Nathaniel Allen, born about 1780 in Dutchess County, New York, died 22 December 1832 in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky (he was there on business and died in a hotel). He lived the major part of his adult life in Allen’s Hill (later Richmond), Ontario County, New York. His parents were Moses Allen and Chloe Ward. Well documented on my webpage, Leaves of the Tree, where you can find much, much more about the Allen family. But Nathaniel's wife, or wives, is a bit of a mystery as are the names of all his children – some of whom probably died young and will never be identified.
The Andrew Warde book about Chloe Ward’s family lists Nathaniel with a wife Almyra Akin (married in Dutchess County – and Akins are found there living near the Allens) and only two children: Orrin, living in Virginia (states he was an M.D., but he was instead a dentist) and Almira who married Robert L. Rose and lived in Allens Hill, Ontario County, New York. Early censuses in Ontario County, New York, indicate several more children for Nathaniel if all the young persons marked were actually his children – maybe as many as 4 sons, 3 daughters in 1810 – and with an apparent spouse of his same age. By 1820 there is evidently a household composed of two sets of parents (two males 26-45 and two females 26-45) – so impossible to sort children. By 1820, Nathaniel and BETSEY, his wife, sell property jointly. In the years from 1814 to 1818, Nathaniel sold property and no wife was involved, suggesting that Almyra had died, and he had remarried. It is believed that Betsy, or Elizabeth, was the daughter of a David Akin living in Allen’s Hill – David also having a son named Orra or Orrin, a name that will begin now to appear in the Allen family. David Akin had also lived in Dutchess County, New York at an earlier time. Akin family research does indeed suggest David Akin’s daughter Elizabeth, married Nathaniel Allen. But David seems to have had no daughter Almyra – perhaps she was a niece. The reasonable assumption would be that Nathaniel Allen was married to two ladies with the surname Akin, Almyra dying between 1810 and 1814 – and between 1818 and 1820, he had married Elizabeth “Betsy” Akin. No marriage records have been found.
Now - the proved children.
1. Almira was likely the firstborn. Her grave, Allen’s Hill Cemetery in Richmond, New York has her birth as 8 October 1803, death, 27 January 1849. The Geneva Gazette of 8 September 1824 listed her marriage to Robert L. Rose on 1 September 1824 and stated she was the daughter of Nathaniel Allen of Richmond.
2. Found in 10,000 Vital Records of Western New York, 1809-1850, p. 5, Item 100: “Allen, Almiron W., 23, son of Nathaniel, Esquire, died 1/12/29 in Richmond. From the Geneva Gazette. So Almiron was born in 1806. Never married and left no heirs as evidenced later. Not much question that the mother of Almira and Almiron was Almyra Akin.
3. Nathaniel O. Allen, buried Allen’s Hill Cemetery, Richmond. Died 4 May 1839, age 29 years. So Nathaniel was born in 1810. It is likely the "O" stood for Orrin - a name that doesn't appear in the Allen family until this generation - was it for Orrin Akin, an uncle? Nathaniel O. never married. N. O. Allen wrote his Will, 7 April 1839 although it wasn’t presented for probate until 15 October 1849, ten years after his death. The will left a gold watch to a nephew and namesake, Nathaniel Allen Rose and named his sister Almira, a brother Orrin N. Allen, and a brother Augustus Porter Allen – suggesting only three living siblings by 1839. His brother-in-law Robert L. Rose and brother Augustus P. Allen to be Executors. Robert L. Rose of Richmond presented the will, 15 October 1849, stating that Augustus P. Allen was deceased and that Orrin L. Allen of Culpeper County, Virginia, was the only heir at law. That says that by October of 1849, there were no other living siblings as named in the will.
4. Augustus Porter Allen, born 20 April 1812 (said to be twin of Orrin Nathaniel Allen – although I have found no proof of his birth date), died 1 September 1841. He served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars and his service and death date is listed in a volume of the Congressional Serial Set. No evidence he ever married.
5. Orrin Nathaniel Allen, born 20 April 1812, died 26 June 1875 in Danville (Independent City), Virginia. He is buried Green Hill Cemetery, Danville. Orrin’s Virginia death record states his father was Nathan Allen, his mother Elizabeth. But this would disagree with the fact no wife was named in Nathaniel’s deeds between 1814-and 1818. And it is true that death records are not created by the person who had died – perhaps Elizabeth was a stepmother. Orrin had married in Virginia – his wife and children there would never have known his parents. It is a bit odd that there was a son Nathaniel Orrin and a son Orrin Nathaniel - but that does seem to be the case. Part II of this Blog will be about Orrin.
6. Peter Allen. "Peter Allen, youngest son of Nathaniel, Esq. died in Richmond. Geneva Gazette, 24 May 1826." And from Allen’s Hill Cemetery records: “Elizabeth Allen, wife of Nathaniel, born 20 Jun 1782; died 9 Jun 1826. In the same grave is her infant son, Peter, b. 8 Apr 1826, died 9 May 1826.” This son, born some years after the others. It would seem probable other children were born but no records exist, and it’s doubtful any survived to become adults because of a lawsuit regarding their father, Nathaniel Allen.
Now that known records of the above children are cited, I will explain why I believe there were no others that lived to create records.
Nathaniel Allen’s brother, Peter Buell Allen, had left Ontario County for Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana about 1816 – in fact Peter Allen and wife Polly had sold their properties to Nathaniel before leaving New York. On 13 August 1827, Nathaniel took out a patent for about 70 acres in Vigo County – perhaps he was considering joining his brother. Ownership of this tract would be the subject of a lawsuit in the Probate Court of Vigo County beginning in January of 1847. At that time Orson Barbour was appointed to administrate the estate of Nathaniel and sell the above tract. Now Nathaniel Allen had left no will since he died unexpectedly (intestate) so any estate proceedings must necessarily name all heirs – he was also involved in a lawsuit and had heavy debts at the time of his death. Barbour came up with a list of four children – Almira and husband Robert L. Rose, Nathaniel O. Allen, Orrin N. Allen, and Nathaniel P. Allen, all of Indiana. The last named should have been Augustus P. Allen but either Barbour mis-spoke or the clerk wrote down the wrong name – and none of them were in Indiana. Myron H. Allen (son of Peter Buell Allen, resident of Terre Haute, and nephew of Nathaniel) claimed there was a deed – Robert and Almira Rose, Nathaniel O. Allen and Orrin N. Allen (Augustus already deceased) had made the deed of conveyance to him on 4 Oct 1838. And Nathaniel O. Allen had died the following year. Orrin N. Allen had then signed over all his rights to Robert and Almira Rose in 1845. The judge dismissed the family claims, decreeing the lands were subject to the debts of the deceased (about $8,500. The tract was sold for $1,118.00 at public action before the court house door on 20 Nov 1847.
So, to sum up the children. By the time of this lawsuit in 1847 – only Almira (Allen) Rose and Orrin N. Allen were living. The deaths of Nathaniel O. and Augustus prior to that date are stated in the court proceedings. Almiron and the infant Peter had died many years previously. None of these last four had married. Had there been other children, or grandchildren that were children of deceased children of Nathaniel at that time living, they would have been required by law to be named as heirs of Nathaniel. Any probate judge would have ordered the Administrator to make every effort to locate every heir of the deceased.
Both Almira and Orrin did indeed have descendants. Almira and her husband, Robert L. Rose, had seven sons. Orrin Nathaniel Allen and his progeny will be the subject of Part II.
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