Person:Jedediah Allen (6)

  Jedediah or Zedediah Allen
   Death date also given as 21 Jan 1712 by Gail Meeks
   Registered voter at Sandwich, Mass. in 1675.Jedidiah Allen, a well-known Quaker of Massachusetts and New Jersey.

Jedediah Allen, the Quaker, was the son of Ralph Allen and Esther Swift Allen. He was born 3 January 1646 at Sandwich, Barnstable County, Mass. His father and many uncles, and his grandmother Esther Swift, all were early followers of the Quakers. He was about 13 years old at the time of the persecution of the Sandwich, Massachusetts Quakers. May were fined and/or imprisoned for their beliefs. (See Ralph and George Allen notes). Many of the family and other Friends of the Quaker sect included the Allens, Swifts, Howlands, Newlands, Tilton, and others many of whom were connected by marriage to the Allens. The county history, "This Old Monmouth of Ours" of Monmouth County, New Jersey states that Jedediah Allen had three wives: 1. Unknown. 2. Mrs. Hannah Carpenter Ellet, daughter of Preston Carpenter. 3. Elizabeth Howland. It is believed she was the mother of at least 10 of the 13 children of Jedediah Allen. It is not known when she died; sometime after 1689. They were married in 1668. The children of Jedediah and Elizabeth Howland: 1. Experience Allen born 30 August 1669 at Sandwich; died ca.1704. Married Benjamin Field ca 1692. 2. Ephraim Allen, born 30 December 1670, Sandwich. died ca. 1727. Married Miss West, daughter of William West; No. 2, Hannah Johnson Holden Leonard; No.3 Elizabeth Maddocks Denn Powell. He died 1727. 3. Eliashib Allen, born 17 October 1672 Sandwich. Conveyed land to his brother, Nathan Allen, at Burlington, New Jersey in 1711. No further record. 4. Nathan Allen born 2 February 1673, Sandwich, died ca. 1738/39. Wife: Margery Brunet; No. 2 Martha Newbury Davenport, widow of Francis Davenport; No. 3 Miss Debowe. He died ca 1738/39. He was the founder of Allentown, Pennsylvania. 5. Juda Allen, born 17 October 1775, Sandwich; died 1731; wife Deborah Adams. 6. Esther Allen, born 26 March 1677, Sandwich; married James Adams 1695. 7. Ralph Allen, born 7 January 1678/79 Sandwich; died 1718; wife Margaret Dunn 1707. 8. Henry Allen, born 24 March 1679/80, Sandwich; died 1748; wife Hannah Crolies 1702. She died before 1715; No. 2 Abigail Adams, daughter of John and Elizabeth Adams, who was born 1682, and died 1759. Member of Burlington Friends Monthly Meeting. 9. Mary Allen, born 15 November 1681, Sandwich; 1st husband Daniel Wells. #2 Thomas Smith. See Smith line. 10. Patience Allen, born 8 May 1683, Sandwich died 1748. Married Samuel Tilton 1705.

(Note: these ten children all listed in the Sandwich, Massachusetts records before they moved from Plymouth colony in New England in the Quaker records of the Sandwich monthly meeting. Jedediah Allen moved his large family to Monmouth County, New Jersey about 1683.

Their arrival in New Jersey was recorded in the Shrewsbury Monthly Meeting as " having been transported to this place." the above named children were also listed in the Allen family bible, with the following three children added later: 11, Meribah Allen born 12 November 1686 Shrewsbury, N. J.; married William Thorne 1708. 12. David Allen (twin) b. 16 October 1689 Shrewsbury, died 1735; wife Mary Powell 1711; #2 Hannah Champneys. 13. Jonathan Allen (twin) b. 16 October 1689 Shrewsbury died 1748; married Mary Corlies. 1715-16. When Jedediah Allen moved his large family to New Jersey ca. 1683, they became known as the "Neversink" Allens. Neversink was actually the Nevisink highland on the Atlantic coast, in the township of Middleton, in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The area along the coast is 300' to 400' feet in altitude, covered with trees, and a well-known landmark for sailors. The Nevisink river flows between the towns of Middleton and Shrewsbury, in a northeasterly direction, and ends with a wide estuary in Sandy Hook Bay. (Fisher's Statistical Gazatteer of the United States, published in 1853.) Jedediah Allen purchased lands there, and was considered quite well-to-do. He was influential in public as well as private life. He was a member of the New Jersey assembly 1686 to 1703. He was deputy to the general assembly of New Jersey in 1692. And, member of the first "joint assembly" of East and West Jersey in 1703. And, a justice of the court for many years. As a member of the Friends Society (Quakers) he made many tours off the colonies from New Jersey to Massachusetts, as minister of that faith. He represented the Shrewsbury Monthly Meeting at the Philadelphia Annual Meeting of 1685.

Elizabeth Howland [Parents] 1, 2, 3, 4 was born in 1

ALLEN, JEDIDIAH WILL and CODICIL of JEDIDIAH ALLEN, of Shrewsbury, Mon. Co., Yeoman. Dated Sept. 15, 1711. Proof of Will by oath of Samll Dennis, William Brinley and Jacob Dennis, wits., before Thomas Gordon, Surrogate, Feb. 6, 1711.

Gives: "Unto my Eldest fon Ephraim Allen all my land & Meadow Lying ... in Pensilvania Containing two "hundred and thirty Acres ... to him and his heirs ..."; "unto my Grandson Joseph Allen Eighty acres of "land and Meadow Scituate ... in Shrewsbury Butting ... on the West End of Thomas Whiles [Whites?] "land." "Also ... another peice of land and bog Meadow lying at head of the Said White's Brook Bounded on the "South with Pines to him ... and his heirs ..."; "unto my fon Ralph allen ... that peice of land and "Meadow Joying to the land that he the sd Ralph now dwells on Westerly and also one Moiety ... of my bog lying "in the Great Bogg that half that Joyns to the Sd Ralph's own bogg to him ... and to his heirs ...."; "unto "my fon Henry allen all that ... land and Meadow Joyning Easterly to the land he now lives on and Westerly by "the Sd Joseph allen his land ... and likewise the other half ... of the sd Bog Joyning to the Sd Henry's "land ... to him and his heirs ..."; "unto my fon Jonathan Allen and to his heirs ...... All "those tracts of land and Meadow lying ... in ... Shrewsbury Bounded on the fouth by the way that goes "and lyes on the North Side of the Sd Ralph and Henry allen's Northerly by the land that I bought of Job almey on "the west partly by George Allen and Joseph west's land and Easterly partly by william Hulett his land and also that "land at the Iron mine bog and fifteen acres lying on the west Side of the Brook that Joyns to the Sd Iron mine "bog ... also ... one half of my Salt Meadow lying on Goose Neck in ... Shrewsbury ..."; "unto my son David Allen the Plantation of land and Meadow whereon I Now live being that I bought of Job almy "together ... with ... all Manner of Improvements ... also ye other half of my Meadow lying on "Goose neck ... to him ... and his heirs ... Paying therefore one Hundred and Fifty pounds in Currant "Money in legacys twenty pound every Year, Yearly (that is ...) fifteen pound in Currant Money of the Sd Province "to Mary allen Daughter of John allen of Woodbridge Deceased when the ... fhall come to the age of one & Twenty "Years And also twenty pounds in like Currant Money ... to my Grand Son Joseph allen the Sd Ephraim allen's "Son when he ... fhall come to the age of one and twenty Years and twenty pounds to my Grand daughter Dinah "allen Sister to the Said Joseph allen in ... like Currant Money ... the Remaining Ninety five pound to "be paid as it becomes Due to my Executrix ... Provided ... that he the sd David Allen fhall permitt and "fuffer my Loving Wife Elizabeth allen to have use and enjoy her Choice of one of the Cellars and one of the lower Rooms "and one of the Chambers above Being part of the Buildings where we now live During her Naturall life with free Ingrefs "Egrefs & Regrefs way & pafsage for her ... her friends and Relations ... that ... David Allen fhall "allow after my Decease to ... Elizabeth my wife fufficient firewood to cut it fit for the fire and to cart it to her "door During her Naturall life ..."; "unto my two Sons Henry allen and Jonathan allen All my Right of Propriety "in the Eastern Division of the Sd Province and also that peice of Meadow lying ... in ... Shrewsbury at "or near Raccoon Island to be Equally Divided between them ... to them and to their heirs ...";

"unto my "sd Son Ephraim allen forty pounds in Current money of the ...
Province to be paid to him ... in a Year "after my Decease"; "unto my Son
Elisha allen Forty Pounds in ... Currant money ... to be paid to him "...
wthin a Year after my Decease"; "unto my Son Nathan Allen forty pound in
like Current money ... to "be paid to him ... wthin a Year after my Decease";
"unto my Son Judah Allen ... Forty pounds Money "aforesd to be paid ...
with [in] a Year after my Decease"; "unto my Son Ralph allen forty pounds ...
Cur"rant money ... to be paid ... within a year after my Decease"; "unto
my Son Henry allen forty-five "pound like money afores'd to be paid ...
wthin a Year after my Decease"; "to my fon Jonathan Allen Forty "pounds
of like money ... to be paid ... wthin a Year after my Decease"; "to my
Son David allen the "like Sum of Forty Pound And my will ... is that the
Sd Forty Pounds fhall be part of that (???) One hundred "and fifty Pound
mentioned in the Seventh Paragraph of this ... will ... also I Give my Great
Bible unto "... David allen and all the Rest ... of my books ... to be Equally
Divided amongst all my own Chil"dren"; "unto my Eight Sons already Named ...
to each ... one Silver Spoon apeice and to each of my "four Daughters here
after Named each ... one Silver fpoon apeice to be Delivered to my Sd twelve
 Children the "sd twelve filver fpoons by my Executrix ... in Convenient time
 after my Decease"; "unto my four Daughters "(Viz.) Esther adams Mary Wells
 Patience Tilton and Meribah Thorn Twenty-five pounds apeice in Current Money
 of the "Sd Province in all being one hundred pounds to be paid to ... [all
 the sd four daughters] within a Year after my "Decease."

"Residve of my Estate not before ... Bequeathed to my Loving wife Elizabeth allen Both Reall and personall."

Appoints "... my Loving wife Elizabeth Allen my Sole Executrix of this my ... will ... Containing "three fheets of Paper."

Wits.: JEDIDIAH ALLEN

   Amos White 
   Wm Brinley 
   Saml Dennis 
   Jacob Dennis 

Attest. of Executrix, Elizabeth Allen, "widdow," before Thomas Gordon, Surrogate, Feb. 6, 1711.

[On an annexed paper is the following:]

CODICIL. Dated Sept. 25, 1711, and proved by oath of Samll Dennes, (Feb. 6, 1711), and William Hunt, (Feb. 7), before Thomas Gordon, Surrogate, in which testator mentions:

In "my laft will ... Bearing Date and Containing three fheets the fifteenth day of this prefent feptember 1711 "thro Inadvertency for gott and left out feveral tracts ... of meadow land fome in ye town of freehold and fome "in ... fhrewsbury but have not chang'd my mind touching any thing Contain'd in my fd laft will ... and "Ratifie Euery bequeft ... therein ..." "I Give ... unto my two fons Ralph allen and henry allen all thofe peices of meadow land Containing twenty "four acres an a half yt I Referved out of that land I fold lying in ... freehold ... bounded as by ye patten "... doth ... appeare ... to them and to their heirs ..."; "unto my two fons David allen and "Jonathan allen all that ... peices of meadow land lying in ... fhrewsbury at ye foutheafterly End of ye sd "Ralph allens bogg to them ... & theirs heirs ..."

Wits.: JEDIDIAH ALLEN(*)

   William Hunt 
   Sam1 Dennis 
   Thomas Chambers 

"March 21, 1759, Recorded in Book G., of Wills, page 45 &c."

1. ↑ Kardell, Caroline Lewis, compiler, and R. A. Lovell. Vital records of Sandwich, Massachusetts to 1885. (Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1996)
   p. 16.

   Jediah Allen The soone of Ralphe Allen was Borne the 3d of January 1646:
   [Note: typical usage would suggest this is 1646/47, but it is recorded with births from the 1650s, so no contextual clues are available.]