William Allen Jr

CARROLL 1765-1815, page 336


WILLIAM ALLEN

The tradition is that his father was another William 
Allen and that the son came to what is now Carroll and 
settled on the crest of the Blue Ridge on a tract of 400 
acres which had been awarded him for his services in the 
Revolution. 

It may'be that his father was named William and it may 
also be that researchers have confused him with 
the William Allens who settled on lower Chestnut Creek in 
Carroll at the same time this William was settled on the 
Goodspur. It may also be true that he participated in the 
Revolution, but it is clear that his land grants had 
nothing to do with anybody's military service. His grant 
in 1791 was for 400 acres on Pauls Creek and the Goodspur 
and was acquired by him from a Moses Johnson who had the 
tract surveyed in 1782 (Grants 25-179; Henry, Survey 1-240). 
It is not clear when William came to the area; he is not 
listed in the Henry County tax lists for 1778-1780, but 
is listed on the Patrick rolls in 1791. Probably he 
came to Pauls Creek in 
the middle 1780's.

A little later he bought another survey; the second was for 
88 acres, and he acquired it from John Jones (Grants 39-512). 
In 18i0 he deeded his sons Carr and John each 40 acres of his 
large tract. He had already sold John Bryson 150 acres of it 
and had sold his smaller tract to Stephen Jones 
(Grayson, D.B. 2-541; Patrick D.B. 1-523). He reacquired 
the 40 acres he deeded John, and he died in 1823 owning 220 
acres of his large grant.

He left a will which was written July 12,1823 and probated 
that same year at September Court (Grayson, W.B. 1-282). By it 
he left his wife all his estate for her lifetime together with 
the right to dispose of it.' The will simply identifies her as 
Ann. Two years later his heirs sold the homeplace to John 
Edwards Jr. (Grayson, D.B. 5-194) and the deed lists the heirs 
as the widow Ann and eight children: (1) John Allen (2) Carr 
Allen (3) Robert Allen (4) William Allen (5) Bailey Allen 
(6) James Allen (7) Polly Allen who had married Dudley 
McMillian and (8) Nancy Allen. John and Carr Allen did not 
sign the deed.

In 1810 William, Carr and John had a dispute with Johnson 
Snow who swore out a peac& warrant for them. The affair 
resulted in their having to give bond before the Grayson Court 
at the May Term 1810. The other court records which bear the 
name William Allen refer to those of the same name on 
Chestnut Creek.

CARROLL 1765-1815, page 302

WILLIAM ALLEN

There were several William Allens in western Virginia in 
the early days, but this one is said to have been in the 
Revolution from North Carolina and appears to have come to 
Chestnut Creek a little before 1782.

He was in Montgomery County in 1782, taxed with three 
horses and two cattle. He bought a land claim from Jeremiah 
Clonch for a parcel of 400 acres on the waters of Chestnut 
and Crooked Creeks; it had been surveyed for Clonch in 1782, 
and the grant was made to Allen in 1785 (Grants Q-400). 
Later Allen had 150 acres surveyed on Little Cranberry, 
which Joined his other land on the east, but he sold his 
rights to Tavner Hays before the grant issued.

By 1787 he had prospered to the point that he owned seven 
horses and fifteen cattle. By 1800 he had bought 300 acres 
in present Grayson County on Meadow Creek (Grayson, D.B. 1-408; 
D.B. 1-409). Probably some of his family lived on the Meadow 
Creek farm for there were other Allens taxed at the same time: 
Joshua, William Jr., James, and Stephen. Joshua witnessed some 
of William's deeds, and the younger William was deeded some of 
the settler's property.

In 1795 he appraised the estate of Isaac Coulson, and in 
1793 and 1794 he served as grand Juror (Grayson, W.B. 1-2; 
Grayson, Orders 17931794,pp.16,45).

His troubles began about 1806. The order book is missing 
for the earlier part of the year, but there was a big trial. 
The records for the October Term 1806 contain a list of 
witnesses who had come earlier in the year to testify 
against William, Joshua and Stephen Allen in some matter 
the subject of which is now unknown. The next year William 
was charged. with taking a horse, but was acquitted by the 
court (Grayson, Orders, 1806-1811, March Term 1807). A month 
later he served on the Jury in the trial of a lawsuit.

There were three suits against him in 1807 and another in 
1809; some he won and some he lost. Whatever his problems 
were, he decided to move. He deeded his 400 acre tract to 
William Allen Jr. in 1805 (Grayson, D.B. 2-155). In 1807 
the younger William deeded the same 400 acres to a Randolph 
Laurence of Hawkins County, Tennessee; the same day the older 
William deeded to Laurence the Meadow Creek farm (Grayson, D.B. 
2-382; D.B. 2-384).

The Grayson records do not show where he moved to, but 1807 
is the last year he is taxed in the county, and the writer 
suspects that he followed his neighbor McCoy to Tennessee. 
The deeds show that William's wife was named Agnes.