Moses Allen

by

Moses Allen was born in March 1786 (or 1789). He was the son of Reverend Solomon Allen of Northhampton, Massachusetts. His mother was named Lucretia. We strive to avoid confusion with an older, same-named individual who appears to have died in 1796. More prominent exraneous individuals further complicate the search for this short-term Albany resident.

In 1790, the household of a Solomon Allen was configured on the first Federal Census for Albany. It showed two boys present in his home in the first ward. Perhaps, one was young Moses.

However, he is said to have re-located to Albany in 1808 to become "a clerk in the State office." We seek more information on his early life and circumstances of his entry into government service. His father was dead by 1794 and no children were named in the calendar entry for the will Solomon filed in 1790.

Perhaps he was the Moses Allen who was identified on the census for Berne in 1810.

Perhaps this individual was among the subscribers for the Union School on Montgomery Street in February 1814.

Presbyterian church records reveal that Moses Allen married Jemima C. Paddock in January 1815. By 1829, the couple had christened eight cchildren.

Moses Allen does not seem to be among those listed in the first Albany city directory in 1813 nor in subsequent annual editions.

In 1815, he is said to have removed to New York City where he lived for the remainder of his long life. First, in business with his brother as "S. & M. Allen" - selling lottery tickets, he became a noted banker and one of the founders of the American Tract Society. He was ordained an elder in the "Brick church" in 1822 - an office he held until his death.

This Moses Allen died suddenly at his residence in New York on October 10, 1877. A number of contemporary obituaries chronicled and praised his long life of service.

Moses Allen lived in Albany for only a short time and left before turning thirty. Record of his Albany activities is scarce in the community-based record. He was a member of a prominent New England family that helped transform the city in the decades following the War for Independence.

this offering attempts to focus on issues related to his Albany experience

notes

the people of colonial Albany Sources: The life of this Moses Allen has not been assigned a CAP biography number This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources and particularly from A Memorial of Moses Allen by his pastor, Llewlyn David Bevan (1878).




first opened 1/10/13; posted online 9/30/13