Capt John ALDEN

1626 - 1702  (76 years)

• Name	John ALDEN
  Prefix	Capt
  Born	1626	Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts
  Gender	Male
  Religion	Old South Church, Boston
  Alden-Mullins descendant?	Y
  Witchcraft connection?	Y
  Witch Description	Jailed for witchcraft, but escaped.
  Died	14 Mar 1702	Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts
  Buried	Old South Church, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts   [1]
  Person ID	I5205	Main
  Last Modified	9 Dec 2023

  
  

  Father	John ALDEN,   b. Abt 1598, England ,   d. 22 Sep 1687, Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts  (Age ~ 89 years)
  Mother	Priscilla MULLINS,   b. Abt 1603, Dorking, Surrey, England ,   d. Bef 1687  (Age ~ 83 years)
  Married	1621	Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts
  Family ID	F1875	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Elizabeth PHILIPS,   b. Bef 1636, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts ,   d. Abt 1696, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts  (Age > 60 years)
  Married	Abt Apr 1660	Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts   [2]
  Last Modified	9 Dec 2023
  Family ID	F15325	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - 1626 - Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts Married - Abt Apr 1660 - Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Died - 14 Mar 1702 - Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Notes

  For most of his adult life he maintained his residence at Boston. He was a freeman. He was a mariner (sea captain), and later he became a naval commander of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was involved with trade from Virginia to England. He also traded with the French in Nova Scotia. He lost cargo to the Bermuda Company and lost a ship to the Dutch. As a prominent and respected citizen, he also negotiated for the release of captives taken by Indians. Captain Alden was summoned by the magistrates of Salem on 28 May 1692 to answer an accusation of witchcraft. He "was confronted by a lot of wenches whom he had never before seen, and accused of bewitching them." One of the accusers first identified the wrong man, but was corrected by that same man, and she then pointed to Alden. She stated, "There stands Alden, a bold fellow with his hat on, sells powder and shot to the Indians, lies with the sqaws and has papooses." He was jailed. The other accusers claimed that Alden pinched them when he was standing at a distance from them. Even one of the judges, Bartholomew Gedney, said he had known Capt. Alden for years and had thought him an honest man, but now was changing his mind. Alden was told to look at his accusers, and they fell down on the floor. He was committed to a Boston jail with no bail. He was imprisoned for 15 weeks. Friends convinced him to escape and absent himself until the situation had cooled down. There were about 100 people then accused and imprisoned for witchcraft. He escaped just before the execution of nine victims, and perhaps went back to relatives in Duxbury. He returned to Court in Boston in April 1693, turned himself in, but no one appeared to prosecute. He and 150 others were discharged. —— This graves and two others were placed in the 19th century upon the outter wall of the Old South Church on the Boylston Street side. This is the resting spot of the gravestone, not the remains of the individuals. [1, 3]

  
  

• Sources

  [S96] Find a Grave, database and images, 35732843. [S151] WikiTree, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Phillips-2. [S151] WikiTree, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Alden-6.