Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of Peter Allen

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Descendants of Peter Allen

Generation No. 1

1. Peter¹ Allen was born Abt. 1769 in Scotland, and died Aft. 1820 in Washington County, VA. He married Jane CARSON WFT Est. 1768-1813. She was born WFT Est. 1751-1777 in Scotland, and died WFT Est. 1800-1864.

Notes for Peter Allen:
THE FOLLOWING WAS TAKEN FROM A BOOKLET PUT TOGETHER BY SPENCER MARTIN ALLEN, AUGUST, 1979.

COPIED BY TIM KAISER NOVEMBER 2000.

Little is known about the progenitors of the Allen family in America, other than Peter Allen came to Virginia from Scotland in 1784. It has been generally assumed he and Jane arrived here as man and wife, but there is no confirmation. In fact, birth dates of their children suggest they may have been married later in Virginia. A search of records and vital statistics in the Washington County Courthouse, Abington VA, does not reveal their birth, marriage or death dates.

One reason to believe Peter and Jane met and were married in Virginia is the arithmetic of Peter's arrival date versus the birth of their presumed eldest child, Robert. There is a 13-year gap between these dates. Normally, in those days, the first child was born within a year of marriage.

So it may be that Peter was a young boy when he came to America. Average marriageable age for males in those days was about 20. Allowing a respectable year for Robert's arrival in 1797, this would establish Peter and Jane's marriage in 1796. If Peter were 20 years of age then, he would have been seven years old in 1784, the immigration date.

This theory is clouded, however, by another speculation. Family records indicate Peter and Jane had three children--Robert, Jane and Nancy. This is a rather small brood by 19th century norms. A Washington County VA court indenture, dated February 18, 1812, signed by a Peter Allen, gives property in trust to "my two youngest daughters Sarah and Nancy..." This is the first we have heard of Sarah. Further, the property is to be conveyed "unto my son William Allen in Trust..." And this is the first we have heard of a William. Since William was named trustee for two minor sisters, this implies he would have been at least 21 years of age. Robert would have been 15 at the time.

To accommodate William, Peter and Jane's marriage date must be moved back at least to 1790. Now, there are just six years between Peter's arrival and presumed marriage, and suggests his age at 14 or 15 when he came to America.

Or, we can return to the original premise that Peter and Jane were married in 1784, the arrival date, they did have other children but they did not survive, except for William. Yet this does not account for the strange omission of William and Sarah's names form current family history. But it is significant that son Robert named his first-born William--after his oldest brother? And he named one of his daughters Sarah--after his youngest sister? Two other daughters were named after his sisters of record, Jane and Nancy.

Supporting the theory Jane and Peter were married in Virginia is evidence there was an extensive Carson family living in Washington County at the time. Many of them emigrated later to Kentucky.

A speculation about the above mentioned indenture: It reads as if Peter were giving up his home, with the exception of real property, if any. It suggests perhaps Jane has died and Peter is moving out or on. Yet we know he was still in Washington County nine years later when he engaged in some real estate transactions.

The exact location of the Peter Allen home or homes in Washington County is unknown. While it has been assumed the family lived in the vicinity of Abingdon, it may well have resided in what is now Smyth County near Marion, as that was then a part of Washington County. North of Marion near the entrance to Hungry Mother State Park are some heights locally known as "The Allen Ridges." Also, an old geodesic map of the area indicates an "Allen Family Cemetery" near the Park entrance, but we were unable to locate it. The map also refers to an "Allen's Hollow" in the same vicinity, but locals knew nothing about it--only the "Ridges."

Some Allens are buried in the nearby Greenfield Methodist Church Cemetery, but they were all of later generations with unfamiliar given names. They could be descendants of the mysterious William Allen, if indeed he stayed behind when the other brother and sisters departed for Tennessee. Or if Peter Allen was a child when he came to Virginia, the Allens around Marion could be descendants of his parents or brothers. All speculation, of course.

Suggesting the Abington vicinity as the family home site is Peter's purchase of 50 acres of land "lying in the Great Knobs on the waters of Hunt's Creek..." This purchase was made in 1820, but it is doubtful Peter built a home on this tract, since he sold it a year later to his son Robert for the same price he (Peter) paid for it--$50. And Robert sold the property to a Claiborne Gumm six years later in 1828 after he and wife Margaret and children moved to Tennessee. Robert took a loss on the sale--he sold the 50 acres for $30!

The Great Knobs area, also known as the Wyndale Tract, was identified by the Washington County Historical Society as lying a few miles southwest of Abingdon off County Highway 647. This is a rolling countryside with terrain rising south and east toward White Top Mountain and the Appalachian Trail. We could not pin down the exact tract Peter bought. Most of it is farm or pasture land, but it is fast being sub-divided into a residential suburb of Abingdon. Nor could we identify Hunt's Creek. Since Peter Allen's time, the south Fork of the Holston River has been dammed to construct South Holston lake. Hunt's Creek may be a small feeder to the Fork and is now under water.

Peter Allen's occupation is unknown. Presumably, he was a farmer. However, he may have been a miller, since son Robert seemed to know the basics of building and operating a grist mill later in Meigs County TN.

Jane Carson Allen is reputed to have been a University of Edinburgh graduate, a school teacher and a Scotch Covenanter. However, a recent inquiry to the University reveals that women were not admitted as students until about 1875 and that Jane Carson could not have attended that institution. It may have been another college or university in Scotland. As for being a Covenanter, this implies Jane was a staunch and active Presbyterian and opposed to the episcopacy of the Church of England. From this scanty information, it appears that Jane was an educated and outspoken women, particularly in religious affairs. A further implication is that she engaged in her religious activism in Scotland, since opposition to the Church of England could not have been a serious issue in Virginia. This suggests she was an adult in Scotland and was indeed married to Peter in the homeland before emigration.

Children of Peter Allen and Jane CARSON are:

	2	i.	Jane² Allen, born WFT Est. 1772-1814; died WFT Est. 1791-1895. She married Patterson WFT Est. 1791-1846; born WFT Est. 1765-1812; died WFT Est. 1791-1890.
	3	ii.	Nancy Allen, born WFT Est. 1772-1814; died WFT Est. 1791-1895. She married James DAVIS March 22, 1824 ¹; born WFT Est. 1765-1812; died WFT Est. 1791-1890.
	4	iii.	Sarah Allen, born WFT Est. 1772-1814; died WFT Est. 1785-1895.
	5	iv.	William Allen, born 1791; died WFT Est. 1792-1881.
+	6	v.	Robert ALLEN, born June 12, 1797 in Washington County, VA; died May 24, 1872 in Meigs County, TN.

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