Walking in My Pilgrim Ancestors' Footsteps

Walking in the steps of my ancestors is always amazing.  This year I got to do just that by going back over 400 years to the towns where two of my ancestors lived in England.

In December 2018 I was privileged to become a member of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants in the San Diego Colony.  After many years of research I was able to prove that I am truly a descendant of John Alden, William and Priscilla Mullins.  As a genealogist I thirst for any and all information I can find about my ancestors.  I want to know everything I can about them which is not always easy since they lived 400 years ago.

Last Summer an email was sent from GSMD about a Mayflower Tour that was taking place at the end of May this year.  I hesitated for about a week and then decided to register.  UGH, I was placed on a waiting list.  Before Christmas I was notified that friend and fellow Society Member Diane Gould Hall and I had been moved off the wait list and were able to go on the Tour. YEA!

One of the members of our Tour (about 35 in total) was Governor General Jane Hurt.  What a pleasure to meet Jane!  I learned that she was the one who had a vision for a ‘Mayflower Tour’ and had proposed her idea to Reformation Tours a few years ago.  Covid hit and plans were put on hold.  Finally in 2022 her vision became a reality.  Our Tour was so well planned and jam packed with activities it is difficult to recount them all here.  These are some of the many highlights.

We began our Tour in Amsterdam.  After a brief tour of the city, including a canal boat ride, and visiting sites related to the Pilgrims, we were off to spend several days in Leiden.  Each day of our Tour was filled with amazing experiences from early morning until evening.  There was just so much to see and learn.  Previously, I had never paid too much attention to the “Pilgrims” that had gone to the Netherlands since my ancestors were not among them.  I very quickly realized that as children what we learned about the Pilgrims is so very superficial.  The Pilgrim Museum in Leiden was astounding.  Seeing what a small area each family lived in and how many artifacts from the era the museum still exist was exciting.

our group at Den Waag in Leiden

photo credit Diane Gould Hall

After leaving Leiden we were off to visit Delshaven, the departure point for the Speadwell.  Next we were off on a six hour ferry ride to Harwich, UK where the Mayflower was built and where the ship’s captain, Master Christopher Jones was born and lived.  Our day in Harwich began on the Ha’Penny Pier with a proclamation being read in our honor. 

During a walking city tour of Harwich we visited the home of Mayflower Captain Christopher Jones, Foresters (the home of the Harwich Society), the Electric Palace (oldest theatre remaining in UK and seen in the current Downton Abbey movie) among other sites.  We just happened to be in Harwich on June 2^nd, the day of the Queen’s Jubilee.  How exciting it was to see and partake in some of the celebrations honoring Queen Elizabeth!

Next we were off to Boston and the Guildhall where some of the Pilgrims had been held before escaping to the Netherlands. Our historian had a wealth of information for us and a tour of the building where some of the Pilgrims were confined including William Brewster.  Listening to the historian was so fascinating to learn what a ‘hot bed’ this general area (Boston, Cambridge, etc.) was for the development of religious beliefs differing from the King’s religion that would lead to groups such as the Pilgrims in coming to the New World.

Following Boston we spent a few days touring Babworth Church (where William Brewster and William Bradford came together), Scrooby Manor (home to William Brewster), St. Helena’s Church in Austerfield (where William Bradford was baptized) and Gainsborough (where the Pilgrims took off for the Netherlands).  The highlight was definitely a tour of Scrooby Manor and meeting the current owners who also joined us for dinner that evening.  Author and historian, Sue Allan (The Mayflower Maid) spoke with us briefly after dinner.  What an additional treat it was to be able to meet Sue and hear about some of her Mayflower research.

A stop for a delicious traditional Sunday roast dinner was in store for us at a pub in Droitwich.

Next we were off for two days to Plymouth.  There was so much to see and do in Plymouth. New information to learn about the city, the Mayflower and the voyage. After a walking tour of the older part of the city, a tour of a building from the era of the Pilgrims, Sutton Harbor, the Plymouth Gin Distillery (oldest British distillery still active today) and a boat ride in Plymouth Harbor.  One of the highlights of this day was visiting the Pilgrim Steps.  While this is probably not the exact stop when the Pilgrims boarded the Mayflower we were in the area.

After Plymouth we were on our way to Southampton.  In Southampton we took a walking tour of the area, visited the Tudor House and Gardens (which existed at the time the Pilgrims were in Southampton), saw a pub where many of the crew were known to frequent, the Pilgrim Memorial and most exciting walked through the gate the Pilgrims would have gone through to board the Speedwell and the Mayflower.  How very exciting to walk through the city gate that we know our ancestors and the other passengers would have walked through!

Our next stop was one of my favorites.  We arrived in Dorking.  Dorking is where my Mullins ancestors lived before sailing for the New World.  It was so very exciting for be here!  We toured the Dorking Museum, had lunch at the White Horse Hotel and toured the city.  William Mullins was known to have owned a building of four shops in the city.  I was very happy to have had tea in the Mullins Café.  I wondered what it must have been like for Priscilla to have been in this building perhaps visiting her father’s cobbler shop. 

Unfortunately, our tour was coming to an end and we were off to London.  In London for a day we managed to take a cruise on the Thames River, go up in the London eye and end our visit with a luncheon at the Mayflower Pub in Rotherhithe.  This Pub was known to the Mayflower crew.  While there, we were able to sign the Mayflower Descendants visitor’s book.  Quite a finish to a jam-packed historical tour!

In school we learned about the Pilgrims and their journey to Leiden before coming to America.  I had learned that John Alden was a Cooper and that Priscilla’s father William Mullins was a Cobbler.  I knew they had not gone to the Netherlands but that was about all I knew.  How exciting to be in the locations where they lived and learn from local historians that John may have lived in Harwich and been a cousin of Captain Christopher Jones when I was in Harwich and then when in Southampton learn that the historians there believe John was from this area.  When in Dorking I learned from the local historians that William Mullins was a rather wealthy merchant and probably owned a Cobbler shop but doubtful he actually made shoes himself.  William’s reason for going to America are unknown.  William is thought to have sympathized with the Pilgrims and was probably looking for new business ventures in the New World.  Records from Dorking during this time period are nonexistent.  John may have decided to stay in the New World to avoid conscription in the United Kingdom for an upcoming war.  There was so much to learn and many new questions to go unanswered. 

Our Tour group was composed of a wonderful group of people with amazing backgrounds.  Most of us were all members of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.  Among our group we found many new ‘cousins’ and great new friends that we will continue to keep in touch with. I would highly recommend a tour like this one to learn more about your ancestors. Actually walking in their footsteps can give us a much better understand of where they lived.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share, I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,

Debby

 

If you are interested in a similar tour FEAT Travel Inc. has taken over for Reformation Tours.  I know Chad Murray was trying to get enough people together for a Plymouth, USA tour next Summer but I think it will be 2024 before the next one happens.

San Diego Colony November Compact Day

On Saturday the San Diego Colony of the Mayflower Society held their annual November Compact Day meeting and luncheon at the Green Dragon Tavern in Carlsbad, California in the:

This is the second time I have had the privilege of attending, this time as a verified Mayflower descendant. This was my first time wearing the ‘costume’, or period dress, of my ancestors. (See post What Would Priscilla Mullins Alden Think?)

Following an Invocation and The Pilgrim Pledge:

In the name of God Amen.

I pledge myself to help hold aloft the lamps of civil and religious liberty lighted by the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock; to recall and cherish the sacrifices and struggles made by them for the common good; to study their lives, deeds, faith, courage and character, and to draw inspiration therefrom; to emulate their spirit; to be loyal to the flag and institutions of the country whose founding was so greatly aided by their work and wisdom; to do everything within my power to deserve and preserve the heritage, and at all times and in all ways to profit by the Pilgrim example.

State Officials from the California Mayflower Society in attendance were introduced and new members were presented and welcomed in to the San Diego Colony.

Next was the exciting Pilgrim Roll Call. Each of the Mayflower passengers are called by name and the number of descendants in attendance are counted and recorded. Passenger John Howland had the largest number of descendants present at 24. My ancestor John Alden had 21 descendants in attendance this time. For a complete list of passengers and information about the passengers visit Passenger Lists Mayflower 1620 on Caleb’s website.


The guest speaker for this luncheon was Caleb Johnson.  Caleb is an author and historian with over 25 years of researching the Mayflower passengers and their voyage. His most popular book is Here Shall I Die Ashore about the life of Stephen Hopkins. Caleb’s website,  “ the Internet's most complete and accurate website dealing with the Mayflower passengers and the history of the Pilgrims and early Plymouth Colony” can be found at MayflowerHistory.com.

Caleb Johnson with Kathleen Loftman, San Diego Colony Deputy Governor, and William “Bud” Leef, San Diego Colony Governor

Caleb’s talk was entitled “Recent Discoveries in English Records concerning the Mayflower Passengers”. Caleb told us about some of his current research and discoveries on ancestors of several of the Pilgrim passengers. I always find it amazing to learn about documents that are still being discovered, almost 400 years later, that relate to the Mayflower Passengers and their ancestors. Some of the examples of the documents in old English handwriting were amazing to see. I wondered how long it took them to transcribe some of the documents due to the handwriting. What interesting information they have been able to uncover!  Caleb was a very interesting speaker with great examples of documents for us to get a feel for the work he has done.  Research that many of us would never be able to do on our own.

At the end of the luncheon they asked all of us in costume to stand up 

and later we had a picture taken of all of us that were in ‘costume’ together.

(click on pictures to enlarge)

I have Kathy to thank for making my 'costume'.

How amazing to see the variety of ‘costumes’ and colors. Everyone had a wonderful time and the food, as usual, was delicious. What a wonderful way for all of us ‘descendants’ to honor our ancestors and appreciate what they went through as they survived that first winter and embarked on a new life in this ‘new world’. I am very thankful for their perseverance in making their new life here in America.
What a great way to start the Thanksgiving Holiday!

If you have any corrections, additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.
Enjoy the journey,
Debby

Special thanks to friend and fellow Blogger Diane Gould Hall for many of the photos.  Hopefully, next time, it will be Diane's turn to be accepted into the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.

Be sure to mark your calendar for 8 November 2020 and set aside some time to visit the San Diego Colony Mayflower presentation in Balboa Park, San Diego, CA marking the 400^th celebration for the landing of the Mayflower.

2020 Mayflower Commemorative items

The Voyage of Hope 1620

Have you ever wondered what goes in to making a float for the Rose Parade?  This year many of us will be participating in a variety of ways to help get a float ready for the parade and the beginning of a year’s celebration of our ancestors that arrived on the Mayflower in 1620.

The theme of this year’s Rose Parade in Pasadena, California will be ‘The Power of Hope’.  The Rose Parade Committee states “The Power of Hope, celebrates the influence of optimism and hope. The belief that what is wanted can be attained. From the struggles of those who came before us to dreams yet fulfilled, hope is more than simply the possibility of fulfillment.”  2020 will be the 400th Anniversary of the Mayflower Voyage. 

The first step was for the California Society of Mayflower Descendants to submit an application to have a float in the Parade.   The float will be titled “The Voyage of Hope-1620”.   Approval was received to have a Mayflower Float in the 2020 Pasadena Rose Parade on 1 January 2020.  The float was then designed and will be built by Fiesta Parade Floats.

(design photo from FaceBook page for Fiesta Parade Floats)

The San Diego Colony of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants held a ‘Petal Clipping’ session yesterday.  So, what actually is a ‘Petal Clipping’ session and what does it have to do with the Rose Parade float?

Many of us volunteered to get together with box tops and scissors at the Village Church in Rancho Santa Fe to begin the process of getting flowers ready to be attached to ‘The Voyage of Hope-1620’ float at the end of December.  Yellow/orange straw flowers imported from Holland are the flowers being used.  

We carefully clipped the petals off the flowers

my hat was delivered with it's new band so I just had to try it out

the petals were collected in huge bags to be ready for December

There were about 35-45 people working in the afternoon when I was helping.  Here are the volunteers at the table I was at

clockwise from left -Vicki May (William Bradford descendant), Beverly Willey ( William Bradford descendant), Bill Peters (William Brewster descendant), Rick Bailey (descendant of George Soule, John Alden, William White, Edward Doughty, Thomas Rodgers, William Bradford, Miles Standish) and Kathy Hughes (seamstress of my costume)

• While we were working we played Pilgrim Bingo and learned a few new things about our ancestors.  I learned that my maternal 10th great grandfather John Alden was the first to step off the Mayflower at their first stop on Cape Cod when they stopped for fresh water.  He was carrying a Wheel-Lock carbine rifle.  Read more about John’s Wheel-Lock at Thanksgiving’s First Rifle.
• Fiesta Parade Floats is currently building the framework for the float and for objects that will be on the float.  Pictures were shown during our Petal Clipping of the progress they are making as they start the build.  (Tidbit: the masts for the Mayflower will need to be moveable so they can be lowered along the parade route due to bridge heights.)
• See previous posts about the Aldens:  What Would Priscilla Mullins Alden Think? and San Diego Colony of Mayflower Descendants and others.

This was a great time to meet other descendants and ‘cousins’ of that Mayflower Voyage that started it all 400 years ago and learn the process of building one of those great floats we like to see on January 1st at the Rose Parade. 

William "Budd" Leef, San Diego Colony Governor and San Diego Colony Deputy Governor, Kathleen Loftman 

Kathleen did an amazing job organizing this event! 

Only 142 days to go before the parade.  A GoFundMe page is available for anyone who would like to contribute to this amazing undertaking.

The Voyage of Hope 1620 - Crossing the Waters for a New Generation

If you have any corrections, additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.
Enjoy the journey,
Debby

What Would Priscilla Mullins Alden Think?

Priscilla Mullins Alden was a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother and a woman of immeasurable strength.  Priscilla is also my 10th great-grandmother.  John Alden and Priscilla Mullins both came on the Mayflower and after arriving would marry, have children and eventually settle in Duxbury, Massachusetts.  (See post Finding My Pilgrim Ancestors-John and Priscilla Alden)

As 2020 quickly approaches, and the 400 year Mayflower celebrations begin, what does it mean to say you are a descendant of one of the families of the Mayflower?

I grew up never knowing of any Mayflower ancestry.  There were no stories passed down from generation to generation.  Somehow, the story was lost years ago.  I remember as a young girl that one year my mother, who is an amazing seamstress, was going to make me a ‘Pilgrim’  costume for Halloween.  Life was busy and it didn’t happen for Halloween but she would try for Thanksgiving which didn’t work either.  Fast forward about 20 years and as I’m reviewing some documents that were given to my maternal grandmother I find a supposed connection to John and Priscilla Alden as being ancestors.  As usual, life happens, and it takes about another 30-35 years for me to really do some serious research.  In 2017 I was able to successfully prove my Alden connection and before a member of the Alden Kindred of America.  (See post It’s Official! I Proved it!).  On 8 December 2018 I was also able to successfully prove my ancestry and become a member of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.  (See San Diego Colony of Mayflower Descendants and General Society of Mayflower Descendants’ Success)

Wow!  I successfully proved my ancestry to two major societies that are involved with Mayflower descendants.  So, what’s next?  When I work on my ancestry I want more than just the dates my ancestors lived.  I want to learn as much as I can about them.  
Unfortunately there are no pictures, no videos, not even a diary for me to read and learn about Priscilla.  What was she actually like as a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother and a woman?  What did she think of this new land?  Was it what she expected?  What did she think of her legacy?  Did she ever think about those of us that would come after her?

In my quest to know more, and remembering that little girl who was excited about the possibility of dressing like a “pilgrim”, I decided I could see what it would be like to dress like Priscilla did, at the least.  At the first San Diego Colony of the  Mayflower Society meeting I attended, thanks to an invitation by a friend, Alden cousin and blogger Darlene Connor Sampley, I met a Historical Seamstress named Kathy Hughes.  I enjoyed listening to Kathy talk to others about ‘Pilgrim Costume’ and decided to talk to her about making me a 'Pilgrim Costume'.  I met with Kathy and decided that yes, this is important to me and I want to have a set of clothing like my ancestors would have worn.  There would then be styles, colors, fabrics, shoes, hat, and stockings to pick and measurements to be done.  Then I had to patiently wait for my costume.

Saturday, Kathy had my ‘Pilgrim Costume’ ready and I could pick it up.  How exciting!! Good friend and fellow blogger Diane Gould Hall was able to go with me to get my costume.  We were not only able to share the excitement but I was sure I’d need some help remembering how to dress using all the pieces of clothing I would need to put on.  It’s fascinating learning about the names of the pieces of clothing Priscilla would have typically worn, how they were worn, beliefs about fabric color choices, and why things were worn the way they were.  So much to learn!  I really appreciate Kathy’s knowledge about period costume and her desire to be true to the time period.

Here is what I am wearing:

• a white linen 'smock' with bone buttons and a collar-women wore these for day and night time wear 
• a 'bum roll' tied at the waist-a crescent shaped pad worn under petticoats to accentuate the hips and make the waist appear smaller
• 2 linen 'petticoats', hand hemmed-the first with a reddish color since the custom was that you should wear red close to your body and the top petticoat was cartridge pleated, both tie in the front
• a linen 'waistcoat'-mine has ties.  I chose a simpler design for the common woman
• a white linen 'apron' folded book style for Sunday best wear
• a white linen 'forehead cloth' tied in the back and worn to protect the forehead
• a white linen 'coif '(close fitting cap) tied in the back-women also wore these at night tied under their chin to keep the lice out of their hair
• a black felt 'hat' to keep the sun out of the eyes while outside-no buckles at that time as are often seen in pictures
• cotton 'stockings'
• black leather shoes, reminiscent of the time period

It probably took me about 30 minutes to get ‘dressed’.  Once dressed I thought about what it felt like to wear these clothes the same type Priscilla would have worn.  They felt heavy and bulky and made me feel 20 pounds heavier.  How amazing to be able to wear clothing like Priscilla would have worn!  The dream of that little girl years ago was accomplished.  Priscilla, what do you think?  Am I dressed properly?  I think it would take some getting used to in order to do those everyday chores of cooking, cleaning and tending to the animals or gardens.  I bet all the layers and the woolen cloak Kathy is also making for me really helped in the cold New England winters.  As a teacher, now that I have my ‘costume’, what a great opportunity to visually show students what a Pilgrim wore, let them feel the fabric, shoes, hat, etc.   I can visit classrooms and read stories of the Mayflower voyage and the Pilgrims to help them get a feeling of what life was like 400 years ago.

When it’s all said and done…for me it is an honor to say I am a descendant of these ordinary people, John and Priscilla Mullins Alden.  They were adventurous and fought to make a new life in a strange new world.  I do respect what they did and how they persevered.  I wonder what Priscilla would think about so many people, all these generations later, caring about her and her family.  Would she think us ‘silly’ to be making such a fuss or honored that we remember them?  I am hoping she is smiling down on us.  As I often quote from this poem:        

“I honor their history.      

I cherish their lives.       

I will tell their story.       

I will remember them.”

The celebrations for the 400th Anniversary of the Mayflower will begin 1 January 2020 at the Rose Parade in Pasadena, CA.  I am applying to be an ‘Outwalker Participant’ to march in the parade alongside the Mayflower float.  What an honor that would be to represent my 10th great-grandmother Priscilla Mullins Alden.  Stay tuned to see if I am selected.  I will also participate in the decorating of the float and will be sure to tell you about that in future posts.  Then next Fall I plan to be in Plymouth for additional celebrations and remembrances with my ‘Pilgrim Costume’.

If you have any corrections, additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.
Enjoy the journey,
Debby

San Diego Colony of Mayflower Descendants

Yesterday, I had the honor of being accepted as a member of the San Diego Colony of Mayflower Descendants at their luncheon. 

First, I had to become a member of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. In order to do that I submitted to the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of California in the Fall of 2016 a list (Mayflower Lineage Match form) of who I believed my ancestors were back to John and Priscilla (Mullins) Alden.  After a review of my submission, I was informed in October 2016 that I  was a likely descendant and would need to provide the appropriate documentation for proof of lineage from myself back 7 generations on my maternal side to Timothy Alden, son of Israel and Lucy (Markham) Alden.  The Society had previously proven documentation for Timothy Alden back another 5 generations (Israel & Lucy Markham Alden, Noah & Joanna Vaughn Alden, John & Hannah White Alden, Joseph & Mary Simmons Alden) to John and Priscilla Alden. 

About 2 years later after gathering the remainder of the documentation needed I submitted my paperwork last Summer to the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of California.  After several requests for additional information and some clarification the paperwork was deemed acceptable and sent to the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.  On 8 December 2018 my request for membership was approved (see post ‘General Society of Mayflower Descendants’ Success). 

Saturday’s luncheon was a formality but an exciting one!  While I stood, I thought of Priscilla Mullins Alden and all she went through to make a life in this new world.  

12 generations of Alden descendants had to have the lives they lived for me to be here and taking part in this ceremony…almost 400 years after John and Priscilla arrived in this new world.  Pretty awesome when you stop and think about it!  I also felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment in my research skills to be able to prove my lineage to John & Priscilla.  No matter how frustrated you may get on your journey to find the information you are searching for it is well worth it when you finally reach a destination such as this one.

The Pilgrim Pledge

In the name of God Amen.

I pledge myself to help hold aloft the lamps of civil and religious liberty lighted by the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock; to recall and cherish the sacrifices and struggles made by them for the common good; to study their lives, deeds, faith, courage and character, and to draw inspiration therefrom; to emulate their spirit; to be loyal to the flag and institutions of the country whose founding was so greatly aided by their work and wisdom; to do everything within my power to deserve and preserve the heritage, and at all times and in all ways to profit by the Pilgrim example.

I was very happy to have good friend & fellow blogger Diane Gould Hall and fellow ‘Alden’ cousin Darlene Conner Sampley  there to share in this momentous occasion! 

If you have any corrections, additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.
Enjoy the journey,
Debby

Note: Before joining the General Society of Mayflower Descendants I was accepted as a member of the Alden Kindred of America.  (See post It’s Official! I Proved it!)

2018 A Year of Genealogical Research

It’s that time of year again.  I have found that taking a look back at the work I have done over the past year allows me to reflect on the work I have done and make some plans for the New Year.  Thank-you Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings for first giving us the idea to look back and then look to the future.

I use Legacy Family Tree software to maintain my family tree.  I have trees posted on My Heritage and on Ancestry but these are not my primary trees.  On my Legacy Software I go to Help then About Legacy then General to view my Family File Information.  Here is what mine looks like for 2018:









A review of the statistics in my Legacy tree that I am most interested in:



I continue to add individuals and new Surnames but the statistic I am most proud of this year is my continued increase in my citations!  The deeper I get in to my research the more important citations of where I found previous information becomes.  With the limited amount of time I have to do research, recording citations is not always easy.  Thank-you to my friend and fellow blogger Diane Gould Hall for the continued guidance and encouragement for doing this.

Some of my accomplishments this year:

• General Society of Mayflower Descendants certificate for successfully proving I am a descendant of John & Priscilla Alden.  (See previous post)
• I presented twice this year-in April I did the first presentation of Carrie’s Letters: Researching the People for the San Diego Genealogical Society.  In October I presented Carrie’s Letters: Bringing Ancestral Letters to Life for the Sacramento German Genealogy Society in October. 
• I published 50 blog posts.  My most viewed blog post of 2018 was DNA Chromosome Mapping with a total views of 2,592.  An all time record!
• Several cousins found me by searching for information of relatives and discovered posts about them on my Blog.  Thank-you for reaching out to me and for asking questions for me to research.  DNA testing has helped me find and connect with several other cousins.  I am always happy to find new cousins!   I enjoy sharing the information I have found with others and glad my cousins also enjoy the information about our ancestors.
• Thank-you to Marie for hosting yet another great Warner Cousin’s Christmas Luncheon and to Sofia for joining us:

Hollie, Debby, Kallie, Suzanne & granddaughter Sofia, and Marie

Goals for next year:

• I hope to finish editing Carrie’s Letters so they can be published for my cousins to read.
• I am working on 2 new presentations (Researching Land Records using a case study and one on Wills and Probate Records) and hope to roll them out soon.
• Complete another 50 blog posts.
• Attend 2 National Genealogical Conferences.  So much to learn, so little time :)

I recently walked through a cemetery where my ancestors lived for over 200 years that I have walked through since I was a child.  Because of the some of the research I have done this past year I was able to identify many more relatives then I previously realized I was related to.  As I follow the trails of the lives my ancestors led I will continue to honor their history, cherish their lives, tell their stories and remember them. 

It truly is the ‘journey’ that is the reward!
Enjoy the journey,
Debby

‘General Society of Mayflower Descendants’ Success!!

Well, my research skills have paid off and I was able to prove my ancestry lineage for the General Society of Mayflower Descendants!  Last year I was able to prove the lineage to the Alden Kindred Society.  (See post It’s Official!!  I Proved it!)

I never knew anything growing up of my Mayflower heritage.  In the early 1990s while visiting my maternal Grandmother in upstate New York I asked about local cemeteries.  When she realized my interest in genealogy she told me about a Minister who had stopped by once a few years before to ask her questions about her parents, etc.  She showed me a large envelope that had arrived with information.  I asked to take it and look at that evening.  While reviewing the paperwork I realized a lineage back to John and Priscilla Alden of the Mayflower.  Imagine my excitement!  A determination began in me to either prove of disprove the information I had found.

In 1995 I took my son and friend’s two daughters to visit the replica of the Mayflower, Plimoth Plantation and the John Alden Historic Site in Duxbury.  How exciting to retrace my ancestors’ steps and know where they had lived.  It has taken me over 25 years to find the time to do the actual research but I have finally proven it for the Alden Kindred of America and now Mayflower Society.  At times it was very frustrating trying to find the records necessary as well as an exercise in patience, but I did it!!

In the Plimoth Plantation picture on the lower right above the replica of the Alden home is the first house on the left.

Verifying this lineage, and in the process knowing more about my ancestors and how they lived, is a wonderful accomplishment and a great way to end the year!  A special thank-you to the Minister who spoke with my grandmother and that copies of the paperwork made it’s way into my hands to research.

If you have any corrections, additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.
Enjoy the journey,
Debby

Finding my Pilgrim Ancestors-John and Priscilla Alden

 

Growing up we knew nothing about our Alden connection.  There were no precious hand me down items and no stories of ancestors past that would have connected us to the Pilgrims. 

Back in the late 1980s while visiting my maternal Grandmother, Edna Cornell Hammond, with my son and mother in upstate NY I was asking about where the older cemeteries were located for different ancestors.  After replying “Oh, you’re interested in ….that (genealogy)” Grandma pointed out a large envelope on the counter that someone had sent her that contained some family information.  She told me that a year or so before a Minister had stopped by and asked her a lot of questions about her family.  Then he sent her this packet of information.  I asked to borrow the envelop for the evening and was told to take it because she had no interest in it.  That night at the motel I was amazed at the treasure trove of information that was in the envelope!  It lead me back to my Pilgrim Ancestors- John and Priscilla Alden.  HOW EXCITING!!!!

Over the years I have done a little research here and there to try and verify the information in the envelope.  Recently I decided to make the commitment and seriously work on confirming this line so I can join the General Society of Mayflower Descendants and the Alden Kindred of America.  (See blog post entitled Which Historical Societies Will You Join?)

When I was researching John & Pricilla’s great-great-great grandson Timothy Alden (see blog post entitled Using County Histories to Find Information-Timothy Alden) I came across the following information from a booklet HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY (PA) by H.C. Bradsby published in 1892.

“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 Plymouth Plantation informs us, was hired for a cooper at Southampton, where the ship victualed, and being a hopeful young man, was much desired, but was left to his own liking to go or stay when he came here, so stayed and married 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 many years, and, in every position he occupied, fulfilled his duties promptly and to the satisfaction of his employers. So far as is known his ancestry in England has not been traced. He was born in 1599, and died at Duxbury, September 12, 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 married, in 1621, Priscilla, daughter of Mr. Molines or Mullens, who with his family 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 Capt. Standish, after the death of his wife, to solicit her hand in marriage, she preferred the messenger to the message:

But 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. It was supposed, until recently, that John and Priscilla Alden had but eight children. Bradford, however, states in his history, that, at the time of his writing, they were both living and had eleven children : John (born about 1622), Joseph (born 1624), John, Elizabeth (born 1625), Jonathan, S'arah, Ruth, Mary, David and two whose names are unknown.”

Thanksgiving now holds a new meaning for me.  Among the list of things I am thankful for this year I also want to take the time to be thankful for John & Priscilla.

I will continue to research John & Priscilla and their heirs.  As I learn more about the Pilgrims and the lives they led I can’t begin to imagine what it was like for them.  Priscilla was a young woman of 17 traveling with her parents and brother to this new, unknown world so far away, hoping for a place to practice their religion without problems, only to have her parents die during the winter.  John taking this wild adventure as a ‘cooper’ (barrel maker) on the ship and then deciding to stay in this new world so far from home.  I know their lives were beyond hard and so much like food, shelter and the Native Americans were such unknowns in this new world.  But they survived and prospered despite all the odds against them.  I am grateful they persevered in this great new land!
Happy Thanksgiving!

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.
Enjoy the journey,
Debby