Allen Family History

Sources of Information: 1. Preston (Connecticut), Registrar of Vital Statistics, Town Clerk, “Records of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1672-1933,” (Salt Lake City, UT: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1981) (FHL #1311194 items 1-2).

Notes:

ROBERT ALLEN RESEARCH REPORT

[marshdavis102504 / 0346] 10 November 2004

The objective of this research project was to identify the parents of Hannah Marsh and/or Rebecca Davis in New England. We were able to find one possibility for the parents of Rebecca Davis, but could not locate the parents of Hannah Marsh at this time.
Leonard/Davis We searched the records of Massachusetts and Connecticut in an effort to locate the marriage of Ezra Leonard and Hannah Marsh. The only marriage of interest located was at Griswold-Preston, Connecticut where we found the marriage of Ezra Leonard to his third wife, Dorcas Brown, on 4 March 1793 [document #1]. Prentice Leonard, son of Ezra and Hannah (Marsh) Leonard, was located with his wife and children in the 1850 Federal Census of Esperance, Schoharie, New York. Prentice, a physician, was born about 1787 in Massachusetts. His wife, Harriet, was born in Connecticut, and their four children were born in New York. One of the children was listed as Louis J. Leonard, age 20, a female, born in New York [document #2].
According to the family group record provided at the onset of this project, the first child of Ezra and Hannah Leonard was named Louis, assumed to be a male child. However, Ezra's will (found previously) listed the child as Lois, and no son Louis was mentioned. Apparently, in this family, and at the time period, Lois was spelled Louis. While reviewing other records, we noticed several females with the name of Louis (Lois). A family record was located on Ancestry World Tree for Lois Leonard and her spouse, Samuel Tuttle [document #3]. No children were listed in the record. In the 1820 Federal Census of Wayne, Ashtabula, Ohio, we found Ezra Leonard living near Samuel Tuttle [document #4]. In Worthington, Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850, we found the five children of Ezra Leonard listed. Lois was definitely listed as Louis when born in 1782. However, when she was baptized in 1799, she was listed as Lois. Knowing the exact marriage date of Ezra Leonard to Dorcas Brown, it is obvious Mervin and Rachel were their children and not the children of Ezra and Hannah. In One Line of the Solomon Leonard Family of Monmouthshire, England, Leyden, Holland, and Plymouth, Duxbury, and Bridgewater, Massachusetts, we located information on the parents and siblings of Ezra Leonard. Information was also given on Ezra Leonard, his three wives, and five children [document #6]. With all the records searched, we were unable to locate any further information on the parentage of Hannah Marsh during this project. Allis/Davis In Allis Genealogy, we located Lemuel Allis in the fifth generation [document #7]. His wife was Rebecca Davis of Somers. Lemuel was listed as born in 1749 instead of 1747. No parents were listed for Rebecca Davis. They married on 20 January 1779. Their only child was John Allis, born 19 May 1779. A search was made in DAR Patriot Index, volume 1, for the Allis surname. Lemuel Allis was listed in this book as born 22 June 1749 in Connecticut, died about 21 November 1820 in Massachusetts, and married to Rebecca Davis [document #8]. A family group record was located at Ancestry World Tree on Lemuel and Rebecca (Davis) Allis. However, once again, no parents were given for Rebecca. Six children were listed, Roxanna being the fifth child in order of birth [document #9]. The Barbour Collection, a series on early Connecticut vital records, was reviewed for the birth of Rebecca Davis. Nothing could be located at Somers, Tolland, Connecticut for her birth. However, the marriage of Rebeckah Davis to Lemuel Allis was found there [document #10]. A review of the LDS Ordinance Index produced a Rebeckah Davis who was born 20 May 1758 at Stafford Township, Tolland County, Connecticut. Her parents were Benjamin and Hannah Davis. This is an excellent possibility to be the parents of the ancestral Rebecca (Davis) Allis due to the following known information: Lemuel Allis was also born in Tolland County, Connecticut.

The marriage of Lemuel Allis and Rebeckah Davis took place at Somers, Tolland, Connecticut.

Rebecca and Lemuel also named a daughter Hannah, possibly after her mother.

Since Lemuel and Rebecca were both listed on their marriage as being of Somers, it would make sense Rebecca was also born in Connecticut. At this time, we were not able to absolutely verify the parents of Rebecca Davis as Benjamin and Hannah Davis, but they are an excellent possibility.

Conclusion Although we were not able to identify the parents of Hannah Marsh and Rebecca Davis, we feel this has been a successful project as we have been able to verify and add information to the family group records compiled during a previous project. We found two of the children listed in the family of Ezra and Hannah (Marsh) Leonard were actually the children of Ezra and Dorcas (Brown) Leonard. The marriage date for Lemuel Allis and Rebeckah Davis was also located as were four additional children. Suggestions for future research include the following: Further search records in Connecticut for the Rebeckah Davis who was born to Benjamin and Hannah in 1758 to see if we can determine who she married or what happened to her.

Search all of the town records of Hampshire County, Massachusetts in an effort to determine who the parents of Hannah Marsh were.

It has been a pleasure to assist you with your research endeavors. We look forward to continuing research according to your instructions. _2004 Price & Associates Incorporated DEM/mh

Research on Hannah Marsh, wife of Ezra Leonard of Worthington, Hampshire, Massachusetts, has concluded that while she may not be a daughter of Deacon Joseph Marsh of Worthington, she is in all likelihood related to him somehow, and further study of Deacon Joseph Marsh's family may reveal how Hannah Marsh fits into it. According to Manning Leonard's Memorial: Genealogical, Historical and Biographical, of Solomon Leonard, 1637: of Duxbury and Bridgewater, Massachusetts, and Some of His Descendants, Ezra Leonard, son of Nathan Leonard of Worthington, Massachusetts, was married first to Hannah Marsh. No date of marriage was given, but their first child Lois was born 3 June 1782. Hannah (Marsh) Leonard was supposed to have died sometime in 1787, but certainly after the birth of her son Prentiss Leonard on 20 October 1786 [document #1]. In previous research, the will of Deacon Joseph Marsh of Worthington was examined, and since he did not name a daughter Hannah Leonard, it was concluded he was not the father of Hannah (Marsh) Leonard. Hampshire County deeds had apparently not been examined in previous research, so they were checked for mention of Ezra Leonard and any connection to a Marsh family. The following deeds were noted [document #2-4]: On 18 August 1778, Nathan Leonard of Worthington deeded, for love and affection, to his son Ezra Leonard of Worthington, one half of lot number 118 in Worthington containing 50 acres

On 17 March 1785, Elisha Leonard deeded, for one hundred pounds, to Ezra Leonard, the other half of lot number 118 in Worthington

On 7 October 1785, Ezra Leonard of Worthington deeded, for eighteen pounds, to Ebenezer Webber of Worthington one half of lot number 118 in Worthington

An analysis of these deeds suggests the first deed made in 1778 by Ezra's father forlove and affection was in recognition of Ezra Leonard being an adult and possibly getting married and establishing a household. This was a common phenomenon in colonial New England. The second deed made in 1785 was probably made by Ezra Leonard's brother Elisha Leonard, born 1751. The third deed, also made in 1785, was probably Ezra Leonard selling off half the lot at a loss, for an unknown reason. There were no Marsh witnesses to these deeds. If Ezra Leonard came of age in 1778 and married that year, it seemed likely he would marry into a Marsh family in Worthington. The History of the Town of Worthington, published in 1853, presented a very interesting possibility. In 1777, the year before Nathan Leonard deeded land to Ezra Leonard for love and affection, two of the three selectmen (town councilmen) of Worthington were Nathan Leonard and Joseph Marsh [document #5]. In 1778, the year Ezra probably married, one of the selectman was Deacon Jonathan Brewster. In 1787 and 1788, Ezra Leonard was a selectman with Deacon Jonathan Brewster. A re-examination of the will of Joseph Marsh revealed some very interesting connections between the Marshes, the Leonards, and the Brewsters. Joseph Marsh named the following children, either directly or implied, in his will dated 30 June 1785 [document #6]: daughter Ama or Anna Wright daughter (implied) Elizabeth Leonard son Joseph Marsh son Rufus Marsh daughter (implied) Lois Bruster [sic] son Thomas Marsh daughter Sarah Marsh daughter Lydia Marsh son William Bennett Marsh

Interestingly, the will was witnessed by Nathan Leonard, the father or brother of Ezra Leonard. The children of Joseph Marsh and Lydia Bennett were born both at Windham, Connecticut and Worthington, Massachusetts [document #7-9]. Daughter Lois Marsh was born 15 April 1762. According to the International Genealogical Index, Lois Marsh married Jonathan Brewster, son of Jonathan Brewster, the selectman who served with her father and Nathan Leonard in 1777 [document #10]. The published Vital Records of Worthington show Jonathan Brewster had a son Joseph Marsh Brewster born in 1797 and his wife Lois died 24 September 1810 in her 48th year [document #11]. This means she was 47 years old when she died, putting her birth year at about 1762/1763 a close match to the date of birth of Lois Marsh. It is also interesting Ezra and Hannah (Marsh) Leonard named their first daughter Lois possibly after Lois Marsh. What makes the Brewster/Marsh/Leonard connection even more intriguing is Elisha Brewster, brother of Jonathan Brewster, was one of the witnesses to the 1785 deed whereby Ezra Leonard sold land to Ebenezer Webber. Another interesting feature of the will of Joseph Marsh is his reference to an Elizabeth Leonard who is treated equally with the other children and so is an implied daughter. However, neither at Windham nor at Worthington is a daughter Elizabeth recorded for Joseph Marsh. An examination of the children of Joseph Marsh indicates only one place where a daughter Hannah or Elizabeth might have been born. Joseph Marsh and Lydia Bennett were married 20 June 1754. Their first child Ebenezer Marsh, was born 1 August 1755. Their next child, Joseph Marsh, was born 1 February 1759 a gap of three and a half years and exactly the time when the wife of a man born in 1755 might have been born. The published vital and church records of Windham showed no other children of Joseph and Lydia Marsh born or baptized in this time period. The original vital records of Windham show the children of Joseph Marsh recorded in sequence, and there are no children recorded in the 1755 to 1759 gap [document #12]. Be that as it may, Joseph Marsh had a daughter who was married to a Leonard by 1785. There is a remote possibility the recorded will of Joseph Marsh is incorrect and the original will will indicate the correct name of this daughter. The original wills and probate papers for Hampshire County are not available in Salt Lake City and will need to be obtained from the county. The original probate packet may also contain receipts, and if Elizabeth (Marsh) Leonard is really Hannah (Marsh) Leonard, then the receipt for her five shilling legacy will be in Hannah's name, and if she was deceased at the time, will so indicate. If the original probate packet fails to resolve the question, a study of Joseph Marsh's other children may reveal mention of their sister who married a Leonard and whether it was Elizabeth or indeed Hannah, wife of Ezra Leonard. If she is not Joseph Marsh's daughter, then she may be related to him in some other way, in which case a wider study of this Marsh family would be a valid pursuit. It has been a pleasure to assist you in researching and documenting your family history. We look forward to continuing research according to your instructions. _2005 Price & Associates Incorporated GLR/mh