John Alden and the Mayflower
A signer of the Mayflower Compact, my 9th great-grandparents John Alden and Priscilla Mullins Alden are among the most renowned of all the Mayflower’s passengers and certainly one of Plymouth Colony’s most celebrated couples. Their story, entwined with that of Captain Myles Standish, was launched into worldwide acclaim thanks to The Courtship of Miles Standish—penned in 1858 by my cousin, the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Though Longfellow’s poem was fictionalized, his renown ensured that Alden, Mullins, and Standish would be immortalized in American cultural memory. For me, however, John and Priscilla are not simply literary figures or historical icons—they are family.
John Alden and Priscilla Mullins
The Mayflower Voyage and the Compact
The Mayflower’s voyage in 1620 was no small undertaking. The ship, only about 100 feet long, carried 102 passengers and a crew of roughly 30. They departed England in September, weeks later than planned, and were battered by North Atlantic storms. Conditions were cramped, unsanitary, and harsh. Families huddled together, seasick and weakened, for the 66-day crossing.
John Alden was not a religious separatist like many aboard but a skilled cooper—a craftsman in barrels, casks, and wooden containers vital to storing provisions and water. His skills made him indispensable at sea. Captain Christopher Jones, master of the Mayflower, likely recruited Alden in Southampton. Some historians suggest Jones and Alden’s family may have known each other in Harwich, the Mayflower’s home port.
When land was sighted in November 1620—not the fertile Virginia coast they had aimed for, but the rocky shores of Cape Cod—the passengers knew they faced a future of uncertainty. Before going ashore, they drafted and signed the Mayflower Compact, a covenant for self-government and mutual responsibility.
Only men were permitted to sign, so John Alden’s name appears among the 41 signatories, while Priscilla Mullins’ does not. Yet women like Priscilla played a quiet but essential role in the Compact’s ratification. By choosing to remain, to work, and to raise families under its terms, the women gave it life. Their endurance and consent in practice—not just parchment—ensured the Compact became more than words.
The First Winter and Survival
Life ashore proved even more harrowing than the voyage. Without adequate shelter or supplies, the settlers faced freezing weather, disease, and malnutrition. By the end of the first winter, nearly half had perished—including Priscilla Mullins’ parents, William and Alice, and her brother Joseph.
For a young woman of barely twenty, survival under such circumstances was no small feat. She found herself utterly alone, bereft of immediate family, but surrounded by the fragile community of survivors. It is within this crucible of loss that her bond with John Alden took root.
John Alden, meanwhile, proved his worth not only through his trade but through his adaptability and character. When the Mayflower prepared to return to England in April 1621, Alden faced a choice: return home with security, or remain in the uncertain wilderness with the settlers. The colonists encouraged him to stay, seeing in him a man of promise, integrity, and skill. He chose to remain, binding his fate to theirs.
Marriage and Family
On 12 May 1622, John Alden and Priscilla Mullins married. Their union symbolized resilience: a craftsman who cast his lot with the colonists and a young woman who had endured heartbreaking loss.
Together, they raised ten children. Through them, the Aldens’ lineage expanded across New England and beyond. Their descendants include not only ordinary citizens but prominent figures such as Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams, and poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow himself—whose romanticized retelling of their courtship would secure their place in cultural history.
Service to Plymouth Colony
John Alden’s public service was remarkable for its duration and breadth. He was elected repeatedly as Assistant to the Governor (a role akin to a modern-day councilor or cabinet member), serving for more than four decades. He held posts as Treasurer of Plymouth Colony, Deputy to the General Court, member of the Council of War, and overseer of trade.
John Alden’s public service was remarkable for its duration and breadth. He was elected repeatedly as Assistant to the Governor (a role akin to a modern-day councilor or cabinet member), serving for more than four decades. He held posts as Treasurer of Plymouth Colony, Deputy to the General Court, member of the Council of War, and overseer of trade.
His leadership was tested in 1634 during a land dispute that escalated into conflict with other colonists. Alden was briefly imprisoned in Boston, a reminder of the fractious politics of early New England. Yet his reputation endured, and he returned to prominence.
John and Priscilla settled in Duxbury, across the bay from Plymouth, where they built a farmstead. Their home became a center of community life. Today, the reconstructed Alden House Historic Site in Duxbury stands as a testament to their legacy.
Myles Standish: Soldier and Neighbor
The third figure in Longfellow’s romantic triangle, Captain Myles Standish, deserves recognition in his own right. A professional soldier who had fought in the Netherlands, Standish was hired by the Pilgrims for protection. In the precarious early years, he organized defenses, led expeditions, and confronted threats from without and within.
Standish’s methods were sometimes harsh—his preemptive raids against Indigenous groups remain controversial—but he played a critical role in ensuring the colony’s survival. He, too, settled in Duxbury, living as a near neighbor to John and Priscilla.
The Legend and the Poem
The story of Alden, Mullins, and Standish might have been remembered locally, but Longfellow ensured its immortality. In The Courtship of Miles Standish (1858), my cousin Henry Wadsworth Longfellow retold their story in verse, weaving together love, loyalty, and destiny. According to the poem, Standish asked Alden to woo Priscilla on his behalf. Priscilla, unimpressed, replied with the famous line, “Speak for yourself, John.”
Historians agree the story is apocryphal—no such dialogue survives in the record. Yet Longfellow, himself a descendant of John and Priscilla, tapped into mid-19th century America’s hunger for a romantic, heroic past. The poem sold tens of thousands of copies and was translated into multiple languages, spreading the fame of the Aldens worldwide.
What is striking to me is that Longfellow and I, though separated by time, share the same impulse: to remember and retell the story of our ancestors. His gift was poetry; mine is prose. In that sense, my writing here is an echo of his—another thread in the same long family tapestry.
Final Years and Legacy
John Alden lived to a remarkable age, dying on 12 September 1687 in Duxbury at nearly ninety. He was the last surviving signer of the Mayflower Compact. His grave in the Myles Standish Burial Ground was either unmarked or lost, though a memorial now honors him there. Priscilla likely died around 1680, leaving behind ten children, scores of descendants, and a legacy of resilience.
Together, John and Priscilla represent both the myth and the reality of the Pilgrim story. The myth, perpetuated by my cousin Longfellow, gave America a tale of romance and heroism. The reality reveals a craftsman and a young woman who, through grit and faith, built a family and a future in a harsh new world.
For me, their story is not just history—it is family history. To know that my 9th great-grandparents braved the Atlantic, endured loss, and helped lay the foundations of Plymouth Colony is humbling. And to know that their story was once told by a cousin who gave them a voice in poetry—and that I now, centuries later, can tell it again in prose—reminds me that memory itself is an inheritance.
Hashtags: #JohnAlden #PriscillaMullins #MylesStandish #ChristopherJones #WilliamMullins #Mayflower #Pilgrims
John Alden and the Mayflower
A signer of the Mayflower Compact, my 9th great-grandparents John Alden and Priscilla Mullins Alden are among the most renowned of all the Mayflower’s passengers and certainly one of Plymouth Colony’s most celebrated couples. Their story, entwined with that of Captain Myles Standish, was launched into worldwide acclaim thanks to The Courtship of Miles Standish—penned in 1858 by my cousin, the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Though Longfellow’s poem was fictionalized, his renown ensured that Alden, Mullins, and Standish would be immortalized in American cultural memory. For me, however, John and Priscilla are not simply literary figures or historical icons—they are family.
John Alden and Priscilla Mullins
The Mayflower Voyage and the Compact
The Mayflower’s voyage in 1620 was no small undertaking. The ship, only about 100 feet long, carried 102 passengers and a crew of roughly 30. They departed England in September, weeks later than planned, and were battered by North Atlantic storms. Conditions were cramped, unsanitary, and harsh. Families huddled together, seasick and weakened, for the 66-day crossing.
John Alden was not a religious separatist like many aboard but a skilled cooper—a craftsman in barrels, casks, and wooden containers vital to storing provisions and water. His skills made him indispensable at sea. Captain Christopher Jones, master of the Mayflower, likely recruited Alden in Southampton. Some historians suggest Jones and Alden’s family may have known each other in Harwich, the Mayflower’s home port.
When land was sighted in November 1620—not the fertile Virginia coast they had aimed for, but the rocky shores of Cape Cod—the passengers knew they faced a future of uncertainty. Before going ashore, they drafted and signed the Mayflower Compact, a covenant for self-government and mutual responsibility.
Only men were permitted to sign, so John Alden’s name appears among the 41 signatories, while Priscilla Mullins’ does not. Yet women like Priscilla played a quiet but essential role in the Compact’s ratification. By choosing to remain, to work, and to raise families under its terms, the women gave it life. Their endurance and consent in practice—not just parchment—ensured the Compact became more than words.
The First Winter and Survival
Life ashore proved even more harrowing than the voyage. Without adequate shelter or supplies, the settlers faced freezing weather, disease, and malnutrition. By the end of the first winter, nearly half had perished—including Priscilla Mullins’ parents, William and Alice, and her brother Joseph.
For a young woman of barely twenty, survival under such circumstances was no small feat. She found herself utterly alone, bereft of immediate family, but surrounded by the fragile community of survivors. It is within this crucible of loss that her bond with John Alden took root.
John Alden, meanwhile, proved his worth not only through his trade but through his adaptability and character. When the Mayflower prepared to return to England in April 1621, Alden faced a choice: return home with security, or remain in the uncertain wilderness with the settlers. The colonists encouraged him to stay, seeing in him a man of promise, integrity, and skill. He chose to remain, binding his fate to theirs.
Marriage and Family
On 12 May 1622, John Alden and Priscilla Mullins married. Their union symbolized resilience: a craftsman who cast his lot with the colonists and a young woman who had endured heartbreaking loss.
Together, they raised ten children. Through them, the Aldens’ lineage expanded across New England and beyond. Their descendants include not only ordinary citizens but prominent figures such as Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams, and poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow himself—whose romanticized retelling of their courtship would secure their place in cultural history.
Service to Plymouth Colony
John Alden’s public service was remarkable for its duration and breadth. He was elected repeatedly as Assistant to the Governor (a role akin to a modern-day councilor or cabinet member), serving for more than four decades. He held posts as Treasurer of Plymouth Colony, Deputy to the General Court, member of the Council of War, and overseer of trade.
His leadership was tested in 1634 during a land dispute that escalated into conflict with other colonists. Alden was briefly imprisoned in Boston, a reminder of the fractious politics of early New England. Yet his reputation endured, and he returned to prominence.
John and Priscilla settled in Duxbury, across the bay from Plymouth, where they built a farmstead. Their home became a center of community life. Today, the reconstructed Alden House Historic Site in Duxbury stands as a testament to their legacy.
Myles Standish: Soldier and Neighbor
The third figure in Longfellow’s romantic triangle, Captain Myles Standish, deserves recognition in his own right. A professional soldier who had fought in the Netherlands, Standish was hired by the Pilgrims for protection. In the precarious early years, he organized defenses, led expeditions, and confronted threats from without and within.
Standish’s methods were sometimes harsh—his preemptive raids against Indigenous groups remain controversial—but he played a critical role in ensuring the colony’s survival. He, too, settled in Duxbury, living as a near neighbor to John and Priscilla.
The Legend and the Poem
The story of Alden, Mullins, and Standish might have been remembered locally, but Longfellow ensured its immortality. In The Courtship of Miles Standish (1858), my cousin Henry Wadsworth Longfellow retold their story in verse, weaving together love, loyalty, and destiny. According to the poem, Standish asked Alden to woo Priscilla on his behalf. Priscilla, unimpressed, replied with the famous line, “Speak for yourself, John.”
Historians agree the story is apocryphal—no such dialogue survives in the record. Yet Longfellow, himself a descendant of John and Priscilla, tapped into mid-19th century America’s hunger for a romantic, heroic past. The poem sold tens of thousands of copies and was translated into multiple languages, spreading the fame of the Aldens worldwide.
What is striking to me is that Longfellow and I, though separated by time, share the same impulse: to remember and retell the story of our ancestors. His gift was poetry; mine is prose. In that sense, my writing here is an echo of his—another thread in the same long family tapestry.
Final Years and Legacy
John Alden lived to a remarkable age, dying on 12 September 1687 in Duxbury at nearly ninety. He was the last surviving signer of the Mayflower Compact. His grave in the Myles Standish Burial Ground was either unmarked or lost, though a memorial now honors him there. Priscilla likely died around 1680, leaving behind ten children, scores of descendants, and a legacy of resilience.
Together, John and Priscilla represent both the myth and the reality of the Pilgrim story. The myth, perpetuated by my cousin Longfellow, gave America a tale of romance and heroism. The reality reveals a craftsman and a young woman who, through grit and faith, built a family and a future in a harsh new world.
For me, their story is not just history—it is family history. To know that my 9th great-grandparents braved the Atlantic, endured loss, and helped lay the foundations of Plymouth Colony is humbling. And to know that their story was once told by a cousin who gave them a voice in poetry—and that I now, centuries later, can tell it again in prose—reminds me that memory itself is an inheritance.
Hashtags
#JohnAlden #PriscillaMullins #MylesStandish #ChristopherJones #WilliamMullins #Mayflower #Pilgrims
A signer of the Mayflower Compact, it is safe to say, my 9th great-grandparents John Alden and Priscilla Mullins-Alden are the most renowned of all Mayflower’s passengers and of Plymouth Colony’s couples. They and Myles Standish, were launched into acclaim and world-wide celebrity thanks to the fictionalized 1858 poem scribed by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his tour de force piece, “The Courtship of Miles Standish”.
This verse was absolutely fictionalized and yet, due to Longfellow’s renown, and in being so well-read, fame came to these three pilgrims. Factually, Alden and Mullins did marry. Priscilla, the daughter of William and Alice Atwood-Mullins did bare ten children during their marriage.
John Alden and Priscilla Mullins
Alden was a very capable cooper and carpenter. He was hired as a shipmate in Southampton by Captain Christopher Jones. It is speculated Jones was an Alden family friend who recruited Alden from his parents’ home.
In Bradford’s “Of Plymouth Plantation,” Harwich was said to be home port for Mayflower and the home of Christopher Jones. This circumstance lends support to how Alden was hired.
Alden proved himself to be of great value to Jones and Mayflower’s passengers. So valued and appreciated, it’s said Alden was encouraged by ship’s passengers to remain behind with them when the vessel returned to England. It was believed Alden would make an excellent and worthy neighbor and associate.
During his Plymouth years Alden was elected to The Governor’s Council, (actually elected year after year). John Alden was very active in public affairs including as Treasurer, Court Deputy, Member-War Council and Trade Committeeman.
John Alden and Mayflower passenger Priscilla Sarah Mullins married 12 May 1622. She was her family’s lone survivor overcoming the pilgrims’ first winter of 1620/21. Lost were her mother Alice, father William and brother Joseph.
Looking back, factually, Myles Standish was a seasoned soldier/warrior recruited to join in the pilgrim adventure for sake of security and protection from any potential adversaries including dissatisfied indigenous Indians.
Time and again Standish performed heroically on behalf of the pilgrims. He proved worthy of their trust.
My 9th great-grandfather John Alden died 12 September 1687 in Duxbury, MA. He was buried within The Myles Standish Burial Grounds at a location either misplaced or originally unmarked. I prefer the former. None-the-less, there is a marker in his honor at the cemetery.
#johnalden #Priscillamullins #MylesStandish #ChristopherJones #WilliamMullins #Mayflower #pilgrims
