Allen, Levi, 1745-1801

Levi Allen was born on January 16, 1745, in Cornwall, CT, the fourth son of Joseph and Mary (Baker) Allen. Like his brothers, Levi was involved in land speculation and he purchased a tract of land and a house in Vermont though he never lived there. Unlike his brothers, Levi was not as ardent to the cause of the American Revolution and refused to identify himself with the Green Mountain Boys. Much speculation surrounded Allen and his purported association with the British Army. In 1779 Allen was charged with supplying British ships at Long Island and was jailed for six months. During his imprisonment Ethan and Ira sold his Vermont estate agreeable to the State's Confiscation Act. Upon obtaining his freedom Allen is said to have joined the British Army in South Carolina until 1783. Heading north in 1786, Allen found his presence in New England unwelcome and he continued to Canada where he purchased a house at St. Johns, Quebec. While in Canada Levi was in the business of merchandising and dealt in cattle, lumber, and hats. Allen sailed to England in 1789 to further his mercantile business and took up residence in London. Allen returned to the States three years later in 1792 and travelled about the East tending to his land speculations in the South and visiting his daughter in Pennsylvania. Allen eventually took up residence in Burlington, VT where he died in debtors jail in the fall of 1801.