William PABODIE

                   Archive record

The Alden Kindred of New York City and VIcinity for "The Institute of Am. Gen...Chicago, Ill.".

VR OF RI VOL 4  AM PUB A VOL 1, A8 P232

History of Plymouth Plantation Vol II by William Bradford..

The Mayflower Descendant  CD
The Date of Governor Bradford's Passenger List.	163
would reduce to less than two and one half months the time within which the list could have been written.
After studying without results the other references to the deaths of the passengers, attention was turned to the children and grandchildren mentioned by Bradford, and in his account of the family of William Mullins was found the following statement: "Only his dougter priscila survied, and maried with John Alden, who are both living, and have . 11. children. And their eldest daughter is maried & hath five children."*
John Alden's eldest daughter Elizabeth married on December 26, 1644, old style, William Pabodie, who was for many years the town clerk of Duxbury. While holding this office William Pabodie entered on the town records his own marriage, and the births of his children. The names of these children and the dates of their births I have copied directly from the original record made by their father: John, October 4, 1645; Elizabeth, April 24, 1647; Mary, August 7, 1648 ; Mercy, January 2, 1649 ; Martha, February 24, 1650; Priscilla, November 16, 1652 ; Priscilla, January 15, 1653 ; Sarah, August 7, 1656; Ruth, June 27, 1658; Rebecca, October 16, 1660; Hannah, October 15, 1662; William, November 24, 1664; Lydia, April 3, 1667.
It will be seen that the fifth child was Martha, who was born February 24, 1650, ," old, style," or March 6, 1651, "new style," and Bradford must have learned of her birth before he wrote: "And their eldest daughter is maried & hath five children."
It has therefore been demonstrated that Governor Bradford wrote his account of the Mayflower passengers and their "decreasings, & Increasings" during the four weeks between March 6, 1651, and April 3, 1651, both dates being in "new style."
* MAYFLOWER DESCENDANT, Vol. 1, p. 23.
   Those not familiar with the difference between "old style" and "new style" dating will, doubtless, think it impossible that Mary should have been born August 7, 1648, and Mercy, January 2, 1649; but when we change these dates to "new style" they become respectively August 27, 1648, and January 22, 1650, and the apparent contradiction disappears. So in the case of the two children named Priscilla. The first one was born November 26, 1652, new style, and evidently died soon, for the next child, a girl, was born January 25, 1654, new style, and was also named Priscilla.