John Allan was born the son of Major William Allan and his wife, Isabella Maxwell, at Edinburgh Castle, where the family had taken refuge during the Jacobite Rising of 1745. In 1749 the family moved to Nova Scotia, where Major Allan had accepted a position. He became a rich landowner and, like many of his status, sent his son to be educated in Massachusetts. John Allan returned to Nova Scotia after his schooling and became involved in politics there, but ultimately broke with his father over American independence and fled to nearby Machias, Maine, in August 1776. He served under George Washington as Superintendent of the Eastern Indians and as Colonel of Infantry in Eastern Maine, where his knowledge of French and of several Indian languages, as well as his negotiating skills, helped to keep the Indian tribes from supporting the British. After the Revolution, he made significant contributions to the establishment of the border between the state of Maine and Nova Scotia. He became a merchant and ultimately a farmer and landowner on Treat Island (part of Eastport, Maine), where he was buried. A cenotaph commemorates his contributions to the American cause. (Online photos indicate that his memorial is not part of a traditional cemetery but was erected above or near his grave on the island.)
John Allan was born the son of Major William Allan and his wife, Isabella Maxwell, at Edinburgh Castle, where the family had taken refuge during the Jacobite Rising of 1745. In 1749 the family moved to Nova Scotia, where Major Allan had accepted a position. He became a rich landowner and, like many of his status, sent his son to be educated in Massachusetts. John Allan returned to Nova Scotia after his schooling and became involved in politics there, but ultimately broke with his father over American independence and fled to nearby Machias, Maine, in August 1776. He served under George Washington as Superintendent of the Eastern Indians and as Colonel of Infantry in Eastern Maine, where his knowledge of French and of several Indian languages, as well as his negotiating skills, helped to keep the Indian tribes from supporting the British. After the Revolution, he made significant contributions to the establishment of the border between the state of Maine and Nova Scotia. He became a merchant and ultimately a farmer and landowner on Treat Island (part of Eastport, Maine), where he was buried. A cenotaph commemorates his contributions to the American cause. (Online photos indicate that his memorial is not part of a traditional cemetery but was erected above or near his grave on the island.)
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