Mercy (Wright) Allen (1668 - 1728)

Born 14 Mar 1668 in Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay

Ancestors

Wife of Samuel Allen — married 15 Dec 1692 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA

Descendants

Died 5 Feb 1728 at age 59 in Litchfield, Litchfield, Connecticut Colony

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Biography

Mercy Wright Allen was the grandmother of Ethan Allen, an American Revolutionary War leader who fought for Vermont's independence.

Birth: 14 Mar 1668 Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts, USA

Death: Feb. 5, 1728, Litchfield, Litchfield, Connecticut

Father: Judah Wright Sr.

Mother: Mercy (Burt) Wright

Marriage & Family

Spouse: Samuel Allen

Children:

1. Samuel Allen
2. Mercy Allen
3. Mercy (Allen) Root (dup?)
4. Nehemiah Allen
5. Daniel Allen Sr.
6. Lydia (Allen) Murray
7. Joseph Allen

After the death of her husband, Mercy Allen traded her small holdings in Coventry for much larger land rights on the Connecticut frontier, which became Litchfield. Five years later, she bought into the Litchfield Proprietorship, becoming the only woman proprietor.

She drew for a house lot in the town's first land division in 1721, took responsibility for building Litchfield's south garrison during an Indian scare, and directed the family in clearing their new farm.

Mercy was born in 1674, daughter of Judah & Mercy (Burt) Wright. She was married to Samuel Allen. They had twelve children. She passed away in 1728.

Sources

• Martin, David Kendall. Joseph² Baldwin, Jr., of Milford, Connecticut, and Hadley, Massachusetts, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, Mass., 2002) Vol. 156, Page 111.
• "Revolutionary Outlaws: Ethan Allen and the Struggle for Independence on the Early American Frontier", Michael Bellesiles.
• Woodruff, George C. A Genealogical Register of the Inhabitants of the Town of Litchfield, Connecticut, (The Case Lockwood & Brainard Company, Hartford, Conn., 1845) Page 7
• Genealogies of Connecticut Families (Genealogical Publishing Company, 1983) Vol. 1, Page 16
• Find A Grave: Memorial #112671045 - No tombstone - Litchfield County, Connecticut