Alden (Y-DNA)

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Status summary

As of March 12, 2016:

  • Alden Kindred of America society contacted
  • Recruiting Alden for Next Generation Sequence/Whole Genome Sequence (NGS/WGS) testing. Interested parties should Read me First

As of May 1, 2021:

  • Alden surname DNA Project created. Male patrilineal descendants of John Alden and matrilineal descendants of Priscilla Mullins are encouraged to join this project.

As of August 1, 2023:

  • Three patrilineal (Y-DNA) descendants of John Alden have published their Big Y-700 results.

IMPORTANT:Read me First

Paper trail

For more information see: Woodworth-Barnes, Esther Littleford, edited by Alicia Crane Williams, Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, vol. 16 Alden, Also see https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:John_Alden_Parentage_Possibilities. Names in bold text have had a Y-DNA descendant Y-DNA tested.

First Generation

[1] John Alden was born about 1599.[1] According to Gov. Bradford's manuscript, Of Plimoth Plantation John Alden was "hired for a cooper, at South Hampton (England), where the ship victualed (brought on food for the voyage); and being a hopeful young man, was much desired, but left to his own liking to go or stay when he came here; but he stayed and married here." John married Priscilla Mullins. It is believed they were married prior to the 1623 land division (as Priscilla was not named and other single women were named in this division)[2] The Alden family was one of the original settlers who moved away from the core Plymouth settlement, settling at Green's Harbor (now Duxbury) before it was established as its own town in 1637. He died at Duxbury on 12 Sep 1687[3] and was presumably buried at the Miles Standish Burying Ground in Duxbury.[4]

John and Priscilla had ten children (order of children uncertain. Dates estimated): Elizabeth (c1624), John (c1626), Joseph (c1627), Priscilla (c1630, never marr.), Jonathan (c1632), Sarah (c1634), Ruth (c1637), Rebecca (c1643), David (c1645) and Mary (c1648, never marr.).

Second Generation

Capt. John Alden was likely born in 1626 in New Plimoth[5] and died Boston 14 Mar 1701/2, ae 75.[6] He married[7] Elizabeth PHILLIPS Everill and they had fourteen children (born Boston): Mary (1659-1667), John (1660-1663), Elizabeth (1662-1662), William (1663-1664), John (1663), Elizabeth (1665-1736), William (1666-1669), Zachariah (1667-1672), Nathaniel (1668-1701 m. Hepzibah Mountjoy; neither son ever married), William (1669-1728 m. Mary Drury; none of his sons ever married), Zachariah (1672-1709 m. Mary Viall, only son (Zachariah) only had one son (Zachariah) who likely never marr.) Sarah (1675-1691), Nathan (1677-b1701 unm.) and Sarah (1681-b1701). Capt. John Alden's line eventually daughtered out, so there is no surviving Y-DNA line from him.

Joseph Alden was born in 1627 at New Plimoth[8] and died Bridgewater 8 Feb 1696/7.[9] He married Mary Simmons and they had seven children: Sarah (1663-1738), Isaac (1666), Joseph (1667), Hopestill (1668-1753), Mercy (1670-1727), Elizabeth (1673-1705) and John (1675)

Capt. Jonathan Alden was born about 1632 and died Bridgewater 14 Feb 1696/7.[10] He married Duxbury 10 Dec 1672 Abigail Hallett and they had six children: Elizabeth (1673-1756), Anna (1678-1705), Sarah (1679-1738), John (1681), Andrew (1684) and Jonathan (1686)

David Alden (1646-1718) married Mary Southworth and they had six children: Sarah (1671-1739), Ruth (1674-1758), Elizabeth (1675-1771), Priscilla (1679-1736), Benjamin (1681), Alice (1685-1774) and Samuel (1688)

Third Generation

John Alden (III) was born Boston 12 Mar 1663 and died there 1 Feb 1729/30. He married twice, first abt 1687 Elizabeth Gwinn and second, Boston 22 Nov 1722 Susanna Winslow (no children by this marriage). By his first wife, John had twelve children (born Boston): Elizabeth (1687), Hannah (1688), John (1690 m Anna Brame), Mary (1691), Katharine (1697-1702), Gillam (son, 1699-1726 unm.), Ann (1699), Nathaniel (1700-1740 m 1728 Mary Smith, only son d.y.), Thomas (1701-1701), Katharine (1704-b1726), Thomas (1707 m Jane Whippe, 3 sons but likely none of them marr.) and William (1710-1714).


Isaac Alden was born Bridgewater bef 1666 and died there 24 Jun 1727. He married Bridgewater 2 Dec 1685 Mehitable Allen and they had eight children (born Bridgewater): Mehitable (1687), Sarah (1688), Isaac (1692 unm.), Ebenezer (1693/4 m Anna Keith & Lydia Tilson), Mercy (1696), Abigail (1699), Jemima (1702) and John (c1703 m Hannah Kingman & Rebecca Nightengale)

(Dea.) Joseph Alden (II) was born Bridgewater in 1667 and died there 22 Dec 1747. He married Bridgewater in 1690 Hannah Dunham and they had ten children (born Bridgewater); Daniel (1690/1 m Abigail Shaw & Rebecca Curtis), Joseph (1693-1695), Eleazer (1694 m Martha Shaw), Hannah (1697), Mary (1699), Joseph (1700-1704), Jonathan (1703-1704), Samuel (1705 m Abiah Edson & Rebecca Washburn), Mehitable (1707) and Seth (1710 m Mehitabel Carver & Jael Peterson).

John Alden was born Bridgewater abt 1680 and died Middleborough 29 Sep 1730. He married Middleborough 1691 Hannah White[11] and they had twelve children (born Middleborough): David (1702 m Judith Paddleford), Priscilla (1703/4), Thankful (1706), Hannah (1708/9), Lydia (1710), Mary (1712), Abigail (1714), Joseph (1716 m Hannah Hall & Deborah Redding), John (1718 m Lydia Lazell & Rebecca Weston), Ebenezer (1720 m Ann Whitaker & Rebecca Smith), Nathan (1723 no further record) and Noah (1725 m Joanna Vaughn)


John Alden was born Duxbury abt 1682 and died there 24 Jul 1739. He married Scituate 12 Jan 1709/10 Hannah Briggs and they had seven children (born Duxbury): John (1710-1712), (Capt.) Samuel (1712 no ch.), Judah (1714-1740 m Abigail Roe, no ch.), Anna (1716), Deborah (1721), Briggs (1723 m Mercy Wadsworth) and Abigail (1727).

Andrew Alden was born Duxbury abt 1684 and died there abt 1775. He married Duxbury 4 Feb 1713/4 Lydia Stanford and they had seven children (born Duxbury): Jabin (son, 1714, likely unm.), John (1716 m Elizabeth Ripley), Prince (1718 m Mary Fitch), Andrew (1721 m Rebecca Stanford), Walter (1727 m Jane Blackman, likely no ch.), Lydia (1727) and William (c1727 m Rebecca Metcalf)

Jonathan Alden (II) was born Duxbury 1686 and died Gorham, ME 10 Jul 1770. He married twice, first Marshfield 17 Jan 1717/8 Elizabeth ARNOLD Waterman[12] and second, Elizabeth Allen (no children). By his first wife, Jonathan had five children (born Marshfield): Jonathan (1718-1718/9), Anthony (1720 no further record), Seth (1721/2 m Lydia Alden), Josiah (1724 no further record) and Austin (1729 m Hannah Ranger & Salome Lombard).


Benjamin Alden was born Duxbury abt 1690 and died there 14 Apr 1741. He married abt 1708 Hannah Brewster and they had eight children (born Duxbury): Mary (1709/10), Sarah (1712), Elizabeth (1714), David (1717 m Elizabeth Thorndike), Ichabod (1719 no further record), Abiathar (1731 m. Sarah ____), Bezaleel (1722 m Lydia Bartlett) and Wrestling (1724 m Elizabeth Sampson).

(Capt.) Samuel Alden was born Duxbury 22 Dec 1688 and died there 24 Feb 1781. He married Duxbury 26 Feb 1727/8 Sarah Sprague and they had eight children (born Duxbury): Rebecca (1730), Sarah (1731), John (1733/4 unm.), Alice (1735), Samuel (1737 m Abigail Sylvester), Ichabod (1739 m Mary Wakefield), Alethea (1734) and Abigail (1750). Capt. Samuel Alden's line eventually daughtered out so there are no living Y-DNA descendants.


  1. ↑ Deposed 6 Jul 1682, aged 83 and "lived 88 years" (died 12 Sep 1687). If both are accurate, then he was born between Jul-Sep 1599.
  2. ↑ Some sources state they were married 12 May 1622 but the source for this date is not known.
  3. ↑ MD 2:64, 3:110, 9:129
  4. ↑ This was the only town cemetery at this time. It is remotely possible John & Priscilla may have been buried on their family farm. The Alden Kindred of America erected a memorial marker for him at the cemetery which bears the following inscription: "Near here lyes ye body of Mr. John Alden who died in Duxbury Sept ye 12, 1687 Aged Near 88 years; erected by the Alden Kindred of America 1930, being one of the last surviving Mayflower Passengers."
  5. ↑ He was named at the bottom of his family grouping in the May 1627 land division, so he was likely born shortly before this date. His gravestone states he died "Aged 75 Years (on) March (broken) 1701/2. This would make him born about 1626.
  6. ↑ MD 6:193
  7. ↑ Mayflower Increasings:2 states John married twice, first Elizabeth ____ who had one child (Mary) and second, Boston 1 Apr 1660 Elizabeth Phillips (MD 34:176) who was the mother of the rest of John's children.
  8. ↑ He was not named in the cattle division dated 22 May 1627, but was named in the 1643 Able to Bear Arms list, so he was then at least 16 years old. Also, the Alden family was granted 100 acres in Jan 1627/8, with 20 acres per family member. Alden Kindred website
  9. ↑ MD 6:71, 73
  10. ↑ His gravestone states he died "February ye 14th 1697[/8] in ye 66th year of his age" (that is to say age 65).
  11. ↑ Descended from Thomas White of Weymouth, and not known to be related to Mayflower Passenger William White.
  12. ↑ Elizabeth was widow of Anthony Waterman.

DNA Results R1b-FTC62332

Previous testing

The Mayflower DNA Project contains three patrilineal (all male line) descendants of John Alden. FTDNA has only predicted where the family falls under the R-M269 Haplogroup. Plugging in the 67 Y-STRs in the Nevgen Y-DNA Haplogroup Predictor gives a result of either U152 or DF-27.[1] The three individuals tested have a number of STR marker differences between them. The number of mutations are to the point where they are not consistently showing up as a DNA match using the STR markers (12/25/37/67/111). It is only through the confirmation of the haplogroup assignment from the Big Y testing where we can validate these individuals descend from John Alden.

Next Generation Sequence testing

Two of the three individuals have upgraded their Y-DNA tests to the Big Y-700. The tests determined the family falls under R-P312>>U152>L2>DF103>FGC8158>FT21550>Y48952>FTC62332. Additional testing of Y-DNA descendants may discover subclades for descendants of John Alden.


  1. ↑ Both Haplogroups fall under the STR based clade of Z38841.

Related Families

The following families married daughters of John Alden.[1]

William Pabodie[2] married Elizabeth Alden

John Bass married Ruth Alden

Thomas Delano married Rebecca Alden


  1. ↑ Each of these individuals had brothers who also lived in Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies.
  2. ↑ surname later morphed into Peabody

References and External Resources

  • Woodworth-Barnes, Esther Littleford, edited by Alicia Crane Williams, Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, vol. 16 Alden General Society of Mayflower Descendants, Plymouth, MA. Part 1 (first four generations of descendants) 1999
  • Woodworth-Barnes, Esther Littleford, edited by Alicia Crane Williams, Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, vol. 16 Alden General Society of Mayflower Descendants, Plymouth, MA. Part 3 (Fifth Generation for John, Joseph & Jonathan) 2004
  • Roser, Susan E., Mayflower Increasings From the Files of George Ernest Bowman at the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD, Second edition 1995, 1996. pp. 1-10.
  • Roser, Susan E., Mayflower Passenger References (from contemporary records & scholarly Journals) [www.stewartbooks.com Stewart Publishing & Printing], Canada. Second Edition 2015
  • Anderson, Robert Charles, The Mayflower Migration: Immigrants to Plymouth, 1620, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, MA 2020


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