Thomas Allin (May 14, 1757 – June 26, 1833) was a soldier and

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...

who became an early settler and political leader in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. He served in the Revolutionary War, first in the North Carolina militia and then as part of

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Nathanael Greene's campaign. Following the war, Allin settled in the Kentucky district of Virginia. He participated in the

Northwest Indian War The Northwest Indian War (1786–1795), also known by other names, was an armed conflict for control of the Northwest Territory fought between the United States and a united group of Native American nations known today as the Northwestern ...

, fighting with future

Kentucky governor The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-el ...

Charles Scott. He then became the surveyor for the Transylvania Company, laying out the towns of Harrodsburg and

Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada *He ...

. He served for many years as

county clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

and circuit court clerk in

Mercer County, Kentucky Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,772. Its county seat is Harrodsburg. The county was formed from Lincoln County, Virginia in 1785 and is named for Revolutionar ...

. He was succeeded in these offices by two of his sons. He died of

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

on June 26, 1833.

Early life and military career

Thomas Allin was born the son of William and Frances (Grant) Allin in Hanover County, Virginia, on May 14, 1757. The following year, the family moved to Granville County, North Carolina, where Allin was raised on the family farm.Holmberg, p. 16 Allin enlisted as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in the North Carolina militia shortly after the beginning of the Revolutionary War.Perrin Later, he served in the army of

Nathaneal Greene Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependabl ...

and participated in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. Allin's first visit to Kentucky was in 1780. In 1781, he moved to St. Asaph's (now

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

) in Lincoln County. He was chosen as deputy surveyor for Lincoln County, and in 1782, he became the county's

deputy sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

. He held both positions until approximately 1786. He surveyed the land for the site of what is now

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

, and as compensation, received the land that Newport, Kentucky, now occupies. He later lost this land in a lawsuit. According to Lewis, Allin service record in the American Revolution included: *1779, a private in the

Granville County Regiment Granville may refer to: People and fictional characters *Granville (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name *Earl Granville, a title in the Peerage of Great Britain and of the UK *Baron Granville, a title in the Pe ...

*1780, a Commissary under Lt. Col. Thomas Farmer in the

Orange County Regiment The Orange County Regiment was authorized on September 9, 1775 by the Province of North Carolina Congress. On April 22, 1776, the unit was split into the Northern Orange County Regiment and the Southern Orange County Regiment, which retained most ...

*Brigade Forage Master under Brig. Gen. (Pro Tempore) William Lee Davidson in the Salisbury District Brigade of Militia. *a Private again. As a

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in the

(17851795), Allin commanded a

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of mounted infantry under General Charles Scott in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, and participated in the Battle of Tippecanoe.Currey, p. 382 Before the end of this enlistment, he was promoted to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

and served as quartermaster and commissary.

Settlement in Kentucky

Following the war, Allin moved to

Danville, Kentucky Danville is a home rule-class city in Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 17,236 at the 2020 Census. Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes ...

, where he became a deputy clerk for the Supreme Court of the District of Kentucky, serving in the office of Christopher Greenup. He held this post until 1792. After the creation of

, in 1786, he was chosen as the first

and the clerk of the circuit court. He represented Mercer County to the Virginia constitutional convention in June 1788.Holmberg, p. 17 He and ten other delegates from the Kentucky district voted against the new constitution; three Kentucky delegates voted for the new constitution, and one abstained. On February 16, 1787, Allin married Mary Jouett of

Albemarle County, Virginia Albemarle County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, which is an independent city and enclave entirely surrounded by the county. Albemarle County is part of the Char ...

. Jouett was the aunt of noted painter

Matthew Harris Jouett Matthew Harris Jouett (Mercer County, Kentucky, 22 April 1788 – Lexington, Kentucky, 10 August 1827) was a noted American portrait painter, famous for painting portraits including Thomas Jefferson, George Rogers Clark and Lafayette. Personal ...

. They had ten children. Both Allin and his wife were both members of the

Christian Church In ecclesiology, the Christian Church is what different Christian denominations conceive of as being the true body of Christians or the original institution established by Jesus. "Christian Church" has also been used in academia as a synonym fo ...

. Allin was invited to become a member of the Danville Political Club at the club's second meeting, and served as its treasurer and secretary ''pro tempore''.Speed, p. 101 He was also a charter member of the Kentucky Society for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge in 1787. In August 1799, he represented Mercer County at Kentucky's second constitutional convention. Allin was the surveyor for the Transylvania Company, and laying out the site of the city of Henderson, Kentucky, in 1797. He also helped lay out the town of

Harrodsburg, Kentucky Harrodsburg is a home rule-class city in Mercer County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 9,064 at the 2020 census. Although Harrodsburg was formally established by the House of Burgesses after Boonesbo ...

, and served as clerk of its board of trustees from March 24, 1786, to May 4, 1816. In 1811, he was elected surveyor for the town of Danville. In addition to surveying, he operated a farm, a mill, and a distillery. Allin resigned as circuit court clerk in 1825 and as county clerk in 1831. His son, Ben, succeeded him in the former office, and his son, Thomas Jr., succeeded him in the latter.Johnson, p. 1144 He died of

on June 26, 1833, and was buried in Springhill Cemetery in Harrodsburg.

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Early life and military career

Settlement in Kentucky

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Further reading