The Allison Wills: Sons, Daughters, Silver and Slaves

Beloved wives, cows, mares, sons, daughters, silver, slaves. The Search Sisters have transcribed the wills of our Pennsylvania Allisons. We have wrestled with handwriting peculiarities, the legalese, the odd spellings, smudges and holes.  Perhaps there are mistakes in our translations, but we believe we have the essence of these documents. 

These next three posts contain the transcribed wills that we believe link our Pennsylvania grandfathers: John Allison 1670-1729 who we believe to be the first of our Allisons to have migrated from Ulster in Northern Ireland, establishing his family in Chester County on the Pennsylvania frontier.   His son William Allison 1696-1778 is our fourth great grandfather who likely was born in Ireland as well. William continued the farming tradition acquiring land and wealth, creating a family, despite the French and Indian Wars and the Revolution. He passed his estate to his children, handing the running of the family plantation to his son William Allison 1749 -1825 in what is now Antrim Township in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. William fought in the American Revolution and was brother to Colonel John Allison who established the village of Greencastle, Pennsylvania.