George Allen Sr (abt. 1585 - abt. 1648)

Born about 1585 in England

Husband of Unknown (Unknown) Allen — married about 1609 in Somerset, England

Husband of Katherine (Unknown) Collins — married before 1627 in England [uncertain]

Descendants

Died about 30 Apr 1648 at about age 63 in Sandwich, Barnstable, Massachusetts

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George Allen Sr migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Great Migration (Series 2), by R. C. Anderson, vol. 1, p. 27) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Little is known of George Allen's life or origins prior to his arrival in Massachusetts in 1635. (See Research Notes below regarding his disputed ancestry and wives.)

He was probably a land-owner,^[1] and may have lived in or around Somerset, England.^[2]

He married in England and had several children by his first wife, whose name is not known. She died prior to 1627. He married second to a woman named Katherine, maiden name unknown, and had several more children by her.

George was one of approximately 106 people associated with the Rev. Joseph Hull Congregation of Crewkerne, England who immigrated to the New World. They were considered Puritan Anabaptists by religious belief.^[3] The Hull Company's ship left Weymouth about March 20, 1634/5. The voyage took forty-six days, and landed at Boston harbor on May 6, 1635.^[4]

On July 8, 1635, Hull's congregation was granted the right to settle at Wessaguscus, southeast of Boston. A short while later, they changed the name to Weymouth, after their port of departure in England.^[3][5]

A list of the members of this immigrant Hull Company includes:

1. 46 George Allin, aged 24 years.
2. 47 Katherine Allin, his wife, aged 30 years.
3. 48 George Allin, his son, aged 16 years.
4. 49 William Allin, his son, aged 8 years.
5. 50 Matthew Allin, his son, aged 6 years.
6. 51 Edward Poole, his servant, aged 26 years.^[6]

From this, we can reasonably deduce that George was a man of means, able to afford the expensive passage along with his family, and having a servant as well.

George was one of the earliest settlers of the town of Sandwich, which was founded in 1637. However, in 1638 severe controversy broke out as many settlers of the town accused the ten proprietors of (among other things) monopolizing the best meadow lands for themselves.^[7] Against this backdrop of dissent in Sandwich, George Allen's servant Edward Poole appeared on a 1638 list of original settlers of Aquidneck (Rhode Island), followed after 20 May 1638 by George Allen, together with Ralph and Samuel Allen.^[8] The George and Ralph Allen on this list could have been George's sons, just entering adulthood.

George Allen's name appears on a 1638 list of the members of the first church in Sandwich, and on 3 September 1639 he was admitted as freeman.^[9] That same day, he was sworn in as Constable, ^[10][11] "an office of great dignity" in colonial days. In 1640, 1641, 1642, and 1644 he was deputy to the General Court at Plymouth,^[12] and was one of the committee to divide the lands in Sandwich, where he was granted six-and-a-half acres on 16 April 1640^[13]. On 3 March 1639/40, and again on 2 June 1640, he was made Surveyor of Highways.^[14]

In 1646, he built a house in Sandwich - about a quarter of a mile from what eventually would be the Quaker meeting house - on the main road to Cape Cod, now called 'King's Highway'. This house "stood until about 1882, when it was razed."^[15]

Salter's History of Monmouth Co., N.J. says "George Allen of Sandwich was a man of Note and his descendants are numerous, exceedingly."

Several of George's children were instrumental in establishing the Society of Friends (the "Quakers") in the New World, although George himself had passed away by the time the movement began. Among his decedents and in-laws are five American Presidents: Grant, F.D.R., Nixon, Ford, and Bush, as well as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.^[3]

Death and Burial

His death is described as late April 1648 at Spring Hill, Sandwich, New Plymouth.^[3]. Consistent with known burial date of 2 May 1648.^[16] No grave marker is known. He may have been buried on his homestead,^[17] or possibly at the Spring Hill cemetery or the First Church of Sandwich cemetery.

Last Will and Testament

Undated, proved 7 Jun 1649.^[18]

FamilySearch.org provides an original image of George's will. The Sandwich Public Library provides a transcription of George's will, which reads:

(fol. 84) The last will and Testament of Georg Allen the

elder late of Sandwidge

Imprimis I give unto all my Children twelvepence a peece

It I give unto my wife the ould Cow

It I leave my house & household stufe to my wife During

the time yt shee Continueth unmarried but in Case she marries

againe my will is yt thay shalbee Desposed of to bee Devided

amongst my five least Children

It I give unto my five least Children a Cow apeece

It I give unto my sonn William the meadow I bought of

Peter Gaunt being in the 2cond Devission

It for my land & the rest of my meadow I give unto my

sonns henery & Samuell

It for my adventure in the barkque I leave to my wife

& the five least children

Witness my hand

Georg Allen

in the presence of us

William Leveridge

John Vincent

Richard Bourne

The above written will and Testament of Georg Allen Deseased

was proved before the Court holden at New Plymouth the 7th of

June 1649 upon the oath of Mr. Willam Leveridge Richard Bourne

John Vincent

George Allen Did nominate his wife Katheren Allen to bee his

Executrix & Ralph Allen & Richard Bourne overseers of this his will

Witness Ralph Allen

Willam Newland

Of careful note is the clause:

"It I give unto my son Matthew one calfe and 8 shillings"

described by Guilford, but missing in the Sandwich Public Library transcription.

An inventory of his estate was taken 22 September 1648. The estate was valued at 44 pounds, 16 shillings. It was exhibited to the General Court at New Plymouth on 8 June 1649, upon the oath of Katherine Allen.

Research Notes

The English ancestry of George Allen is unknown, although there is a lot of speculation. In addition, almost nothing is known about his wives, although there is a lot of speculation. This project-protected profile follows the research summary in Robert Charles Anderson's Great Migration^[2] (see below). Any proposed additions to this profile which contradict Anderson should be discussed first.

Disputed Parents

It has been suggested that George's parents were John Allen (of Saltford, Somersetshire) or Richard Allen or Ralph Allen and Margaret Wyatt of Thurcaston, Leicestershire.

Disputed Wives

It has been suggested that George's second wife Katherine was either Katherine Davis (sometimes with the variant claim that her first husband was a Watts) or Katherine Starke (by Torrey^[19] and others) . Both seem unlikely.

Leslie Ann Ballou Research

Leslie Ann Ballou, a modern-day researcher, has prepared a noteworthy analysis disputing a connection to Katherine Starke/s.^[20]

Seward and Norah Allen Research

Of particular relevance to this topic is a passage by Guilford, referencing the research of Seward and Norah (Stewart) Allen in 1985:

"The time and place of George Allen's birth are matters of debate even to this day as is the identity of his wife Catherine who accompanied him to these shores. Neither is the name of his previous wife, by whom he is presumed to have had a number of his children, known. Much research has been done in England on these matters by Seward and Norah (Stewart) Allen (1985) and, based on their findings, it seems safe to reject two very popular hypotheses.

"The first hypothesis was based on an assumption that George's second wife was Catherine Starkes the marriage having taken place on November 4, 1624, at All Hallows Church in London. This Georg Allen was a widower, the son of Richard Allen, a moneyer of the Tower of London, 24 years of age and a clothworker by trade. Catherine was a spinster, "30 years of age or the year above" and so was born by 1635, at the time George and Catherine are found listed as passengers to America, this George would have been 35 and his wife, 40 or 41. Our Catherine is listed then as age 30. It is known that George's earliest children were born shortly after 1600, making them contemporaries of this George.

"The second hypothesis was based on some litigation between a George Allen of Saltford, Somersetshire, that involved Rice Davis of Tickenham. The indenture was dated 8 May 1627. It has been posited by some that our George married a daughter of Davis (i.e., a Catherine Davis), but according to the Allens, all of Davis' daughters are known and none married an Allen. However, this same George Allen was still involved in litigation in England and was one against whom the Privy Council took action in November of 1638, three years after our George had come to America."

Guilford notes that these findings convinced the Allens that 1) George Allen did not marry Catherine Starkes or a daughter of Rice Davis, and 2) he was not the above-mentioned George, resident of Saltford, Somerset. George of Saltford was the son of John Allen of that place and sired a son George in 1605. Our George had his seventh child, George, in 1618 or 1619.

Conclusions from Anderson's Great Migration

Note: Per Wikitree guidelines, these conclusions should be considered a definitive source of information regarding this profile. Any additions which contradict Anderson should include primary source documentation.

• Origins unknown. "A number of claims have been made regarding the English origin of George Allen, deriving him from London, Somerset or Leicester, but none of these has been more than a suggestion [GmNJ 16:3-4; TAG 36:64]. The known origins of all of his fellow passengers are in the West Country, mostly from Batcombe or Broadway in Somerset, so George Allen's origin should be sought in that area."
• Birth: By about 1585 based on estimated date of first marriage. (By the argument in COMMENTS below, he, and not his son of the same name, was the George Allen in the 1643 Sandwich list of men able to bear arms, and so was not yet sixty in that year and thus was born after 1583. If this estimate of 1585 is correct, then we can suggest that the age given for George on the 1635 passenger list is wildly inaccurate, and remains without any satisfactory explanation.)
• Migration 1635 "from Weymouth, Dorsetshire," residing first in Weymouth, then in Sandwich by 1638. "Savage and others, presumably following the misguided lead of the author of the history of Lynn, say that George Allen was first at Lynn, in 1636. The origin of this statement would be the belief that all the earliest settlers of Sandwich were from Lynn. but George Allen was first at Weymouth, and there is no reason to believe that he ever resided at Lynn."
• He, and not his son by the same name, was the George Allen in the 1643 Sandwich list of men able to bear arms, therefore was not yet 60, thus born after 1583.
• "The age given for George on the 1635 passenger list is wildly inaccurate and remains without any satisfactory explanation."
• was probably related in some way to Ralph Allen, mason, of Sandwich.
• m1 about 1610 _____ _____.
• m2 by 1627 Katherine _____ "(assuming that William was her oldest Allen child.) She married (2) by 1656 John Collins of Boston [MD 25:136-37, citing PCLR 3:7]" In other words, Anderson provides no maiden name for this wife!
• Children by first wife:
  • John b abt 1610; m. Christian. Held land first granted to George Allin [Weymouth Hist 1:184, 188] Went on to Rehoboth.
  • Robert b abt 1615; d bef 10 June 1661; apparently unmarried.
  • Ralph b abt 1617 m by 1642 Susanna[?] ____; "her forename given in many sources as Susanna, but without record evidence cited." Ralph held land first granted to George Allin. [Weymouth Hist 1:184, 188] "For about a decade there were two Ralph Allens residing in Sandwich, whose records are difficult to disentangle... one of the Ralph Allens (the one m to a Swift and with children Jedediah, Experience and Ephraim) died in the fall of 1659. It was the son of immigrant George Allen who died in 1691.
  • George, b abt 1619; m1 by 1648 Hannah ____; m2 aft 1682 Sarah _____ who survived him. Remained in Weymouth til 1648 whe his son Caleb born in Sandwich. Was NOT the George Allen having children in Boston in 1645 onward.
  • Rose, b abt 1621; m1 by 1639 Joseph Holway/Holloway/Holley; m2 Sandwich 19 May 1648 William Newland
• Children by second wife:
  • William b abt 1627; m Sandwich 21 Mar 1649 Priscilla Browne
  • Mathew, b abt 1629; m Sandwich 6 Jun 1657 Sarah Kirby
  • Henry b abt 1631; m1 by 1663 Sarah Hill [Jacobus says dau of John Hill of Guildford without evidence]; m2 in 1685 Rebecca (____) Rose, widow of Robert Rose.
  • Samuel, b abt 1633; living 1656; nfr. Not the Samuel Allen of Braintree.
  • Gideon, b abt 1635; m by 1671 Sarah Prudden, dau of Rev. Peter Prudden.
• "At one time or another just about every young Allen male in southeastern New England has been placed as a son of George Allen... The following claimed children of George Allen the immigrant are disputed by Anderson:
  • Francis m Sandwich 20 Jul 1662 Mary Barlow, suggesting a 1637 birth; names of his children suggest no connection with George or Ralph Allen.
  • James, b abt 1638; names of his children suggest no connection with George or Ralph Allen.
• Bibliographic notes (among others):
  • Charles Carroll Gardner's compiled accounts of both George Allen and Ralph Allen of Sandwich (in "Genealogical Dictionary of New Jersey" GMNJ 16:1-4, 49-52), have some errors, but "remains the best in print on these families."
  • 1990: Joan S. Guilford "prepared an unreliable account which ascribes George 15 children, some of which were his grandchildren and others of whom were not related at all."

DNA Analysis

An Allen family DNA project is currently in progress at Family Tree DNA. John Robb has performed an excellent analysis based on the results so far.

The most relevant section is Patrilineage 002. To date, five people have claimed a paternal ancestry to George^[21]; their very closely matching results tend to support this.

All males with the surname Allen who believe they may be a descendant of George Allen or Ralph Allen Sr. would be strongly encouraged participate in this project. We need your DNA!

Sources

1. ↑ A document in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., located by Art Allen in the 1950's, and sourced in Cape Code Genes, indicates that George Allen was "a land speculator" in Bridgewater, Somersetshire, before he came to America
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} 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. pp 27 - 35.subscriber$
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} Cooper, Ed. "George Allen" on Cape Cod Genes website.Webpage archived by WayBackMachine, 2 Nov 2014,
4. ↑ The ship has been suggested to be the Blessing, Mary Gould, Speedwell, Hopewell, or Dorset. The Blessing and Hopewell are unlikely, and the Mary Gould was ruled out by a noted Hull family researcher in 2002.
5. ↑ Laurence Cook, "C. The Rev. Joseph Hull": The Exodus of the Joseph Hull Company (1991) on Origins of the Bicknell Family in North America (archived website)
6. ↑ A complete listing is at Immigrant Ships Transcriber's Guild
7. ↑ Plymouth Colony Records, 1:88.
8. ↑ The list is reproduced at Wikipedia's List of Early Settlers of Rhode Island.
9. ↑ Plymouth Colony Records 1:130
10. ↑ Plymouth Colony Records 1:125, 130
11. ↑ Sandwich and Bourne Colony Town Records, 1912
12. ↑ Plymouth Colony Records, 1:155, 2:16, 40, 75
13. ↑ Plymouth Colony Records 1:147
14. ↑ Plymouth Colony Records 1:141, 156
15. ↑ From George Allen's page on the Alger family website, quoting J.S. Guilford, The Ancestry of Dr. J. P. Guilford.
16. ↑ Plymouth Colony Records: "Gorg Allen senier buried the 2cond of may" and referenced in: "The Mayflower Descendant" (15:28) Boston: General Society of Mayflower Descendants; and (1:4) Kardell, Caroline Lewis, and Russell A. Lovell, Jr., 1996, Vital records of Sandwich Massachusetts to 1885. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, 3 Volumes; and (8:6) Shurtleff, Nathaniel B., 1855-1857, Records of the colony of New Plymouth in New England. Press of William White, Boston, MA. 12 Volumes.
17. ↑ George Allen on Find A Grave: Memorial #108606946 retrieved 2018-06-16
18. ↑ Anderson, p 27
19. ↑ Torrey, "New England Marriages Prior to 1700"
20. ↑ Questioning The Katherine Starkes Connection by Leslie Ann Ballou
21. ↑ Test Kit numbers 65979, 106031, 183437, 251992, 175505 listed sequentially on the results page

Many works about George Allen have been compiled, some by professional genealogists, some by family members, and others by hobbyists. Amongst these are:

• Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume I, A-B, Boston, MA: 2008, pp 27-35
• Carl Boyer, "Ancestral Lines, Third Edition", published by the author, Santa Clarita, CA, 1998.
• Charles Carroll Gardner, "Genealogical Dictionary of New Jersey" GMNJ 16:1-4. Per Anderson: Gardner's compiled accounts of both George Allen and Ralph Allen of Sandwich (in, 49-52) have some errors, but "remain the best in print on these families."
• Jack MacDonald, [https://web.archive.org/web/20201120100441/http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~jacmac/genealogy/Allen1.pdf The Allen Family, Descendants of George Allen of England and Sandwich, Massachusetts (an excellent and meticulous record spanning 20 years of research)]
• Immigrant Ships Transcriber's Guild, The Hull Company
• Gilbert Nash, "Historical sketch of the town of Weymouth, Massachusetts, from 1622-1884", Town of Weymouth, Weymouth Historical Society, 1885
• Allen Alger, Alger History and Ancestry
• Leslie Ann Ballou, Questioning The Katherine Starkes Connection
• Rev. James Bradbury Mitchell, "George Allen: a Biographical Sketch", 2008
• Edwin Salter, "Salter’s History of Monmouth and Ocean Counties New Jersey", Heritage Books, 1890
• Ted Clarke, Weymouth Town Historian, "Weymouth - The First Hundred Years"
• https://familysearch.org/photos/stories/21107750
• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 07 October 2018, 20:48), entry for George Allen[1]); contributed by various users.
• Nellie Bethune (Allen) Bartlett, "Twelve Generations of George Allen and his wife Catherine", compiled in 1967