| Ralph Wallen migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1620-1640). Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm |
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Some without source have claimed he was the son of Ralph Wallen and Margaret Lawson, and made other claims about his life in England prior to emigration as described in the Research Notes below. However, Anderson and other leading Plymouth researchers have concluded that “nothing is known” of the English origin of Ralph Wallen or his wife Joyce ___. [1][2][3]
In addition, a previous version of this profile identified Anne Walden, and Richard and Jane Wallen (no WikiTree profiles, both died young), as additional children. These children have been removed for the reasons described in the Research Notes below.
Based on the date of his marriage, Ralph Wallen was likely born in England before 1595. By 1623, he had married Joyce ___.[4]
In April 1623, Ralph and Joyce Wallen sailed from London on the HMS "Anne," accompanied by the "Little James," bound for Plymouth in the New World.[5][6] These were the 3rd Puritan sailings for America, following the "Mayflower" in 1620 and the "Fortune" in 1621. There is no known manifest of the passengers on the Anne, however their passage is proven by their inclusion in the 1623 land division specifically for passengers on the Anne. The records of the land division indicate that " "Ralfe Walen" received an allotment of land near the Eel River, abutting against Hobes Hole.[7] "Raph" Wallen is listed as one of the Purchasers, i.e., the planters resident in Plymouth Colony in October 1626.[8] Ralph and Joyce Wallen participated in the division of cattle and goats in Plymouth Colony in 1627.[9] "Raph" Wallen appears on the list of freemen in the colony in 1633, among those made free before 1 January 1632/3.[10]
The 1627 Division of Cattle list includes only Ralph and Joyce in this family, and most researchers agree that this Division of Cattle list captures all residents of Plymouth Colony at that time, even newborn babies, excluding only a few transient residents.[11] Thus, it is likely that that Ralph and Joyce were a childless couple on June 1, 1627.[12] However, Ralph and Joyce probably had at least one and possibly two children after 1 June 1627. These included:
Ralph Wallen was still alive on February 5, 1638, as he acknowledged receipt of a payment from Thomas Clark on that day.[15] He also received a portion of a cow in a distribution in July 1638. [16] However, he died before August 1643, when Plymouth Colony listed its men between the ages of sixteen and sixty who were able to bear arms. Ralph's name was not on that list, nor did he request a dispensation.[17] Joyce Wallen sold property on September 7, 1643, calling herself a widow.[18]
Ralph Wallen's name is spelled in various ways in the available records. On the 1623 Plymouth division of land, he is called Ralfe Walen,[19] while in a 1627 division of cattle, he is called Ralph Wallen.[20] In later generations, his likely descendants spelled this name Wallen, Walling, Wallin, Walwin, Walden, and other variants. The predominant spelling of his name in the Plymouth records is “Wallen,” and therefore that spelling is used for this profile.
Some, without source, claim that Ralph Wallen was born in Halton, Lancashire, the son of Ralph Wallen and Margaret Lawson, who married at All Saints church in Rotherham, Yorkshire, West Riding, on 13 July 1578,[21] and moved to Halton in Lancashire before Ralph was born. Possibly contradicting this claim is a second marriage at that same church in Rotherham on 2 Dec 1600 between a “Ralph Wollin” and Margaret Woodruff, indicating the older Ralph may still have been living in Yorkshire rather than Lancashire in 1600.[22] The only source attached to this profile which makes these claims about Ralph’s English origins is Hawley, which cites no sources.
Similarly, a previous version of this profile claimed:
The Wallen (Walling) story of Plymouth in New England begins in Halton, near Lancaster, a tiny English village, where three brothers: Richard, Ralph Jr., and Thomas Wallen, lived. Their parents were Ralph Wallen, Sr., and his wife Margaret (Lawson) Wallen, both from Yorkshire, England. They had been married in Rutherford, West Riding of Yorkshire, in 1578 and lived in Halton, Lancashire. Ralph Jr., was born around 1590. Richard and Thomas were born around 1595 to 1598. Apparently the family were Puritans who hoped to reform the Church of England from within rather than organizing a new religion.
Some have also claimed that he was a tailor.
However, no source for these family stories is cited.
A previous version of this profile identified three additional children of Ralph and Joyce Wallen:
No source was cited for the claims concerning Richard or Jane and there does not appear to be any basis for those claims.
Some researchers have identified Anne (Walden) Smalley as the daughter of Ralph and Joyce; this argument may originate with Wilder, who bases the claim on the similar last name, proximity in Plymouth colony at the time of Ann Walden’s marriage to John Smalley in 1638, and the fact that Joyce Wallen’s household was the only Wallen family in Plymouth at the time of their marriage.[23] However, other evidence contradicts this claim. As noted above, there is no child listed for Ralph and Joyce Wallen in the Division of Cattle in 1627, indicating that Ralph and Joyce were a childless couple in 1627. If Anne Walden was born to Ralph and Joyce Wallen in or before 1627, she should appear on this list, but she does not. If she was born to them after 1627, then she would have been only 11 years old or younger when she married John Smalley in 1638. Several carefully-researched sources conclude that only Mary (probably) and Thomas (possibly) can be identified as the children of Ralph and Joyce.[24]
See also:
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Ralph is 15 degrees from June Cash, 16 degrees from Patsy Cline, 25 degrees from Mickey Guyton, 16 degrees from Naomi Judd, 15 degrees from Loretta Lynn, 32 degrees from Rita MacNeil, 18 degrees from Reba McEntire, 19 degrees from Joy Kirkpatrick, 17 degrees from Dolly Parton, 16 degrees from Minnie Pearl, 18 degrees from Kitty Wells and 24 degrees from Andrew Turvey on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
Categories: Puritan Great Migration | Anne, sailed 1623 | Estimated Birth Date
"There are no historical documents attached to Ralph." is stated at the bottom of the page.
Please read the biography text carefully with all profiles like this one that have been worked on by many experienced genealogists here and elsewhere!
Based on this, I propose to remove Richard and Jane from the list of Ralph Wallen’s children in the bio. If anyone objects, please speak up. Thanks!
A copy of this comment will be posted to the G2G feed.
However, I think other evidence contradicts this claim. Most importantly, there is no child listed for Ralph and Joyce Wallen in the Division of Cattle in 1627, indicating that Ralph and Joyce were a childless couple in 1627; most researchers agree that this Division of Cattle list captures all residents of Plymouth Colony at that time, even newborn babies. See, e.g., Stratton at 28 & Appendix G; Rue at 47; Bowman at 148 (all cited in the profile for Wallen-2). If Anne Walden was born in England, on board the Anne, or in Plymouth Colony to Ralph and Joyce Wallen in or before 1627, she should appear on this list, but she does not. If she was born to them after 1627, then she would have been only 11 when she married John Smalley in 1638, which seems very unlikely. In addition, although some later generations of the Wallen/Walling line do spell the last name as “Walden,” the fact that Ann’s last name was Walden rather than Wallen when Joyce and Ann were both living in Plymouth colony in 1638 creates additional reason for doubting the connection. Several carefully-researched sources conclude that only Mary (probably) and Thomas (possibly) can be identified as the children of Ralph and Joyce. See, e.g., GMB: 1620-1633, at 1916; Rue at 52. I believe a more likely alternative explanation for Ann Walden’s origin is that she was born in England and emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay colony in 1630 or later as a part of the PGM before her marriage to John Smalley in 1638. John Smalley arrived in 1632 on the William & Francis, and lived initially in Plymouth, where he married Ann Walden in 1638 (GMB: 1620-1633, at 1687-89). Anderson identifies an “Anne Walden” who was admitted to Boston church between Oct 1632-Sept 1633, from which he estimates she likely arrived in about 1633 (GMB: 1620-1633, at 1901). The GMB entry for her says there is “[n]o evidence whether she died, married or returned to England,” but it is plausible that the Anne Walden who was admitted to Boston church in 1633 is the same Ann Walden who married John Smalley in Plymouth a few years later. Based on her absence from the 1627 Division of Cattle list, I think that Anne/Ann (Walden) Smalley should be removed as a daughter of Ralph & Joyce. I would also include the alternative explanation above in her profile as the probable source of her origin, based on Anderson GMB entries cited above (and the Records of the First Church in Boston and other sources he cites). If anyone disagrees, please weigh in. Thanks!
In contrast, several carefully researched treatments of Ralph Wallen (Wallen-2) and his wife Joyce (Unknown-248038) cited in the profile agree that “[n]othing is known of their English background.” Rue at 47; see also GMB: 1620-1633, at 1915 (origin listed as “Unknown”); Banks at 165 (“Nothing is known of their English origin….”).
Based on this, I propose to remove the links to these parents and change the birth location for Ralph Wallen (Wallen-2) to just “England.” I would also make a few other clean-up edits consistent with those changes in the bio. If anyone disagrees, please weigh in. Thanks!
A copy of this comment will also be posted to G2G.
edited by Scott McClain
Elaine Walling-681
Wilder, Maribelle. A Wallen-Walling Genealogy (Gateway Press, Baltimore, 1985-1991) Pages 1 & 2
https://familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/6400877 https://familysearch.org/photos/people/2464720 https://familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/6400877