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The surname Elden was first found in Westmorland where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the 11th century when Aldenus held estates in that county. They may have been of Cumbrian extraction. The Dalden variant has a most interesting history found in Dawdon or Dawden, Durham. "There was once a castle or peel here, which in the first ages after the Conquest was the seat of the family of Escolland, who, it seems, afterwards assumed the name of Dalden, by which term this place was formerly designated, It was also for two centuries a favourite seat of the family of Bowes. A domestic chapel was attached to the structure, as Sir Jordan de Dalden, in 1325, obtained a licence to establish an oratory within his manor-house, on condition that no injury should arise to the parochial church of Dalton." 1
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Elden research. Another 162 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1109, 1455, 1487, 1504, 1510, 1599, 1600, 1602, 1622, 1623, 1680, 1687, 1701 and 1858 are included under the topic Early Elden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Elden has undergone many spelling variations, including Alden, Aldin, Aldwen, Aldyn, Aldwyn, Aldwen, Elden, Eldwyn, Eldwin, Eldin, Olden, Auden, Aldan, Aldon and many more.
Distinguished members of the family include John, C. Alden (1599-1687) was a crew member of the Mayflower and one of the Puritan settlers of the Plymouth Colony. He arrived in America where he became an assistant to the Governor of the colony. He married Priscilla Alden (c. 1602-1680) (née Mullins or Mullens), on May 12, 1622. She was another passenger on...
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Elden Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Elden were among those contributors:
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: