Robert Allyn (abt. 1616 - bef. 1683)

Born about 1616 in England

Descendants

Died before 20 Sep 1683 before about age 67 in New London, New London County, Connecticut Colony

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Robert Allyn migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 4) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Robert Allyn was born about 1616 based on a deposition he gave in 1680. His origins and parents are unknown. However, he was almost certainly the brother of William Allen of Salem, and as William was likely from Dorset, England this may be the most likely place to search for their origins.

Robert Allen was in New England by 1637 when he occurs on a list of landholders in Salem, Massachusetts.^[1] He was granted land near his brother in an area known as Jeffrey's Creek on 4 February 1638/9.^[2] He joined the First Church in Salem on 15 May 1642 and one week later he had two children baptized there.^[3] He was among the inhabitants who in 1640 petitioned for a new town to be established.^[4] Robert and William Allen received a joint grant of land in 1642.^[5] In 1645, this area of Salem was set off as the town of Manchester, Massachusetts. He was the constable of Manchester in 1648, and took the oath of a freeman there in 1649.

In March 1651, Robert Allen with others from Manchester and Gloucester removed and settled at Pequot which later became New London, Connecticut. He received large tracts of land on the east of the Thames River at a place which would later be known as Allyn's Point (now in Ledyard, Connecticut).

Robert Allen next became one of the original proprietors of Norwich Connecticut, and received his home lot in November 1659. He subsequently was granted additional lands from the town as lots were divided and doled out. He was the constable of Norwich in 1669.

In the 1672 census Robbart was in New London, Connecticut.^[6]

He returned to New London by 1681 when he conveyed land to his son John and son-in-law Thomas Rose.

His death is not recorded, however, records relating to the administration of his estate show he died by 20 September 1683. His estate was divided among his wife, son John Allen, daughter Deborah Allen, and son-in-laws George Geares, Thomas Roase, and Thomas Parkes.

Name and Origins

Name: Robert Allyn of Salem, Massachusetts and New London, Connecticut.

Orthographic variations: Allen, Allyn, Allin

Robert's name was primarily spelled Allen during the 12 years he lived in Salem, Massachusetts. When he moved to Connecticut the primary spelling became Allyn. This is likely because the recorder in New London was himself an Allyn and used the spelling of his own name. The spelling of Allyn became common among the descendants of Robert Allen/Allyn.

The origins and parents of Robert Allyn are unknown. He was almost certainly the brother of William Allen of Salem.^[7] This is based on a joint land on 24 January 1642/3 and them appearing together in Salem, and then in Manchester, Massachusetts. William was in New England as early as 1624, having been sent over by the Dorchester Company. As such, he was almost certainly from somewhere in Dorsetshire, England.

Birth

Born: About 1616.

Deposed aged about 64 in 1680.^[8][9]

Marriage and Children

Married: Sarah Unknown by 1641 as they baptized two children in 1642.

Children of Robert Allyn and Sarah Unknown:^[8]

1. John Allyn. Baptized on 22 May 1642 in Salem, Massachusetts.^[10] He married 1st Elizabeth Gager on 24 December 1668 in New London; he married 2nd Hester Unknown. John died in 1709 in Groton, Connecticut.
2. Sarah Allyn. Baptized on 22 May 1642 in Salem.^[11]
3. Mary Allen. Baptized on 19 November 1648 in Salem, Massachusetts.^[12]
4. Hannah Allen. Born say 1655 (very rough estimate based on marriage).
5. Deborah Allen. Born say 1660 (very rough estimate based on marriage).

Death

Died: Before 20 September 1683.

Date of the administration of his estate.^[8]

Records of the administration of his estate is found actually in the land records of New London County. The administration was begun by 20 September 1683 with a settlement reached on 5 December 1683. The estate was split among:

1. to the widow, £100 and a third of the rents
2. to John Allyn, £143
3. George Geares, £85
4. to Thomas Roase, £60
5. to Deborah Allyn, £78, unmarried daughter to also receive half of the farm
6. to Thomas Parkes, £72

Common Errors to Avoid

• Incorrect birth date, 1608: It is commonly found in print that Robert Allen was born about 1608.^[13][14] This is based on record where he was released from military duty in 1668, and then an assumption that he would have been about 60 years old. We now know this is incorrect as he gave his own age in a deposition as being about 64 years old in 1680.

• Wife's name: It was previously claimed that Sarah, wife of Robert Allyn, was a daughter of William Gager. William did have two daughters named Sarah, but both died young.

• Young apprentice: In 1642, a Robert Allen was fined for receiving stolen silver and sentenced to serve his master for an additional one month. It is not possible that this is the same same Robert Allen who was receiving land grants and being admitted to the First Church in Salem in 1642.

Research Notes

Robert married Sarah Allen in 1642 in New England, United States.^[15]

Sources

Footnotes and citations:

1. ↑ Salem. Town Records of Salem, v. 1. (1868): page 22.
2. ↑ Town Records of Manchester (1889): page 5.
3. ↑ Pierce. Records of the First Church in Salem. (1974): page 11; page 19.
4. ↑ Town Records of Manchester (1889): page13.
5. ↑ Salem. Town Records of Salem, v. 1. (1868): page 116.
6. ↑ 1672 Census: "Connecticut, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790-1890"
   Original data: Jackson, Ronald V., Accelerated Indexing Systems, comp.. Connecticut Census, 1790-1890. Compiled and digitized by Mr. Jackson and AIS from microfilmed schedules of the U.S. Federal Decennial Census, territorial/state censuses, and/or census substitutes
   Ancestry Record 3537 #2722764 (accessed 14 April 2024)
   Robbart Allyn in New London, Connecticut.
7. ↑ Anderson, The Great Migration Begins, v. 1. (1995): pages 31-35.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2} Jacobus. The Waterman Family, v. 1. (1939): page 603.
9. ↑ Holman. Blackman and Allied Families. (1928): page 40.
10. ↑ Salem. Vital Records of Salem, v. I. (1916): page 35.
11. ↑ Salem. Vital Records of Salem, v. I. (1916): page 36.
12. ↑ Salem. Vital Records of Salem, v. I. (1916): page 35.
13. ↑ E.g. Caulkins. History of New London. (1852): page 157.
14. ↑ E.g. Caulkins. History of Norwich, Connecticut. (1873): page 156.
15. ↑ Marriage: "U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700"
    Genealogical Publishing Co.; Baltimore, MD, USA; Volume Title: New England Marriages Prior to 1700
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 3824 #37965 (accessed 14 April 2024)
    Robert Allen marriage to Sarah Allen in 1642 in New England, USA.

Source list:

• Anderson, Robert Charles, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, volume 1: A - F. (Boston: NEHGS, 1995): pages 31-35, biography of William Allen.

• Caulkins, Frances Manwaring. History of New London, Connecticut: From the First Survey of the Coast in 1612, to 1852. (New London, 1852): page 157.

• Caulkins, Frances Manwaring. History of Norwich, Connecticut: From Its Possession by the Indians to the Year 1866. (Hartford, 1873): page 156.

• Holman, Alfred L. Blackman and Allied Families. (Chicago, 1928): page 40. HathiTrust.org link.

• Hurd, D. Hamilton. History of New London County, Connecticut with Biographical Sketches. (J.W. Lewis & Co., 1882) Page 533

• Jacobus, Donald Lines. The Granberry Family and Allied Families. (Hartford, 1945): pages 152-153. HathiTrust.org link.

• Jacobus, Donald Lines. The Waterman Family, volume 1. (New haven, 1939): page 603. HathiTrust.org link.

• Manchester. Town Records of Manchester: From the earliest grants of land... (Salem, 1889): page 5.

• Pierce, Richard D. ed. The Records of the First Church in Salem, Massachusetts, 1629-1736. (Salem, 1974). Internet Archive link.

• Salem. Vital Records of Salem, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849, volume I: Births A - L. (Salem: The Essex Institute, 1916).
  Internet Archive link    Google Books link    HathiTrust.org LINK