Richard Warren has had a large number of descendants and there has been a lot of speculation as to which families in England were his ancestral families, and whether or not Elizabeth was his first or second wife. The speculation remains just that, even after many hours of research by many people throughout the years.

We know that he was a passenger on the first voyage of the Mayflower to Plymouth in 1620. His wife and five daughters born in England did not accompany him on the Mayflower but came later, in 1623, on the ship Anne.

All of the following scattered quotes are from the book Moore and Allied Families by DeForest, pages 561-571:

"the principal leaders of the Pilgrims, except for William Bradford and William Brewster, were from London. Edward Winslow, Issac Allerton, Stephen Hopkins, Richard Warren, and probably Myles Standish, were not from the country, nor were they prominent in the church element ---. They were a small number of city men who had the years, the experience, and the stability which the Mayflower company badly needed --- as most of the Pilgrims were simple people of plain stock who had never risen above the status of industrial workers. --- The Pilgrims needed civil leaders for their civil management. Richard Warren was a London merchant and a man apparently well past middle age when he threw in his lot with them."

"The Mayflower dropped anchor off Cape Cod until a place of settlement had been decided upon. While here the memorable 'Compact' for the government of the Colony was signed by the leading men. The original document has long since been lost and the exact order of signatures is not known. The list was first published in Nathaniel Morton's New England's Memorial in 1669. Morton gave Richard Warren as the twelfth signer. Before proceeding from Cape Cod the Pilgrims sent out three exploring expeditions in their small boat. On the third of these trips, undertaken with doubt and fear, Richard Warren was a participant. They set out on the 16th of December (which was the 6th in the old calendar) and their experiences have been mentioned by both Bradford in his history of Plymouth and George Morton in the work known as Mourt's Relation published in 1622. --- Morton wrote: 'Wednesday, the sixth of December, it was resolved our discoverers should set forth, for the day before was too fowle weather, and so they did, though it was well ore the day ere all things could be readie: so ten of our men were appointed who were of themselves willing to undertake it, to wit, Captaine Standish, Maister Carver, William Bradford, Edward Winsloe, John Tilley, Edward Tilley, John Howland, and three of London, Richard Warren, Steeuen Hopkins, and Edward Dotte.' With these ten passengers went two mates, the master gunner, and three sailors from the crew. They set out in bitterly cold and rough weather and spent many hours before they could pass a projecting point of land. Their clothes froze and several became sick before morning when they rounded the point."

During this exploring expedition, they endured what is now called "The First Encounter" with the Indians.

"Richard Warren lived through that dreadful first year when fifty-three died out of the one hundred and three who had come ashore." Most of the women and children in the group did not survive. In March of 1623, Richard received his grant of land and in July of that year welcomed his wife and five daughters who arrived on the ship Anne along with sixty more people to live in the new settlement.

Richard Warren died in 1628 leaving his wife and seven children. "Widows in New England usually married again promptly, but the widow Elizabeth Warren was an exception. She never took a second husband but lived on alone to an advanced age. Everything indicates that she was an able, self-reliant woman, who was generally respected. The Pilgrims, sparing of titles, called her Mistress and put her in the legal position of her late husband to the degree that she was given his rights as an original settler ---. When her daughters married, she gave land to their husbands and some question seems to have arisen about the titles since the position of a woman was not clear. Upon which the General Court, meeting March 7, 1636-37, 'by the consent of the whole Court' voted that 'Elizabeth Warren, widdow, the relict of Mr. Richard Warren, deceased, shalbe entred, and stand, and bee purchaser instead of her husband, as well because that (hee dying before he had pformed the said bargaine) the said Elizabeth pformed the same after his decease, as also for the establishing of the lotts of lands given formly by her unto her sonnes in law, Richard Church, Robert Bartlett, and Thomas Little, in marriage wth their wiues, her daughters." Elizabeth was survived by at least seventy-five great-grandchildren.

Richard Warren had seven children, five daughters born in England and two sons born in America. We do not know for certain whether or not his daughters were by a first wife or by his wife Elizabeth Warren:

• Mary, b. in England, probably between 1606 and 1612; m. Robert Bartlett.
• Elizabeth, b. in England, probably between 1608 and 1616; m. Richard Church.
• Anna, b. in England, ca. 1612; m. Thomas Little.
• Sarah, b. in England, ca. 1614; m. John Cooke.
• Abigail, b. in England, ca. 1616-1618; m. Anthony Snow.
• Nathaniel, b. in Plymouth, 1624 or 1625; m. Sarah Walker.
• Joseph, b. in Plymouth, 1626 or 1627; m. Priscilla Faunce.