Family of William Allen
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UnclaimedA prominent colonial Pennsylvania family whose leading male members generally remained loyal to Britain during the American Revolutionary era.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Family of William Allen refers to the politically prominent Allen family of colonial Pennsylvania, centered on Chief Justice William Allen and his wife, Margaret Hamilton. It is a historical family subject rather than a commercial brand, company, or continuing corporate organization. The family occupied an important position in the legal, political, and social life of the British American colonies through public office, property, military service, and marriages linking it to other influential provincial families. William Allen married Margaret Hamilton on February 16, 1734. Margaret was the daughter of Andrew Hamilton, a leading Philadelphia lawyer known for his defense of John Peter Zenger in the 1735 New York trial, and the sister of James Hamilton, who served as a proprietary governor of Pennsylvania. William and Margaret had six children: John, Andrew, James, William, Anne, and Margaret. The family’s connections placed it within the colonial governing and professional elite. The family’s historical significance is especially associated with its response to the American Revolution. All four sons are described as loyalists or as opponents of the overthrow of British rule, although their individual actions differed. John Allen was elected to New Jersey’s Provincial Congress in 1776 but withdrew because he opposed the war. Andrew Allen, a prominent lawyer and public official, served as Pennsylvania’s attorney-general and represented the province in the Continental Congress before resigning and joining General Howe’s army as a non-combatant during the British occupation. His property was confiscated under Pennsylvania’s 1778 attainder legislation. He was pardoned in 1792, later sought unsuccessfully to recover assets under the Jay Treaty, and ultimately went to England, where he died in London in 1825. James Allen pursued law and public service. After studying with Edward Shippen and at the Temple in London, he became a Philadelphia common councilman and represented Northampton County in the provincial Assembly. During the war he lived as a non-combatant at his Northampton residence, Trout Hall, in present-day Allentown, but was questioned by the Committee of Public Safety on suspicion of disaffection. He died in 1778. William Allen Jr. initially served the revolutionary cause. He received one of the Continental Congress’s early military commissions and served under Richard Montgomery in the 1775 Canadian campaign. After the Declaration of Independence, however, he resigned from the Continental Army and became lieutenant-colonel of the Pennsylvania Loyalists, serving with that regiment for the remainder of the war. He moved to London after the conflict and died there in 1838. The family’s social and political relationships also extended through marriage. Anne Allen married John Penn in 1766; Penn was the last proprietary governor of Pennsylvania. Margaret Allen married James De Lancey in 1771, linking the family to the De Lancey family of New York. Through these marriages and the public careers of its members, the Allen family illustrates the divided loyalties of the colonial elite during the Revolution and the consequences that political allegiance could have for property, office, and migration after independence.
History
The Allen family described in this subject was established in the upper levels of colonial Pennsylvania society through the marriage of William Allen and Margaret Hamilton in 1734. William Allen was a leading colonial jurist, while Margaret came from the Hamilton family, another important legal and political household. Her father, Andrew Hamilton, was a celebrated advocate, and her brother James Hamilton became a proprietary governor of Pennsylvania. The marriage therefore connected the Allen household to a broad network of provincial officeholders and lawyers. William and Margaret had six children: John, Andrew, James, William, Anne, and Margaret. The sons entered law, public administration, military service, and local politics. Their careers unfolded during the increasingly severe conflict between supporters of the British imperial system and advocates of American independence. John Allen entered public life in New Jersey and was elected to that colony’s Provincial Congress in 1776. He left the body because of his opposition to the war. He had married Mary Johnston in 1775, the daughter of Philadelphia merchant David Johnston, and died in Philadelphia in 1778. Andrew Allen became one of the family’s most prominent public figures. He served as attorney-general of Pennsylvania and was chosen as a member of Pennsylvania’s delegation to the Continental Congress. He also served on the Council of Safety, an institution associated with revolutionary government. Despite these positions, he resigned from Congress, joined Howe’s army in a non-combatant capacity, and returned to Philadelphia during the British occupation. Pennsylvania treated his allegiance as grounds for confiscation under the Attainder Act of 1778. A pardon followed in 1792, but his attempt to regain property under protections associated with the Jay Treaty of 1794 did not succeed. He eventually settled in England and died in London in 1825. James Allen, born about 1742, studied law under Edward Shippen and later at the Temple. He served as a Philadelphia common councilman from 1767 and represented Northampton County in the Assembly in 1776. During the Revolution, he withdrew to Trout Hall in Northampton County and remained a non-combatant. His presence at Washington’s quarters at Harlem Heights in November 1776 did not prevent authorities from summoning him before the Committee of Public Safety for suspected disaffection. He died at Trout Hall in 1778. William Allen Jr. followed a different path at the beginning of the conflict. He was among the early officers commissioned by the Continental Congress and served with Montgomery during the 1775 Canadian expedition. Soon after independence was declared, he resigned his Continental commission and joined the Pennsylvania Loyalists as lieutenant-colonel. He commanded the regiment through the war, then relocated to London, where he died in 1838. The daughters’ marriages reinforced the family’s place within the colonial elite. Anne Allen married John Penn in 1766. Penn was the final proprietary governor of Pennsylvania, representing the institutional order that the Revolution displaced. Margaret Allen married James De Lancey in 1771, connecting the family with the prominent De Lancey family of New York. Taken together, the family’s history reflects the complexity of political allegiance in the revolutionary period. Members held offices within both colonial and revolutionary institutions, while the sons’ predominant loyalist positions exposed them to political suspicion, confiscation, withdrawal from public life, and postwar migration. The family’s story also demonstrates how marriage, legal practice, officeholding, and property tied together the governing classes of British North America.
- 1838
William Allen Jr. dies in London
[1]William Allen Jr. died in London after his postwar relocation from North America.
- 1825
Andrew Allen dies in London
[1]Andrew Allen died in London after relocating to England.
- 1792
Andrew Allen receives a pardon
[1]Andrew Allen was pardoned after the war, although his later effort to recover assets was unsuccessful.
- 1778
Andrew Allen’s estate is confiscated
[1]Andrew Allen’s property was confiscated under Pennsylvania’s Attainder Act after his loyalist alignment.
- 1776
Family members take opposing positions during the Revolution
[1]John Allen withdrew from New Jersey’s Provincial Congress because he opposed the war; James Allen represented Northampton County in the Assembly; and William Allen Jr. resigned his Continental commission after independence was declared and joined the Pennsylvania Loyalists.
- 1775
William Allen Jr. serves in the Canadian campaign
[1]William Allen Jr. served under Richard Montgomery during the Continental campaign in Canada.
- 1771
Margaret Allen marries James De Lancey
[1]Margaret Allen married James De Lancey, eldest son of former New York provincial governor James De Lancey.
- 1767
James Allen enters Philadelphia municipal government
[1]James Allen was elected a common councilman of Philadelphia.
- 1766
Anne Allen marries John Penn
[1]Anne Allen married John Penn, the last proprietary governor of Pennsylvania.
- 1734
William Allen marries Margaret Hamilton
[1]William Allen married Margaret Hamilton, daughter of Andrew Hamilton and sister of James Hamilton, thereby linking the Allen household to prominent legal and political families in colonial Pennsylvania.
Products and positioning
Historical family subject; not a commercial brand or operating organization.
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