New History of Alden House

JUST PUBLISHED - Alden House History: A Work in Progress by James W. Baker, Curator. This is the first comprehensive history of the Alden House to be published. It tells the story of how the Alden family acquired their homestead in Duxbury, about two houses they built on the homestead (and the unsolved mystery of a possible third house), about the people who lived in the Alden House that still stands today, and about the Alden Kindred’s century of stewardship of the house and property. Paper cover, 60 pages, $6.00. To order go to www.alden.org and use the order form under Aunt Polly's Gift shop. There is a $2.00 shipping and $2.50 handling charge on all orders (check out other gift items while you are there). This little book will make a great Christmas gift for family members!

Alden House on TV

Premiering on November 19, the History Channel will have a three-hour special on the Pilgrim's troubled journey and the founding of Plymouth Colony. A number of the interviews of scholars from England and America and several "talking head" segments were filmed in the Alden House. This includes Nathaniel Philbrick, author of the hot new book Mayflower; Prof. Len Travers of UMass Dartmouth; Ramona Peters, Mashpee Wampanoag artist; Carolyn Travers, Plymouth Plantation Research; and our Alden curator Jim Baker.

The press release for the program reads in part:
It's a story familiar to most of us from school. And in many ways, the story of the passengers on the Mayflower is like that of every immigrant who has come to America to start a new life. Yet the true story of the Pilgrims is far more complex than the one we learned as children -- and also more intriguing. This is a decades-long epic tale, filled with real drama, tragedy, and inspiration...

"These are not the sober, gray-haired Founding Fathers of legend -- they're young, passionate and highly educated rebels who believe their kind's religion violates the true faith. Condemned as traitors in England and forced into a life of exile and poverty in Holland, the group decides to risk all and take their chances in the wilds of America..."

Alden Kin Search Project Updated Database

The 2007 edition of the Alden Kin Search Project Eight Generation Database is now available. This edition updates the 2003 version and is available both on our website for free and on CD for purchase. This updated database contains the names of 54,191 descendants and spouses (representing 17,686 marriages) -- 10,000 more names than the previous edition. The published database only contains information on the first eight generations of descendants. Information on later generations may be obtained by writing to me at genealogist@alden.org or aldenkindred@aol.com.

The goal of the Alden Kin Search Project is to identify all 1 million Alden descendants (estimated, of course). We still have a lot more information that has been sent to us which needs to be added to the database, and we will have more updates in the future. Submissions of additonal information for the database are welcome (please include sources when possible).

The website version of the Alden Eight Generations database (www.alden.org), which is free, is in html and does not include the notes and comments that give information about sources. The CD contains the full version of the database in two forms, html and GEDCOM. The latter can be used to upload the database, or portions thereof, to your own genealogy program if desired.

The CD sells for $25 plus $2.00 shipping and $2.50 handling. Members of the Alden Kindred receive a 10% discount. To order, go to the website and use the order form or send check to Alden Kindred of America, PO Box 2754, Duxbury, MA 02331-2754. Massachusetts residents must add 5% sales tax. For membership information, use either of the e-mail addresses above.

Welcome

This is the place for news and information of the Alden Kindred of America and the descendants of John and Priscilla Alden. For full details on the Kindred, go to our website at www.alden.org.