16, 1620. The old parish church where the family worshipped in Nazing is situated on the side of a hill overlooking parts of Hertfordshire and Middlesex and has undergone but little change since the days of King Henry the Eighth. The old oak seats carved at the ends with a variety of grotesque characters were all cleaned out in 1874 with the exception of five of them which have been refixed at the east end of the side aisles. They date back to the time of James the First and the church register of baptisms commences in 1559.

The will of Bennet Eliot was dated November 5, 1621 and proven March 28, 1628 in which he bequeaths all his rents and profits of all lands and tenements in the parishes of Ware, Widford, Hunsdon and Estweeks in the Co. of "Harford" unto three men for the space of eight years from the time of his decease and they to pay quarterly unto his son John eight pounds of lawful money towards his education at the University of Cambridge "where he is now a scholar" and the residue was to be used for the bringing up of his youngest children, Jacob, Mary and Lydia the latter to Have the chest in the yellow chamber.

In 1631 the ship Lion left the shores of England with the first group of Nazing pilgrims for their new home in America and among them was John the above student who became the noted Indian Apostle and his sister Lydia the wife of James Penniman.

2-LYDIA ELIOT daughter of Bennet and Lettese (Aggar) Eliot was baptized in the Parish Church at Nazing, England July 1, 1610 and married James Penniman before sailing for America. He died in Braintree, Massachusetts December 26, 1664 and she became the wife of Thomas Wight of Medford. The exact date of her death is not known but her will was proven September 27, 1676. (See PENNIMAN)

References:-Descendants of John Eliot page 6; New England Register Vol. 28, pages 140, 145; 396, 403 in Vol. 48 also page 80; Vol. 39 page 365.

1-GABRIEL WHELDEN was born in England but was of Plymouth Colony in 1638 and died in 1654. The name of his wife is not known that is the mother of his children. She died in Nottinghamshire, England prior to his coming to New England. He went to Yarmouth in 1639 and had with him a family of grown children. About 1648 he removed to Ly in and from there to Malden where he died between February 11, 1653/4 and April 4, 1654, dates of making and proving of his will, in which he left practically everything he had to his second wife Margaret.

Deeds show that on October 21, 1653 he and his son sold land in Arnold, Nottinghamshire, England thus furnishing to his descendants the name of the town which was without doubt his English home.

2-RUTH WHELDEN daughter of Gabriel Whelden and his first wife. married Richard Taylor as the records state that on October 27, 1646 her father gave his consent to said marriage. She died shortly before December 4, 1673 as having been drowned, her body was found on that date.

(See TAYLOR)

References:-Cape Cod Historical and Genealogical Library No. 43.

ALDEN

John Alden m Priscilla Mullines

Sarah Alden m Alexander Standish

Ebenezer Standish m Hannah Sturtevant

Hannah Standish m Seth Staples

Hannah Staples m Abraham Gushee

Lydia Gushee m Jonathan Shaw

Amyntas Shaw m Lucy Tufts Williams

Isabella M. Shaw m Charles Clark Knowlton

1-JOHN ALDEN while a passenger in the Mayflower in 1620 was not of the Leyden Congregation for Bradford states that "John Alden was hired for a cooper at South Hampton where the ship victualled; 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."

Notwithstanding the prominence he attained in his deeds of sale or gift he almost invariably describes himself as a cooper, occasionally as yeoman and only once as a gentleman. His education was above the average and tradition tells us that he was the tallest man in the community and of a fine Saxon type. He was the youngest signer of the Mayflower Compact.

John Alden was born in 1599 and died September 12, 1687 the last male

survivor of those who signed the above Compact. Davis, in his Landmarks of Plymouth states that the earliest records indicate that all the land at Plymouth between Burial Hill and Main Street once belonged to John Alden and William Bradford.

The land that John Alden owned there covered the site of the old school house and it is quite probable before his removal to Duxbury in 1627 that he lived there. His home in the latter place was destroyed accidentally by fire but as late as 1897 the old cellar could be seen.

When he removed to Duxbury he settled on the land which had been granted to him on the south side of Blue Fish River. He built his house on a rise of land near Eagle Tree Pond and the site is identified to the eastward of the present building, near the dyke and here was his well. His second house stood a little further to the west and the present house built by his grandson Col. John Alden stands still further to the west. The original grant contained one hundred and nine acres.

In 1633 he was chosen a member of the Board of Assistants to the Governor and continued with few interruptions until his death.

From 1640 to 1650 he was Deputy from Duxbury. From 1666 to 1687 he was first on the Board of Assistants and was styled Deputy Governor and on him devolved the duty of presiding in the absence of the Governor on which occasions according to the records he ruled with dignity and perseverance. Holding offices of the highest trust no important measure was proposed or any responsible agency ordered in which he had not a part. He was often one of the Council of War, many times an arbitrator, a Surveyor of lands for the government and on several important occasions was authorized to act as Agent or Attorney for the Colony. He was chosen Treasurer of the Colony in 1656 and held that office for three successive years.

He divided his estate between his children before he died and spent his last days with his son Jonathan. He married in the early part of the Spring of 1622, Priscilla the daughter of William Mullines both of whom were his fellow passengers on the Mayflower. This marriage has been immortalized by the poet Longfellow.

2-SARAH ALDEN daughter of John and Priscilla (Mullines) Alden was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1629 and died before 1688 as the wife of Alexander Standish son of Captain Myles Standish and his second wife Barbara.

(See Standish)

References: The Bradford History; New England Register, Vol. 51, pages 429, 430, 431; Vol. 52, pages 363, 364.

1—STEPHEN TRACY is listed in the marriage records of Leyden, Holland as a "say-maker, young man from England" and his marriage is recorded in Leyden to Tryphosa Le-a maid from England as taking place December 18, 1621. They emigrated to Plymouth Colony, arriving on the ship Ann in 1623 bringing with them one child named Sarah, the three being mentioned in the division of land there the next spring and also in the division of cattle. In 1627 their daughter Rebecca was included thus showing she was born between those two years.

He was a freeman of Plymouth in 1633 and of Duxbury in 1645 but returned to England about 1650 and on March 29, 1655 being at Great Yarmouth, England he gave power to John Winslow to divide all his belongings in America between his son John and his other four children in Duxbury which was done. No death dates appear in this country and he and his wife probably died in their above English home.

2-REBECCA TRACY daughter of Stephen and Tryphosa (Le) Tracy was born in Plymouth between 1623 and 1627 and married Lt. William Merrick.

(See MERRICK)

References: New England Register, Vol. 6, page 169; Vol. 15, page 30; Vol. 46, page 109; Plymouth Colony Records; Boston Manuscript, No. 3902 date, April 9, 1914.

Isabella M. Shaw m Charles Clark Knowlton

1—MR. JOHN GILBERT “a brave honest gentleman" was at Dorchester, Massachusetts with his family in 163—; removed to Taunton after 1636 and was the first Deputy from that place to the General Court of New Plymouth in 1639. He died before 1654 survived by wife Winnefred, maiden name not known.

2-THOMAS GILBERT son of John and Winnefred Gilbert was born in England and emigrated to America with his parents. He was a member of Captain Pool's Military Company in Taunton in 1643.

He married in that place March 23, 1639 Jane Rossiter and this is claimed to have been the first marriage in Taunton. She died June 1, 1691 age 77 years.

Thomas Gilbert's inventory was sworn to July 5, 1677 and it stated that he "was dead beyond the seas." His will named his daughter Mary Williams and he mentions his estate in the hands of Mistress Jane Gilbert showing that she had not gone back to the old country with him.

3-MARY GILBERT daughter of Thomas and Jane (Rossiter) Gilbert became the wife of Samuel Williams of Taunton, Mass, who died in 1697.

(See WILLIAMS)

References: New England Register, Vol. 4, page 343; Vol. 52, page 22; History of Bristol County, Mass., page 737; Vital Records, City Hall, Taunton, Vol. 1, page 92; Plymouth Records, Vol. 1, page 134; Plymouth Colony Wills, Vol. 3, part, 2, No. 78 of copy in Massachusetts State Archives.