WARREN, Richard MAYFLOWER

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Richard Warren appears to have been a merchant, who resided in London, and became associated with the Pilgrims and the Mayflower through the Merchant Adventurers. Richard Warren participated in several of the early explorations made by the Pilgrims in 1620, while looking for a place to settle. He appears by land records to have been fairly well-to-do. He was not a member of the church. He came over on the Mayflower, he left behind his wife and five daughters, planning to have them sent over after things were more settled in the Colony. His wife and daughters arrived in America in 1623, on the ship Anne. As should be plainly obvious, there were many Richard Warrens in England. If the true Richard Warren is ever identified, it will almost certainly be because the baptisms of his five daughters which should be somewhere in England. There are a few other small clues which may aid researchers looking for records. First, early Charlestown settler Ralph Spague married Joanna Warren, daughter of a Richard Warren from Fordington St. George, Dorset. This Richard Warren died in Fordington, Dorset before 1638. And early Watertown settler John Warren was baptized in Nayland, Suffolk, England in 1585, and he apparently had an uncle named Richard Warren. The only concrete things we know about Richard Warren's ancestry are that he was a merchant of London--whether he was born there or not is an entirely different question. We also know that his wife was named Elizabeth. He had five daughters baptized in England somewhere, and perhaps the true records will some day be brought to light. More erroneous information has been published about Richard Warren than any other Mayflower passenger, probably because he has so many descendants (note that all seven of his children grew up and married). It is time here to debunk many of the mistakes that have been published over the past hundred years. Richard Warren's English origins and ancestry have been the subject of much speculation, and countless different ancestries have been published for him, without a shred of evidence to support them.  Luckily in December 2002, Edward Davies discovered the missing piece of the puzzle.  Researchers had long known of the marriage of Richard Warren to Elizabeth Walker on 14 April 1610 at Great Amwell, Hertford.  Since we know the Mayflower passenger had a wife named Elizabeth, and a first child born about 1610, this was a promising record.  But no children were found for this couple in the parish registers, and no further evidence beyond the names and timing, until the will of Augustine Walker was discovered.  In the will of Augustine Walker, dated April 1613, he mentions "my daughter Elizabeth Warren wife of Richard Warren", and "her three children Mary, Ann and Sarah."  We know that the Mayflower passenger's first three children were named Mary, Ann, and Sarah (in that birth order).

Richard married WALKER, Elizabeth on 14 Apr 1610 in Great Amwell, Herefordshire, England. Elizabeth (daughter of WALKER, Augustine and STRINGER, Mary) was born about 1580; died on 2 Oct 1673 in Plymouth, MA; was buried in Plymouth, MA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. WARREN, Mary was born about 1610 in England; died on 27 Mar 1683 in Plymouth, MA; was buried in Plymouth, MA.
2. WARREN, Anna was born between 1612 and 1616 in England; died on 19 Feb 1675 in Plymouth, MA.
3. WARREN, Sarah was born about 1614 in London, London, England; died on 25 Jul 1686 in Plymouth, MA.
4. WARREN, Elizabeth was born about 1616 in England; died on 9 Mar 1669/70 in Hingham, MA.
5. WARREN, Abigail was born about 1618 in England; died on 12 Nov 1692 in Marshfield, MA; was buried in Marshfield, MA.
6. WARREN, Nathaniel was born in 1624 in Plymouth, MA; died between 16 Jul 1667 and 21 Oct 1667 in Plymouth, MA.
7. WARREN, Joseph was born about 1626/7 in Plymouth, MA; died on 4 May 1689 in Plymouth, MA.