Rev Timothy Alden, Jun. was born 28 August 1771 in Yarmouth, Barnstable County, Massachusetts to Timothy Alden (1736-1828) and Sarah Weld (1738-1796) and died 5 July 1839 Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania of unspecified causes. He married Elizabeth Shepard (1779-1820) 1796 .
Biography[]
Rev Timothy Alden, Jun., educator, was born at Yarmouth, Mass., Aug. 28, 1771. He was graduated at Harvard in 1794, then studied theology, and in 1799 became pastor of a church at Portsmouth. New Hampshire. He afterwards conducted schools in Boston. Newark and Cincinnati, directing his educational skill to teaching young women.
In 1817 he founded, and was first president of Allegheny college, Meadville PA, continuing at the head of that institution for fourteen years.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Martha Wright Alden (1798-1887) | |||
| Elizabeth Shepard Alden (1800-) | |||
| Timothy Fox Alden (1802-1856) | |||
| Robert Wormsted Alden (1804-) | |||
| Sarah Weld Josephine Alden (1812-) | |||
Siblings[]
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Timothy Alden (1771-1839) | 28 August 1771 Yarmouth, Barnstable County, Massachusetts | 5 July 1839 Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania | Elizabeth Shepard (1779-1820) |
| Isaiah Alden (1772-1843) | |||
| Martha Alden (1773-1857) | |||
| Martin Alden (1773-1838) | |||
| Oliver Alden (1775-) | |||
| Sarah Alden (1776-1847) | |||
Literary Works[]
He wrote "Missions among the Senecas," and prepared a catalogue of the New York historical society's library. He died July 5, 1839.
Courtship of Myles Standish[]
The Courtship of Miles Standish
The story of their courtship has been romanticized for all time in the story of The Courtship of Miles Standish written in poem by their descendant, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882).
The colony's military leader, Myles Standish (c1584-1656), desired the hand of Priscilla in marriage, but being to shy to speak himself, employed John as a go-between. However, Priscilla fell in love with John.
Set against the backdrop of a fierce Indian war, the tale focuses on a love triangle among three Pilgrims: Myles Standish (c1584-1656), Priscilla Mullins (1602-1680), and John Alden (c1599-1687). Longfellow claimed the story was true, but the historical evidence is inconclusive. Nevertheless, the ballad was very popular in nineteenth-century America, immortalizing the Mayflower Pilgrims.
Longfellow (a direct descendant of John and Priscilla) based his poem on a romanticized version of a family tradition, though there is no independent historical evidence for the account. The basic story was apparently handed down in the Alden family and published by John and Priscilla’s great-great-grandson, Rev. Timothy Alden (1771-1839), in 1814.[1]
The families of the alleged lovers remained close for several generations, and intermarried, moving together to Duxbury MA in the late 1620s. Descendants still retell the love triangle of their ancestors.
References[]
- Alden in Barnstable County, Massachusetts
- The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans.
- Timothy Alden, Collection of American Epitaphs and Inscriptions, pp. 264-271.
- Rev Timothy Alden - FindAGrave #62587223
- Alden House Museum Tour -
- ^ Timothy Alden, Collection of American Epitaphs and Inscriptions, pp. 264-271.