OUR HISTORY

The increasing interest in colonial history and genealogy in the 1890s that lead to the establishment of the Mayflower Descendant societies also inspired the founding of the Alden Kindred. Miss A. Ella Alden of Middleboro conducted a correspondence campaign with as many Alden’s as she could identify, urging them to attend a family reunion on September 11, 1901. About 150 people were at that first gathering in Highland Park in Avon, Massachusetts, when the decision was made to create a permanent organization, the Alden Kindred of America. The second reunion in 1902 was at the Alden house in Duxbury at the invitation of the homes steward John Winsor Alden. In 1905, the Alden Kindred began a discussion about acquiring the property, which at that time consisted of about 2.7 acres, and in 1907 purchased the house.

In the decades since the Alden Kindred took ownership of the house, it has truly been a work in progress. Thanks to the hard work and dedication put forth by members of the Alden Kindred, we have conducted a great deal of research to better understand the Alden story, and continue to conduct the important work of preserving the home for future generations of Americans.