Allison From Ellison
Bay of Quinte Area, Ontario from time of American Revolution to Michigan circa 1869

I have come across several different versions of the earliest of this line.

The first is that the Ellison's, a family with few children in each generation, were from Hertfordshire just north of London. They were either one of the first English to settle New York after that city became English, or perhaps even came while it was still under dutch control. They were loyalists at the Revolution and they were driven from New York city and fled to Canada where the name became corrupted to Allison. This first version is the one I relay here, with additions from the second version.

The second version is that the Ellison's, originally from Yorkshire in North England, were originally Puritans and then were a large family of prosperous merchants in New England and the Middle Atlantic who came over with John Winthrope to Massachusetts. they moved their center of operations to New York City when it became English, with my 8th & 6th Great Grandparents helping to found Haverstraw, N.Y.. The outbreak of the revolution greatly divided the family with some some fighting on both sides and some just trying to avoid the fighting all together. Generally those who fled to Canada to avoid the fighting all together became called the Allison's. Though listing the first version on this page, I also include this version in the listing for my 9th, 10th, & 11th Great Grandparents. The information for my 10th & 11th Great Grandparents comes completely from this version. A variation on this version, with slightly different date's say's the family is from Blackburn in the County of Lancaster which is also in Northern England.

The third version is that John Allison (my 6th Great Grandfather) was a Scottish highlander from "Edinburg, England" who settled in early Canada. I was under the (perhaps misteaken) impression that Edinburgh, Scotland was home to Lowlander scotts and not highlanders but none-the-less I include this story here for it is the only one given with a reference to a source: "Pioneer life on the Bay of Quinte" published in 1904.

Yet another one, relayed at allisons.net is similar to the above but referencing it to my 8th Great Grandfather as being the Highlander, giving it correctly as Edingburg, Scotland, and having him as one of the first settlers in Haverstraw, that the many sons of the family in Hepmstead were split between supporting and opposing the revolution, and continues on with the history in Canada basically as mentioned here though it claims an additional generation of an Allison between my 5th & 6th Great Grandfathers who was married to an englishwoman of dutch descent, unless I am misreading it and it is refering to Pheobe Davidson as such.

Many of the Scottish references also give that Allison is a sept of Clan McAlistair (various spellings) of Loup, which "fled to Avondale" and became established descending from a certain Allison of Berwick.

According to the Allison/Ellison Family DNA Project there is a connection somehow between the Allison/Ellison family of Yorkshire (descended from Lawrence) and a Ellison family from Lanarkshire (nowaday's part of Strathclyde), Scotland And that descendents from both families wound up in Orange & Rockland Counties of Long Island in the 1700's (The Lawrence line via New England c.1632). Could all of this taken together explain much of the confusion? Interestingly, there is an Avondale Parish in Lanarkshire. I have incorportaed these changes in the website for now, including information pushing the tree back to my 16th Great Grandfather but the site specifically warns that information for my 16th through 12th Grandparents is unproven.

In summary, there is much confusion on this line and anything back to New York or sooner is suspect.

My 16th Great Grandfather, Robert Ellisse
Born abt 1400 in Hukersal, Yorkshire, England.
My 15th Great Grandfather, Edward Ellisse
Born abt 1440 in Hukersal, Yorkshire, England.
My 14th Great Grandfather, Anthony Ellisse
Born abt 1470 in Hukersal, Yorkshire, England.
My 13th Great Grandfather, John Ellisse
Born abt. 1500 in Hukersal, Yorkshire, England.
My 12th Great Grandfather, Thomas Ellisse
Born 1525 at Howden, Yorkshire, England. married, 1550, Jenett ? who was born 1529 at Howden.
Alternate source says born 1529.
My 11th Great Grandfather, Lawrence or Lawrencius Ellison (Sr.)
Born Oct 28th, 1570 at Howden, Yorkshire, England. married, Aug 24th 1590, Jane Clynt who was born 1569 at Gargrave, Yorkshire, England.
One Child- Lawrence Ellison
My 10th Great Grandfather, Lawrence Ellison
Born Jan 22nd, 1599/1600 in Hemel, Hertfordshire, England. Died 1664 in Yorkshire, New York. He married Mary Rushton/Rishton June 8th, 1617.
alternate soure's give death date as either 1666 in England or 1665/6 in Hempstead (Hempstead at that time would of been a part of Yorkshire). Another source, which agrees with the Hempstead death, gives the birth date as 2 Jan 1599/1600 at Howden, Yorkshire, England. Yet another source say's he was born Abt. 1592 in Blackburn, Lancaster and died abt. 29 Dec 1665 in Hempstead, Long Island, Nassaua Co, NY.
Refered to in 'Thompson's History of Long Island, N.Y.' saying he was a Puritan, and came from (likely first settling or passing through Braintree, MA c.1643/4/5) Watertown, MA to Weathersfield, CT; removed from there to Stamford/Stanford, thence to Hempstead, Long Island, with other emigrants who accompanied Rev. Richard Denton in 1644. so he would of come to New England 1632-1643.
Savage's New England Register, Volume #2 listes him as settling first at Windsor in 1643, before removing to Hepmstead, L.I. where hi died in 1665. It also gives that his three sons, Richard, Thomas, and John were Admors, though I have no clue what an Admor is.
Nine children
My 9th Great Grandfather, John Ellison OR Thomas Ellison, unsure which.
John: Born c. 1624 in Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Died aft. 1678 in New York.
Thomas: Born 1631 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. Died (aft?) May 1697 in Hempstead, New York. married Martha Champion.
One Child - John Ellison, Jr.
My 8th Great Grandfather, John Ellison Jr.
Born 1675 in Hempstead, Long Island, New York. Died 1754 in Haverstraw, Orange Co., New York.
Another source say's: Born abt 1652 in Hempstead, New York. Died 1721. Married an Eleanor.
One child - John Allison
My 7th Great Grandfather, John Allison (note this generation may be unnecesary).
Born abt 1680 in Hempstead, Long Island, NY. Died 1754.
My 6th Great Grandfather, John Allison
Born c. 1720 in Haverstraw, Orange/Rockland Co., New York. Died Nov 1782 in Ontario (then a part of Quebec). married Amy Wood.
Another source claims birth was abt 1719 in Hempstead, not Haverstraw.
One of the pioneers of Prince Edward Co., Ontario, along with son's.
One child - Benajamin Allison Sr. OR
6 Sons, info from allisons.net-
My 5th Great Grandfather, Benjamin Allison Sr.
Born c. 1750 in Haverstaw, Rockland Co., New York. Died c. 1820 in Upper Canada (Ontario). Married Phoebe Davidson.
Another source say's Born about 1719 or 6 Jan 1766 and Died Oct. 1836.
Was driven from his job at the New York shipyard at time of revolution, though Allisons.net seems to equate this with his brother Joseph and claims that Benjamin was "too young to participate actively in the war"
Three or Four Children:
My 4th Great Grandfather, Benjamin Allison
Born 1810 in Marysburg, Upper Canada (Ontario). married Catherine Sprague (his 8th cousin).
According to the Dept. of Finance: Emigration Service Fund, Vol. 2532, file 21 Page 988e "in 1843, the emigrants in Toronto were admitted to General Hospital including a Benjamin Allison" but if he was born in Canada why would he be mentioned as an emigrant? Could this perhaps refer to his nephew Benjamin I. Allison? Where was he born?
The 1851 Census for Hastings county, Sydney Township, listes the family as being Wesleyan Methodists.
One child - William J. Allison, though the 1851 Sydney township census also lists a 10 year old Fanny M. & a 14 year old male in addition to the 8 year old "Wm Janes" and that all three were born in Sophiasburg. The Sprague Project Database lists 3 additional children- Hallet, Ann Marie (1844-1908), & Benjamin F.
My 3rd Great Grandfather, William J. Allison
Born Oct. 3rd, 1843 in Canada West (Ontario). Died c. 1913 in Morley, Michigan. Married Elsie A. Lindsey.
Canadian Presbyterian. A farmer.
Immigrated to Michigan sometime after 1871. (now suspect, since his son William was born in Jackson, Michigan in 1869, yet he appears in the 1871 Ontario census in District 037, Sub-District H, Division 3, page 28 59.).
1879 plat map for Aetna Township (T 13 N., R. 10 W), Mecosta County, Michigan shows most of the south half of section 21 (around Brady Lake) as owned by "Wm. Allison & others" and includes several buildings, one marked as S.S.M. (What could SSM be an abbreviation for?)
Eight or Nine children:
My Great-Great Grandfather, William Albert Allison
Born Sept. 3rd, 1869 in Jackson, Michigan. Died April 20th, 1951 in Morley, Mecosta Co., Michigan. married Anna Mero. Stone Mason & Farmer.
The 1900 plat map Mecosta County, Michigan shows an Allison owning 40 acres in SW1/4 SW1/4 Sec.23 T13N R9W (Deerfield Township). The first initial appears to be an "A" but is difficult to read and cauld be something else. Could also be the father.
1905 Mecosta County Directory page on Deerfield Township lists an W Allison, Mason, sec. 29, Morley, e 15/8 (what does the e 15/8 mean? Need to find the Aetna Township entry to check for the father.)
The 1918-1923 Mecosta County Farm Directory, on page 30, lists Wm. A. & Anna Allison with 2 children, 3 horses, and 4 cattle, being employed in farming & Masonry, as owning 80 acres on Rural route 1 in Morley Deer (Deerfield?) 74 and having an Ind tel. (Independent Telephone?).
1918 plat map shows W. Allison owning 80 acres at W1/2 NE1/4 Sec.29 T13N R9W (Deerfield Township).
Need to find era plat maps for surrounding townships
Four children:
My Great Grandfather, A.G.A.
Information withheld to protect privacy of living descendants.
3 children, 4 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren, & 2 great-great-grandchild.
My Grandfather
information withheld for privacy.
2 children, 2 grandchildren, & 2 great-grandchild.
My Mother, D.D.A. --------->
Information withheld to protect privacy of living descendant.

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Last Update: Mar. 7th, 2007. Small additions & format edit Jan. 19th, 2012.