Rebecka Allin
Generation One
William Allin and his Wife Elizabeth
Emigrant Ancestor

Prudence Island, RI
1634-1685



     William Allin, a native of Wales, came to New England from Yorkshire, England in the year 1660. It is generally believed that William arrived first in Barbados, and from there sailed to Newport, RI. When William first arrived in Rhode Island, he rented a house and acreage from John Paine and later built a house a short distance south of the present Homestead Wharf  in Portsmouth. A short time later he came over to Prudence Island. He may have worked for John Paine at the north end of the island. John Paine later built a house for him near his own home. The two became very close friends, and remained so all their lives.

     William was born in the year 1634. The date and place of his first  marriage is unknown. His second  wife was Elizabeth. They married about 1662 in Portsmouth, RI.

     He and his family settled on Prudence Island in Narragansett Bay. He owned a large stock farm there. Soon he became a large cattle owner. William also raised a considerable number of  sheep. He was the forerunner of the prosperous sheep industry that soon developed on Prudence Island. Many of the old stone walls were built by the Indians of the island. The “stone fences” as they were called, penned in the cattle and sheep. Some of the early settlers learned the art of building from the Indians. Most of these old walls, some of which still stand, were built directly north to south, and east to west. Perhaps these early farmers used the sun for their transit.

     The sheep pens and the cattle barns were scattered all over the island, most of them in the north and central areas. These were built of stone, sparsely tied together with lime mortar. Most were made of slate, which is plentiful there. They were well constructed, about two feet thick, one side usually marked the boundary of their land. Many old wells dot the fields. These were used to water the stock. Those who lived near Mill Creek, had ample water for their animals. William Allin had  685 sheep.

     The principal source of income of these farmers was from the sale of wool, flax, hemp, cattle, fruit and produce. Some tobacco was raised, as well as Indian corn and rye. These grains were used for bread and also as animal feed. Salt hay was grown in large amounts at Nag Creek and the marsh at Pine Hill Creek. It was used for packing and thatching. Orchards produced pears, plums, apples and peaches. Every farm had at least one or two oxen, and usually some horses and cows.  There was an abundant supply of fresh seafood. These farms were very self supporting, and the inhabitants needed  very little assistance, if any, from the mainland..

     William was made a freeman in 1669. He served as constable of the Island for twelve years and was called upon many times to sign legal documents. He aslo was a surveyor of cattle for a number of years.

     William Allin purchased land for £55, New England money, from the estate of Captain Willett of Swanzey, MA; “50 akers of land, be it more or less, in the North Purchased Lands, lying on both sides of the Seven Mile River, lying and ajoyning to the north side of Sampson Mason’s land.”

     He eventually owned about six hundred acres in Swanzey, which is now West Barrington, RI. Some of this land, the portion purchased from Capt. Willett, was originally purchased from the Indian sachem, Wamsitta, the elder brother of King Philip. It came to be known as Rehoboth, North Purchase, belonging first to Captain Myles Standish, then to Captain Willett who succeeded him as Colony Militia Commander. The land next went to William Allin.

There are several interesting stories about William Allin.

     The very cold winter in the year 1680, the Bay was frozen over. For a long while, William had considered building on the mainland as his business required frequent trips across the Bay. At times, crossing in rough weather in a canoe was impossible. William took advantage of the frozen condition, and he made hurried plans to remove his house at Potter’s Cove to the mainland of Swanzey, which is now West Barrington. With the aid of several Indian servants, three large trees were hewn, and a huge sled was built. After great difficulties, they finally succeeded in raising the house high enough to enable the sled to be slid underneath. After making it secure, four oxen were hitched to the sled and the house was drawn slowly over the Bay where the chains and ropes were readjusted. . William dressed in his Colonial attire, wearing his castor hat and snapping his long cowhide whip over the oxen must have been a very spectacular sight in those early days. He was truly a man to take advantage of a situation, and not shy at all about taking risks. The plan worked. Before reaching the mainland the oxen were guided over Allin’s Cove to the north end. The dwelling was drawn up over the hill for about a quarter of a mile to its final destination

     The following summer, William had the dwelling house enlarged. One end of the house was built of great stones. The first post office in Barrington was established in this old mansion. After the death of William, the property was left to his son, Thomas.

     A second story of interest concerns William’s relations with his Indian servants:

     When Tom, a faithful Indian servant of Mr.Allin’s was taken prisoner by Captain Gorman, his wife followed close by in her canoe. When they arrived at Newport, she resisted the officers by trying to release her husband. She was then taken prisoner also. Mr. Allin missed the servants the next morning. He went to their wigwam to awaken them, and was surprised to find they had disappeared, having left behind their one year old child wrapped in flax matting. Mr. Allin took the child into his own home. Although Mrs. Allin had several of her own young children to care for, she reared this child. His Indian parents were never returned to the Island. They were suspected of being spies for King Philip. When William drew up his will, the little Indian orphan was only seven years old. He left the child to his wife. He remained with the Allin family, and when he was nineteen to took an Indian wife.

William and Elizabeth had several children:

Mary born in 1664 on Prudence Island. She married Thomas Remington who was also born on the island and they settled in Warwick, RI

William was born about 1665. He married Martha Sweet.

Thomas was our direct descendant. He was born in January of 1668. He married Anna Barnes and lived in the home of his late father. He died on August 11, 1719 at the age of fifty one.

John was born on October 26, 1670. He married first Margaret Havens and second Sarah Mansfield. His family settled in North Kingstown, RI.
They had several children.

Matthew was born on November 20, 1675. He married Phebe Cook on May 2, 1700. they had no sons and four daughters. The family settled in North Kingstown.

Mercy, birth date unknown, married John Barnes. they had fourteen children.

Sarah, date of birth not known.

     William died in Barrington, then known as Swanzey, in 1685. His wife Elizabeth died in 1704.

     The grave of William and Elizabeth is said to be in the north end of Prudence Island  where they lived so many years. There is a low stone wall built around an early grave with no inscription. It was said to have been covered with large stone slabs in earlier days. Prudence Island historians believe this to be their final resting place. Later generations of the family are buried  at Allin’s Cove in West Barrington where William moved his home from Prudence Island.

Generation Two

Thomas Allin and his wife Anna Barnes
1668-1719

     Thomas Allin was born on Prudence Island, RI in January of 1668.
He was the second son of William and Elizabeth Allin. His mother's maiden name is not known. Thomas grew up on the island on the large farm of his parents. When Thomas was 12 years old, his father moved their entire home across the ice covered Narragansett Bay to Barrington.

     This must have been an exciting adventure for young Tom. If nothing else, his father taught him to be daring and adventurous.

      His father William died in 1685 and he left the homestead to Thomas. He carried on the duties of gentleman farmer and overseer of the large land holdings of his father.

     When Thomas was 26 he married Anna Barnes. Their marriage took place on September 24, 1694.

     They lived in Barrington and had six children, Thomas, Elizabeth, Matthew, Anna, Rebeckah, Alethea and Abigail. These children were born between 1695-1709.

     He died on August 11, 1719 in Barrington. His will dated September 7, 1719 included the following:

     His wife Anna and his son Matthew were to be executors of his will. He left to Anna, a third of his real and personal estate in Swanzey. To daughters Elizabeth and Anna, £80 each, they having £20 already. To daughters Rebecca, Alethea and Abigail, £100 each at age 18. To sons Matthew and Thomas, all estate equally, both land, housing and movables, providing that daughter Elizabeth Hill and other four daughters named Allin be paid their parts, etc.

     His inventory showed a total of  £9719 shillings including wearing apparel, £23 money and paper bills, £52, 7 shillings, books, £ 2, arms and ammunition, £ 2, riding beasts £8, 4 feather beds, 2 flock beds, 2 paid cards, weaving loom, 2 woolen sheets, 2 linen sheets, pair of worsted combs, 3 Negro slaves and an Indian maid servant, £164, a mare, a colt, 3 oxen, 12 cows, 3 heifers, 6 steers, a bull, 5 young cattle, 5 calves, 150 sheep and lambs, 17 swine.

     The real estate amounted to £1,800. He left a considerable inheritance to his children.

Generation Three





Rebecka Allin
1701-1745

     Rebecka Allin was born to Thomas and Anna [Barnes] Allin on September 11, 1701. She was born in Swansey, MA., which is now Barrington, RI.

     Wedding banns were published in Newman Congregational Church on July 28, 1722 for Joseph Cole of Rehoboth and Rebecka. On January 24, 1723, they married there.

     Rebecka’s father, Thomas, died on August 11, 1719. In his will he left her £100. In the Bristol County Probate Records the will of Thomas Allin was probated and on December 16, 1723, Joseph Cole and his wife Rebecka appeared to receive her father’s legacy. Her brother, Matthew Allin and her mother Anna Allin, widow, were the executors of the estate. Witnesses to the transaction were Thomas Hill and Thomas Medberry.

     Their only child, William, was born the following year on January 24, 1724 in the same town  Four months later, Joseph died.

     The young widow and her son moved into the home of her sister Elizabeth and her husband Thomas Hill. Elizabeth and Thomas were betrothed to each other on September 16, 1716. They were married on  December 18, 1716. Thomas and Elizabeth had three children born to them, Deliverance, who died on January 8, 1719, Thomas born on October 17, 1723, who died young and  Caleb born on March 25, 1725.  The sisters joined in raising young William and Caleb.

     Elizabeth died in 1726. Rebeka and Thomas, the two widowed people fell in love and began to make plans to marry. They were told by the officials of the Rehoboth church that they could never be man and wife.

     On the yellowed pages of an old family bible under the heading “ A Table of Kindred and Affinity werever who so ever are related are forbidden in Scripture and our Laws to marry together” are printed the relationships included and under the 17th on the list is “wife’s sister.” Our Laws referred to the laws of Great Britain in the printed Bible.

     Tom Hill and Rebecka Cole considered these to be the Laws of Massachusetts Bay Colony of which Barrington was a part. They were the laws of the Church of England and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. [These laws were repealed in this century, and had been ignored for many years earlier.]

     The engaged couple were notified of the restriction. Thomas was not going to give up his sweetheart on account of such laws. He loaded his personal goods and his tools on his wagon, and with his intended sitting on the seat beside him, they started on the long journey to North Kingstown, Rhode Island.

     The laws of Rhode Island were quite different from those imposed on the residents of Massachusetts. Tom owned a farm in North Kingstown where they would live. They were married in Quidnessett on March 31, 1728 by Mr. Benomi Hall, Justice of the Peace.

     It is not known if Rebecka had her young son William with her at the time. He may have been left in the care of his grandparents in Rehoboth. This may be so, as the marriage of Tom and Rebecka would not have been recognized there. There are no Rhode Island records for young William, and later, as an adult, he married the daughter of the minister of the Rehoboth church, Molly Greenwood.

     Thomas Hill was the grandson of Jonathan Hill of Prudence Island. The Hill and Allin families are thought to have emigrated from Wales. Many Hills and Allins intermarried there through the years. Thomas earned his living as a farmer and a mariner.  Rebecka and Tom  lived on the farm called Hillstead in the Quidnesset area of North Kingstown, RI. It is in the vicinity of Goddard Park. They were married for sixteen years and  had five  children, Matthew, Nathaniel, Rebecca, Ann and Mary Hill.

     Rebecka died at the age of forty three on August 12, 1744
     Thomas married a third time on October 20, 1745. His third wife was Anna [Waterman] Tillinghast, widow, the daughter of John and Ann [Olney] Waterman. Anna was the widow of John Tillinghast.

     On April 20, 1768, Tom died at the age of seventy seven.   
     Both Rebecka and Tom are buried in the Hill Family Cemetery in North Kingstown. Hillstead, the farm established by Tom Hill and Rebeckca remained in the Hill family for two hundred and forty years.