Trails to the Past

Bristol County Rhode Island

Barrington Biographies

The Allin Family

THE ALLINS are from William and Elizabeth Allin of Prudence Island and Annawomscutt, Swansea, who bought a large tract of land which included the present village of Drownville, and built a house and became residents before 1670. In his will, proved 1685, he gave " to second son, Thomas, my now dwelling house in Swansea, only half thereof to be for his wife Elizabeth for life, and the stock thereon, equally to wife and son Thomas."

Thomas,2 son of William,1 m. Anne Barnes, daughter. of Thomas Barnes; children, Elizabeth, Matthew, Thomas, Anne, Rebecca, Alathea, and Abigail; by his will he gave his estate to his sons, Matthew and Thomas, equally, after widow's dower; his sister Mercy m. John Barnes, son of Thomas and Prudence Barnes; Thomas,2 d. Aug. 11, 1719.

Matthew Allin,3 b. June, 1679, m. Ruth Stockbridge; children, seven daughters and two sons, Thomas,4 b. 1742, and Matthew,4 h. 1744: five of their seven daughters died between the 21st of Aug. and the 15th of Sept., 1740; Matthew,3 d. 1761.

Matthew Allin,4 m. (1) Elizabeth Tiffany, 1767; m. (2) Bathsheba Peck; m. (3) Molly Hall; no children of record. Matthew,4 was a Captain in the Revolution.

Thomas Allin,4 m. Amy Bicknell, daughter of Peter Bicknell, May 29, 1768; children, William, 1768-1829; Rebecca, m. (2) Joseph Rawson; Amy, m .John Horn,; Thomas, m. (1) Mary R. Paine; m. (2) Sarah R. Paine; children, Ethan, Ira, m. ; Nancy, M. Samuel

Drown; Elizabeth W., m. Allin Bicknell, Shearjashub, George, John Jay

John Jay Allin of New York, seventh generation from William,1 and three generations from Gen. Thomas Allin, now owns and occupies a summer residence at Annawomscutt, on land once owned by his ancestor, William, of whom he is a worthy descendant.

His line is Capt. John Jay Allin,7 John Jay Allin, Sr.,6 Ira Allin,5 Gen. Thomas Allin,4 Matthew Allin, Esq.,3 Thomas Allin, Esq"2 William Allin, Esq.,1 of Annawomscutt, 1667-1685.  Biographie Index

JOHN JAY ALLIN. B. Dec. 26, 1814; d. Feb. 20, 1890; a lineal descendant of William Allin, who settled in Barrington prior to 1670; m. Mary Tyler Bowen ; children, John Jay Allin, m. Josephine Starkey; Florence Haile Allin; Charles Irving Allin, b. June 12, 1855, m. Ella Nichols; m. (2) Mary Leete Varley; children, Florence Shores Allin, b. Dec. 25, 1862; Howard Everett Allin, b. July 2, 1864, m. Jessie M. Horton ; Mary Milton Allin, b. Nov. 8, 1866, m. David C. Black; Annie Gertrude Allin, b. Dec. 9, 1869, d. Feb. 4, 1874; Ida Louise Allin, b. Jan. 23, 1872.  Biographie Index

MATTHEW ALLIN. Son of Matthew and Ruth Allin, and brother of Gen. Thomas Allin, was born in Barrington, in 1745, and, like his brother, Thomas, was an active and energetic man, interested in public affairs ; was a member of the Barrington Militia Company, with so good a military training that, at the opening of the Revolution, he was chosen Captain Lieutenant (the rank of Captain) in Gen. Nathaniel Greene's brigade. Col. Church's regiment of the Army of Observation. He marched to Boston, and was in camp and service at Roxbury and Cambridge until the evacuation of Boston. His letters breathe the spirit and devotion of the most heroic men of 1776. Captain Allin continued in the militia service for a considerable part of the war, but was occupied principally with personal and public business. He represented the town in the General Assembly in the year 1788. Captain Allin died May 10, 1794, in the 50th year of his age. His widow, Bathsheba, died Sept. 19, 1789. Both are buried in the Allin yard.  Biographie Index

THOMAS ALLIN. Son of Matthew and Ruth Allin, b. April 15, 1742. He entered public life early, and was elected first to the General Assembly in the year 1767, at the age of twenty-five. He was honored by re-election to the same office in 1772-6 1781-1791-8. He was a member of the town militia prior to the Revolution. His services during that war will be found in the chapter on War of the Revolution. Gen. Allin was a leader in civil affairs as well as military, and his pen was as active as his sword in defense of human rights. As a member of the Convention to adopt the Federal Constitution.. His further record will be found in the pages of the Revolutionary and succeeding periods. The residence he built and occupied before 1800, still stands at Drownville.  His wife. Amy (Bicknell) Allin, was as true a patriot as her husband, and conducted the affairs of the household and farm, with a large family of boys and girls to care for, during her husband's absence, with a prudence, judgment, and success that entitled her to honorable mention among the mothers of Revolution. In a letter to her husband, Aug. 19, 1778, Mrs. Allin writes: "I hope you will put your trust in God and not in man, for it is lone that is able to keep and preserve you from all harm, and to cover head in the day of battle." General Allin died May 30, 1800, and buried at Drownville, in the Allin Burial Lot, on the ancestral farm, ranks first among the Revolutionary heroes of Barrington.  Biographie Index

WILLIAM ALLIN. Son of Gen. Thomas and Amy Allin, was born 1768; graduated from B. U. in 1790, in a class of twenty-two members, of which Moses Brown and Asa Messer were members. After graduation, Mr. Allin went to Alexandria, Virginia, and, on recommendation of President Manning, " for his sobriety and good abilities in the line of business," obtained a private school at Falls Church, Fairfax Co., Va., which he taught till November, 1791, when he engaged in surveying for the winter. In a letter to his father he writes for " Webster's Spelling Books, and English Grammars," three of each, and, if the season has been fruitful, " 1 or 2 barrels of your best late made cyder and a barrel of apples." Mr. Allin returned to Barrington, studied law, and was admitted to the Rhode Island Bar as counselor at law. He practiced law and attended to business affairs of the farm, taking an influential and honorable position in town affairs. On the death of his father, in the year 1800, he succeeded him as associate manager with Joshua Bicknell of the Barrington Meeting House Lottery, to which he gave much time and energy. He was chairman of the committee for carrying the free school act into operation in the year 1800. He was elected as a Representative to the General Assembly for the years 1805,-6,-7,-8,-9,-10, 16,-17,-19,-20,-21. He was also town clerk of the town during the years 1816,-17,-18,-19,-20,-21,-22,-23,-24,-25,-26, 29. Mr. Allin was also a justice of the peace and held other minor town offices. He was a capable and faithful public officer, and sought in all his relations to serve his townsmen and state honestly and efficiently. He was a good surveyor, and many of the lines of farms and highways in the town were located by him. He died Jan. 4, 1827, in the 59th year of his age, and was buried at Drownville, in the Allin yard.  Biographie Index

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