Richard Allen Sr. (1741 - 1832)

Born 15 Nov 1741 in Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, British Colonial America [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Nancy Ann (Lindsey) Allen — married 1763 in Frederick, Virginia

Descendants

Died 10 Oct 1832 at age 90 in Edwards, Wilkes, North Carolina, United States

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Biography

Captain Richard Allen Sr. served with Wilkes County Regiment, North Carolina Militia during the American Revolution.

Richard Allen Sr. is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A001792.

Richard Allen Sr. is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor.
NSSAR Ancestor #: 100761
Rank: Captain

Richard Allen was born 15 November 1741 in Maryland.^[1] He was the son of John Allen and Ann Rhodes.

Richard married Nancy Ann Lindsey about 1763 while in Frederick, Virginia. He lived there about seven years. In the late 1760's, they moved to Wilkes County, North Carolina with first son Thomas Allen. Once there, they continued to have seven more children.

In 1778, Richard Allen was elected the first Sheriff of Wilkes County, North Carolina.

In the 1800 U.S. Census, Richard Allen was recorded as head of a 6 person household in Morgan, Wilkes, North Carolina.^[2]

He lived to be 90 years old.

Military Service

Richard Allen Sr. is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A001792.

Richard Allen entered the service of the United States in 1775 as a volunteer in Capt. Jesse Walton's Company of Minute Men^[3] which was the first company ever raised in Wilkes County, NC, at the rank of First Sergeant. At the completion of his tour of training and support, he was chosen as Ensign in the company of militia commanded by Capt. Benjamin Cleveland in which they pursued Indians and Tories across the Blue Ridge and into Virginia.

Richard Allen was promoted to Captain early in 1778 when Benjamin Cleveland was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. In Jan 1780, Captain Allen's company was assigned to Col. Andrew Hampton's regiment in defense of Charleston, SC. In the late part of 1780, his company, traveling on foot, arrived late for the Battle of King's Mountain and assisted in guarding prisoners. Richard Allen spent the remainder of the Revolutionary War in North Carolina chasing Tories.

Captain Allen was in almost continuous service from 1775 to 1781. He was ordered to the scene of most of the major battles in the Carolinas: Moore's Creek Bridge, Charleston, Kings Mountain, and Guilford Courthouse. Yet he took no active role in any of them. It is ironic that at a time when numbers of Americans were deserting the battlefields, a man who wanted to meet the British in major conflict was never able to do so.

Sources indicate that after the end of the War, Richard's participation in the military earned him the rank of Colonel. This rank can be referenced by his obituary in the 1832 National Intelligencer and by the published work of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Walter Clark, in 1907 titled, "State Records of North Carolina," both of which refer to him as Colonel Richard Allen.

Service Record: Wilkes County Regiment, North Carolina Militia: Was a Sergeant and an Ensign. Early 1778, a Captain under Col. Benjamin Cleveland. At some time, also served under Col. Andrew Hampton (Rutherford County Regiment). March 1781, a Major.^[4][5]

Note on Military Rank

The photos of grave marker and highway signs made in his honor, indicate that Richard Allen had achieved rank of Colonel during the War. The highest rank achieved during the War was Captain. At some time after the Revolution, Allen was given the rank of colonel of the Wilkes County Militia; though he was long known as Colonel Richard Allen, Sr., the promotion may have been an honorary one.^[6]

(Note: Richard Allen is not listed as an officer in the Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army During the War of the Revolution^[7])

Occupation

Richard served as clerk for the Baptist Association, a Branch of the Virginia Association for a long period of time, and was a member of the Constitutional Convention in Hillsbourough in 1778. He was appointed the First Sheriff of Wilkes County, NC, serving from 1778 -1790.

Richard served a term as a Representative in the North Carolina General Assembly (House of Commons) in 1793. He was Wilkes’ sheriff again from 1798 until 1804.

Death

Allen died at age 90 on 10 Oct 1832, at Edwards, Wilkes, North Carolina.^[8]

Slaves

At the time of his death Richard owned 14 slaves named: Dinah, Peggy, Tom, Adam, Sally, George, Myra, Caroline, Wiley, Hannah, Ambrose, Jackson, Edmund and Milly. He willed each one of them a lot of land for themselves on his property in Wilkes County.

Sources

1. ↑ St. John's Parish Register page 119 image 388. FamilySearch database accessed 10 August 2022.
2. ↑ United States Census, 1800, Richard Allen, Morgan, Wilkes County, North Carolina United States; citing p. 24, NARA microfilm publication M32, roll 33; FHL microfilm 337,909. Ancestry Record 7590 #352617 accessed 1 October 2020.

   Free White Persons - Males -10 thru 15: 1

   Free White Persons - Males - 16 thru 25: 1

   Free White Persons - Males - 45 and over: 1

   Free White Persons - Females - 16 thru 25: 2

   Free White Persons - Females - 45 and over: 1

3. ↑ http://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.html/document/csr22-0009
4. ↑ J. D. Lewis, North Carolina Revolutionary Soldiers, Link
5. ↑ Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed August 22, 2021), "Record of Richard Allen", Ancestor # A001792.
6. ↑ http://www.ncpedia.org/biography/allen-richard-sr
7. ↑ Heitman, Francis Bernard, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army During the War of the Revolution, 1892: Nichols, Killam & Maffitt. Available as a free Google eBook
8. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #10294022 accessed 01 October 2020, memorial page for Col Richard Allen Sr. (26 Nov 1741–10 Oct 1832), citing Allen Cemetery, Wilkes County, North Carolina, USA; Maintained by Bob & Bonnie McEver. Tombstone photo attached.

See also:

• Draper, Lyman C. Kings Mountain and Its Heroes: History of the Battle of King's Mountain. Cincinnati, OH: Peter G. Thompson Publishers, 1881, page 462. Viewed Google eBook
• Sons of the American Revolution Membership Number: 96769
• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 05 February 2022, 16:56), entry for Col Richard Allen Sr (PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:LTKB-CKM ); contributed by various users.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the contributors. See the Changes page for the details of edits.