Re: Rachel d/o Thos. French of Burlington, NJ
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In reply to:
Re: Rachel d/o Thos. French of Burlington, NJ
Sandra Johnson 6/13/02
Elizabeth,
I am a Prickitt descendant; likely a descendant of Jedediah Allen of Sandwich, MA, then Shrewsbury, NJ; and a descendant of Rachel (French) Allen Sharp's two Sharp brothers-in-law, John and William, the older and younger brothers of Rachel's 2nd husband Hugh.
The posting your responded to was prior to my being led to the below genealogy. The reason for my exploration of Rebecca and her first husband Matthew Sharp is that there are French's in the Prickitt line I descend through.Further, some hold the notion that Matthew Allen was a cousin of Jedediah Allen of Shrewsbury, through Jedediah Allen of Sandwich/Shrewsbury's possible uncle George of early Sandwich, MA. I have been trying to unravel the very confused genealogy of the patriarch George Allen, Sr. of Sandwich, MA and either the related/unrelated Ralph Allen, Sr. also of Sandiwch (either Jedediah's father or grandfather), who lived there at the same time. One of my principle ancestors lost his freemanship in the Plymouth Colony for 13-years for standing up for the right of the Quakers at Sandwich to do their own thing, so to speak.
There was in fact a Matthew Allen of Sandwich, but the age is markedly younger than the Matthew at Burlington, Rachel French's husband.After scouring all of the possible land records of early Burlington, Matthew Allen of Burlington, who arguably was one of the single largest landowners in early Burlington, never made one overture to any of the families that interrelated with/were collateral to the Allens at Sandwich that also ended up by the late 1600s in Burlington.
The following is from my notes:
From Genealogies of New Jersey Families, Volume II, pp. 150-211, being a reprint of the compilation of five Allen families by Charles Carroll Gardner, Associate Editor of the Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey (hereafter GMNJ), originally published in 193___ in Vols. 16 & 17 of the GMNJ.
Portions of the following have been edited for clarity with footnotes added pertinent to further historical understanding or of particular collateral interest to this writer.
[note:Some Matthew Allen writers believe that he first married the widow Rachel (French) Conaroe or Conoroe who already had two sons.The following reflects the premise by Charles Carroll Gardner that Rachel French's first husband was the widower Matthew Allen.]
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Mathew Allen of Burlington County, New Jersey
301.Matthew French, born between 1645-1655 in England, died on or just prior to October 17, 1701 in Chester Twp, Burlington, NJ.He md. (1) the widow Conaroe or Conoroe in England.By this marriage he had at least two known children, step-sons Jacob and Isaac.He md. (2) likely between May 1683 and 1687 Rachel French, dau. of Thomas and Jane (Atkins) French, b. Mar. 24, 1663/4 at Nether Heyford, Northampton, England.Following Matthew's death in 1701, the widow Rachel (French) Allen md. (2) on Feb. 9, 1702/3 at her house in Chester Twp, Burlington, Hugh Sharp (WJD B:657; Thomas French Gen., 1:64; NJA 23:174; GMNJ 3:22; NJWills 1:226).
The first mention of Matthew Allen is found in the records of the Upland (now Chester, Delaware, PA) Court, on Nov. 12, 1678, when "Upon the Peticon of mathew allin the Court doe grant him Liberty to take up 200 acres of Land, hee seating and Improoveing the same" (HSP-Memoirs 7:116).No further record has been found of him on the west side of the Delaware River, and he probably soon moved across to West jersey, where he signed Penn's "Concessions and Agreements", which had been drawn up at London and signed there under date of Mar. 3, 1676/7 by the prospective emigrants to the West Jersey Colony.Of the 151 signatures, some three-quarters had been affixed before Matthew's, including many who were already in America before the "Concessions" were actually issued by William Penn and fellow proprietors in London.Thus, there appears to be no question that Matthew signed his name to the "Concessions" after he arrived in America (NJA 1:269).
On Dec. 5, 1678 he signed a petition to the "Governor of Yorke" in support of the claim of Henry Jacobs, who had been a tenant of Martiniconck Island "when we first came into this Country" (NYHist.Mss. 21:36).In 1680 he bought of John Smith of Christeene Creek in Delaware, later called in PA, 3,200 acres in Burlington County on the Delaware River near "Rancokus Creek" as well as 200 acres and some small lots in the Town of Burlington.Part of this land remained in possession of descendants as late as 1759.
He took up residence in the Town of Burlington, but sold his house and lot there in Sept. 1685.He may have moved at that time to his large tract in what would become Chester Twp, although his residence is variously described in deeds as "near Burlington" in 1687, Molton Berry in Burlington County in 1689, and thereafter as Rancokus Creek and Chester Twp (WJD B:87, 253, 419, 434; P:330; SHGM 2:1).He was called carpenter in some deeds and yeoman in others.
In 1695 he was appointed a Constable of Chester Twp, and under date of May 16, 1701, he signed an address of the inhabitants of West Jersey to the King (WJD B:304, 536; WHBM:254; NJA 2:384).His will dated Sept. 17, 1701, proved Oct. 17, 1701, calls him of Chester Twp and names a wife and four children.He left three shillings each to Isaac and Jacob Conorow (Conaroe or Conoroe) and Anthony Frier (Fryer).The first two were sons of his [first] wife.In 1699 Jacob Conaroe deeded land given him by his "father-in-law" (step-father) Mathew Allen in 1683.The nature of the relationship between the Allens and Anthony Fryer is not clear.Anthony Fryer's will of 1744 names as executor Mathew Allen [son of Matthew, deceased), and makes a bequest to the latter's son Anthony (NJW-Unrec. 2:23; 3700C; SHGM 2:34; WJD B:657).Matthew belonged to the Newton (Haddonfield) Meeting of Friends, and the births of his four children [by Rachel French] appear in their records (GSPM-Haddonfield:378).
Children of Mathew1 Allen and Rachel French:
+302.Mathew2, b. Oct. 23, 1688; md. Grace Jones; d. 1732-46.
303.Mercy2, b. Mar. 13, 1692/3 at Chester twp, Burlington, NJ, and d. Feb. 17, 1754.She md. (1) 1710 to Thomas Middleton; (2) in 1730 to John Hugg; and (3) in 1732 to Thomas Lippincott. (GMNJ 3:23; HEQG 2:234; French Gen. :186).
304.Mary2, b. Oct. 23, 1695 at Chester twp, Burlington, NJ.She md. (1) Jarvis Stockdale and (2) in 1741 to John Mickle. (NJA 23:442; NJW :3503C; HEQG 2:242).
305.Thomas2, b. Apr. 7, 1699 at Chester twp, Burlington, NJ and was bur. at Chester (Moorestown) on Apr. 10, 1758, unm. and an invalid.He was of Wellingborough twp [now Willingboro, Burlington, NJ] in 1737. (WJD L:507; BuCt 2:212, 222; GSPM-NJCIE: 233, 583).
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My added comments:
Following designation of the County of Burlington, West Jersey in 1679, on June 14, 1680 at page 1 of the Burlington Court Book, Matthew is named one of the original "Freeholders and Inhabittants" in the jurisdiction of the Burlington Court.
Matthew's two stepsons by his unnamed 1st wife, the widow Conoroe, are further identified by deed abstracts of the Province of West Jersey.
"1683 May 12.Deed of Gift.Matthew Allen of Burlington, carpenter, to Jacob Conoroe, alias Allen, for 500 acres on the point of Rancokus Cr., E. said creek, N. Delaware R., part of the land bo't [bought] of John Smith of Cristeen Cr. Aug. 14, 1680." [Nelson: New Jersey Colonial Documents, West Jersey Deeds, Liber B, Part II, pg. 438 (abstract); pg. 304 (orig. record)] Note: this deed immediately preceeds the deed to Isaac's brother Jacob.
"1699 Oct. 23.Deed. Jacob Conaroe to Abraham Hewlings, both of Burlington Co., yeomen, for 500 acres at or near Delaware R., of which 400 a. were conveyed to grantor as a gift by his father-in-law [i.e., father by law, step-father] Mathew Allen May 12, 1683, and 100 a. bo't of the same Sept. 23, 1696." [ibid Nelson, Liber B, Part II, pg. 518 (abstract); pg. 657 (orig. record)]
"May 12, 1683.Deed of Gift.Matthew Allen of Burlington, carpenter, to Isaac Conoroe, alias Allen, for 500 acres, W. Capt. Hance, N. Delaware R., part of the land bo't [bought] of John Smith of Cristeen Cr. Aug. 14, 1680." [Nelson: New Jersey Colonial Documents, West Jersey Deeds, Liber B, Part II, pg. 438 (abstract); pg. 304 (orig. record)] Note: this deed immediately follows the deed to Isaac's brother Jacob.
Regards, apparent cousin,
Don Blauvelt
More Replies:
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Re: West Jersey Concessions & Agreements
Tracy Craig 7/31/02
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P.S. to Re: Rachel d/o Thos. French of Burlington, NJ
Don Blauvelt 6/13/02