Allen, Serepta - Genealogies of Ontario Families

SEREPTA [----], MOTHER OF OBADIAH ALLEN (linked to Genealogies page)

The Obadiah Allen of Castleton, Northumberland, Ontario, has been widely reported with incorrect ancestors, I contend. This page provides a case for Obadiah as the child of Joseph Allen and Serepta of Ferrisburgh, Vermont.

Obadiah of Castleton is known to be born about 1810 in Vermont. His gravestone provides the year and his daughter's Wisconsin death record provides the state. Obadiah had children named Serepta and Isban, so research was focused on Ferrisburgh, Vermont, where the names Obadiah, Serepta, and Isban Allen all appear. The names are rare enough to assume a probable connection as long as the Ferrisburgh individuals are all part of the same family. Confirming a single family group is the first task below.

In Ferrisburgh was an Obadiah Allen who married Hannah Gage and was the son of Seth Allen. Obadiah died 19 Aug 1809 and left Prudence, his second wife, as a widow in the 1810 census. Obadiah had several children, including Joseph, born ca1785, and William, whose eldest son was Isban Allen, born 1813.

First, we can establish that Joseph Allen and Serepta were married. In a land sale dated 27 Sept 1833, Serepta Vaughn declares,

"I the said Serepta have and to the following parcels pieces or tracts of land lying and being in Ferrisburgh and described as follows to wit all my right and title to the west quarter of lot no 128 drawn to the school right in said Town of Ferrisburgh and also all my right and title in and to lot 129 drawn to the right of Henry Davis meaning thereby to convey all the dower which was set to me as widow of Joseph Allen deceased..." (1).

This excerpt identifies that Serepta's previous husband was Joseph Allen and she subsequently married a Vaughn. In 1816 when Joseph's estate was being handled, we see that his neighbour was Reynolds Vaughn:

"...lot number 129 the right of Henry Davis in said Ferrisburgh of which the said Joseph died seized excepting that part thereof set off to the Widow of the said Joseph as her dower and also excepting about 3/4 of an acre part of said lot which lies on the road southerly of the house in which Reynolds Vaughan now lives on which the old barn stands..." (2).

This Reynolds Vaughn was Serepta's husband as explicitly stated in other land records, such as for the sale of two acres of lot 128 in 1822:

"...we Reynolds Vaughn and Sarepta Vaughn of Ferrisburgh...personally appeared Sarepta Vaughan separate and apart from her husband and acknowledged the foregoing instrument to be her free act and deed without fear or compulsion from her husband..." (3).

What evidence shows that Obadiah of Castleton is the son of Joseph and Serepta? It's clear that the three unusual names belonged to a single family in Castleton, and the same three names belonged to a single family group in Ferrisburgh, but more is needed to connect them. Obadiah of Castleton reached adulthood about 1830 and, as indicated in the Cramahe 1842 census, moved to Upper Canada in 1836. This leaves a short window to find documentation for him as an adult in Vermont since no birth record has been found for him.

Five Obadiah Allens are known from Ferrisburgh, and none of them were living as adults in 1833. Of three consecutive generations of Obadiahs, the first (Joseph's father) died in 1809, as seen above. The second (Joseph's brother) died about 1828. The third (Joseph's nephew) was only age 13 in 1833. Another of Joseph's nephews, also Obadiah W, was not born until 1841, and a grandnephew was not born until about 1844. In Serepta's land sale of 1833, one of the witnesses was Obadiah Allen, and none of those five just mentioned could be him. It is logical that Serepta asked a son, Obadiah, to witness the sale. If this is Obadiah of Castleton, he would have been about 23 years old. He does not appear in any subsequent Ferrisburgh records consulted to date, leaving open the possibility of his move to Upper Canada in 1836. I suspect he moved after the death of his mother, who disappears from the town records in 1833, and in 1837 he named his first child Serepta in her memory.

The Ferrisburgh town scholar lists include those children older than four and younger than 18 years of age who are eligible for public money. The 1811 and 1812 District 11 scholar lists (for 1810 and 1811 respectively) show Reynolds Vaughan and Joseph Allen were neighbours (see below). In the 1813 list, Joseph Allen is gone and "Widow Allen" appears (i.e. Joseph died in 1812), and Reynolds has moved to the district east of Otter Creek, possibly due to the death of his wife Deborah. The following year, 1814, "Widow Allen" is not recorded, and Reynolds is back in District 11, which suggests Reynolds and Serepta married in 1813. Further, the number of children in Reynolds' house jumps by three over the previous year, which would be expected if he remarried and moved in with Serepta and her children. Also noted is that in 1812 (recorded April 1813), Joseph's brothers Obadiah and William have one child each, yet both were newly married without children, and "Widow Allen" had only one child listed. Given that they all lived as neighbours, I suggest that perhaps Obadiah and William and their new wives were helping Serepta with her children immediately after Joseph's death. We would not expect to see Obadiah of Castleton on the scholar list until at least 1815, and there are no records for 1816-1827.

Who was Serepta, wife of Joseph Allen? Nothing of her origins have been found. She was born after 1784 and likely before 1788 as she had two daughters by the 1810 census. For various reasons, the following have been ruled out: Serepta Downer, b 1787; Sarepta Vail, b 1785; Serepta Dustin, b 1787; Sarepta Durkee, b 1785; Serepta Simson, b 1785; Serepta Phillips, b 1784; Serepta Davis, b ca1783; Serepta Richardson, b ca1783; Sarepta Caster, b ca1787; Sarepta Bealer, b ca1783; Sarepta, wife of Joseph Kneeland, b ca1783.