Who are the parents of John Alling (ca. 1627-1691) of Guilford, Connecticut?

Question

John Alling of Guilford, Connecticut, husband (as of 1652) of [[Bradley-988|Ellen Bradley]], is currently shown as a son of [[Allen-4674|James Allen]] of Kempston, Bedfordshire.  This is incorrect: James's son John did not follow his brother Roger and sister Joan to Connecticut; au contraire, he is still in England in 1656 and is named as executor of James's will _in which he is given a house in Kempston_.  The 1905 "History and genealogical record of the Alling-Allens of New Haven" (https://archive.org/stream/historygenealogi00alle/historygenealogi00alle_djvu.txt , p. 250) makes it clear that while Roger of New Haven and John of Guilford were close, they were (at best) cousins -- not brothers.  Unfortunately, it does not reveal John's parents or birthplace.

By tradition, John is believed to have been born in England in about 1627. My strong suspicion -- given the closeness of the two men -- is that they are likely to have grown up together, as cousins, in Kempston.  For example, one first-glance possibility appears to be that James Allen, born at Kempston in 1587 to John & Joan Allen, might have been elder brother of Richard Allen, born in Kempston in 1603... to a father also named John (see https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J7MP-F38 ). Richard becomes the father of a son named John, born in Kempston in January of 1628 (see https://www.familysearch.org/search/ark:/61903/1:1:J7MP-D4S )... awfully close to that traditionally-stated 1627 birth year for John of Guilford.

This scenario would make Richard's son John a younger first cousin to James's son Roger.  John is believed to have emigrated about a decade later than Roger, which would fit the age difference.  That the two were very close is testified to in the 1905 "History" thus:

"[T]here can hardly be a doubt but the tradition that Roger and John were cousins, is true, and that it was a mutual agreement with them to change the English form of their name from Allen to Alling... they are the only known emigrants who thus spelled their name..."

Is John, son of Richard, the Guilford man??  It's a tidy theory, anyway...  If anyone can find Richard's will, and if he -- like James -- makes note of children who have emigrated to New England, that would be awfully convenient...

Comments

Sounds like a good idea to create the new John Alling and attach parents to him.

Have you tried searching at NEHGS for the possible father look for the "Genealogical gleanings in England" but I suspect if it was out there, there would be signs.

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I have done a search on NEHGS, Anne, but I think I'll go back and doublecheck... and also give a second look on freereg.uk for parental candidates.  So far, the FamilySearch results showing Richard as a plausible younger brother of James (each having a father named John), with Roger Allen a known son of James and John Alling a possible son of Richard, offer the most hopeful scenario I've come across.

Answer 1

I think you need to probe the claim (on the profile) that Jonn was born in Guilford in 1629. Guilford wasn't settled by English people until 1639.

I've not attempted to research this family, but it seems entirely credible that this man was born in England and went as a young adult to the New Haven Colony, where a cousin or brother was already living.

Comments

Yes! -- Ellen, you are absolutely correct about the Guilford claim; I'm familiar with the 1639 Covenant and the founding of the place b/c I have ancestors who were signers.  That's part of what first drew my attention to this profile.  James's son John, whom I first mistook (as, obviously, have others) for John of (eventually) Guilford, was born in Kempston and I was proposing to make that change in the birthplace when I became aware of James's will and realized that there had to be two distinct Johns.

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I've updated his profile, added a disputed origins/disambiguation section. I started editing the profile but it needs finishing; would love it if someone else took that on.

I have not yet created a new John Allen for the detached parents (the son who remained in England). Perhaps someone could also do that, adding a pertinent disambiguation section at the beginning of its narrative with links to the PGM John in the narrative.

Thanks.

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(I didn't fix the PGM John Allen's birth info though... Could someone else?)

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I will go to work tonight on both the new John Allen and the edit to John Alling's birth info.  I think for the nonce it may be best just to show 1627 as an estimate, and simply say "England"... tho' I would love to find _some_ evidence to support Kempston or at least Bedfordshire (and of course esp. to pin down his actual parentage).

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... and... done & done... will add more to the new profile as I find it.

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... and thank you, Jillaine, for getting that started!

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And thank you Chris.