Col. James Allison and Jane Bradford
Husband Col. James Allison 1 2 3
Born: - Ireland Christened: Died: Buried:Marriage:
Wife Jane Bradford 2
AKA: Mary Bradford 4 Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
Father: James Bradford ( - ) 5 Mother:
Children
1 M Hon. James Allison, LL.D. 2 6 7 8
Born: 4 Oct 1772 - Cecil Co, MD 7 Christened: Died: 17 Jun 1854 - Beaver, Beaver Co, PA 7 Buried:Spouse: Unknown ( -1848)
2 M William Allison 2 8
Born: Christened: Died: - McDonough Co, IL Buried:
3 M John Allison 2 8
Born: Christened: Died: - McDonough Co, IL Buried:
4 M George Allison 4 8 9
Born: - Washington Co, PA Christened: Died: - Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co, PA Buried:Spouse: Martha McDonald ( - ) 4 10
5 M Thomas Allison 3 11 12
Born: 1780 - Chartiers Twp, Washington Co, PA 2 Christened: Died: 21 Oct 1849 2 Buried:Spouse: Mary Johnston (1798-1884) 13 Marr: May 1817 14
6 M Andrew Allison 8 15
Born: Abt 1795 15 Christened: Died: 26 Jan 1854 15 Buried:Spouse: Elizabeth Morrison (1798-1878) 15
7 M David Allison 2
Born: Christened: Died: while young Buried:
8 F Mary Allison 2 8
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: Rev. McIlroy ( - ) 2
9 F Rachel Allison 2 16
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: Dr. Thomas B. Craighead ( -1827) 17
General Notes: Husband - Col. James Allison
The ancestry of this family is traceable to a family who left Scotland for the North of Ireland during the period of religious persecution in their native land.
He was a native of Ireland, whence he emigrated to Maryland, locating in Cecil County, and thence on October 26, 1773, moved to Washington County, Pennsylvania, having purchased from Thomas Moffatt of Cecil County a tract of wild land containing 560 acres. This tract Moffatt had acquired by squatter's right, and the first patent for same was made out to James Allison. Here he set to work to carve out a home for himself and family, and great were the hardships he endured and many the dangers he encountered in his herculean task of converting a forest wild into a fruitful farm. Indians and wild animals were numerous and ofttimes aggressive, and many a night did the old pioneer watch with his trusty rifle for the vengeful native and not less ferocious marauding wolf. In fact, after his first visit to his tract of land the Indians were so hostile that he had to beat a retreat, betaking himself to the "Forks of Yough," as the confluence of the Youghiogheny and Monongahela rivers was then called, but, in 1774, he returned to his new home in strength, some twenty families accompanying him, among whom were the Bradfords, McDowells, Parks, Scotts, etc. As a haven for the families to retreat to in times of danger, they built themselves a blockhouse or fort, in which they lived one year, and then erected log cabin, so that they might have individual homes, and here they endured the many hardships and privations incident to pioneer life, and which were particularly distressing in the northern part of the county. The old frame house, built by James Allison in 1788 or 1789, was still standing one hundred years later in a remarkably good state of preservation.
He was a very prominent citizen in his day, having been associate judge of the courts of Washington County in 1786-'87-'88, and in 1789 a member of the Supreme Executive Council at Philadelphia, during which incumbency he voted for the abolition of slavery, the question having, in some connection, been brought up in that council, and thus he became one of the first Abolitionists in the county. He was one of the first ruling elders in Dr. John McMillan's church in North Strabane township, one of the first Presbyterian Societies organized in the county. For years he was a trustee of Jefferson College, and strongly advocated the union of the two colleges, Washington and Jefferson.
He died when seventy-seven years old.
1 Boyd Crumrine, History of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: L. H. Everts & Co., 1882), Pg 707, 720.
2 —, Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893), Pg 204.
3 George P. Donehoo, Pennsylvania - A History (SW) (New York, NY; Chicago, IL: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1926), Pg 122.
4 George P. Donehoo, Pennsylvania - A History (SW) (New York, NY; Chicago, IL: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1926), Pg 187.
5 Boyd Crumrine, History of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: L. H. Everts & Co., 1882), Pg 483, 707, 869.
6 —, History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Its Past and Present (Chicago, IL: Brown, Runk & Co., Publishers, 1888), Pg 771.
7 —, History of Beaver County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Chicago: A. Warner & Co., Publishers, 1888), Pg 166.
8 Boyd Crumrine, History of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: L. H. Everts & Co., 1882), Pg 708.
9 —, Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893), Pg 204, 972.
10 —, Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893), Pg 972.
11 Boyd Crumrine, History of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: L. H. Everts & Co., 1882), Pg 708, 720.
12 —, Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893), Pg 204, 216, 559.
13 —, Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893), Pg 216, 559.
14 —, Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893), Pg 216.
15 —, Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893), Pg 666.
16 Boyd Crumrine, History of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: L. H. Everts & Co., 1882), Pg 613, 708.
17
Boyd Crumrine, History of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: L. H. Everts & Co., 1882), Pg 613, 707.
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