William Mullins was born about 1572, probably in Dorking, Surrey, England. He was married to Alice (???) by 1593 in England and died February 21, 1621 in the Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts. Alice was born about 1578 in England and died that first winter in the Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts. We know Alice was alive on April 2, 1621, as evidenced by the will of William Mullins. It seems only logical that she was alive three days later on April 5, 1621 when the Mayflower finally set sail back to England taking William's will on it, or the will would have been changed. Bradford's list of Increasings and Decreasings says, "Mr. Molines, and his wife, his sone, and his servant dyed the first winter. Only his daughter Priscila survived, and married with John Alden, who are both living (in 1650) and have 11 children. And their eldest daughter is married & hath five children."

The Mayflower Descendants says, "The nuncupative (oral) will of William Mullins probably written 21 February 1621, the day of his death, and copied 2 April 1621". In this will he mentions his wife Alice, daughter Priscilla, son Joseph, and married children William and Sarah who were still in Dorking. A 'Goodman Woodes' who remains unidentified, and a 'Master Williamson' which was likely a Dutch pseudonym for William Brewster who was a fugitive at the time (for printing illegal religious pamphlets in Leyden) are also named. I find it interesting that he held "goodes" in Virginia (remember that the London Company had sent people to Jamestown, Virginia, landing in May 1607).

In 1612 William Mullins bought a holding in Dorking with a house and an acre and a half of land and outbuildings between West Street and Back Lane (now Church Street for £122 and took over a mortgage of £200. He sold this to Ephriam Bothal in May 1619 for £280 (Dorking pamphlet).

On 29 April 1616, a warrant was issued to bring "one William Mollins before heir Lordships." On 2 May he appeared before the Privy Council and was continued technically in their custody "untill by their Honours' order hee be dismissed." While the reason for this arrest is not given, it was most probably associated with the religious controversies of that time. The fact that he was a Dissenter may explain why William Mullin's marriage record is not found in the Parish Register for Dorking, nor are the baptisms of his children. William Mullins was a wealthy shoe and boot maker/dealer. As a sign of his wealth, William brought along his servant Robert Carver (who also died that first winter in Massachusetts) with him on the Mayflower. On the Mayflower, a group of 102 passengers crowded aboard Mayflower for the crossing. It was not homogenous group. Many of the passengers were members of the Leiden congregation, but they were joined by a number of English families or individuals who were hoping to better their life situations, or were seeking financial gain. These two general groups have sometimes been referred to as the "saints" and "strangers." Although the Leiden congregation had sent its strongest members with various skills for establishing the new colony, nearly half of the passengers died the first winter of the "great sickness." William purchased a number of shares in the Pilgrims joint-stock company, becoming one of the Merchant Adventurers. However due to his previous religious values, I have to wonder if he was both a "saint" and a "stranger". William was also a signer of the Mayflower Compact.

The names of William's parents is unknown, though John Mullyns and Joane Bridger of Dorking seem to be the best candidates. Alice's parents names are also unknown. The IGI and other Morman records show her as a daughter of Nicholas Atwood, but there is no real documentation for this.

To this union 4 known children were born, all in Dorking, Surrey, England: 1) William whom was married twice. This second wife was Ann (???) Bell. William, the son, died February 12, 1672, in Braintree, Massachusetts 2) Sarah married a Mr. Blunden and died after 1621 3) Priscilla was born in 1601 and died February 05, 1687/88. Pricilla married fellow Mayflower passenger John Alden 4) Joseph died along with his parents that first winter in the New World. Only Priscilla and Joseph came on the Mayflower with their parents. William and Sarah were married and stayed behind (as shown in William's will), although at least William, the son, did eventually come to the New World.

References:
Mayflower Descendants
Caleb Johnson's web site
Alden Kindred of America
Bradford's list of Increasings and Decreasings