Ralph
Allen
Sr
[uncertain]
Born about in England
Son of George Allen Sr
and Unknown (Unknown) Allen
Brother of
John Allen, Robert Allen, George Allen II, Rose (Allen) Newland, Matthew Allen Sr. [half], William Allen [half], Henry Allen [half], Samuel Allen [half] and Gideon Allen [half]
Husband of
Susannah (Unknown) Allen
— married
before 1642 in Weymouth or Sandwich, Province of Massachusetts Bay [uncertain]
Descendants [uncertain] 
Father of
Joseph Allen Sr., John Allen, Ebenezer Allen Sr., Increase Allen Sr., Zachariah Allen, Mary Allen and Patience (Allen) Evans
Died about
at about age 81
in Sandwich, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Profile managers:
Randy Seaver 
[send private message], Puritan Great Migration Project WikiTree [send private message], Raymond Wing [send private message], Bryan McCullagh [send private message], and Jennifer Mandell [send private message]
[send private message], Puritan Great Migration Project WikiTree [send private message], Raymond Wing [send private message], Bryan McCullagh [send private message], and Jennifer Mandell [send private message]Profile last modified
| Created 13 Dec 2010
This page has been accessed 9,419 times.
| Ralph Allen Sr migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm |
Contents |
The Two Ralph Allens of Sandwich
The following includes the conclusions of Robert Charles Anderson in his Great Migration series concerning the following individuals:
- Ralph Allen "junior" (not this profile), a mason; married Esther Swift, a daughter of William Swift and his second wife Joan (Unknown) Swift; this Ralph died in the fall of 1659. Anderson suggests that he was related to immigrant George Allen; there have been claims that the two were brothers, but the Allen DNA Patrilineage 2 Project concludes that they were of different generations[1]. Ralph and his wife's children, all born at Sandwich, were:
- Jedediah
- Hester
- Experience
- Ephraim
- Ralph Allen "senior" (this profile) a wheelwright; son of immigrant George; m. Susannah _____. He wrote a Will dated 18 December 1691, which was probated before the Barnstable County Court on 1 July 1698. The inventory of his estate was taken on 19 March 1697/1698 making bequests to his children:
- John
- Joseph
- Increase
- Ebenezer
- Zachariah
- Patience
The will also mentions his "brother William", who was a known son of George Allen.
The Ralph Allen of this profile died during the month of March 1697/1698 at Sandwich, by then Barnstable County, Massachusetts and was buried, as directed by his Will, "in the Friends Burying place at William Allen's in Sandwich."
Note also the existence of a third Ralph Allen – formerly (and incorrectly) linked above as Ralph Allen, "junior" – who married a wife named Hester English in London in 1619. The presence of a third Ralph Allen at Sandwich in this time period is questionable at best; his profile to date (Jan. 2023) connects him, as a likely son, with John Allen of Saltford, Somerset, England. The introduction of this Allen family into the Sandwich picture is largely undercut by experienced Allen researcher (and descendant of the Ralph Allen of this profile) Jack MacDonald in a paper that is linked and downloadable from the website of the Allen DNA Patrilineage 2 Project[2].
Biography of Ralph Allen Sr
Ralph was a Friend (Quaker)
Ralph Allen was born about 1615 in England. He is not listed with his father's family on the passenger list of the “Mary Gould”, the ship on which the family emigrated to New England in 1635. This could be a simple error in the list, and does not mean that Ralph came earlier, or later, than his family. He was a wheelwright, according to available deeds. He was also called a “planter”; plantation was the term used for colonization, and a planter is one who came to “plant” a new colony, as described in “Planters of the Commonwealth”, by Charles Edward Banks.
He was probably the Ralph Allen in Boston on 4 June 1639, when he was fined 10 pounds for releasing a servant before the expiration of his time (see "Massachusetts Bay Record Colony Court Records," 2:84). He lived in Rehoboth, where he received land in the division of New Meadows in February 1646/1647.
Ralph eventually followed his father and siblings, and settled at Sandwich, in what was first called New Plymouth Colony. Quakerism was spreading throughout the Colony, and in 1657 Ralph and six of his brothers and sisters were apparently among the first to "see the light." Unfortunately, the adoption of Quakerism by the Allen's resulted in their being persecuted and fined for many years for practicing their faith. Their persecution was particularly acute for refusing to take the Oath of Fidelity which they felt was unlawful. In 1658, he was deprived of his vote in the Sandwich town meeting, and in 1658 and 1659 he had 78 pounds of goods taken from him for refusing to swear to oaths and for attending the Friends Meeting. He was jailed in Boston in 1661.
He showed interest in the settlement of Dartmouth, a town founded in the western part of New Plymouth (now within Bristol county), where the Quakers were allowed to worship in peace. He bought one and one-half shares in the Dartmouth purchase in 1663 from Constant Southworth and Alice Bradford. In 1664, he contracted on behalf of all the purchasers with George Badcock and Henry Tucker to build a gristmill in Dartmouth. On 5 July 1669, he was granted to keep a ferry at or near Pocasset to provide passage to Rhode Island. In 1672, he bought one-half share in Dartmouth from Sarah Warren.
Even though he was living at Sandwich at the time of his death, the fact that he was listed as being "of Dartmouth" in some deeds implies that he and Susannah resided at Dartmouth for a few years. He returned to Sandwich and was chosen surveyor of highways in May 1671 and again in May 1680.
'Ralph Allen died during the month of March 1697/98 at Sandwich, by then Barnstable County, Massachusetts and was buried, as directed by his Will, "in the Friends Burying place at William Allen's in Sandwich."
Ralph Allen wrote his Will on 18 December 1691, which was probated before the Barnstable County Court on 1 July 1698. The inventory of his estate was taken on 19 March 1697/1698.[3]
In his Will, Ralph, mentions John, Joseph, Increase, Ebenezer, and Zachariah, daughter Patience, and "brother William" (a known son of George Allen). Ralph desired that his body should be placed in the Friends' burying place at William Allen's in Sandwich.
William in his Will dated 17 February 1698, leaves his nephew Daniel, son of brother George, his housing, lands, etc., "he to allow testator's wife Priscilla competent maintenance for life." Francis in his Will dated 18 February 1696 mentions his daughter Abiah and her husband Zachariah Jenkins, and other daughters Dinah, Rachel, Abigail, Hannah, and Rebecca.
Research Notes
Ralph Allen sold thirty acres of land at Weymouth, 22 acres of which originally belonged to George Allen. He was at Rehoboth where he received a division of the New Meadow in February 1646/1647. Since Ralph Jr’s son was born in Sandwich in January 1646/1647, the Ralph in Weymouth and Rehoboth must have been Ralph Sr. He moved from Rehoboth to Sandwich; when he died in 1698, he was referred to as Ralph Sr in the burial record. He left a Will naming all of his children; no Jedediah, no Experience, and no Ephraim were named, further proving that he was not Ralph Jr.
Ralph Sr had a daughter named Mary, who died young in 1675. He was referred to as Ralph, Sr. in Mary’s burial record. He was also referred to in other records as being a planter (see the definition above) and wheelwright by trade. In his will he also mentions a brother William, who is a known son of George Allen.
Although the suffix Sr. and Jr. were found in a number of cases in the records involving the two Ralphs, the definitive use of the suffix Sr. was with the Ralph Allen who was a wheelwright, and who died in 1698.
Ralph Jr, a mason by trade, married to Esther Swift, and father of Jedediah, may very well be related to George Allen somehow, but was not his son. However, He could easily be a nephew or a cousin.
"Early New England Families 1641-1700”, vol. Wing, pages 2&3, has a record of the marriage of a Ralph Allen to Hester English from St. Mary le Bow, London in 1619. This Ralph was probably born about 1595 and was too old to be the Ralph Allen who married Esther Swift by 1646 in Sandwich, Massachusetts, the daughter of William Swift and Widow, Joan Dimbleby. William and Joan were married by 1620 in England and were the parents of Esther and William, Jr. Joan died in Sandwich on 31 January 1664. William, Sr. by his first wife had a daughter Hannah Swift, who married on 5 September 1642, in Sandwich, to Daniel Wing (1616-1698).
Summary: A discussion of Ralphs' in George Allen sketch by Robert C Anderson:[4]
- Two Ralphs residing in Sandwich.
- 4 March 1650/1651 Anthony Wright sued Ralph Allen Jr. [PCR 7:52, 54}
- 4 August 1651 Warrant to appear for Ralph Allen Senior re: misdemeanors {PCR 2: 171]
- 7 June 1659 Ralph Allin Senior summoned for refusing to take the oath of fidelity.[PCR 3:168]. 1659 through 1660 Ralph Allen (no designation) again in similar circumstances. One died.
- 14 March 1651 Experience d/o Ralphe Allin mason b. Sandwich.
- 3 January 1646 Jediah allen s/o Ralph b. Sandwich
- 20 March 1656 Epherim Allin s/o Ralph b. Sandwich
- 12 October 1662 Jone Swift of Sandwich, widow of William, will left to grandchild Experience Allen and to Jedediah Allen and Experience Allen
- So Ralph Allen, mason, married ____ Swift and had children Jedidiah, Experience and Ephraim died in or about late 1659.
- 1663 a couple of Sales to Ralph Allin of Sandwich, wheelwright,
- 18 December 1691 the Will of Ralph Allin of Sandwich, left to children: John, Joseph, Increase, Ebenezer, Zachariah and Patience. Also named his brother William. So this Ralph who lived past 1659, was son of George.
- Exceptions after 1659 to a jr/sr designation
- 5 June 1671 Ralph Allin Sr surveyor of highways.
- 18 April 1675 Meary Allen d/o Ralph Allen Sr. buried at Sandwich.
- Summary:
- Ralph Allen Sr a wheelwright s/o George, died in the 1690
- Ralph Allen Jr a mason, died about 1659
- Ralph Allen Sr., son of George b. c. 1617
- Ralph Allen Jr was younger, some accounts of this Ralph give him an earlier wife than ____Swift. It has been suggested that the marriage of Ralph Allen and Hester English in 1619 was this first marriage of Ralph Allen Jr., but since he's the younger and would have been born after 1617 and cannot possibly be the groom married in 1619. And earlier children should not be ascribed to him.
- A subsequent article by Richard LeBaron Bowen Jr. Bowen, [5] gives an alternate explanation for the fact that the references in 1659 and 1660 for Ralph not mentioning a jr/sr designation could be that the court's knew quite well which Ralph was refusing to sign the oath and did not need to make such a designation, implying that Ralph Jr was living after 1659 and into 1671 and 1675 when the later references to Ralph Sr. were made. He does not however put forth any more information to support a death for Ralph Jr.
- Marriage: Look in these Sources for evidence of Marriage to Esther Swift:
"ALLEN, Ralph1 & 2/wf Esther [SWIFT]; by 1646(/7?); Sandwich {MD 14:109, 166, 16:21; Allen (,2) 24; Allen (,16) 27; Noyes-Gilman 371; Cornell 314; Crapo 182; Gen. Adv. 3:35, 74; Swift 18; Sv. 1:35; Austin: GDRI 73; Cape Cod Lib. 15:18; Reg. 25:144}"[6]
Our unending gratitude is extended to Jack MacDonald for having already performed all this research that helped sort out the two Ralphs of Sandwich. While the link to Jack MacDonald's rootsweb page formerly cited here is dead, a draft of his extensive paper on the Allens of Sandwich is available via the website of the ALLEN DNA Patrilineage 2 Project, overseen by John B. Robb: see http://www.johnbrobb.com/JBR-ALLEN-R.htm ; search on "a paper by Jack MacDonald", without quotes.
Sources
- ↑ The ALLEN DNA Patrilineage 2 Project, overseen by John B. Robb; http://www.johnbrobb.com/JBR-ALLEN-R.htm [search on "Ralph1 was a generation younger", without quotes]
- ↑ The ALLEN DNA Patrilineage 2 Project, as above; http://www.johnbrobb.com/JBR-ALLEN-R.htm [search on "a paper by Jack MacDonald", without quotes]
- ↑ "Probate records v. 1-3 1686-1747" database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-N9P6 : 22 April 2024), Film# 00770540, Barnstable, Massachusetts, image 114-115, Vol 2, Page 75-76.
- ↑ Great Migration 1634-1635, A-B. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume 1, A-B, by Robert Charles Anderson, George F. Sanborn, Jr., and Melinde Lutz Sanborn. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1999. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB114/i/7051/32/22074634
- ↑ Richard LeBaron. "Notes on George Allen of Weymouth and Sandwich." NEHGR 155: 212 (2001) Link at AmericanAncestors ($)
- ↑ New England Marriages to 1700. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Massachusetts, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1568/i/21174/25/426874575
See also:
- "12 Generations of Decent from George Allen and his Wife Catherine" compiled by Nellie Bethune Allen in 1967
Contributors
- Descendant Christopher Childs
- Nae X
- Tom Bredehoft
- Miguel Kelley (edited profile)
- Thank you to Kay Martin for creating WikiTree profile Allen-11674 through the import of Martin-Rowe Family Tree.ged on Oct 22, 2013.
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DNA
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Rejected matches › Ralph Allen (abt.1590-)
Featured National Park champion connections: Ralph is 8 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt, 16 degrees from Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, 11 degrees from George Catlin, 10 degrees from Marjory Douglas, 19 degrees from Sueko Embrey, 9 degrees from George Grinnell, 24 degrees from Anton Kröller, 10 degrees from Stephen Mather, 17 degrees from Kara McKean, 14 degrees from John Muir, 15 degrees from Victoria Hanover and 22 degrees from Charles Young on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
I intend to edit that so the "Two Ralph Allens" link leads correctly to Allen-43736, the Ralph who was indeed the mason, and who married Esther Swift about 1645 at Sandwich.
I will also draft an additional disambiguation note that distinguishes both wheelwright and mason from Allen 2292, Ralph #3.
Please let me know of any concerns.
Many and maybe most of these records are assembled after the fact by people researching travelers and the lists come sometimes from court depositions where people say who they were on the ship with, from church records when most people in a church seemed to travel together etc. Those sites also allow current users like you and I to make changes to the lists, and they freely admit that they do not vet those changes. So, you should always read them with a grain of salt.
Second, when there are actual original lists (or partial lists) of travelers, they can be from things like certificates of conformity, paperwork of "intent to travel" etc. Sometimes people were listed aboard ships days or weeks before the ships actually departed the dock. So the fact that the "Mary Gould" web page says it departed on 30 March 1635/36 and the "Un-named" says it departed "about 20 March 1635/36" is not a significant difference. These are probably viewed as "likely the same ship" because there is probably not a record of another vessel aside from the "Mary Gould" departing around Weymouth in late March of that year so it's a pretty reasonable guess.
Lastly and just FYI, the trip "uphill" i.e. against most prevailing currents and winds from England to New England was typically up to 3 months, the trip back "downhill" to England closer to a month.
edited by Brad Stauf
Also noting what Bryan said about the research of Phyllis Hughes in another comment, it seems that it may well be that these were two different ships but unfortunately we still can't say for certain when Ralph Allen traveled.
edited by Brad Stauf
Just to add more confusion to this already-tangled web, before 1752 the New Year began on March 25, so if the Hull Company ship left Weymouth on Mar 20, it would have been 1634 by their calendar; if it was Mar 30, it would have been 1635. At least in England :)
edited by Bryan McCullagh
For PGM profiles we have standards that encourage a complete but (hopefully) fairly simple to read profile. We don't always get it right and since WT is so open, people sometimes edit profiles with good intentions but less-than-good results and then somebody else has to carve out time to clean up, re-format and organize, properly source etc etc that profile. Always more work than hands available and of course "simple but complete" is pretty subjective so sometimes folks just disagree on that definition.
If you have suggested changes to improve profiles and make them easier to understand and use, that is absolutely always welcome. A good way to do that is through comments so that other folks can weigh in if desired and then after a few days to let that happen, making appropriate edits. Hopefully this guidance helps.
I guess nothing further came of her research? Do you know if Ms. Hughes is still active in the Hull Family Association or elsewhere?
Failing that, a key clue in her correspondence is: "Several years ago I was able to discover (from research I contracted at the London Public Records office) the name of the ship on which the Rev. Joseph Hull and his colony came to America". The bulk of these records were moved from London to Kew in 2003.
edited by Bryan McCullagh
edited by Melissa McLaughlin
deleted by Melissa McLaughlin
Why do these publications supersede earlier publication?
I want to attempt to write this in the simplest and shortest form possible to make it easier to understand.
1. Births recorded in Sandwich of: Jediah Allen, son of Ralphe Allen" the 3d of Jan 1646[/7] (Kardell, 1:16). Experience - Experience "the daughter of Ralphe Allin mason," b. 14 Mar 1651[/2?] Ephraim "the son of Ralfe Allin," b. 26 Mar 1656 (Kardell, 1:12).
The record of Experience proves her father is the mason.
2. The will of Esther Swift's mother dated 12 Oct 1662 "I give unto my grandchild Experience Allen, a chest with drawers and my Bible.....[with Hannah Swift], all my linen and my pewter, to be equally divided between them. ... I give unto Jedediah Allen and Experience Allen the third part of my Estate, this house and garden being part of the third."
This record proves Experience and Jedediah are siblings and that Esther was married to Ralph, the mason.
4. Bible of Jedediah Allen and Year Sandwich stopped distinguishing the two Ralph's in records Ralph's death is listed as the 26th of ___ The death of his mother in law is listed directly underneath and as the 26th of ____. (the page was torn and the years are missing).
The order of death is inferred from the order in which the entries are made. We can estimate the death of Ralph, mason using the will Joan Swift and the dates when Ralph Allen with Jr/mason disappers from Sandwich Sandwich records. This puts Ralph's death between 26 Jun 1659-26 Sep1659. The name Ralph Sr. and Ralph, wheelwright appears in at least 4 records after the death of Joan Swift. Proving that Ralph Sr., not Ralph Jr. is the son of George Allen. See 3. 18 December 1691 below.
3. Sons of George Allen, the Immigrant, from his 1st wife
Land - Prior to 1648 show that one Ralph lived in Sandwich and the other Ralph transferred from Newport, RI to Weymouth. We know from 1 & 2 above that Ralph the mason was the one in Sandwich.
The records in Rhode Island and Weymouth link the Ralph, the wheelwright, as the son of George, the Immigrant. John, Robert, George along with this Ralph were all living in Weymouth prior to 1648. The land conveyances were all for land originally owned by their father, George Allen..
Court - Robert, Ralph and George all became Quakers and are named in Court records. Any oath being against Quaker principles, the men were repeatedly charged by the government for adherence to their faith. In many of these court records Ralph is referred to as Ralph Sr. JK had attributed some of these court records to Ralph the mason, but, there are similar court records well after the death of Ralph Jr. the mason.
10 June 1661, court records prove Robert and John Allen are brothers.
17 Feb 1697/8, Will of William Allen names George, above as his brother.
18 December 1691, Will of Ralph Allen, wheelwright, names children: John, Joseph, Increase, Ebenezer, Zachariah, Patience; Overseers: brother, William Allen and Edward Perry.
William is the son of George and Katherine. The two wills above prove George in Sandwich and George the father of John, Robert, George and Ralph are the same man.
This also proves that Ralph Sr. died in after 1691 and that his wife is Susanna, not Esther Swift as some have previously concluded. Source for given name of Susanna - "The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey", 16 [1941]: 7 by Carroll Gardner citing Sandwich Quarterly Records of Friends, 40:25 and 60-68, showing Ralph Allen and Susanna Allen as witnesses to marriages in 1676 and 1685. Analysis of other Allen names in separate lists of men and women witnesses indicates that, when the known wives are paired with their husband, in all cases Ralph and Susanna are left, indicating that they were married.
edited by Melissa McLaughlin
I noticed you've attached a picture of a document. Did you take the picture yourself?
You need to include where the image came from. It looks to me like a FamilySearch image, so I'd include the credit (where it came from: Ancestry, FamilySearch) and ideally the citation, so anyone can find it if they need to.
edited by Alan Pendleton
edited by Alan Pendleton
There is a school of thinking that there were first two Ralph Allens, designated 'Senior' and 'Junior', that the older of the two passed away; and a third, younger Ralph Allen then became 'Junior' while the prior Ralph Allen Jr. was 'promoted' to Senior.
DNA evidence has demonstrated conclusively that Ralph the Mason was closely related to George Sr., and their houses in Sandwich were on adjacent lots. Allen researcher Jack MacDonald believes they were not brothers.
I'm trying to trace the ancestry of Increase Allen Lapham and I'm pretty sure this is his 3Xggrndfthr.
(The narrative has conflicting information about which was called Senior; in some places it calls this one Junior; later on, it claims he was the Senior...)
Ralph Allen "the Wheelwright", son of George Allen of Sandwich.
Approx. birth year should be 1617, consistent with Anderson.