Mayflower Ancestors: Howland, Tilley, Alden, and Mullins

Shallop Elizabeth Tilley
Mayflower Replica
The Pilgrim John Howland Society

As it happens, I am a descendant of Mayflower passengers, John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley, as well as fellow passengers John Alden and Pricilla Mullins. John and Elizabeth Howland are my 12^th great-grandparents while John and Priscilla Alden are my 11^th great-grandparents. Since my Mayflower ancestors knew each other, I thought it would be fun to discuss who they were and make some comparisons about the two couples.

Priscilla Mullins was born ca. 1602, probably in Dorking, England. She boarded the Mayflower with her mother Alice, father William, brother Joseph, and her fathers’ servant Richard. William Mullins was a well-to-do shoe merchant (cordwainer) and the family was likely relocating for economic reasons more than religious freedom. Everyone in the party except Priscilla died during the first winter 1620-1621 in Plymouth Colony. Although Priscilla had a brother and sister living in England, she opted to stay in the New World.

At 23 years-old John Alden, most likely from Harwich, Essex County, England was hired as cooper (barrel maker) and ships carpenter for the Mayflower voyage. He was given the option of staying in Plymouth Colony or returning to England and the New World won out.  

John Alden and Priscilla Mullins

The marriage of Priscilla Mullins to John Alden in 1622 was probably the third marriage by colonists in the New World. Since William Mullins, Priscilla’s father was deceased; custom dictated that John Alden seek permission for the marriage from the men of the colony. The Alden’s produced ten children that survived into adulthood, eight of which gave them grandchildren.

 
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a descendant of Priscilla Mullins and John Alden, wrote a poem titled, The Courtship of Miles Standish in which Priscilla is credited with one of the most witty and quotable sayings by a woman. In a story that has no proven documentation, but is kept alive by the oral history of family, Miles Standish apparently asked his good friend John Alden to propose to Priscilla Mullins for him, to which Priscilla responded “Why don’t you speak for yourself, John?” It’s really up to you how much credence you give this story. Some claim that a rift was created between John Alden and Miles Standish, however this seems unlikely considering that they continued to work together in community matters and John’s daughter Sarah married Miles’ son Alexander.
  
 Elizabeth Tilley was born in Henlow, Bedfordshire, England in 1607 to separatists John Tilley and Joan Hurst. Elizabeth traveled on the Mayflower with her parents, aunt Ann and uncle Edward Tilley, and cousins Henry Samson and Humility Cooper. Edward was John Tilley’s brother. Elizabeth Tilly had four siblings that were married with families that remained back in England. As the only survivor in her family, Elizabeth was orphaned at age 13, during the first winter that resulted in the deaths of so many pilgrims. Elizabeth resided with the first governor of Plymouth Colony, John Carver and his wife Catherine until they passed away the following year after arriving in the New World, in 1621. Elizabeth married fellow Mayflower passenger John Howland about 1624.

  

John Howland Overboard
Painting by Dr. Mike Haywood

Born ca. 1599 in Fenstanton, England, John Howland was a maidservant to John Carver. He was more likely a personal assistant or butler type of servant, although no one was immune to hard work in the New World. When the Carver household died in Plymouth Colony, John no doubt benefited from inheriting their property since there were no Carver heirs. (The Carvers two children died in Leiden, Holland.) On the Mayflower voyage, John Howland narrowly escaped death when he was tossed from the ship during a storm, yet managed to grab the topsail halyard and fellow passengers pulled him back onto the ship.



Elizabeth outlived John by fifteen years when she died in December 1687. She opted not to remarry and instead lived with her children, primarily daughter Lydia. The union of Elizabeth Tilley and John Howland yielded ten children and eighty-four grandchildren, making them one of the largest Mayflower families with the most descendants. It’s estimated that over one million successors reside in the United States. Two of John Howland’s brothers, Henry and Arthur Howland, who were Quakers, moved to Massachusetts probably in the 1630s.

In 1634 John Howland and John Alden were commissioners of Kennebunkport trade post where they held an exclusive patent. This trading post was very important to the colonist’s ability to repay the investors of their voyage. A notable incident occurred when a group of about five colonists, ordered by John Howland, confronted trespasser John Hocking, who was squatting on land operated by the pilgrims. Hocking put a gun to Moses Talbot’s head and John Howland implored Hocking to aim at him instead, but Hocking killed Moses Talbot and the colonists then killed Hocking. As the highest ranking member of the commission, the Massachusetts Bay Colony arrested John Alden, who wasn’t even involved in the incident, and held him until Myles Standish and Governor William Bradford intervened.

John Alden, Priscilla Mullins, John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley all very likely could have returned to England if they wanted to, but they choose to remain in the New World. Both John’s were working members of the Mayflower voyage, their presence based on skills that they possessed, and their new lives in the New World included important positions within the community, such as serving as deputy to the court. As teenage young women, Priscilla and Elizabeth accompanied, and were orphaned by their families in the New World yet went on to raise two of the largest Mayflower families.

John Howland m. Elizabeth Tilley                 John Alden m. Priscilla Mullins

Desire Howland m. John Gorham                  Ruth Alden m. John Bass
Temperance Gorham m. Edward Sturgis       Joseph Bass m. Mary Belcher
Fear Sturgis m. Joshua Holmes                      Elizabeth Bass m. Daniel Henshaw
Mary Holmes m. John Randall                       Elizabeth Bass Henshaw m. Samuel Denny
John Randall m. Lucy Brown                         Joseph Denny m. Phebe Henshaw
Lucy Randall m. Amos Breed Sr.                   Lucinda Henshaw Denny m. Lucius Botsford Jr.
Amos Breed Jr. m. Eliphael Phally Weaver  John Sherman Botsford m. Rhoda Bond Look
Amos Breed II m. Elisa Dye                           Clarissa Botsford m. Amos Allen
Abigail Jane Breed m. James B. Chapin       Flora Allen m. George Chapin
George Chapin m. Flora Allen                     Roy Chapin m. Madeline Wilson
Roy E. Chapin  m. Madeline Wilson            Chapin m. Mutch
Chapin m. Mutch                                             Dad m. Mom
Dad m. Mom                                                     Me
Me

  *Notice that Mayflower descent is through two of my dad’s great-grandparents. Flora Allen was the 7^th great-granddaughter of the Alden’s, while George Chapin was the 8^th great-grandson of the Howland’s.