Peter Buell Allen (November 24, 1775 – June 13, 1833) was a politician and military commander in New York State in the early 1800s and a pioneer of Vigo County and

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

. Peter Buell Allen was born in

Dutchess County, New York Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later orga ...

to Moses and Chloe (Ward) Allen and was the eldest of eight children, including his younger brother

Nathaniel Allen Nathaniel Allen (1780 – December 22, 1832) was an American politician, and a United States representative from New York. Biography Nathaniel Allen was born the second son of Moses and Chloe Ward Allen in what is now East Bloomfield, Onta ...

. Peter and his wife, Mary moved from Duchess County to

Ontario County, New York Ontario County is a county in the U.S. State of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 112,458. The county seat is Canandaigua. Ontario County is part of the Rochester, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2006, ''Progressive ...

in 1797 and the US Census of 1800 recorded them as having two sons, Ira age 1 and Henry age 3. In 1812 Peter Allen served in the Ontario County Legislature before being commissioned in the New York State Militia as a Commanding Lieutenant Colonel in the 22nd Infantry Regiment. After the War of 1812 Allen became involved with St. Pauls

Protestant Episcopal Church The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine Ecclesiastical provinces and dioces ...

in Richmond, New York was elected to two terms in the New York State Assembly as a representative of Ontario County, before selling his New York and Connecticut land holdings to his brother

, in 1817, and moving west, eventually landing in

in 1818.

Freemasonry

On December 24, 1802 Peter Allen is recorded as being one of nine

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

in Ontario County, New York (in what would become the Town of

Richmond, New York Richmond is a town in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 3,380 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Abigail Richmond Pitts, an early settler. The town of Richmond is on the western border of the county, south of R ...

) who signed a petition to the Grand Lodge of New York, Free & Accepted Masons, for permission to form Genesee Lodge, the petition was endorsed by Ontario Lodge No. 23 as the nearest lodge, in

Canandaigua, New York Canandaigua (; ''Utaʼnaráhkhwaʼ'' in Tuscarora language, Tuscarora) is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, United States. Its population was 10,545 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ontario County; some administrat ...

. The Charter to work as Genesee Lodge No. 32 was issued on June 14, 1806. After moving to Indiana, in 1819 Allen was one of thirteen Freemasons that petitioned the Grand Lodge of Indiana for permission to create a

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...

in Terre Haute on March 10, 1819. The other signers of the petition were John T. Chunn, Lucius H. Scott, Toussaint DuBois, James Hall, Andrew Brooks, Zebina C. Hovey, Demas Deming, Sr., Curtis Gilbert, Samuel McQuilken, Robert Brasher, Thomas H. Clark, and Elihu Hovey. The dispensation was granted and the Lodge first met at Terre Haute Lodge Under Dispensation .D.on July 12, 1819. Peter Buell Allen was appointed as the first presiding officer, or Worshipful Master, of the Lodge during dispensation and installed in this position on July 12, 1819. Allen continued to serve the additional 6-month terms with installation dates on September 11, 1820; December 29, 1820; and May 10, 1821. While in session in

Corydon, Indiana Corydon is a town in Harrison Township, Harrison County, Indiana. Located north of the Ohio River in the extreme southern part of the U.S. state of Indiana, it is the seat of government for Harrison County. Corydon was founded in 1808 and served ...

on September 13, 1821 the Grand Lodge of Indiana issued the charter for Terre Haute Lodge and it was issued the number 19 and was the 19th successive Lodge chartered by the Grand Lodge of Indiana. The charter was signed by Grand Master John Sheets, Deputy Grand Master Jonathan Jennings, Senior Grand Warden Thomas Precy, Junior Grand Warden John W. Dunbar, and Grand Secretary William C. Keen. The officers named on the charter for the ensuing 6-month term were: Demas Deming, Worshipful Master; Curtis Gilbert, Senior Warden; Robert Sturgus, Junior Warden. The named officers were installed on the same day that the charter was dated, September 13, 1821. Peter Allen would serve two additional terms as the presiding officer in 1823, installed on May 19, and in 1825, installed on October 2.

Military

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

: On May 28, 1812 Peter Allen was appointed as the

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

commanding the 20th Regiment Detached Militia, drawn from the various companies in Ontario County, as well as his own 22nd Regiment of Infantry (Allen's Regiment), New York State Militia, both under the command of Major General Stephen Van Rensselaer who was in command of the First Division of the New York State militia, which consisted of the Fourth through Eight Brigades. Lieutenant Colonel Allen was captured by enemy forces on October 13, 1812 at the

Battle of Queenston Heights The Battle of Queenston Heights was the first major battle in the War of 1812. Resulting in a British victory, it took place on 13 October 1812 near Queenston, Upper Canada (now Ontario). The battle was fought between United States regulars wit ...

and was honor bound to not take up arms until he had been informed of a prisoner swap that released him. On December 10, 1814 Allen was discharged from the

New York State Militia The New York Guard (NYG) is the state defense force of New York State, also called The New York State Military Reserve. Originally called the New York State Militia it can trace its lineage back to the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Th ...

due to a consolidation of forces.

Politics

Peter Allen served

Honeoye, New York Honeoye ( ) is a hamlet in the Town of Richmond, in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 579 at the 2010 census, which lists the community as a census-designated place (CDP). It is located 33 miles (53 kilometers) sout ...

as its county supervisor in the Ontario County Legislature in 1812 until he received his commission as lieutenant colonel commanding the 20th and 22nd Infantry Regiments for the War of 1812. After returning home from the War of 1812, Allen was elected to the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

as the representative from Ontario County ( Democratic Republican) in the 38th and 39th session. In the 39th New York State Legislature (July 1, 1815 – June 30, 1816) the legislature, by vote, confirmed his election on January 31, 1816 due to 49 contested votes for Henry Fellows, therefore giving Peter Allen a 19-vote majority. As soon as the election was confirmed by the legislature it began being contested until on February 6, 1816 when Henry Fellows won and was seated giving the

Federalist Party The Federalist Party was a Conservatism in the United States, conservative political party which was the first political party in the United States. As such, under Alexander Hamilton, it dominated the national government from 1789 to 1801. De ...

a 1-seat majority. In 1818 Peter Allen ran for the

Indiana General Assembly The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate. ...

, to represent

Davies Davies is a patronymic surname of English or Welsh origin. There are two main theories concerning its beginnings, neither of which has been definitively proven. The first theory contends that it may be a corruption of "Dyfed", the name of a medie ...

, Knox, Sullivan and

Vigo Vigo ( , , , ) is a city and Municipalities in Spain, municipality in the province of Pontevedra, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Spain. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Penins ...

Counties, and was defeated (382 votes) by George R. C. Sullivan (773 votes), Robert Buntin (651 votes), and Joseph Warner (508 votes). Also running for the Indiana House of Representatives seat in 1818 were General Washington Johnston (491 votes), Samuel Emmison (388 votes), John MacDonald (355 votes), John McClure (142 votes), and N. Huntington (103 votes). In 1819 Allen ran again for the

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House memb ...

, to represent Davies, Knox,

Owen Owen may refer to: Origin: The name Owen is of Irish and Welsh origin. Its meanings range from noble, youthful, and well-born. Gender: Owen is historically the masculine form of the name. Popular feminine variations include Eowyn and Owena. ...

, Sullivan and Vigo Counties, and was elected (1028 votes) along with Joseph Warner (1069 votes). Also running were Thomas H. Blake (931 votes), Robert Buntin (683 votes), and George R. C. Sullivan (647 votes). In 1820 Allen did not seek reelection to the Indiana House of Representatives and the election was won by George R. C. Sullivan, Robert Sturgus, John MacDonald.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Peter Buell 1775 births 1833 deaths Members of the New York State Assembly Members of the Indiana House of Representatives Freemasonry People from Dutchess County, New York American militiamen in the War of 1812 People from Terre Haute, Indiana People from Ontario County, New York Democratic-Republican Party politicians American militia officers War of 1812 prisoners of war held by the United Kingdom