The added difficulty was that we have a vast amount of information on the Allen Family settling in Braintree,Mass. There were Jeminas there but not one matched the one we searched.

Today I solved the lineage.

Samuel Allen came to America and landed in Braintree in1632 being a first settler there. I descend from Samuel’s second wife Margaret French, through their son Joseph b. 1650. This line is complete and well documented.

But Jemina Allen has proven a second line to the Immigrant Samuel Allen. Upon further research, Samuel Allen came to America originally with first wife Ann Whitmore in 1632. Their first child was born that same year, Samuel Allen.Jr. When Samuel Jr. married Sara Patridge from Duxbury, they moved to Bridgewater and became one of the first settlers there. The East Bridgwater Library, I am told, has a plaque in his honor.(trip planned)

This is significant due to the Pratt Farm (trip planned). Pratt Farm is said to be the land that Nehemiah Allen sold to the Pratt family. There is mention of Nehemiah being the original owner of the land, in fact it was willed to him by his father, Samuel Allen Jr..Jemina Allen is the great granddaugher of Samuel Allen of Bridgewater, the original owner of the Pratt Farm. It is now conservation land. We can walk it knowing our heritage is there.

Confused? I’m about to make it worse.Here are three lineages to Samuel Allen, the immigrant. Jemina’s line is the third. I have highlighted in red the differences. The two Braintree lines are nearly the same except for 4 generations.

Two Braintree Lines…

Susannah (me)>Ruth Balentine> Sara Kohler>Inez Vinton Allen b.1889>John Vinton Allen b.1856>Abijah Allen b.1822>Abijah Allen b.1787> Jacob Allen b. 1754> Abijah Allen b.1726> Joseph Allen b. 1671>Dea. Joseph Allen b. 1650 > Samuel Allen b. 1598 U.K.

Susannah (me)>Ruth Balentine> Sara Kohler>Inez Vinton Allen b.1889>John Vinton Allen b.1856>Abijah Allen b.1822>Sara Allen b.1781> Col. William Allen b. 1746 > Thomas Allen b.1711> Benjamin Allen b. 1679>Dea. Joseph Allen b. 1650 > Samuel Allen b. 1598 U.K.

Bridgewater Line…….

Susannah (me)>Ruth Balentine> Sara Kohler>Inez Vinton Allen b.1889> Mary Page b.1861> John Page Jr b.1834> Mary Newcomb b. 1809> Capt. John Newcomb b.1761> Jemina Allen b. 1732> Jacob Allen b. 1702> Ebenezer Allen b. 1674> Samuel Allen Jr. B. 1632> Samuel Allen b. 1598 U.K.

FYI – I underlined Mary Page and John Allen . They married and if I calculated correctly, were cousins 4th removed.

FYI- I get to say that both my Great, Great Grandparents descend from Samuel Allen the immigrant. Mary Page descndes from Samel Allen’s first wife,Ann and John Vinton Allen descends from Samuel Allen’s second wife, Margaret. Isn’t it interesting that a line from each wife married 7 generations later.

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Boy, do I wish you were sitting here with me right now. I found Jemina Allen. I wish you were sitting here at my computer with me so I could show you. She did stump us, didn’t she?  There we sat so many years ago with dozens of pages of Allen genealogy. We could not figure her out. You had so many good suggestions for research,  and even after you left us, I kept at it. I plugged along and couldn’t figure it out.

Even in the 80’s and 90’s when I spent so many days each month in libraries researching. I could not find her. We knew she married Ebenezer Newcomb in Braintree, we knew she was born in Bridgewater. We searched Bridgewater records and could not officially document a line. We followed possibilities to Rhode Island and Connecticut. You even tried Ethan Allen in Vermont.So many close calls but nothing that we could safely document.

You always said, it’s only a puzzle, the pieces are there, you just aren’t seeing them yet. Keep looking. I did, Grammy, and the right moment, the right piece of information went sailing by today and I grabbed it and tried to see if it fit and it did.

These moments always excited you so, as you understood the work involved. You asked me to carry on your work, and I did, and today I solved her lineage. Not only that but she is the great granddaughter of Samuel Allen, who was the first landowner in Middleboro. The land is now conservation land. It’s another place that I can photograph as an ancestral homesite. I wish you were here for a celebratory hug. I always loved how you smiled so big when we solved something. Our work would make Inez so proud, wouldn’t it?

I miss you so much.

Love,

Susannah

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In my travels so far, I was able to find out that I descend from Thomas Whitman. He built one of the first homes and the very first mill in East Bridgewater, Mass. I found that original site of The Whitman Family Mill. Adding to this enthusiastic find, I also discovered the street that it parallels is named Whitman Street. It is a side street off Route 18 in East Bridgewater, Mass. I have take a photo to help make discovery easier. You can see the photo below of the street signs.

I also discovered that the Indian,Massasoit, sold a large lot of land to the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims then sold the most northern section to the Byram family ,also an ancestral Grandfather. This land is found across the road from Peaceful Meadows in Whitman, Mass. I was not able to find markers to indicate home sites but the general area is adjacent to Route 18, across from Peaceful Meadows. I hope to find more definitive borders.

I also discovered that the next section of land south of this was sold to Thomas Whitman, son of John Whitman the immigrant whom landed in Weymouth, Mass.Thomas married Abigail Byram and then built a home and the first mill in Bridgewater.Mass. They were then the first two settlers in East Bridgewater, Mass.

Interestingly, during King Philips’s war in 1676, the Indians burned all 9 homes except Byram’s,. He owned a large amount of apple orchards and sold apple cider to the Indians. It is assumed that this is the reason the Indians did not hurt him.

I was able to find the Whitman Family Mill site.  I took photos. I also found that East Bridgewater has created an official stone for the site of the land sale between Pilgrims and Massasoit.

I continue to search and confirm facts.

The gallery below shows photos of two sites; the Sachem Rock Farm and The Whitman Mill, they are located nearly 1/2 mile apart in East Bridgewater, Mass. Click on a photo to see it enlarged with information.

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Exploring Bridgewater history, I read that the Whitman family built and owned the Whitman mill. It may be still standing.It’s fun to find a grandparents home but even more fun to find a business or landmark. As the Whitman men married woman from the same town, I can also investigate their lines and see how many old homes and places I can photograph that are of ancestral importance.

Bridgewater always felt like home to me, maybe this is why. I just might have the most ancestors from there than any other town.

In researching I’m lucky in the fact that my ancestors did not really travel so much. They came from England, mostly and stayed pretty much where they landed, often in the same county. Moving to Vermont, I have traveled the most, at least within these Unites States.

Me> Ruth Balentine>Alfred Balentine>Laura Whitman>Charles Whitman>Elijah Whitman> Nicholas Whitman> Nicholas Whitman> Thomas Whitman> John Whitman (the immigrant).

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