John Alden was a key figure in early American history, known for his role as a founder of Plymouth Colony and a signer of the Mayflower Compact. Originally from England, Alden worked as a cooper (barrel maker) before sailing on the Mayflower at around twenty-one years old. He is traditionally recognized as the first person to step ashore in the New World when the ship landed in November 1620. During the harsh winter that followed, he provided assistance to the ailing colonists and became notable for his connection to Priscilla Mullins, leading to their marriage.
Alden's contributions to the colony were extensive; he held various leadership roles, including assistant governor, and was involved in military and administrative matters for over sixty-five years. He played a significant part in negotiations with Native Americans and in the development of the surrounding community, co-founding the town of Duxborough. His legacy includes being remembered for integrity and public service, as well as being an ancestor to prominent figures like U.S. Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams. Alden passed away in 1687, leaving behind a complicated legacy intertwined with early American colonial history.
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Subject Terms
John Alden
English-born American colonist
- Born: c. 1599
- Birthplace: Southampton, Hampshire, England or Harwich, Essex, England
- Died: September 12, 1687
- Place of death: Duxborough, Plymouth Colony (now Duxbury, Massachusetts)
One of the signers of the Mayflower Compact, Alden helped to direct the English colony at Plymouth, contributed to the business affairs of the colony, and participated in the colony’s negotiations with Native Americans and other New England colonies.
Early Life
Very little is known about the early life of John Alden. According to some records, Alden’s parents were probably George and Jane Alden of Southampton, England. Other sources suggest that Alden came from Harwich, England. An Alden family living there in the late 1500’s was related through marriage to Christopher Jones, the captain of the Mayflower, the vessel that brought the pilgrims to Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts. According to tradition, Alden was a well-educated young man.
When Alden was around twenty-one years old, he was hired at Southampton as the cooper (barrel maker) on the Mayflower for its journey to North America. Prior to that time, Alden had been employed to make and repair wine casks in Southampton. Alden’s contract for working on the Mayflower gave him the option of staying in America on arrival or returning to England. Maintaining the barrels that provided the necessary drinking fluids and food for the passengers on the Mayflower was a job of vital importance.
The crew of the Mayflower intended to sail to Virginia but instead landed at the rocky coast of New England in November of 1620. Before disembarking at Plymouth Bay, the pilgrim leaders drew up the Mayflower Compact . It was signed by forty-one adult males on November 11, 1620. John Alden, the youngest man on the Mayflower, was the seventh man to sign the document. A strong, vigorous individual, Alden was purportedly the first person to step off of the Mayflower and set foot on the shore of the New World.
Life’s Work
During the cold, brutal winter of 1620-1621, more than half of the 102 passengers of the Mayflower died. Alden helped care for the sick and the dying. One of those to succumb in January, 1621, was the wife of Captain Miles Standish . According to tradition, Standish had developed a close friendship with Alden during the voyage and asked Alden to extend a marriage proposal to Priscilla Mullins on his behalf. She had been left alone when her parents and brother died during the harsh first winter at Plymouth. As depicted in the famous, highly imaginative poem of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Courtship of Miles Standish (1858), an ensuing relationship developed between Alden and Mullins, leading to their romance and marriage. They were married sometime during 1622 or 1623. Records indicate that they had eleven children, five sons and six daughters.
When the land was divided among the Plymouth colonists in 1623, Alden was granted an estimated four acres on the north side of Plymouth Colony. Alden soon rose to a prominent position in Plymouth. In May, 1627, he and seven other important men of Plymouth made an agreement to pay off debts that had been incurred to merchants in London, England, establishing the colony. Alden was appointed as an assistant to the governor and to Plymouth Court in 1631. He admirably carried out his duties in both appointments for many years.
In 1632, Alden, his family, and a few other families established the town of Duxborough (later called Duxbury) north of Plymouth. Alden’s farm in Duxborough consisted of about 170 acres (69 hectares) of land. Alden continued to serve as the assistant governor of Plymouth Colony for most of his life, as well as serving on many different committees and councils of war, and as a surveyor of roadways. Alden served as an ensign under Captain Standish in the Duxborough Military Company and was responsible for training members of the Duxborough militia to defend their town against Native American uprisings. He was also a mediator in boundary disputes between Native Americans and settlers.
In 1634, while he was serving on a committee to oversee trade along the Kennebec River, a dispute over fur trading arose between members of the Plymouth Colony and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The dispute escalated, shots were exchanged, and an individual from each colony was killed. Although Alden was not involved in the shootings, authorities of the Massachusetts Bay Colony had him arrested and imprisoned in Boston. Through negotiations carried out by Miles Standish, however, Alden was soon released.
During the 1640’s through the 1670’s, Alden’s service to the Plymouth Colony continued to expand. In 1646, he served on a council of war to deal with tensions between the colonists and the Narragansett Indians. From 1656 to 1658, he served as the colony’s treasurer. In 1667, he served on a council of war that made military preparations to counter threats by the Dutch and the French. In 1665 and again in 1677, he served as deputy governor of the colony. In his later years, Alden served on numerous juries, including the jury for a witch trial in which the accused was exonerated and the accuser was found guilty of libel.
As a reward for some of Alden’s indispensable service to the colony, the Plymouth Court awarded him both cash and land grants in the 1660’s so he could better provide for his large family. During the 1670’s and 1680’s, he distributed his landholdings between his sons through a series of deeds. Although not officially confirmed, existing records indicate that his wife preceded him in death. The last known mention of her being with him is at the funeral of Governor John Winslow in 1680. An unselfish man, Alden died on September 12, 1687, leaving a rather small estate. His death was commemorated in two broadsides. The only member of the Mayflower company to outlive him was Mary Allerton. Although it is known that Alden was buried in South Duxborough, the exact location of his grave remains uncertain.
Significance
A founder of Plymouth Colony, Alden quickly rose from the status of a common seaman aboard the Mayflower to positions of prominent public leadership. He was the seventh signer of the Mayflower Compact, the cofounder of the town of Duxborough, and a negotiator in several land deals with Native Americans in New England. He was a strong supporter of the beliefs of the pilgrims and acted unselfishly to promote the welfare of the colony.
A man of high character, industry, integrity, sound judgment, and innumerable talents, Alden served Plymouth Colony in a variety of capacities for more than sixty-five years. As an assistant governor, his wisdom and administrative abilities were utilized under five different governors over a period of forty-five years. He also served as acting governor on several occasions. He helped write and review many laws for the colony, arbitrated disputes, and provided astute direction during times of conflict and impending wars with Native Americans and settlers from other countries. Alden’s descendants include many noted military and professional individuals, including United States presidentsJohn Adams and John Quincy Adams.
Bibliography
Anderson, Douglas. William Bradford’s Books: Of Plimmoth Plantation and the Printed Word. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003. Contains a review and exploration of the writings of Governor William Bradford about the history and people of Plymouth Colony up until 1647. Extensive bibliography and index.
Banks, Charles Edward. The English Ancestry and Homes of the Pilgrim Fathers. New York: Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1929. Reprint. Baltimore: Genealogical, 1962. The ancestry and homes established by the pilgrims who came to Plymouth on the Mayflower in 1620 are traced and documented, with John Alden’s father being cited as George Alden of Southampton, England.
Collier, Christopher, and James Lincoln Collier. Pilgrims and Puritans. New York: Benchmark Books, 1998. Written primarily for young readers, this book provides coverage of the history of Plymouth Colony. Good bibliography and index.
Deetz, James, and Patricia Scott Deetz. The Times of Their Lives: Life, Love, and Death in Plymouth Colony. New York: W. H. Freeman, 2000. The daily social lives and politics of the Plymouth colonists are carefully documented, including some of the leadership and service provided by John Alden to the colony. Contains maps, illustrations, bibliography, and index.
Stimson, Richard Alden. Thirteen Generations in the New World. Lincoln, Maine: Westchester Press, 2000. An account of the lives and contributions of John and Priscilla Alden and their family in Plymouth and Duxborough.
Stoddard, Francis Russell. The Truth About the Pilgrims. New York: Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1952. Reprint. Baltimore: Genealogical, 1973. An excellent treatise about the Pilgrims who were involved in founding Plymouth Colony, including insights about John and Priscilla Alden.