The Warren Cousins
The Warren Cousins
The Warren Family Story
Richard Warren boarded the Mayflower alone on 16 September 1620 leaving his wife, Elizabeth, and five daughters Mary, Ann, Sarah, Elizabeth and Abigail, behind. A wise decision, perhaps as disease, freezing weather and other dangers hit the Pilgrims hard until fewer than half of the passengers and crew remained. Three years later, when Richard Warren finally deemed the conditions suitable, his family arrived on the Anne.
In England
He is said to be “of London” but Richard Warren is believed to have been born in the late 1570s or early 1580s in Hertfordshire. While his ancestry is unknown, there is a Warren family living in the vicinity of Therfield in Hertfordshire that may lead to clues of his ancestry.
He married Elizabeth Walker on 10 April 1610 at the Parish Church of St. John the Baptist in Great Amwell, Hertfordshire. Elizabeth was baptized at Baldock, Hertfordshire in September 1583, the daughter of Augustine Walker. Richard Warren was one of the few Merchant Venture financial backers who signed on to make the Mayflower voyage as a member of the Leiden contingent.
In William Bradford's recollection of that time, he noted: "Mr. Richard Warren, but his wife and children were lefte behind, and came afterwards."
In Plymouth Colony
Richard was the 12th Signer of the Mayflower Compact, on 11 November 1620, while the ship was anchored in Provincetown Harbor. He participated in some of the early expeditions of Cape Cod to find a place for Plymouth Colony to start building. He was also a member of the party that first came upon the Indians in what has later been referred to as the First Encounter.The Warrens had two more children, Nathaniel and Joseph, in Plymouth Colony.Richard Warren received two acres of land in the Division of Land in 1623, and four years later his family shared in the Division of Cattle - receiving several animals that had arrived on the ship Jacob, apparently in 1625.
Death and Legacy
The only record of Richard Warren's death can be found in Nathaniel Morton's 1669 book titled 'New England's Memorial', in which he wrote: "This year (1628) died Mr. Richard Warren, who... was an useful instrument and during his life bare a deep share in the difficulties and troubles of the first settlement of the Plantation of New Plymouth."He was buried at Burial Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the same site as several other notable Pilgrims including William Bradford and William Brewster.
Elizabeth Warren outlived her husband by some 45 years and died on 2 October 1673, before also being laid to rest on Burial Hill. The couple's seven children all survived into adulthood, married, and created large families. This means that Richard Warren is one of the most common passengers of the Mayflower with many descendants. Some of his most notable descendants include US Presidents Ulysses S Grant and Franklin D. Roosevelt, astronaut Alan Shepard and pop star Taylor Swift.
Children of Richard and Elizabeth (Walker) Warren:
1. Mary Warren, born in England, circa 1610; died at Plymouth, 27 March 1683; married at Plymouth, after 22 May 1627, circa 1629, Robert Bartlett. They had eight children: Benjamin, Rebecca, Mary, Sarah, Joseph, Elizabeth, Lydia and Mercy Bartlett.
2. Anna Warren, born in England, circa 1612; died at Marshfield, after 19 February 1675/76; married at Plymouth, 19 April 1633, Thomas Little. They had nine children: Abigail, Ruth, Hannah, Patience, Mercy, Isaac, Ephraim, Thomas and Samuel Little.
3. Sarah Warren, born in England, circa 1614; died probably at Dartmouth, after 15 July 1696, John Cooke. They had five children: Sarah, Elizabeth, Hester, Mary and Mercy Cooke.
4. Elizabeth Warren, born in England, circa 1616; died at Hingham, 9 March 1669/70; married at Plymouth, before 14 March 1635, Richard Church. They had eleven children: Elizabeth, Joseph, Benjamin, Nathaniel, ?Richard, Charles, Caleb, Abigail, Sarah, Mary and Deborah Church.
5. Abigail Warren, born in England, circa 1618; died at Marshfield, after 3 January 1692/93; married at Plymouth, 8 November 1639, Anthony Snow. They had six children: Lydia, Josiah, Abigail, Sarah, son, and Alice Snow.
6. Nathaniel Warren, born at Plymouth, circa 1624; died at Plymouth, between 16 July 1667 and 21 October 1667; married at Plymouth, 19 November 1645, Sarah Walker. They had 12 children: Richard, Sarah, Hope, Jane, Elizabeth, Alice, Mercy, Mary, Nathaniel, John, James and Jabez Warren.
7. Joseph Warren, born at Plymouth, circa 1626; died at Plymouth, 15 May 1707; married at Plymouth, circa 1652, Priscilla Faunce. They had six children: Mercy, Abigail, Joseph, Patience, Elizabeth and Benjamin Warren.
More about Richard Warren and Elizabeth Walker
A Woman of Valor: Elizabeth Warren of Plymouth Colony
How Elizabeth Warren became Plymouth Colony's Most Successful Businesswoman
The Marriage of Richard Warren of The Mayflower