Name: Prudence Eldredge
Born:
Died: 1778
Place: Heislerville, Cumberland co NJ
Buried:
M-Haplo: V1a1
According to family legend, Prudence's birth name was Toudl-Hkilig which,
the story goes, translates to Snowflower. She is said to have been the
sister of Na-Mahomie (also known as "King Nummy"), chief of the Unalachtigo
branch of the Leni-lenape, an Algonquian (Delaware Indian) tribe, and is
often referred to as Princess Snowflower. However, Nummy appears to have
lived a hundred years earlier. At best, Prudence might have been descended
from one or the other. See King Nummy and
Princess Snowflower for more information.
mtDNA Results
Prudence's mitochondrial DNA
would have been the same as that found among her matrilineal descendants.
One such descendant (see descent below) has had her mtDNA tested. The
results are identified as being Haplogroup V,
also known as Clan Velda. This is a rare European type, not Native
American.
It should be noted, however, that the DNA results need be confirmed by
another test in a collateral descendancy from Prudence. It also needs to be
understood that although Prudence's maternal line may have been European,
she may still have had Native American ancestors. The mtDNA results are
just part of the puzzle but, if confirmed, they mean that Prudence was not
full Indian, as the legend infers. The results also suggest that we should
look at alternative lineages, including the idea that Prudence was indeed an
Eldredge, rather than adopted into the family.
Results for Kit #228490 |
HVR1
Position |
CRS |
Tester's Result |
16183 |
A |
G |
16298 |
T |
C |
|
HVR2
Position |
CRS |
Tester's Result |
72 |
T |
C |
227 |
A |
G |
263 |
A |
G |
309.1 |
|
C |
309.2 |
|
C |
315.1 |
|
C |
485 |
T |
C |
|
The Eldredges
Was Prudence in fact born into the Eldredges rather than adopted by them
as the legend says? A descendant, J W Fisk, says in his 1915
memoir that his grandmother's family (Charity
Corson) were Mayflower descendants. Although Fisk had a number of
specifics wrong (surnames, generations of descent), much of what he said has
turned out to be true. It is definitely worth looking at the Mayflower
angle. I've not found Mayflower ancestors among the eighteenth century
Stillwells, Corsons or Hands, but there are at least two branches of
Mayflower descendants among the Eldredges via intermarriages with the
Leamings:
Rose (-1601) married John Hurst
Joan Hurst (-1621) married John Tilley (-1621), Mayflower passengers
Elizabeth Tilley (c1607-), married John Howland (c1592-c1672) Mayflower
passengers
Desire Howland (1623-1683) married Capt John Gorham (1676-)
Hannah Gorham (1663-1728) married Joseph Whilldin (c1690-c1725)
Hannah Whilldin (c1683-1728) m Thomas Leaming (1674-1723)
Mercy Leaming (1704-1769) m Samuel Eldredge (c1699-1745)
And Mercy's sister married Samuel's brother:
Esther Leaming (1702-) m William Edredge (1696-1768)
Any child of Mercy's or Esther's would have inherited mtDNA passed down
through Desire Howland. The same DNA would have been passed down
matrilineally through the generations to the present day, assuming the line
has not become extinct. The Mayflower
DNA Project does not yet show results for this line. However, three
participants who do not have their MRCA
noted are of Clan Velda.
A Dr Daniel Hughes described Samuel Eldredge's family:
Samuel Eldredge and his wife, Mercy Leaming Eldredge, are said to have come
to Cape May with his father-in-law, Thomas Leaming, (date uncertain).
Aaron Eldredge, their oldest son, who married Elizabeth Stillwell the
daughter of Richard Stillwell, (an elder of Cold Spring Presbyterian
Church,) and Sarah Hand Stillwell, was my great-grandfather and not Jeremiah
Eldredge, their second son, who married his first cousin Lydia Leaming, the
daughter of Thomas Leaming, and had no children.
Samuel's will mentioned only his wife, his eldest son and his youngest
daughter. We do not know when Prudence was born but considering that her
eldest child was born in 1760, the year 1740 would be a good guess. That
would make her of the same generation as Samuel Eldredge's children, born
between 1730 and 1745.
I am not saying that Prudence was the daughter of Samuel and Mercy
(or of William and Esther) but it's worth looking into. Prudence's heritage
has been accepted as being Native American for as long as two centuries; but
the facts do not match the legend. I think it's time we start looking at
alternatives.
Prudence Eldredge's Known Matrilineal Descendants
Who was Prudence's mother? Although she was two or more generations too
young to have been King Nummy's sister, could she still have been Native
American? The one genetic test done by a matrilineal descendant suggests
she was not. Prudence is known to have had only one daughter, Christiana.
Confirmation of the mtDNA through another line, especially from a descendant
of one Christianna's other daughters, would be desirable. In the meantime,
we have a match through a matrilineal descendant of Araminta Johnson's
sister, Anna Jane Johnson.
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