WILLIAM ALLEN was born about 1760 in Virginia, and died in 1823 in Grayson, Virginia. He married ANN STUART who died in March of 1839 in Jackson County, Ohio.
Notes: (Taken from "Carroll 1765-1815 The Settlements" by John Perry Alderman - A History of the First Fifty Years of Carroll County, Virginia)
"The tradition is that his father was another William Allen and that the son came to what is now Carroll and settled on the crest of the Blue Ridge on a tract of 400 acres which had been awarded him for his services in the Revolution. It may be that his father was named William and it may also be that researchers have confused him with the William Allen who settled on lower Chestnut Creek in Carroll at the same time this William was settled on the Goodspur. It may also be true that he participated in the Revolution, but it is clear that his land grants had nothing to do with anybody's military service. His grant in 1791 was for 400 acres on Pauls Creek and the Goodspur and was acquired by him from a Moses Johnson who had the tract surveyed in 1782 (Grants 25-179; Henry, Survey 1-240). It is not clear when William came to the area; he is not listed in the Henry County tax lists for 1778-1780, but is listed on the Patrick rolls in 1791. Probably he came to Pauls Creek in the middle 1780's."
A little later he brought another survey; the second was for 88 acres, and he acquired it from John Jones (Grants 39-512). In 1810 he deeded his sons Carr and John each 40 acres of his large tract. He had already sold John Bryson 150 acres of it and had sold his smaller tract to Stephen Jones (Grayson, D. B. 2-541; Patrick D. B. 1-523). He reacquired the 40 acres he deeded John, and he died in 1823 owning 220 acres of his large grant.
He left a will which was written July 12, 1823 and probated that same year at September Court (Grayson, W. B. 1-282). By it he left his wife all his estate for her lifetime together with the right to dispose of it. The will simply identifies her as Ann. Two years later his heirs sold the homeplace to John Edwards, Jr. (Grayson, D. B. 5-194) and the deed lists the heirs as the widow Ann and eight children: 1) John Allen 2) Carr Allen 3) Robert Allen 4) William Allen 5) Bailey Allen 6) James 7) Polly Allen who had married Dudley McMillian and 8) Nancy Allen. John and Carr Allen did not sign the deed.
GRAYSON COUNTY, VIRGINIA
WILL OF WILLIAM ALLEN 12 JULY 1823
I, William Allen of Grayson County and State of Virginia being weak in body but in perfect mind and memory do make this my last will and testament in the following manner to wit; it is my will first that my just debts be paid out of my personal property. Then it is my will that my beloved wife Ann shall possess all my personal and real estate during her natural life and then to dispose of it as she thinks proper. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal this 12th day of July 1823.
Wm Allen (his mark)
Signed and sealed in persence of: V. Wheeler, Baley Allen, James Allen Grayson September Court 1823.
This last will and testament of William Allen decd was proven in Court by Vincent Wheeler and Bailey Allen subscribing witnesses and ordered to be recorded.
In 1810 William, Carr and John had a dispute with Johnson Snow who swore out a peace warrant for them. The affair resulted in their having to give bond before the Grayson Court at the May Term 1810. The other court records which bear the name William Allen refer to those of the same name on Chestnut Creek.
In 1815 new assessments were made of the real estate. The assessor in Grayson County wrote a short description of the property held by each landowner.
WILLIAM ALLEN One farm on Pauls creek containing one hundred and seventy acres, having thereon two cabbens and one stable, Valued at $180. (signed by mark)
CARR ALLEN One farm on the blew ridge containing forty acres having thereon one cabben, Valued at $35. (signed by mark "Care Allen")
JOHN ALLEN One farm on the blew ridge at the good spur joining Wm Allins land containing fifty Acres, having thereon two cabbens, Valued at $35.
The primary record of William's children -- and this apparently did not include those who were minors at the time -- is found in the Grayson Co., Va. deed book S-194, when his widow Ann and eight "heirs" sold the homeplace to John Edwards, Jr. This deed of 23 July 1825 mentions that William had previously given his sons John and Car (sic) forty acres each, and had conveyed 100 acres to John Bryson, thereby leaving the 220 acres being sold to John Edwards, Jr. from his original 400 acres "on the headwaters of Paul's Creek". The heirs partaking in this transaction included William's widow Ann and eight children -- John, Carr, Robert, William, Bailey, James, Polly (Mrs. Dudley McMillian) and Nancy.
While Carr and Bailey remained in the Carroll Co. area, the other children can be found in the Logan Co. (later Wyoming Co.) area of West Virginia by 1830, where John and Polly became the ancestors of large family groups. Their mother Ann, along with her children Robert, William, James, and Nancy, later migrated to Jackson Co., Oh., as did their younger siblings Henry, Isaac and Anna.
Source: THE ALLEN FAMILY OF LITTLE CREEK a genealogy of the family of John Allen, son of Carr, resident of the Little Creek area of northern Pulaski County, Virginia. February 1992 Allen G. Hamann.
JACKSON COUNTY, OHIO PROBATE COURT ESTATE SETTLEMENT
FOR ANN/ANNA STUART ALLEN, WIFE OF WILLIAM ALLEN
Received of Isaac Allen, Administrator of Anna Allen, deceased fifty cents in full of my fee as Justice of the Peace for swearing the appraisors October the 30, 1840. William Comer
Received of Isaac Allen, Administrator of Anna Allen deceased $01.00 in full of my fees as appraisor of said estate October the 30, 1840. John Clark
Received of the hand of Isaac Allen Administrator of the estate of Anna Allen deceased $01.00 as my fees as appraisor of said estate October the 30, 1940. John Harmon
Received of the hand of Isaac Allen administrator of Anna Allen deceased $01.00 in full of my fees as appraisor of said estate received by me October the 30, 1840. Lewis _____?
Received of Isaac Allen Admin of Ann Allen $2. Clerk fees in the Administration of said estate August 15th 1840. Jacob Mertfall, Clerk
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENT, THAT we, Isaac Allen, principal, James Allen and James McQuality all of the county of Jackson and state of Ohio, are held and firmly bound unto the state of Ohio, in the penal sum of one hundred and fifty dollars, lawful money of the United States; to the payment of which, well and truly to be made to the said state, we bind ourselves, our heirs, executors, and administrators, jointly and severaly, firmly by these presents. Signed with our seals, and dated this 30th day of March in the year of our Lord One thousand and thirty nine. Whereas, the above bound Isaac Allen hath this day been appointed by the President and Associate Judges of the Court of Common Pleas of the county aforesaid, Administrator of the estate of Ann Allen late of Jackson county, aforesaid deceased.
MAY THE 4, 1839
The appraisor bill of the property of Anna Allen deceased of the property given in unto us on the 4 day of May 1839 creation of the said estate
1 mare appraised to 20.00
1 bed appraised to 5.00
1 one pare of stillards to 2.00
1 wash tub apprised to .12
1 one tee kittle .50
0 one stove kittle
1 led and hooks appraised 1.50
1 one small skillet
1 one skillet .50
1 one churn .50
1 one Butcher knife .18 3/4
First said advertized on the 25 day of May 1839 the property not sale for want of bidders. Second sale advertized on the 9 day of July 1839 attended and the property was sold one mare sold to Isaac Allen for fourteen dollars. Sold to James Allen one bed and one pare of stilards and one tea kettle and one stove kittle and one churn and one skillet and one small skillet and one wash tub and on Bible and one Butcher knife and one pare of Bacly the property of Anna Allen deceised of her estate in Jackson County that this is a true statement of the property of the deceased. Isaac Allen administrater of Anna Allen deceased.
Taken from "The Memoirs of J. Sidna Allen" from 1929:
Just when the first Allen came to America I do not know; but it was prior to the Revolutionary War; for my great-great grandfather, William Allen, was a soldier in the patriot army and took part in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. This was probably the first courthouse battle an Allen ever engaged in.
It is a tradition in our family that our people were Scotch; but whether they came directly from Scotland to Virginia or first stopped in some of the northern colonies later removing to the Old Dominion, is a matter on which tradition is silent. But that the Allens finally did reach the Blue Ridge country, found it good and took root in its soil, is well enough established by the fact that many of them are now there and have been for many generations.
William Allen may have visited the Blue Ridge country while soldiering with General Greene, and, after his release from the army, may have returned to take up his abode there. Thus he possibly was the first of his family to establish himself in what is now Carroll county.
The children of WILLIAM ALLEN and ANN STUART are:
- JOHN ALLEN, b. 1784, Grayson County, Virginia, d. July 26, 1877, Glen Fork, Wyoming County, West Virginia, m. NANCY DANIEL.
- CARR ALLEN, b. January 17, 1786, Virginia, d. April 1868, Raleigh County, West Virginia, m. TEMPERANCE "TEMPA" DANIEL.
- MARY "POLLY" ALLEN, b. 1790, Grayson County, Virginia, d. after 1860, Wyoming County, West Virginia, m. DUDLEY MCMILLIAN.
- JAMES ALLEN, b. 1791, d. Ohio, m. PRISCILLA DAVIS, April 23, 1835, Jackson County, Ohio.
- ROBERT ALLEN, b. November 11, 1792, Grayson County, Virginia, d. August 4, 1879, Washington County, Iowa, m. ANNIE MILLER O'NEAL.
- WILLIAM ALLEN, b. 1795, Virginia, d. 1847, Scioto or Pike County, Ohio, m. LUCINDA AYRES.
- BAILEY ALLEN, b. 1801, Virginia, d. after 1870, Carroll County, Virginia, m. NANCY GWYNN.
- NANCY ALLEN, b. 1805, Virginia, d. 1859, Ohio, m. JOHN CLARK.
- HENRY ALLEN, b. February 2, 1808, Virginia, d. November 13, 1849, Scioto County, Ohio, m. ABIGAIL MASSIE.
- ANN ALLEN, b. 1812, d. before 1850, Ohio, m. WILLIAM COMER.
Notes: Ann Allen and William Comer had no children.
- ISAAC ALLEN, b. December 28, 1818, Virginia, d. January 8, 1878, Jackson County, Ohio, m. RACHEL MASSIE.
Notes: Henry and Isaac Allen married sisters.
(This information comes from Sandra Silbaugh Wilber, Bill Allen, Gail Allen Justice, Penny Allen Clagg, and other sources)