James & Patience Allen

James Allen, my wife's 5th great grandfather and father of James Allen (Jr), was born on October 29, 1710 in Medfield Massachusetts a town that was originally incorporated in 1651.  The town had the distinction of being mostly destroyed on February 21, 1676 in a colonist-indian confrontation during King Phillips War.  King Phillip was the English name for Metacomet the leader of the Wampanoag Confederacy.  At the time, 1675-76 there were 110 towns in New England, 12 of them were destroyed in the war.

In the fourteen months of King Philip's War in 1675-1676, Plymouth Colony lost close to eight percent of its English adult male population to Indian warfare or other causes associated with the war.  Indian losses were much greater, with about 2,000 men killed or who died of injuries in the war, more than 3,000 dying of sickness or starvation, and another 1,000 Indians sold into slavery and transported to other areas, such as the Caribbean. About 2,000 Indians escaped to other tribes to the north or west; they joined continued Indian attacks from those bases well into the next century. Historians estimate that, as a result of King Philip's War, the Indian population of southern New England was reduced by about 60 to 80 percent.

James' father and grandfather were born in Medfield (Nathanial, his grandfather, being born in Dedham the name of the territory before Medfield split away).  The Allen homestead was destroyed in the conflict (James' great grandfather's), and later rebuilt.

On October 28, 1737, James Allen married Patience (unknown last name) who was estimated to have been born in 1720.  The wedding was in Mansfield, Connecticut so I believe she was likely from Mansfield.  Their children were born in Mansfield.  They were Ruth, James, Aaron, John, Levi, Patience, Submit, Simeon.  Levi fought in the Revolutionary war, John drown, Submit and Patience were both married, and Simeon married and lived on the Allen Homestead.  James and Patience moved to Walpole, NH, James and Aaron went with them.

James died Jan 1, 1790 and Patience likely outlived him since she was named in his will (although it was drawn up in 1781 and may not have been updated).  James (jr) with his wife Irene and Aaron with his wife Sarah are interred in Walpole.  I have not found the gravesites of James Sr or Patience.