James Allen, s. of Samuel Allen and his first wife named Ann, b. AFTER July 25, 1636 prob. in England. He d. July 25, 1714 in Chilmark, Mass., Æ 78 (g.s.) He is interred at adjoining West Tisbury, Mass. in that town's Village Cemetery, the land for which he granted in 1701 partly for the town's burying ground [Recs. of the Town of Tisbury, Mass. (Boston, 1903), p. 40]:

• Know all men by thes preasants that I James Allen of Chillmark do give and grant unto the Town of Tisbury an acker of Land Lying within abigall peses [Pease's] fence for Ever for a burying place and to set a meeting house on[,] free from me my heirs or assigns for Ever. october 2d: 1701.

Confusion abounds regarding the origins of James Allen of Tisbury, Mass. Joshua Allen's 1882 edited work A Genealogy of the Allen Family, first compiled by William Allen, materially errors in calling James Allen's father Samuel the son of George Allen and his wife Katherine, latter early settlers of Sandwich, Mass. George Allen d. testate and was buried in Sandwich May 2, 1648. His will mentions wife Katharine, sons Matthew, Henry, Samuel and William, plus "my five least children" who are unnamed [NEHGS Register, 4:284]. Subsequent deeds indicate George Allen's son Samuel was a resident of Boston, whereas James Allen's father Samuel was a longstanding resident of Braintree, Mass.

The same work errantly claims James Allen's wife was Elizabeth Perkins when she was Elizabeth Partridge. Charles Banks in his History of Martha's Vineyard (1925, vol. 3, p. 4) adopted the foregoing 1882 claimed identity of Elizabeth Perkins, noting such identity was "according to family tradition, although it cannot be definitely determined whether it is worthy of acceptance." The claim was not and is not worthy of acceptance.

That James Allen's wife was the daughter of George Partridge and Sarah Tracy of Duxbury, Mass. is proved by the Duxbury, Mass. will of the widow Sarah (Tracy) Partridge, dated 1702 and probated in 1708:

• I bequeath to my eight daughters, Sarah Allien [Allen], Triphosa West, Elizabeth Allien [Allen], Ruth Thatcher [Thacher], Mary Scif [Skiff], Rebeckah Fisher, Lidia Bruister [Brewster], Mercy Coburn [q.v., Colburn],...
• Ye sheep at ye vineyard [Martha's Vineyard] are my son [in-law] James Allein's by bargain.

Alternately, some writers claim without justification that James Allen was one of the "five least children" of the immigrant George Allen of Sandwich, Mass. when the said George had no documented son James. For the beginning family genealogist, Robert Charles Anderson in the Great Migration Begins sketch of George Allen of Sandwich, added to the confusion by saying, in paraphrased form:

• James Allen of Sandwich had daughters Amy born in Sandwich in 1663, Mary in 1665, and Abigail in 1667. George Allen, son of the immigrant George Allen, had a son James born 1658 in Sandwich. There is no evidence beyond this to suggest a connection with George or Ralph Allen [of Sandwich.] Coincidence of surname appears to be the only reason for including him among the children of George Allen.

Had the Great Migration Begins performed the necessary research, it would have been discovered the James Allen of this memorial was the son of the immigrant Samuel Allen of Braintree, Mass. and not related in any manner to the immigrant George Allen of Sandwich.

By late 1662 (eldest child b. August 1663), James Allen m. Elizabeth Partridge, dau. of George Partridge and Sarah Tracy, b. AFTER Aug. 8, 1643 in Duxbury, Mass. James' older brother Samuel previously married Elizabeth's older sister Sarah. Elizabeth d. Aug. 8, 1722 in Chilmark, Mass., Æ 79 (g.s.), and is also interred in the West Tisbury Village Cemetery.

In a instrument dated May 20, 1671 in the records of the Town of Tisbury, Dukes County, Massachusetts:

• Wheras we whose names are under writen have obtained liberty of Mr. Thomas Mayhew to buy & purchas land within the bounds & limits of Taakimmy [i.e., Tisbury] upon the vinyard this may signifie unto men that we willi(am) Pebodie, Josiah Standish, James Allen and James Skiffe have made purchas of certaine Lands within the above saide bound with a purpos to people or plant the same and doe admit of Isaac Robinson, James Skiffe Sinour, Simon Athearn, Jeramiah Whitne and John Rogers to be full and joynt parcherais with and to have full Right and title to the whole with our selves…

At the time of this instrument, Martha's Vineyard was under the jurisdiction of the Province of New York, but with the merger of the Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth colonies in 1686, Martha's Vineyard became Dukes County in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay.

The claim in the History of Martha's Vineyard that by 1686 James Allen moved from Tisbury to Chilmark is not supported by the Tisbury Town records, as he was still a resident of Tisbury in 1692 if not still later:

• voted that James Allin & peter Robinson are Chosen and impowrd, by the town of tisbury, to goe and discovr the Indian Steven and Joseph Skeetup, & theire Company who have dwelt in seconquot & ye necks agasent [adjacent]. And to agree with said Indians, so, that thay, said Indians do quit Claim of said neeks, to the town of tisbury And yeld pesable [peacable] possesion to the English, as Resonable as thay Cann to be under stood to agree with Steven, Joseph skeetup, sam nahommon & Joseph potobppan, as Resonable as thay Cann. date febrary 2: 1691-92: pr me Beniamin: Skiff: [town] clark.

James Allen and Elizabeth Partridge had twelve known children, the eldest three b. of record in Sandwich, Mass., the rest in the Town of Tisbury on the Island of Martha's Vineyard. The respective date of birth of the children is proved either by a recorded birth or relative date of birth based on a known gravestone:

• i. Amy Allen, b. of record Aug. 14, 1663 in Sandwich, Mass., d. Feb. 24, 1709/10 in Falmouth, Mass. (g.s., Æ 47); m. Dec. 7, 1683 prob. in Tisbury, Mass., Joseph Hatch, s. of Jonathan Hatch and Sarah Rowley. He was b. Mar. 7, 1652/3 in Barnstable, Mass. where he d. Feb. 16, 1735/6 (g.s., Æ 83). Ten children of the family. Through their dau. Anne (Hatch) Delano, they are ancestors of Gen. and Pres. Ulysses S. Grant.

• ii. Mary Allen, b. of record Dec. 22, 1665 in Sandwich, Mass., d. aft. May 1, 1725 in Windham, Conn.; m. Apr. 22, 1685 of record in Duxbury, Mass., Thomas Lasell, s. of John Lasell and Elizabeth Gates, b. Sept. 15, 1652 in Hingham, Mass. He d. May 1, 1725 in Windham, Conn. (g.s., Æ 73). Ten children of the family.

• iii. Abigail Allen, b. of record Sept. 28, 1667 in Sandwich, Mass., d. Mar. 31, 1733 in N. Yarmouth, Maine [N. Yarm. VRs]; m. Dec. 13, 1688 of record in Duxbury as his 1st wife, Elder Samuel Seabury, Jr., s. of Dr. Samuel Seabury and Patience Kemp, b. Apr. 20, 1666 in Duxbury. He d. Nov. 10, 1763 in North Yarmouth, Maine [ibid.] Thirteen children of the family, all b. in Duxbury, Mass., but only five survived beyond infancy.

• iv. Ruth Allen, b. on or after June 23, 1670 prob. in Tisbury, Mass., d. June 22, 1738 in Brewster, Mass. (g.s., Æ 68); m. by 1692 as his 1st wife, Capt. Edward Bangs, s. of Capt. Jonathan Bangs (Edward,1 of the 1623 Ann) and Mary Mayo, b. Sept. 30, 1665 in Eastham, Mass. He d. May 22, 1746 in Brewster, Mass. (g.s., Æ 81). Seven known children of the family.

• v. Ebenezer Allen, Esq., b. Mar. 1, 1671/2 in Tisbury, Mass., with the History of Martha's Vineyard claiming he d. May 14, 1733, his will of Feb. 6, 1730/1 proved June 14, 1733; m. Apr. 14, 1698 of record in Barnstable, Mass., Rebecca Russel (q.v. Russell), dau. of Rev. Jonathan Russel (Rev. Jonathan,2 Rev. John,1) and Martha Moody, b. July 7, 1681 in Hadley, Mass. She d. Dec. 3, 1761 as Ebenezer's widow and is interred in Barnstable, Mass. (g.s., Æ 81). Eleven children of the family.

• vi. Capt. James Allen, b. after Feb. 14, 1673/4 in Tisbury, d. Feb. 14, 1723/4 in Chilmark, Mass. (g.s., Æ 50); m. Mary Bourn, dau. of Shearjashub Bourn and Bathsheba Skiff, b. Oct. 21, 1678 in Sandwich, Mass. She d. of record in Chilmark May 20, 1722, Æ 44. The History of Martha's Vineyard claims they had eight named children, none being of connective birth record in Tisbury or Chilmark.

• vii. Ichabod Allen, b. circa 1676 in Tisbury, died testate betw. the date of his will, Jan. 22, 1751, and its proof, Feb. 1, 1752; was as least thrice married: 1) Elizabeth Belcher, 2) Elizabeth (Symmons?), and 3) Elizabeth (Mayhew) Clifford. One recorded child, by 2nd wife Elizabeth. The History of Martha's Vineyard claims he had a 4th wife and nine total children.

• viii. Samuel Allen, b. after July 12, 1677 in Tisbury, d. July 12, 1755 in Chilmark, Mass. (g.s., Æ 78); m. Mary Tilton, dau. of Samuel Tilton and Hannah Moulton, who d. of record Dec. 25, 1756 in Chilmark (g.s., Æ 80). The History of Martha's Vineyard gives them six children although there is no direct connective birth reference to them in either the Tisbury or Chilmark vital records.

• ix. Col. John Allen, Esq., b. after Oct. 17, 1682 in Tisbury, d. Oct. 17, 1767 in Chilmark, Mass. (g.s., Æ 85); m. Mar. 1, 1716/7 prob. in Chilmark and likely by her father, Margaret Homes, dau. of Rev. William Homes and Katherine Craighead, b. Feb. 28, 1695/6 in Straban, co. Tyrone, Ireland. She d. Apr. 26, 1778 in Chilmark (g.s., Æ 83). Thirteen children of the family.

• x. Lieut. Joseph Allen, b. after Mar. 11, 1684/5 in Tisbury where he d. Mar. 10, 1726/7 (g.s., Æ 42); m. as her 1st husband, Patience Bourn, dau. of Shearjashub Bourn and Bathsheba Skiff, b. Apr. 20, 1686 in Sandwich, Mass. She d. Feb. 13, 1765 in Tisbury (g.s., Æ 79) as the widow of Jonathan Lumbert, but is interred under the married name of Allen. Three known children of the family.

• xi. Sarah Allen, b. circa 1687 in Tisbury, Mass., d. prob. in Windham, Conn.; m. Josiah Luce, s. of Henry Luce and Remember Litchfield, b. circa 1685 in Tisbury. He d. testate in Windham, Conn. before May 26, 1727, the date his will was proved. At least eight children of the family.

• xii. Rev. Benjamin Allen, b. after May 6, 1689 in Tisbury, d. May 6, 1754 at Cape Elizabeth (or Falmouth), Maine (g.s., Æ 65); m. Apr. 5, 1712 of record in Barnstable, Mass., Elizabeth Crocker, dau. of Dea. Job Crocker (William,1) and Hannah Taylor, b. May 15, 1688 in Barnstable. She survived her husband, but when and where she d. cannot be found. At least seven children of the family.

The above cited 1882 Genealogy of the Allen Family claims there was a 13th child, s. Moses b. circa 1694 (when his supposed mother was in excess of 50 years old) and died in 1722. However, no record can be found to support his existence as a child of the family. The History of Martha's Vineyard attributes a Moses as the eldest child of Ichabod Allen (James,2 Samuel,1) b. circa 1702 who d. Feb. 25, 1721/2.

Edited and revised 12/15/2017

N.B.
James and Elizabeth (Partridge) Allen are American ancestors of Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, Prime Minister of England during World War II.