Alden (Y-DNA)

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Status summary

As of March 12, 2016:

  • Alden Kindred of America society contacted
  • Recruiting Alden for Y Elite test


Paper trail

First Generation

John Alden was born about 1599.[1] According to Gov. Bradford's manuscript, Of Plimouth 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 (daughter of Mayflower passenger William 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. He died at Duxbury on 12 Sep 1687 and was presumably buried at the Miles Standish Burying Ground in Duxbury.[3][4]

John and Priscilla had ten children, six daughters & four sons (John, Joseph, Jonathan & David)

Second Generation

Capt. John Alden was likely born in 1626 in New Plimouth.[5] He married Elizabeth Phillips and John died in 1701. They had eleven children (four daughters & seven sons: William (1663-1664), William (1665-1667), Zachariah (1667-1672), Nathaniel (1668-1701 m. Hepzibah Mountjoy), William (1669-1728 m. Mary Drury), Zachariah (1672-1709 m. Mary Viall) & Nathan (1677-1701)

Joseph Alden was born in 1627 at New Plimouth.[6] He married Mary Simmons and died in 1696. Joseph & Mary had seven children (four daughters & three sons: Isaac (1666-1727 m. Mehitable Allen), Dea. Joseph (1667-1747 m. Hannah Dunham) & John (1675-1730 m. Hannah White)

Capt. Jonathan Alden (1632-1697)[7] married Abigail Hallett and they had six children (three daughters & three sons: John (1681-1739 m. Hannah Briggs), Andrew (1684-c1775 m. Lydia Stanford) & Jonathan (1686-1770 m. Elizabeth Arnold & Mehitable Allen))

David Alden (1646-1718) married Mary Southworth and they had six children (four daughters & two sons: Benjamin (1690-1741 m. Hannah Brewster) & Capt. Samuel (1688-1781 m. Sarah Sprague)


  1. The year of his birth is inferred from a deposition made at Plymouth, 6 Jul 1682, in which he stated he was then aged 83.
  2. Some sources state they were married 12 May 1622 but the source for this date is not known.
  3. This was the only town cemetery at this time. It is remotely possible John & Priscilla may have been buried on their family farm.
  4. 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. 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.
  7. His gravestone states he died "February ye 14th 1697[/8] in ye 66th year of his age" (that is to say age 65).

Results

Previous testing

The Mayflower DNA Project lists three all male line descendants of John Alden. None of the three individuals have done any SNP testing. One individual has tested 67 Y-STRs. 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]

Next Generation Sequence testing

NGS testing of direct male-line descendants would further refine the haplogroup assignment for this family and also likely separate descendants of his sons (given enough individuals with the appropriate lineages test).


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

External Resources

wikipedia entry for John Alden

Caleb Johnson's Mayflower History entry for John Alden

Find-a-grave memorial for John Alden

wikitree entry for John Alden

New England Historical and Genealogical Society "Mayflower 2020" entry for John Alden


Alden Kindred of America website