Walter Allen of Newbury was born circa 1601 in England and died 8 August 1681 Charlestown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts of unspecified causes. He married Rebecca Ward (1601-1678) 1628 in England. He married Abigail Rogers (1625-) 29 November 1628 in Charlestown, Middlesex County, England.
Parentage
Although there are several Allen immigrant families that came to America from England in the early 17th century, the family of Walter Allen is unique. We don't know where Walter came from nor the identity of his parents. Many family history files link them to impossible family connections.
Biography
Newbury Settler
Walter Allen was in Newbury, Mass., in 1640 and possibly before (the town was incorporated in 1635), 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, afterward the town of Weston MA. In 1669 he purchased 200 acres more in Watertown Farms. In 1669 he purchased 200 acres more at Watertown Farms. Afterward the town was known as Weston. Rebecca died here.
Charlestown Move
About 1673 he moved to Charlestown and soon thereafter remarried. He died July 8, 1681 here at age 80. He took oath in 1677 that he was 76, so he must have been born about 1601. 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.
Occupation
Walter Allen's occupation is variously given in the old records as farmour," planter, haberdasher, shop-keeper, and once (1673) more specifically, as a Haberdasher of Hatts." The inventory of his estate amounts to £3015, a goodly sum for those days. When he came to Watertown he had a wife Rebecca, who died , and he married in Charlestown, Nov. 29, 1678, Abigail Rogers.
Burial
His burial place is listed as Phipps Street Burying Ground, Charlestown MA, buy no gravemarker can be found there.
Marriage & Family
1st Marriage: Rebecca
Various sources list his wife's maiden name as Ward, but I find nothing to verify this.
Children of Walter and Rebecca, the first three born in England (and also immigrated to America as small children), the other two in Newbury :
- John Allen (1631-1711) - b. England - principal taylor of Sudbury MA, suffered property loses in King Phillip's War and a son lost in King William's War.
- Daniel Allen (1635-1706) - b. England - md Mary Wilder
- Joseph Allen (1638-1721) - b. England - settled also in Watertown Farms.
- Abigail Allen (1641-) - b. Oct. 1, 1641 in Newbury MA. (No information afterwards?)
- Benjamin Allen (1647-1678) - b. Apr. 15, 1647. in Newbury MA - probably lost wife, children and property in the indian raids on Lancaster MA in 1675-76.
2nd Marriage: Abigail
He married a second time to Abigail Rogers, 29 Nov 1678. No Children (they were both very aged by then.)
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| John Allen (1631-1711) | 1631 England | 1 December 1711 Sudbury, Middlesex County, Massachusetts | Sarah Ann Smith (1640-1674) Mary Parmenter (1644-1727) |
| Daniel Allen (1635-1706) | 1634 Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts | 1705 Sudbury, Middlesex County, Massachusetts | Mary Wilder (c1634-) |
| Joseph Allen (1638-1721) | |||
| Benjamin Allen (1647-1678) | |||
| Abigail Allen (1641-) | |||
Siblings
References
- 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, Cambridge, Mass.
- Walter Allen of Newbury MA - Archive of full text from Book about immigrant Walter Allen and his descendants.
- Walter Allen 1601 List of Famous Descendants
- Joslyn, Roger D. Vital records of Charlestown, Massachusetts to the year 1850. (Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1984-1995), 1:66. Walter Allen of Charlstowne, haberdasher, d. & was bur. July 8, 1681.
- Bent, Allen Herbert. Walter Allen of Newbury, Mass., 1640, and some of his descendants: with a few notes on the Allen family in general, 3. Walter Allen was in Newbury 1640, Watertown about 1652, Watertown Farms (Weston) 1665, and Charlestown 1673 until his death 8 Jul 1681, ae. 80. Wife Rebecca in Watertown, m. 29 Nov 1678 Abigail Rogers.
- Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. Probate records 1648--1924. (Middlesex County, MA: Massachusetts Probate Court), FHL film 0386002, file 360, "Walter Allen 1681". Will dated "10 : 12 1679" [10 Feb 1679/80] of "Walter Alen of Charlstown", nearly impossible to read. Source:Allen, George Henry. Phinehas Allen's Descendants, says it mentions wife Abigail and child John of Sudbury, Daniel and Joseph.
- Descendants of Walter Allen of Newbury. The Essex Antiquarian. (1898), 2:199. 'Walter Allen, born about 1601; was living in Newbury in 1640; and removed to Watertown about 1652, thence to Charlestown about 1673. He married, first, Rebecca -----; and, second, Abigail Rogers Nov. 29, 1678, in Charlestown. He died in Charlestown July 8, 1681, aged eighty.'
- Ancestral File, Ancestral File Number: 9362-TP. The Ancestral File indicates he was the son of Samuel Allen of Branton, Devon, England. However, it appears that his birth place and parents are unknown. He has been stated as coming from Somerset, Essex, and from Hampshire, as well as from Devon.