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CORNELIUS
LANSING ALLEN was born in Lansingburg, Rensselaer
Co., N.Y., July 17, 1800. He was the eldest son in
a family of eight children of David Allen and
Elizabeth Lansing, the former a native of Fairfield,
Conn., born Sept. 22, 1773, and a son of David Allen
and Sarah Hull, of Fairfield, Conn.; the former born
1743, the latter born 1744, and married Nov. 10, 1768.
The family of Alen is traced through several
generations in this country, and are lineal descendants
of Gideon Allen, a lieutenant of the British army
during the reign of Queen Anne.
The latter, Elizabeth
Lansingb, was eldest daughter of Cornelius
Lansing and Hester Vanderheyden, and born in
Lansingburg, N. Y., Sept. 1, 1779. Her grandfather
on the paternal side, Abraham Jacob Lanson (now
Lansing), was born in Holland, Apr. 18, 1720.
His father, David Allen, was a lawyer by
profession; was admitted to the bar of the State of
Connecticut; removed to Lansingburg, N. Y., in the year
1803; rapidly rose in his profession; was member of the
Assembly of New York State for three terms, and of the
State Senate for one term of four years, and surrogate
of Rensselaer county for one term. He died May 11,
1820.
Judge Allen spent his minority until he was
fifteen years of age at home, receiving the advantages
of academical instruction. At that age, in the
year 1815, he entered Princeton College, N.J., taking
high rank in his class, and graduating from that
institution in the year 1818, September 30, with the
usual honors. The same fall he came to Salem,
Washington Co., N.Y., and entered the office of Hon.
David Russell as a student at law, where he remained
for three years, and was admitted to the practice of the
legal profession in the year 1821, October. He at
once entered upon a partnership with Mr. Russell,
which continued for six years, when he formed a
partnership with Hon. B. Blair.
In the year 1828, October 1, he married Miss Sarah
H. Russell, daughter of Hon. David
Russell and Alida Lansing, of Salem.
She was born May 7, 1806. During the six years
Judge Allen was in partnership with Mr.
Blair he was appointed district attorney, which
office he retained for nine successive years. He
was also during this time master and examiner in
chancery, appointed by the Senate and governor of the
State, which office he held for some five years, and
also brigade inspector of the Sixteenth Brigade of the
New York State Militia for four years.
Since the close of his partnership with Mr. Blair,
Judge Allen has remained by himself in the
practice of his profession, rapidly rising Vt.; Eliza,
who was brought up in the family of Ebenezer Proudfit,
and that of his widow, and married Rev. John A.
Savage, and Jane, who married Wesley Platt.
James Turner, the first settler at Salem above
named, died very suddenly at Salem, in February, in the
year 1773.
Source: 1737 History of Washington Co., New
York with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches, Publ.
1878 - Page |
