Join historian Stephen C. O’Neill as he explores all the elements of a 17th-century colonial burial, from treatment of the body, type of coffin, the funeral, the burying ground, digging and marking the grave, and the mourning of family, friends, and community. Stephen is a historian, author and scholar of 17th century Plymouth Colony’s material culture. Click here for a 69-minute video of his talk posted on September 24, 2025 by The Alden House Historic Site.

O’Neill covers John Alden, who was among the last surviving Mayflower passengers, living into the 1680s. His funeral, gravesite, and the mourning customs that accompanied his death and that of Priscilla who predeceased him, were products of Plymouth Colony’s culture.

Evidence for all these elements is found in archaeological sites, original documents, contemporary images, and eyewitness accounts in Plymouth Colony and throughout 17th Century New England.

Thomas Willlet, a leading figure of Plymouth Colony, has the above, right gravestone, from 1674 and can be found in the Ancient Little Neck Cemetery, in East Providence, RI.