John Alden
c. 1599 - 1687
John Alden was born in England around 1599.
He was a cooper and crew member on the Mayflower. After arriving in America, he signed the Mayflower Compact and decided to stay rather than returning to England. Alden performed extensive public service for the colony, serving in roles such as Treasurer and Assistant Governor.
In 1623 he married fellow passenger Priscilla Mullins, and the two raised 10 children together. Descendants of John and Priscilla Alden comprise one of the largest groups of Mayflower descendants living today.
When he died in Duxbury in 1687, Alden was the last surviving signer of the Mayflower Compact.
View the complete biography from The Pilgrim Migration
FIRST GENERATION
John Alden
Elizabeth
John
Joseph
Sarah
Jonathan
Ruth
Rebecca
Mary
Priscilla
David
Resources
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Books & Journals
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- The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants to Plymouth Colony, 1620-1633
- Great Migration resources
- Mayflower Descendant Journal
- Mayflower Families Through Five Generations: Descendants of the Pilgrims Who Landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts, December 1620 (Silver Books)
- Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers of the Colony of Plymouth, From 1602 to 1625
- Strangers and Pilgrims, Travellers and Sojourners: Leiden and the Foundations of Plymouth Plantation
- Planters of the Commonwealth
- Chronicles of the First Planters of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, from 1623 to 1636
- Pioneers of Massachusetts, 1620-1650
- Mayflower Births and Deaths
Databases
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- Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to N.E. 1620-1633, Vols. I-III
- Mayflower Families Fifth Generation Descendants, 1700-1880
- Early New England Families, 1641-1700
- New England Marriages to 1700
- Colonial Soldiers and Officers in New England, 1620-1775
- Plymouth, MA: First Church Records, 1620-1859
- Mayflower Descendant
Online Courses & Webinars
Learn about the Mayflower migration's deeper roots:
- Puritan Pedigrees: The Deep Roots of the Great Migration to New England
- Bridging the Atlantic: From New England Back to England
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