Marty and Karla Grant
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Robert Alden (d ca 1686) and Eleanor Willis Alden Kemp Stockdale (1655-c1716) of Middlesex and Essex Co., VA
[Sams Home]* - [Table of Contents] - Robert Alden and Eleanor Willis
* I didn’t create a separate Alden section of my website as this is the only Alden family I’m researching.
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Robert Alden and Eleanor Willis are my 9 times Great Grandparents.
I’d like to acknowledge the very well documented web page: Early Colonial Settlers of Southern Maryland and Virginia’s Northern Neck Counties which I discovered while making this page. The author there has information on this family which aligned quite well with what I’d found, but also included several items I hadn’t seen before, so it was quite helpful.
I haven’t found much on Robert Alden thus far, but I’ll present what little I do have.
Robert Alden was probably born ca 1655 or earlier. His wife Eleanor was born in that year, so he was probably her age or older.
I don’t know where he was born, nor who his parents were.
Robert married Eleanor Willis before ca 1681, presumably in Middlesex Co., VA, though no record of their marriage was recorded in Christ Church Parish, however, the baptisms of some of their children were recorded there.
Eleanor Willis was born 18 Apr 1655 in Middlesex Co., VA, a child of Thomas Willis and Mary (—), as named in Christ Church Parish records.
On 6 Feb 1670, Eleanor’s mother Mary Willis, widow, made a deed to her children Richard, John and Ellinor Willis, all under age. The old handwriting was very hard to make out, but it was apparently a marriage contract wherein Mary was about to marry Matthew Bentley and wanted to make sure her children had their inheritances protected. (Middlesex Co., VA Order Book 1, p. 115.)
Robert and Eleanor Alden’s children were listed in the baptism records of Christ Church Parish: Jane on 21 Aug 1681; John 8 Apr 1683 and Katherine on 24 May 1685.
They had one more child, Mary, born ca 1686, who wasn’t listed for some reason. Some believe Mary and Jane are the same person, but it was extremely rare for anyone to have two names during that era, excluding their proper name and a nickname.
Neither Robert Alden’s death nor burial are reported in the Christ Church Parish records, though he was dead by 1688.
Eleanor Alden was named in the Will of her brother John Willis dated 20 Apr 1688 in Middlesex Co., VA. He named her, and her children John Alden and Mary Alden, but stated no relationships to any of them. (A court record in Feb 1690 pertaining to this Will states that John and Mary Alden are Eleanor’s children, but it doesn’t state Eleanor is his sister.) John Willis named his brother Richard Willis executor. (Middlesex Co., VA Court Records A, 1675-1698 pp. 43-44.)
On 4 Feb 1688/89, Eleanor Alding sued Henry Thacker in Middlesex Court for being the father of her child born April 1688. She declared she couldn’t keep the child and that the Parish would have to take care of it. The Parish dismissed the case but declared that Thacker had to take care of the child. Other records show the child was named Lettice Alden.
Eleanor Alden was named in two consecutive court records in Feb 1690 Middlesex Co., VA related to the Will of her brother John Willis, deceased. (Middlesex Co., VA Order Book 2, p. 292, two entries back to back.)
On 2 Jan 1692/93 Lettice Aldin, daughter of Eleanor Aldin was bound out to Marvell Mosely until she comes of age.
At some point before ca 1694 Eleanor Willis Alden married Richard Kemp. The births of three of their children are recorded in Christ Church Parish records: Ann 1694, Rachel 1696 and Richard 1698.
On 5 Jun 1705, Richard Kemp Sr and wife Elianor of Middlesex Co., VA gave a gift of 300 acres to Eleanor’s daughters Mary Naule (Nalle) and Katherine Turbett. Richard Kemp and Eleanor Kemp signed. Witnesses were G. Corbin, J. Parsons and John Owen. (Essex Co., VA Deed and Will Book 12, p. 115.)
Richard Kemp made his Will ca May 1714 (proven 13 May 1714) in Essex Co., VA, St. Ann’s Parish. He named:
∙ Son Richard Kemp
∙ Dau Ann Taliaferro
∙ Dau Rachel Gatewood
∙ Wife Elinor
∙ Eliza Minor (no relationship stated)
∙ Joan Guttrey (NRS)
∙ Mary Nall (NRS, but this is Eleanor’s daughter)
∙ Catherine Talburt (NRS, but this is Eleanor’s daughter)
∙ Executors: Son Richard and my two sons-in-law Charles Taliaferro and Richard Gatewood and wife Elinor.
Richard Kemp signed. Witnesses were Thomas Ramsey, Robt Biswell, Francis Abbott, Eliza Abbott. (Old Rappahannock Co., VA Deeds & Wills Book 14, p. 248.)
At some point after 1714, Eleanor, now twice widowed, married a third time to Philip Stockdale. This, is also per The Virginia Genealogist, Volume 48, 2004, p. 232 as cited on Colonial Settlers ... web pages. The web site author there noted he hadn’t found any record to support this. Nor have I. In fact, I found very little on Phillip Stockdale.
The only record I’ve found thus far is a 1733 deed wherein John Rucker of Spotsylvania Co., VA sold land to Phillip Stockdale of Essex Co.,VA, St. Anne’s Parish. Due to the late date, this might be an entirely different Phillip Stockdale. Spotsylvania Co., VA Deed Book B, pp. 515-518, dated 2 Mar 1733.)
The last record I’ve seen (so far) for Eleanor is the 1714 Will of her husband Richard Kemp. She was cited in a 1722 deed between her daughters Mary and Katherine, but Eleanor wasn’t a party to that deed, only mentioned in reference, so may have been dead by then.
If the Richard Stockdale I found in the 1733 deed is her husband, then he was still alive through then at least.
Robert Alden and Eleanor Willis had four children, three proven by Christ Church Records, and the fourth by a deed and a Will, they are: Jane, John, Katherine and Mary Alden.
Eleanor Willis Alden, about a year after being widowed, apparently had a child out of wedlock with Henry Thacker. That child was named Lettice Alden, born 1688. She took her mother’s legal surname at the time, as was the law for out-of-wedlock children, even if acknowledged by the father, thus the child was an Alden, not a Thacker.
Eleanor and her second husband, Richard Kemp, had three children as proven by Christ Church Parish records and by Richard’s Will. They were Ann, Rachel and Richard Kemp (Jr). He also gave 600 pounds of tobacco each to Eliza Minor, Jean Guttrey, Mary Nall and Catherine Talburt. He didn’t state their relationship to him. However, we know that Mary and Catherine are his step-daughters, Eleanor’s daughters by Robert Alden. They had an older sister named Jane. Was Eliza Minor another child of Eleanor’s? I haven’t been able to prove or disprove that.
Due to her age at the time Eleanor married Phillip Stockton (about 58), it is doubtful she had any children with him.
1. Jane Alden was born before 21 Aug 1681, for on that date she was baptized at Christ Church Parish, Middlesex Co., VA:
“Jane Alldin the Daughter of Robert & Ellianor Alldin baptz ditto day” [21 Aug 1681]
I don’t know what became of Jane Alden. Richard Kemp named a “Jean Guttrey” in his 1714 Will, “To Eliza Minor, Jean Guttrey, Mary Nall, Catherine Talburt” each received 600 pounds of tobacco. No relationship was given, though we know that Mary and Catherine are proven daughters of Richard’s wife Eleanor. Are the others her children too, or perhaps step-daughters from a prior marriage? Hard to say with any certainty.
If the entry is for Jane Alden, she was married to a Mr. Guttrey (a variant spelling of Guthrey) prior to 1714. However, I haven’t yet found any evidence to prove that Jean Guttrey of the Will is Jane Alden. There is a Jane Guttrey, wife of John Guttrey, in Christ Church Parish records during that time, however, those same records show that a John Gutterie married Jane Mitcham on 4 Aug 1710. I’m thinking the Christ Church John and Jane records I found are all for that couple, meaning if Jane Alden was also married to a Guttrey, it wasn’t John. There is a death record for Jane Guttery who died 22 Apr 1722 and was buried 24 Apr 1722. I don’t know if that is John’s wife, or another Jane.
More research may help resolve what became of Jane Alden, and whether she married a Guthrey before 1714.
2. John Alden was born in March 1682/1683 in Middlesex Co., VA and baptized the next month:
John Alldin ye son of Robert & Ellianor Alldin borne po (sic) Marcch 1682/83 and was Baptized ye 8th of Aprill 1683.
When John’s uncle, and probable namesake, John Willis made his Will on 20 Apr 1688, he left land to John Alden. (Middlesex Co., VA Court Records A, 1675-1698 pp. 43-44.)
The above Will, and John Alden, was mentioned in court in Feb 1690.
I don’t know yet what became of John Alden after 1690. There is a marriage at Christ Church Parish for John Alding and Frances Williamson dated 16 Feb 1704. Several children’s births/baptisms were also recorded at Christ Church (Elizabeth 1704, Frances 1707, Martha 1711, John 1716 and Mary 1720). I think this is our John, but it’s possible it’s not.
John Alden died on 1 Apr 1727 in Middlesex and was buried 3 Apr 1727. He would have been 45 if this is indeed the same John.
I found online trees, sans documentation of course, that show this John dying in the 1770s in Halifax Co., NC. I do know that some of the Williamsons went there. Perhaps it was this John’s son John (1716-?) who went to NC?
3. Katherine Alden was born before 24 May 1685 for that is the date she was baptized at Christ Church. Katherine is my ancestor. She first married John Turbett (Tolbert, Tarbut, Talbot, Carbutt, etc.) in 1704. After his death, she married James Sams ca 1715. He died ca 1726. Shortly afterward, she married a third time to Patrick Bolding. See her page for more information.
4. Mary Alden was born ca 1686, presumably in Middlesex Co., VA. She is the only child of Robert and Eleanor whose birth or baptism wasn’t recorded at Christ Church. However, she is a proven child as named in the April 1688 Will of her uncle John Willis as Mary Alden.
She is further proven by a 1705 deed. On 5 Jun 1705, Richard Kemp Sr and wife Eleanor (Elianor) of Middlesex Co., VA gave a gift of 300 acres to Eleanor’s daughters Mary Naule and Katherine Turbett. Richard Kemp and Eleanor Kemp signed. Witnesses were G. Corbin, J. Parsons and John Owen. (Essex Co., VA Deed and Will Book 12, p. 115.)
Mary was also named in her step-father Richard Kemp’s 1714 Will as Mary Nall, no relationship given.
Mary Alden married Martin Nalle before 5 Jun 1705, probably in Essex Co., VA.
I don’t have much information on them yet. Martin Nalle apparently left a Will dated 9 Apr 172(8?) in Essex Co., VA naming some of his children, but mentioning there were 8 in all. He was dead by 18 Sep 1728. Mary Alden Nalle made her Will on 22 Mar 1734 naming several of their children, proving 7 in all between the two Wills. She was dead by April 1734.
Some researchers have concluded that this Mary and Jane Alden (see above) are the same person, i.e. Mary Jane Alden which would explain why Jane’s birth is recorded but Mary’s isn’t. However, I can’t agree with that as it was very rare for anyone to have two names during that era, even though “Mary Jane” did become a very common name combination later on. I could be wrong in this case, but until I see some evidence I’m going to assume that Jane and Mary Alden are two different people.
Check out this web page for some interesting and well documented information on Martin Nalle: https://sites.google.com/view/alsup-connection/other-data/stories-notes/martin-nalle
5. Lettice Alden was born April 1688, which is about a year or two after the death of Robert Alden. Apparently, Eleanor had her with Henry Thacker, out of wedlock. Her birth was not recorded in the Christ Church Parish records even though they usually did record out of wedlock births of their members. From what I can tell (unless there were two contemporary men of that name), Henry Thacker was married at the time of Lettice’s birth.
I didn’t find any record of Lettice Alden marrying or dying. She wasn’t named in any of the deeds or other records as far as I could find. She may have died while still quite young. She was last mentioned in Jan 1692/93 when bound out to Marvell Moseley.
6. Ann Kemp was born 13 Aug 1694 in Middlesex Co., VA as listed in the Christ Church Parish Records. She married Charles Taliaferro before 1714, probably in Essex Co., VA, as stated in her father’s 1714 Will. I have not researched this branch of the family thus far.
7. Rachel Kemp was born 3 Apr 1696 in Middlesex Co., VA as listed in the Christ Church Parish Records. She married Richard Gatewood before 1714, probably in Essex Co., VA, as stated in her father’s 1714 Will. I have not researched this branch of the family thus far.
8. Richard Kemp (Jr) was born 6 Apr 1698 in Middlesex Co., VA as listed in the Christ Church Parish Records. He was named in his father’s 1714 Will. I have not researched this branch of the family thus far.
For Family Group Sheet and other notes see my database pages for Robert Alden and Eleanor, and for Richard Kemp and Eleanor.
Revised: March 5, 2025
Copyright © 1996-2025 Marvin A. Grant, Jr. All Rights Reserved.
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