Martha Allen

1643 - 1692  (49 years)

• Name	Martha Allen
  Born	1643	, Andover, Essex, Massachusetts
  Christened	1643
  Gender	Female
  _UID	15DF3702293A6043B5D93AC1DCF855846940
  Died	19 Aug 1692	Salem, Essex, Massachusetts
  Buried	19 Aug 1692	Salem, Essex, MA
  Person ID	I9337	Crandall Pember Legacy
  Last Modified	7 Jun 2021

  
  

  Father	Andrew Allen,   b. 21 Mar 1613, , , Prob England ,   d. 24 Oct 1690, , Andover, Essex, Massachusetts  (Age 77 years)
  Mother	Faith Ingalls,   b. 14 Jul 1622, Shirbeck, Shirbeck, Lincoln, England ,   d. Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, Massachusetts
  Married	28 Aug 1648	, Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts
  _UID	2A7B4192158D0445868D60253BDA016A7B57
  Family ID	F4228	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Thomas (Carryer) Carrier,   b. 1630, Wales, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom ,   d. 16 May 1739, Colchester, New London, Connecticut, United States  (Age 109 years)
  Married	7 May 1664	Andover, Essex, MA
  _UID	57EB9E9EBA73944E846ADC2F50BF4FC2A604
  Children	1. Thomas Carrier,   b. 18 Jul 1682, , Andover, Essex, Massachusetts ,   d. 7 Mar 1740, Colchester, New London, CT  (Age 57 years)   2. (Child) Carrier,   b. 1685/1690, ,   d. 1690  (Age 0 years)   3. Hannah Carrier,   b. 12 Jul 1689, Andover, Essex, Massachusetts ,   d. 6 Dec 1772  (Age 83 years)   4. Child Carrier,   b. INT 1675 (<1675>), ,   d. 1692   5. Richard Carrier,   b. 19 Jul 1674, , Colchester, New London, Connecticut ,   d. 16 Nov 1749, Andover, Essex, Massachusetts  (Age 75 years)   6. Andrew Carrier,   b. 27 Apr 1677, , Colchester, New London, Connecticut ,   d. 23 Jul 1749, Colchester, New London, CT  (Age 72 years)   7. Jane Carrier,   b. 23 Jul 1680, , Colchester, New London, Connecticut ,   d. 26 Aug 1680, Colchester, New London, CT  (Age 0 years)   8. Sarah Carrier,   b. 17 Nov 1684, , Colchester, New London, Connecticut ,   d. 6 Dec 1772, Colchester, New London, CT  (Age 88 years)
  Last Modified	25 Aug 2021 16:45:14
  Family ID	F4144	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  !She was married to Thomas CARRIER on 7 May 1674 in Billerica, Mass.. Thomas CARRIER was born in 1626 in WALES ??. He died on 16 May 1735 in Colchester, Ct.. __________ FROM: Marjorie Hansen, INTERNET:mhansen@chesco.com TO: Neal F. Carrier, 104020,605 DATE: 04/11/1996 9:32 AM Re: Carrier (copy of info mh sent to a walter) FYI I have some info on Martha Allen Carrier, who was hung as a Witch in the unfortunate Salem Witch Trials. Would like info on her husband, Thomas, who seemed to be absent during those times. Dear Walter, As far as I know, Thomas Carrier was at home, working and probably taking care of the two children that were not arrested with his wife. I k now this sounds silly but it's true. A little background on Thomas MORGAN aka CARRIER. Thomas was born about 1626 in Wales. There is evidence that he served in the Royal A rmy. Some have reported that Thomas, said to be over 7 feet tall, was one of t he two regicides who, while disguised by frock and visor, appeared upon the scaffold before Whiltehall and executed Charles I. Thomas emigrated in 16 55 to Cambridge Mass. The hostility with which Thomas and his family were treated in Mass. lends color to the tradition that he was connected wit h the Royal Army, but discredits the fact that he was the Executioner of Charle s I. From vital records - Billerica, Mass. Marriage "Tho. Carrier alias Morgan and Martha Allin, May 7, 1674. p 217. Also p. 193 "Thomas Morgan alias Carrier,and Martha Allin, May 7, 1674." The Carriers had at least six kno wn children. Others not documented, may have died of small pox and other cau ses. Jane Carrier, born in 1680 died that same year. Other children were: Richard, Andrew,Thomas, Sarah, and Hannah. As I remember, Richard, Andrew, and Sarah were imprisoned with there mother. The boys were tortur ed to make statements against their Mother. Martha Allen's family was of moderate means in those years. The girls tha t married well in her family, faired well. Martha, did not marry well (part of her sin..the economic reason for her trial), Martha was also a very strong woman (she never stopped declaring her innocence or did she stop declaring the system to be wrong..the political reason for her trial) an d of course, Martha Allen was a women (need I say more). In 1710 Thomas Carrier appealed for reimbursement of expenses incurred fo r the trial. While other families valued their loss at something more than expenses..Thomas asked only for what the trial and lodgings had cost him...He was granted 50 shillings and the prison fee to the keeper for hi s wife and children..4 pounds 16 shillings. As a FYI on Thomas Carrier, a man name SAVAGE, who investigated many tales of great age, stated that the New England Journal gave his age at d eath as 109 and that he was not gray or bald and walked erect. It is stated that the day before his death he walked 18 miles from Colchester to Glastonbur y with a sack of corn meal on his shoulder, making only one stop. Hope this answers some of your questions. How is it that you are familiar with Martha Carrier? I have a Jacob Carrier, b. 1798, can't tie it to any Carrier line. I believe the line is associated with the Thomas Carrier line...maybe through Amariah Carrier, b. 1756, son of Richard Carrier, so n of Thomas. Amariah Carrier lived a long life. We know of only one child..Jesse, b. near Albany, NY 1791/94, died Maple Grove, IN about 1876 . From letters in the early 1930's, there is a discussion of the black shee p variety...I implies at least one more child of Amariah, a Robert....there are probably more.. __________ From: NONE ROBERT B MUNRO, INTERNET:LPNK76A@prodigy.com Date: 03/09/1997, 12:47 PM Re: Carrier Genealogy To: Betsy177@aol.com, 104020.605@compuserve.com Subject: Carrier Genealogy Here is a interesting peice for your genealogy. So turn on your printer because you may want to add it to your files.. about 4 pages long!!..Source information; Carrier Genealogy, 1974-1976 ??? by Carl W. Carrier. Thomas Carrier was born in Wales, England, about 1626 and died in Colchester, Conn. May 18, 1735; Colchester records say in his 109th year although the family claimed his age to be 113 years. Records of the town embody some remarkable traditions about him. He was 7' 4" tall, was notorious for his fleetness of foot, and his strength was his pride at one hundred years of age. He settled in Colchester soon after the turn of the century, when his age was about 76 years. He would frequently walk from Colchester to the mill in Glastonbury, a distance of eighteen miles, carrying a sack of corn on his shoulder to be ground, walking very fast and erect, stopping but once to shift his load and then walk back. The New England Journal for June 9, 1735 stated: "His head in his last years was not bald nor his hair gray. Not many days before his death he traveled on foot six miles to see a sick friend, and the day before he died he was visiting his neighbors. His mind was alert until he died, when he fell asleep in his chair and never woke up." Tradition has it that he belonged to the bodyguard of King Charles I and that he was the regicide of the King. It could be that he was a member of the Royal Guard, Roundhead or Cavalier, as they would be selected for size and strength, or he could have been a member of the Rump Parliament which condemned the King, but these possibilities would seem to call for an older man at the time, AD 1648. However, the history of Thomas Carrier is a most colorful one even if we omit all unproven facts. Charles I, son of James I of England (VI of Scotland) succeeded to his father's throne in 1625. His father was a firm believer in the devine rights of Kings, believing that they were only responsible to God, and he was in continual disagreement with Parliament; parliament believing that the authority of the people was above that of the King. Charles I was of the same persuasion as his father, and soon after he was crowned, conflict with his legislature began. Parliament would not grant all the money he demanded, consequently he imposed excessive taxes on people, which led to protest by Parliament. Hence in 1629 he dissolved Parliament and ruled without assistance for eleven years, proceeding to get money by illegal means. Civil War resulted in 1642. In 1646 Charles, defeated, gave himself up to the Scottish Army. In 1647 the Scots surrendered him to Parliamentary Army. He was tried before the English Parliament, and beheaded January 30, 1649. It was probably during these two years that Thomas Carrier was one of the Guards. The tradition cannot be disregarded as an impossible one but means of verification are lacking. Charles II, the lawful prince, escaped to the continent in 1648, but in February, 1649, Scotland proclaimed him King and his coronation took place January 1, 1651. Nine months later he was vanquished by Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell was made Lord Protector and Governor of the Commonwealth but he refused the title of King. He died in 1658 and his son Richard proved incompetent to take over his work. In 1660 Charles II was again made King. He agreed to a pardon for all political offenders except the regicides and the judges of Charles I, and in May, 1660 the House of Commons ordered the arrest of all judges. Two of the judges, Major General William Goffe and his father-in-law Major General Edward Whalley, under assumed names set sail for America in May, 1660 on the Prudence Mary, the day before the warrant was issued. With a bounty on their heads they were forced to live in secrecy and concealment for over thirty years. Dates for the arrival of Thomas Carrier in this country vary, but he probably arrived about 1655 in Cambridge, and soon after in Billerica where he was known as Thomas Carrier alias Morgan, and vice versa. Some historians say he changed his name from Morgan to Carrier to escape detection, however, if this is true an alias would not have protected him. He obviously was not in hiding and his alias may be due to the fact that in Wales it was customary for sons to carry on the surnames of both parents, to wit: Morgan ap Carrier, ap being a prefix signifying "son of." It is apparent that in America he followed the custom of this country and used one name only, presumably his father's. From the book of tryals: Imprimatur: J. Backenhead 1660, published immediately after the trials, one of the signers of the sentence of Charles Stuart, King of England on January 29, 1648, was a Thomas Wogan, Esquire. Dr. Stiles of Yale in his History of the Three Judges of Charles I of England (found in the Library of American Histor y , a reprint of standard works edited by Samuel L. Knapp) printed a list of names he copied from the Journal of Major General William Goffe who had been in hiding in Hadley, Mass. One Sunday, while the people of Hadley were at worship, Goffe discovered Indians were gathering to commit massacre of the town's people, so he came out of hiding to warn them and was thereafter known as the Good Angel of Hadley. Goffe's original diary was not disclosed until death had put everyone in it out of danger. In the diary were the names of nineteen men "condemned and in the Tower, but" said Goffe: "Morgan was not in the Tower." It seems probable that Goffe knew the men personally, so perhaps Thomas (Morgan) Carrier was one who escaped before the order for arrest was issued and owed his freedom to an indistinct signature. (Wogan-Morgan) In November, 1667, Thomas Carrier was assigned to cutting brush in Billerica with his comrade and employee, John Levistone. He apparently was a man of means because he was next to the highest taxpayer in town. Levistone may have come with him from England, giving his services for passage and settlement, or he may have been assigned later to help him. Thomas Carrier took the oath of Fidelity, December 4, 1667, so he must have complied with the requirements of "an inhabitant." He married Martha Allen May 7, 1674 and soon after, perhaps because rumors of his political affiliations had reached Billerica, the selectmen and constables gave notice to him tha t t he town was not willing that he abide there. They removed to North Billerica from 1684-1690 and then to Andover. Again they were unwelcome because of a smallpox epidemic in the family and authorities did not want to be responsible for them. However, they remained in Andover where Martha helped nurse the afflicted family, which did not add to her popularity. It is difficult to explain the Furore which swept Salem Village, Mass. in 1692. For years learned men in the Christian church had been trying to control witchcraft, believing that witches were persons who received certain powers from the devil, notably to cause o r c ure illness, or transfer it from one person to another. Some village children, stimulated to hysteria by stories of the Barbados told by Tituba, a West Indian servant, invented a game whereby they would fall to the ground in fits. Confused parents, convinced that their children were tormented by demons, brought charges of witchcraft against more than two hundred persons and they were taken into custody. Illness, land feuds and hatred for neighbors, provided others with a chance to settle old scores. The accused could only gain their freedom by confessing to an alliance with the devil. Martha Carrier was one of those caught in this web, where guilt was established by spectral or make-believe evidence, and she was arrested May 28, 1692. She was then about thirty-three years old and confessions were extorted from them by violence. Her sons would not confess until they had been tied by their necks and heels. Eight year old Sarah, a pathetic little figure too young to realize what it was all about, was v e rsed in a confession that her mother made her a witch when she was six years old; that she came to her like a black cat and told her that she was hermother. Eighteen year old Richard testified that he Rev. Henry Hazen, A.M.; Historical Sketches of Andover by Sarah Loring Bailey; other ref. in text. August 28, 1957--265 years later--a resolve was made relative to the indictment, trial, conviction and execution of those found guilty, sentenced and executed in the year1692 (Chapter 143 of the Acts and Resolves of the General Court of Massachusetts) stating that "if these proceedings were lawful under the Provincial Charter and the law of Massachusetts as it then was--were and are shocking and are superseded by our more civilized laws.....that no disgrace or cause for distress attaches to the descendants by reason of said proceedings." It further stated "that the passage of this resolve does not bestow on any person the right to bring suit for redress, nor affect in any way whatso e ver the title or rights in any real or personal property...." Thomas Carrier remained in Andover as far as is known until soon after the end of the century. Taintor's Recordings of Colchester associates the Carriers with Colchester in 1701. His name i s o n the Andover list of 1702 with his sons. He probably returned to Andover from time to time until his business there was finished. He was the first settler in the valley of North Westchester (Colchester). Land was taken there in Richard's name in 1703 and a trifle later for Andrew. In his day he owned most of the land which comprises North Westchester where he built a house and sawmill on Jeremy's River. Thomas, Jr. did not remove from Andover with his brothers, as there are records of his family in Andover until 1712, but in 1718 he was admitted to Colchester as an inhabitant. A word about the Ingalls: The name is supposed to be of Scandinavian origin derived from Ingralld. In England the name appears as Ingall, Engle, Ingolds, and Ingles, and the following coat-of-arms is recorded: Ingles: Gules, 3 bars gamelli or on a cantonargent 5 billete en cable. Crest: A lily springing from a crown. Motto: Hamilis ax carons. ________________ ******************* On Wed, 28 Oct 1998 19:50:50, "Neal F. Carrier" wrote: Would you by chance have any information or copies of documents pertaining to Thomas and Martha Carrier who once resided in Billerica. In his _History of Billerica, Massachusetts, with a Genealogical Register_ (Boston, 1883, reprinted 1973), Henry A. Hazen included a page-long entry on Thomas Carrier (2:22-23). Have you seen this? If Carrier owned land in Billerica, he never recorded any of his deeds. He certainly lived in Billerica (along High St., about 2000 feet short of the present-day boundary with Tewksbury), and a pair of deeds from a hundred years later (1781) mention his name in the description of their bounds: "by the wall to the old line between Carrier's & Roger's lots" (Billerica Deeds, 7:301) and "south 313.5' by the fence to the black oak standing near the line between Carrier's & Roger's lots" (Billerica Deeds, 7:341). The proprietors of Billerica granted to Enoch Kidder on 6 Dec 1708 2 acres 32 poles of land "at the east end of the lot that was Thomas Carrier's" (Billerica Grants, Town Clerk's Office, 2:44), which followed an early (Sept 1708) grant to John Rogers Sr of land "partly at the end of Thomas Carrier's land" (Billerica Grants, 2:53). According to Hazen, Carrier had left Billerica for the neighboring town of Andover some time between 1684 and 1690. ***************** Martha ALLEN and Thomas CARRIER had the following children: +22 i. Richard CARRIER was born on 19 Jul 1674 in Billerica, Mass . . He died on 11 Nov 1749 in ??? In old burying ground- Colchester, Conn.. +23 ii. Andrew CARRIER was born on 7 May 1677 in Andover, Mass. . H e died on 23 Jul 1749 in ??? In old burying ground- Colchester, Conn.. ** Both are buri e d in the old burying grounds, Colchester, Conn. His will was dated 4/7/1749, probated 8/1/1749 mentions his grandson And r ew, son of his deceased son John, and son Thomas and benjamin and daughter Mary. Tradition is that he made the first clearing in that part of Colcheste r w hich is now included in Marlborough. There he built th cabin that was his dwelling for some year s . He had several encounters with the indians but finally succeeced in establishing himself as a prop r ietor of the soil. In 1725 he was granted water rights on Jeremy's River to set up a gris t m ill, where descendants later manufactured fibre board, the towns leading industry. 24 iii. Jane CARRIER was born on 23 Jul 1680 in Billerica, Mass.. S h e died on 26 Aug 1680. +25 iv. Thomas CARRIER Jr. was born on 18 Jun 1682 in Andover, Mass . . He died on 7 Mar 1739/40 in Colchester, Ct.. +26 v. Sarah CARRIER was born on 17 Nov 1684 in Billerica, Mass.. S h e died on 7 Dec 1772. +27 vi. Hannah CARRIER was born on 12 Jul 1689 in Billerica, Mass . . Brought up by relatives who took her in after her mother's execution. After marriage lived in Lebanon from 1722 to 1728 then moved to Turkey H i lls, Lumenburg, Mass. and to Windham about 1746. Had 5 children 1721-1732.