bˈɔːɹn ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪn æz ˈælən ɪvˈɑːɹt sˈoʊl ɪn lˌæ hˈɑːɹp, ˌɪlənˈɔɪ, tʊ ˈɛlbɚt ænd ˈæn wˈɪljəmz sˈoʊl dᵻsˈɛndənts ʌv θɹˈiː mˈeɪflaʊɚ pˈæsɪndʒɚz, hiː lˈɛft ˌɪlənˈɔɪ æt ðɪ ˈeɪdʒ ʌv sˈɛvən ænd ɚɹˈaɪvd ɪn dəmˈɔɪn, ˈaɪəwə, wˌɛɹ hiː lˈɪvd ʌntˈɪl hiː wʌz sˈɛvəntˌiːn.
Born in 1909 as Alan Evart Soule in La Harpe, Illinois, to Elbert and Ann (Williams) Soule (descendants of three Mayflower passengers), he left Illinois at the age of seven and arrived in Des Moines, Iowa, where he lived until he was seventeen.