John Allen (abt. 1615 - 1675)

Born about 1615 in England [uncertain]

Husband of Sarah (Unknown) Allen — married about 1640 in Charlestown, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died 27 Mar 1675 at about age 60 in Charlestown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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John Allen migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 4) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Disambiguation. This John Allen is most likely not the John Allen who arrived in 1635 on the Abigail.^[1] The Great Migration identifies that John Allen as having settled first in the town of Plymouth and later in Scituate.^[2]

John Allen was born in about 1615 England. He deposed in 1667 to be age about 52 (therefore born about 1615). His will was dated in 1672-3, at which time he said he was 57 years old.

Disputed Origins. It has been suggested^[3] that he might be the son of John Allen of Norwich, Norfolk, England, whose son John was baptized there in 1615/6, and thus the brother of Rev. Thomas Allen of Charlestown, but there no is affirmative evidence for this.

John Allen immigrated to Charlestown, Massachusetts, where he was first recorded in 1639. John Allen was granted by town, 1639, a house plot on the beach between Mr. Coitmore and the fort. ^[4] On 28 October 1640, he was granted 20 acres of a plot originally laid out for a new minister of the church. The lot granted to Rev Thomas Allen, the new assistant Teacher to the minister, was 25 acres.^[5]

Mr John Allen was admitted as a church member in 1641,^[6] his wife Sarah in 1643; freeman 1639, Charlestown.^[7] The use of the honorific "Mister" signified gentlemanly status in the colony at that time.

He married Sarah (name unknown) by 1640; she was admitted to the church 1643.^[8]

Disputed Multiple Marriages. A previous version of this profile claimed that she died in 1643, but this was the year she was admitted to the church.

A previous version of this profile also claimed, citing Pope and Wyman (as cited by Torrey) that he married, second, Mary (name unknown) after 1644, and third, Sarah (name unknown) by 1657.^[9] However, examination of the specific citations cited by Pope finds no evidence of death of his first wife, or marriage to others later. His only documented wife was Sarah. Given the spread of years between his oldest and youngest child, he might have had a subsequent wife by the same name who might have been mother of his youngest child.^[1]

His eight children were:^{[4] [10]}

1. John Allen - b 16 (8) 1640. Was a student at Harvard 1656-7 d before 1 Feb 1673^[1]
2. Sarah Allen - b 15 (6) 1642, d. 10 (10) 1642
3. Mary/Maria - b 6 (12) 1643/4, m. 28 Nov 1665 Nathan Rainsford at Charlestown^[1] d 13 May 1672^[11]
4. Elizabeth - b ?, m. 1st, 11 Mar 1674 Nathan Hayman of Bristol at Charlestown^[1]; m. 2nd, 18 Jun 1690 Nathaniel Blagrove at Bristol, RI^[1]
5. Samuel Allen - b 29 Nov 1656^[12] d. before 1793^[1]
6. Sarah Allen - b 11 May 1659, d 29 July 1659
7. Rebecca - b about 1660, m. 28 Mar. 1678 John Goodrich of Wethersfield, CT at Charlestown^{[13] [14]}
8. Thomas Allen - b 1 Aug, 1667, d. 5 May 1694

Of these, only Samuel, Thomas, Elizabeth and Rebecca survived him.

John Allen was described as a "mariner" and was captain of the ship Speedwell in 1666.^[4] In 1669 the Massachusetts General Court appointed him a commissioner to prevent the export of coin, authorizing him to search ships and passengers attempting to leave the jurisdiction. It is noteworthy that the commissioners were entitled to a percentage of the illicit coin seized.^[15] Unsourced quotation: "dearth of coin caused great inconvenience in transacting business and from time to time the General Courts of the different colonies endeavored to prevent export, thus in 1669 Capt John Allen of Charlestown was appointed by the General Court of Massachusetts, Commissioner to prevent the export of coin; but these measures did not meet with much success for the balance of trade was hopelessly against the colonies." (citation needed)

John Allen became a prosperous man with extensive holdings in land, mills, and shipping, e.g.: ^[4]

• "Accepts a mercantile trust confided at London by William Allen of London, whose attornies were George emeris, alias Delamere of Newport, Isle of Wight, and Abr. Palmer of Chas. (lately dec'd at the island). Dated at Barbados, June 13, 1631. rec at Barbados Aug. 15, 1653, rec at Cambridge 1653-4. To John Cutting, house and 1 acre, bo't of Thomas Coitmore...Of John Paris, house at Barbados and an interest in ship Fortune's cargo, Mr. Thos. Willioughby master from N.E. to Guinea, and in the Galliot, John Hodges master from Guinea here, and in 1/4 of Golden Dolphin, and in 1/2 of another house and 16 acres land; 1650. Above on Suffolk records."
• Power of Attorney to collect of John Allen and others, was given by Thos. Cox of Waltham Magna, co. Essex, clerk; Wm. Cox, clothier, of Coggeshall magna; Jeremiah Garrard, clothier of Witham, the Exrs. of Sarah Tanner, the Exrx of Wm. Tanner of Coggeshall, to John Plumbe of Hartford, son of George Plumbe of Imworth, co. Essex. dated London, Jan 13, 1660/.

John Allen died on March 27, 1675, in Charlestown, Massachusetts.^[16][17]

His Will was signed 1 Feb 1672/3 (being ae ca 57 years). Devised to widow Sarah, four children: Samuel, Thomas, Elizabeth and Rebecca. His widow Sarah was sole executor, to divide the proceeds of the estate equally among the children, e.g.:^[18]

• Sarah, widow, grat 1 common, 1681. Drew lot 28, 1 1/2 acre, 1681. The Exrx sells lands, Thos. A. only son and Eliz. Blagrove sign 1697. Heirs of J.A. viz John Goodrich and N. Blagrove lands.^[4]

Research notes

Torrey NE Marriages entries:

ALLEN, John (1615-1675) & 1/wf Sarah ____ (-1643+); by 1640; Charlestown {Charlestown 17; Flagg Anc. 263-4; Fulton Anc. 45; Putnam's Mag. 2:121; Pope's Pioneers 14; Bassett (1926) 72}

ALLEN, John (1615-1675) & 2/wf Mary ____; aft 1644; Charlestown {Charlestown 17; Pope's Pioneers 14}

ALLEN, John (1615-1675) & 3/wf Sarah ____ (-1675); by 1657?; Charlestown {Charlestown 17; Flagg Anc. 263-4; Pope's Pioneers 14-15; Hale (1952) 556}

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6} Flagg, Ernest. Genealogical Notes on the Founding of New England, My Ancestors Part in that Undertaking (Genealgoical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, 1973). Pages 263-4.View on FamilySearch.org [Online pages 290-1.
2. ↑ 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. pages 36-39.
3. ↑ Bassett, Buell. One Bassett Family in America (F.A. Bassett Co., Springfield, Massachusetts, 1926). Pages 72-77.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4} Wyman, Thomas Bellows, The Genealogies and Estates of Charlestown, in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1629-1818. 1879. p. 16-19
5. ↑ The History of Malden, Massachusetts, 1633-1785 by Deloraine Pendry Corey; pg.75. [1]
6. ↑ Source: Massachusetts Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988; Charlestown: Records of the 1st Church in Charlestown, MA 1632-1789; pg.10; Reprinted by Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook). Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Accessed 22 Jul 2019.
7. ↑ : NEHGR Vol 131, p. 21
8. ↑ "The Charlestown Oligarchy in 1638," in NEHGR, Boston, MA: NEHGS Vol 131, p. 21
9. ↑ Torrey, 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, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015.p 22, citing Wyman, 17 and Pope 14.
10. ↑ Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1620-1850 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2016). [2]
11. ↑ Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1620-1850 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2016). [3] Text: "Marie, wife of Nathan Rainsford & dau. of Capt. [Jno., Co. Rec. 3:236, 241] Allen, d. in Charlstown, May 13, 1672."
12. ↑ "Charlestown Archives Births Marriages Deaths, 1629-1800" Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook). in Ancestry.com Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 [database on-line]. Image
13. ↑ Connecticut: Vital Records (The Barbour Collection), 1630-1870 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011.) From original typescripts, Lucius Barnes Barbour Collection, 1928. Vol: Wethersfield, Page 125. [4] Text: "John, m. Rebeckah [ ], Mar. 28, 1678, in Charles Town, by Mr. Danford"
14. ↑ The Goodrich Family in America. A Genealogy of the Descendants of John and William Goodrich of Wethersfield, Conn., Richard Goodrich of Guilford, Conn., and William Goodridge of Watertown, Mass. Lafayette Wallace Case M.D., Author Role: Editor Publication: Fergus Printing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1889, Second Date, 1984.[5] The information in this source contradicts other facts and may not be reliable.
15. ↑ Shurtleff. Records of the Governor and Company of Massachusetts. vol IV, pt 2, pp 420-421. [6]
16. ↑ Charlestown. Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1620-1850 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2016). https://www.americanancestors.org/DB190/i/13924/91/250964677
17. ↑ Pope, Charles Henry, The Pioneers of Massachusetts, a descriptive list, drawn from records of the colonies, towns and churches and other contemporaneous documents, published 1900. Reference pages 14-15
18. ↑ Probate records 1648--1924 (Middlesex County, Massachusetts); Author: Massachusetts. Probate Court (Middlesex County); Probate Place: Middlesex, Massachusetts Source Information: Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991. [7]

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