Saturday, March 28, 2020

Moses Allen – Time to Eat Genealogical Crow


Every now and then we just get it wrong.  The book, The Settlers of the Beekman Patent, Vol II, p.154-158, has the lineage of Moses Allen who married Hannah Knapp, 25 Oct 1732 in Newtown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts and later settled in the Beekman Patent in Dutchess County, New York – the problem is:  It is wrong in this book and I made the mistake of not researching thoroughly for other possible records.  Moses Allen actually is a fairly common name, and there were two of them, about the same age, both from Suffolk County (later Norfolk) Massachusetts – both of them had a brother named Aaron who was married to a Hannah.  Easy to confuse, particularly when compiling a large volume regarding many families!   Frank J. Doherty, author of Settlers, had assumed Moses and Aaron were sons of Samuel Allen and his second wife, Abigail, of Sudbury, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.  And, in fact, that couple did have three children whose births are recorded in the Sudbury town records:  Moses, born 9 Sep 1705.  Aaron, born 31 Dec 1707.  And Abigail, born 14 Mar 1710. 

Now, the family of Samuel Allen with births of his children is recorded in the book, Walter Allen of Newbury, Mass 1640 and Some of His Descendants, by Allen H. Bent. Samuel was a grandson of Walter Allen, subject of the book.   A Moses is listed as Samuel’s son with his birth and “nothing further known”.  Aaron and Abigail are stated as having gone to Dedham.  This Aaron, brother to Moses and Abigail, married Hannah Mason, in Dedham, 6 Dec 1733, where births of their children are recorded.  Aaron’s death is recorded in Dedham, Mar 1754 and his age at death agrees with the year of his birth in 1707.  

Additional records have come to light, thanks to another researcher, showing the above conclusion that Moses of the Beekman Patent was a son of Samuel Allen is not possible.  Moses, son of Samuel, did not marry or relocate, but died as a teenager.  Samuel Allen, b. 8 Apr 1658 in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts, died 28 August 1720, in Sudbury.  The estate files of Samuel and his son Moses (which can be seen here and here, if you have a subscription to Ancestry.com) reveal the following.  In October of 1720, Joseph Dean, was appointed guardian of the three minor children of Samuel Allen late of Sudbury, deceased – Aaron, Abigail and Moses.  Samuel’s widow is noted as deceased.  On 30 Oct 1722, John Allen (presumably the John Allen who was Samuel’s eldest son by his first wife), administrator of Samuel Allen’s estate, filed a report from Joseph Dean, “guardian to Moses Allen, Minor, dec’d, son of the late Samuel Allen, dec’d” – the report itself was not dated.  However, earlier on 12 Feb 1722, William Johnson was appointed guardian of Aaron and Abigail Allen, and no mention was made of Moses, so perhaps he was already deceased as early as February of 1722, at about age 17.  He was not old enough to marry and leave descendants.  Abigail, who was a single woman living in Dedham (then Suffolk County now Norfolk County, Massachusetts) in 1732, wrote a letter of dismissal for her guardian, indicating that she was "fully satisfied for all the estate of my father and brother Moses, deceased.”  Of course the only way she could have been heir to her brother was if he had no issue.

So where does “my” Moses Allen belong?  Living in Medfield, (then Suffolk county, now Norfolk) Massachusetts was Joseph Allen, b. 19 Dec 1676 in Medfield, son of Joseph Allen and Hannah Sabin.  He married Miriam Wight, 4 Nov 1701 in Medfield, daughter of Ephraim Wight and Lydia Morse.  She was born 22 Aug 1675 in Medfield.  This couple had five children whose births are all recorded in the Medfield records.  Joseph, b. 17 Aug 1702.  Miriam, b. 27 May 1704.  Moses, b. 20 Sep 1708  (can be seen here).  Lydia, b. 25 Sep 1714.  Aaron, b. 13 Feb 1714/5.  So we have another Moses and an Aaron.  Now it should be noted that “my” Moses had children baptized in Sturbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts, before settling in New York.  Aaron Allen also with a wife Hannah (her surname never discovered) had children baptized in Sturbridge and died there in Sturbridge, 3 May 1794. 

And from Historical Sketch of Sturbridge, Mass., by Joseph S. Clark (available for pdf download on Google books), is the following which nicely ties the locations of Medfield and Sturbridge together:  “Sturbridge was originally settled by a company of emigrants chiefly from Medfield and a few other towns…”  The petitioners request for this new town was granted 3 Sept 1729.    Listed as one of the early partners, prior to the issuing of town lots, was Moses Allen.  He was also one of original fourteen members of the church and on 29 Sep 1736, was appointed to “set the Psalm in the Congregation upon the Sabbath day”.  Joseph Allen, likely his older brother was also one of the fourteen male members of the church.  Aaron Allen’s eldest child, Aaron, Jr. was born in Sturbridge 22 Aug 1739, so he settled there soon after.  Aaron and his Hannah went on to have eleven more children born in Sturbridge. 

These records would seem to leave no doubt that “my” Moses, born in Massachusetts, who lived for a time in Sturbridge, and died in Dutchess County, New York where he is last found in the tax lists in 1778, was the son of Joseph Allen and Miriam Wight of Medfield, and could not have been part of the family of Walter Allen of Newbury.

Unfortunately for the last twenty-five years, I’ve believed the wrong lineage – to those with whom I’ve shared the error – I apologize!  And now I have a whole lot of new direct ancestors to research…


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