The Blind Allens
by Amberle Kelly, YCHC Administrative Assistant
Have you ever brought a family line back to life after over 200 years? Recently, the Yates County History Center was contacted by a woman involved with the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Battle of Rhode Island Chapter. She inquired about the “Allen” or “Allin” family, as the surname was spelled during their time in Rhode Island. She stated many of the men from the Prudence Island Allin family fought in the Battle of Prudence Island during the American Revolutionary War, but “here in Rhode Island, we had thought their boat foundered, and the family was lost.” In other words, for over 230 years, Rhode Island genealogists thought the family’s boat had sunk, and the family line no longer existed. She thought she may have found them here in Yates County, and I was excited to confirm this for her.
Through my work in Middlesex, I know of the Allen family quite well, as they settled there around 1794. One of our volunteers is a direct descendant of Durfee Allen, who was a son or stepson (undetermined) of Thomas Allen. Durfee settled in Middlesex with Thomas, Thomas’ brother Joshua, and their sisters, several of whom were blind. Locally, the family was known as the “blind Allens.” Not only were we able to confirm that Thomas Allen’s family line was in fact preserved, but I also connected the DAR representative to the descendant of Durfee Allen, who has done extensive genealogy work on their lineage.
This discovery brought upon pondering thoughts as well. Society has reached a level in the digital age where such instances will continue to happen. Information is available to everyone everywhere, and it will allow us to connect lines that were not previously connected. How many lineages will we uncover that were thought to be lost? How many descendants will be able to connect who previously would not have known of each other’s existence? It is quite beautiful, really. Being a historian is an incredibly unique profession. One-part history nerd. One-part detective. One-part puzzle solver. All-parts curious.
If you’d like to read more about Thomas Allen and his family, S.C. Cleveland has a write-up about him in The History and Directory of Yates County. There is a searchable PDF of this book available on Archive.org, or it can be read at the Yates County History Center.
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