Dr. Griffis, In His Delightful Little Narrative, "The Pilgrims In
Their Three Homes, England, Holland, America," Cites The Name
"Mullins" As A Dutch Distortion Of Molines Or Molineaux.
Without
questioning that such it might be, - for the Dutch scribes were
gifted in remarkable distortions of simple names,
Even of their own
people, - they evidently had no hand in thus maltreating the patronym
of William Mullens (or Mullins) of the Pilgrims, for not only is
evidence entirely wanting to show that he was ever a Leyden citizen,
though made such by the fertile fiction of Mrs. Austin, but Governor
Carver, who knew him well, wrote it in his will "Mullens," while two
English probate functionaries of his own home-counties wrote it
respectively "Mullens" and "Mullins."
Dr. Grifs speaks of "the Mullens family" as evidently [sic] of
Huguenot or Walloon birth or descent, but in doing so probably knew
no other authority than Mrs. Austin's little novel, or (possibly)
Dr. Baird's misstatements.
A writer in the "New England Historic-Genealogical Register," vol.
xlvii, p. 90, states, that "Mrs. Jane G. Austin found her authority
for saying that Priscilla Mullens was of a Huguenot family, in Dr.
Baird's 'History of Huguenot Emigration to America,' vol. i.
p. 158," etc., referring to Rev. Charles W. Baird, D. D., New York.
The reference given is a notable specimen of very bad historical
work. Of Dr. Baird, one has a right to expect better things, and
the positiveness of his reckless assertion might well mislead those
not wholly familiar with the facts involved, as it evidently has
more than one.
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