Hezekiah Peters Allen (1762 - 1826)

Born 3 May 1762 in Dedham, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Susannah (Thomas) Allen — married 27 Mar 1793 in Bowdoinham, Maine

Descendants

Died 31 Jan 1826 at age 63 in Bowdoinham, Lincoln, Maine, United States

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Hezekiah Peters Allen is an undocumented patriot, meaning no lineage applications have ever been filled out in his name with the Sons or Daughters of the American Revolution. If you are related to him and apply for membership to either SAR/DAR using his heroic, selfless service record, you would be the very first to honor this true American Hero!

Biography

Hezekiah Allen is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor.
NSSAR Ancestor #: 102494
Rank: Soldier

Hezekiah was born in 1762. He was the son of Hezekiah Allen and Mary Peters.

Hezekiah Peters Allen enlisted in the Revolutionary War four times.

• Enlisted 27 Jul 1799 in Capt. Caleb Champney's company, Maj. Nathaniel Heath's detachment of Guards at Boston. Discharged 1 Oct 1799.

• Enlisted 8 Oct 1779 in Capt. Ralph Thomoson's company, Suffolk County Regiment, under command of Maj. Gen. Hancock at Castle Island. Discharged 10 Nov 1779.

• Enlisted in 1780. Marched on 17 Jul 1780 in the Continental Army[1], service for Dedham, Massachusetts. Discharged 23 Dec 1780.

• Enlisted 24 Mar 1781 with "the return of men agreeable to the resolve of 2 Dec 1780". Served three years under the same company, same regiment: Thomas Seward's Company, in Col. John Crane's[2]Regiment of Artillery, also referred to as "Crane's Continental Artillery Regiment"[3]on the Massachusetts line. Hezekiah was honorably discharged 1 Jan 1784 at West Point, New York.

After the close of the Revolution, Hezekiah settled in what is now, Bowdoinham, Sagadahoc County, Maine. Bowdoinham suffered a few large town fires destroying, or nearly destroying the early town records. Hezekiah Peters Allen life, after his relocation, has been very much a difficult mystery to unravel. A marriage intention[4] dated 7 Mar 1793, and also marriage record[5] dated 27 Mar 1793, can be found for Hezekiah Peters Allen and Susannah Thomas, both of Bowdoinham.

In the book, "The History of the town of Bowdoinham 1762-1912" by Silas Adams[6], there are numerous mentions of Capt. Hez. P. Allen, pgs. 79-85 specifically. These include an indenture bond of his son, Peters Allen to Daniel Pierson, court documents showing that in his later years Hezekiah was labeled a "spendthrift" and eventually appointed guardians, those being Josiah Sandford and Robert Wilson, and even an itemized list of his frivolous spending.

Hezekiah is buried at the Bowdoinham Village Cemetery in Bowdoinham, Sagadahoc County, Maine, USA. No family is linked. ^[1]

Research Notes

Due to the large, destructive fires suffered by the town of Bowdoinham, I've learned that even the poor copies available still often hold mistakes. It seems that after the fires, some incoming town clerks attempted to transcribe the semi-salvageable, but horrible quality records. I'm sure they did their best to avoid mistakes, but I have found a few and will note them as needed.

• Hezekiah P. Allen date of death conflicting info. On the Land Application, his widow Susannah states he passed on 31 Jan 1826. The Bowdoinham Records[7]state he died on 1 Feb 1826. Only a one day difference, but I'm choosing to rely on his widows account rather than the records. Personal preference, considering the fires.

Sources

1. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/245634187/hezekiah-peters-allen: accessed 07 December 2023), memorial page for Hezekiah Peters Allen III (3 May 1762–3 Feb 1826), Find a Grave Memorial ID 245634187, citing Bowdoinham Village Cemetery, Bowdoinham, Sagadahoc County, Maine, USA; Maintained by Linda Williams (contributor 47795221).

• [8] Record of Birth, Family Search

• [9] Mass. Soldiers & Saliors of the Revolutionary War, V. 1, pg. 152.

• [10] Maine Archives, Land Grant Application.

• [11] Pension Ledger, Family Search
• Charles Alcott Flagg An Alphabetical Index of Revolutionary Pensioners Living in Maine Sprague's Journal of Maine History, Dover Maine 1920