Walter Allen - Born 1601 in England

Walter Allen

Born 1601 in England

(Helped to settle Newbury, MA)

        Walter Allen was born about 1601 in England. He married Rebecca Wyman (Ward) about 1629 in England. She was born around 1603 in England.

        They came to the colonies and settled in Newbury, Massachusetts around the time the town was incorporated in 1635. There is record that he was in Newbury, Mass., in 1640, but moved to Watertown about 1652. In 1665 he sold his estate in the latter town and bought sixty acres near the Concord boundary in what was then called Watertown Farms. In 1669 he purchased 200 acres more in Watertown Farms, afterward became known as the town of Weston. Rebecca died here.

         After death of his wife Rebecca in 1673, he went to Charlestown. While in Charlestown he married, 29 Nov. 1678, Abigail (Martins) Rogers, she was born 1607 and their marriage is found listed among the “Record of Marriages of Charlestown”.  

         He died, July 8, 1681, in Charlestown, Suffolk County, Massachusetts Bay Colony at age 80. He is listed as being buried in “Phipps Street Burying Ground” in Charlestown, but no memorial maker or headstone was found there. This record was added to the family file April 18, 2013 (Grave memorial #108718976). He took oath in 1677 that he was 76.  At his death he not only owned land in Watertown and Charlestown, but in Sudbury and Haverhill. The latter farm came into his possession in 1673 in payment of a debt due from Thomas Davis.

While going through some old letters and notes that was sent to me by other family members I came a crossed this note…

·       The subject today is the will of Walter Allen (1601-1681) of

Charlestown, Massachusetts. He married (1) Rebecca Ward

(1603-1678), and they had five children:  John Allen (1631-1711);

Daniel Allen (1636-1694); Abigail Allen (1641-????);

Benjamin Allen (1647-1678); and Joseph Allen (1649-1721). 

·       Walter married (2) Abigail (Martin) Rogers (1609-????).

·       Walter Allen died testate.  His will was dated 19 February 1679/80,

 and was proved in August 1681. The will reads (transcribed from

Middlesex County (Massachusetts) Probate Records, volume 5,

page 163-164, accessed on FHL Microfilm 0,521,762):

HIS WILL & TESTAMENT….

"This 19th . 12. 1679.  I Walter Allen of Charlestowne in the Countie of Middlesex: being aged and crazie of body as yet in my perfect understanding & memory doe make this my last will & testament.

"Imps:  I doe give unto my well beloved wife Abigail Allen according to what we agreed upon before we marryed that shee should have three pound a year so long as shee did live my widdow in manner as followeth, the one halfe in money, the other in country pay as shall be suit her occasion & this shall be pd out of my house at Charlestown by my three sons which I make my executors joyntly; moreover I give unto my wife for her labour & pains shee hath taken wch was in my sickness fourty shillings to be pd in money six months after my decease. 

"I give unto my son Jno Allen, one parcel lying in Watertowne called Mr Mayhew's farme contayning two hundred acres more or less with all ye timber & wood to it belonging to him and to his heirs forever.  Also I give unto my three sons one hundred acres of land lying in Haverill, which I had of Thomas Davis of Haverhill mason: to sell this land and to divide it equally between them:  Also I give to my sons my dwelling house in Charlestown & all my moveable goods & debts to be equally divided between them:  Moreover I give unto my son Daniell allen & Joseph Allen, one farm called Knops farme and five acres of meaddows lying in the great meadow of Watertowne which I bought of John Ballson. 

"As for my bedding my will is that my son John shall the bed with the canvass ticking with the feather bolster & pillow & blankets and hamock, to my son Daniel the oldest feather bed & feather bolster, one pillow, one blankett, & the colored rug;  to my son Joseph that feather bed, bolster, one pillow, two blanketts & green rugg;  I give unto my son John the twenty acres of Divident land lying in Watertowne near the bridges I bought it of Garrett Church. Also I give unto my son Daniel Allen  one acre of meddow lying in Watertown wch I bought of Mr. Norcross.  As for ye bed with the canvass ticking on it my mind is yt Elnathan the son of Daniel shall have yt bed & John Allen shall have that I had of John Cool.

.......................................................................... Walter Allen

"Charlstown this 6 May 1681:  My desire is that my sons would live peacably & not to contend & quarell but act contented with what I have done.  Butt if any of them be not & will be quarrelsome, then yt are to shall have but ten pounds & their brothers yt live peacably shall have my estate as written my hand

.......................................................................... Walter Allen

"Witness

Nathaniel Kettle

Jonathan Kettle"

·       The inventory of the estate of Walter Allen was taken

on 12 5th month 1681 by Lawrence Dowse, Henry Balcom

and Jonathan Kettel.  It amounted to 315 pounds. 

The real estate included:

1)     One farm in Watertowne lying near Sudbury

containing two hundred acres (60 pounds)

2)     One farm contayning 105 acres & six acres of

meadow (17 pounds)

3)  Another farm lying in Haverhill (20 pounds)

4)  20 acres of Divident land in Watertown (8 pounds)

5)  The dwelling house & orchard in Charlstowne

     (105 pounds)

He had four pounds ten shillings in money, and had

57 pounds in debts owed to him.

The inventory was entered by the clerk, Thomas Danforth, in September 1681 (Middlesex County Probate Records, volume 5, pages 165-166, accessed on FHL microfilm 0,521,762). Walter Allen named only his wife, Abigail, and three sons (John, Joseph and Daniel Allen) in this will.  His son Benjamin died before he did.  His daughter, Abigail, may have married and may have had children, but I have no record of a marriage or children.

This note was written by Genea-blogger John Newmark, who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog and started his own Monday blog theme many years ago called Amanuensis Monday. He states that “This is the first will I've found that says the testator was "crazie of body." My ancestry is through the son, John Allen (1631-1711)”.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/01/amanuensis-monbday-will-of-walter.html

Walter Allen's occupation is variously given in the old records as farmer, planter, haberdasher, shop-keeper, and once (1673) more specifically, as a '' Haberdasher of Hats." The inventory of his estate amounts to £3015, a goodly sum for those days.

Children of Walter and Rebecca, the first three born probably in England, the other two Newbury:

John, b. 1631

Daniel b. 1634

Joseph b. 1638

Abigail, b. Oct. 1, 1641.

Benjamin, b. Apr. 16, 1647.

Sources:

·       “Walter Allen of Newbury, Mass., 1640, and some of his descendants: with a few notes on the Allen family in general" From a GENEALOGY COLLECTION being held at the ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY. Complied BY ALLEN H. BENT OF BOSTON, Member of the New-England Historic Genealogical Society. BOSTON: DAVID CLAPP & SON, PRINTERS. 1896.

·       Attention is respectfully called to the recently formed Society of Descendants of Walter Allen, further information of which may be had by addressing J. Weston Allen, Secretary, at Cambridge, Mass.

·       A Genealogical Dictionary of  The First Settlers of New England, Before 1692 Volume #1, Pages 24 – 33 (Alderman – Allen) By James Savage