Well, I'm pretty certain I now know what Clarence Torrey was looking at when he wrote Robert Allen (1890) 20. John Price wrote a book, Genealogy of the Allen Family of Manchester, Mass. which is dated 1888. However, it is a reprint from an article that appeared in the Historical Collections of the Essex Institute, Volume XXIV. Mr. Price updated his work to appear in Volume XXVII (1890) and on page 20 speaks of the family of Robert Allen, the presumed brother of William Allen of Manchester. The problem is that nowhere does it say that Robert was the uncle of Thomas Burnham, Jr.
I mentioned this problem to two genealogical friends of mine and one noted that Moses Pengry's English origins are NOT unknown. On 15 8 mo. 1659, Moses and Aaron Pengry of Ipswich constituted Theo (sic) Pengry Sr. of Glocester (sic) as their attorney for land in Upton Bishop, Hereford, England that was willed to them by Isabell Redverne, late of Ipswich. [Aspinwall's Notarial Records, p. 328]. This is a great clue. Sadly, the name Redverne, Readberne, Redbearne, Redfern, appears nowhere in New England records. And even as late as 1899 in the Essex Antiquarian 3:160, the editor is seeking the will of Isabel's which couldn't be found then. It is not in the Essex County Probate or Ipswich Deeds records. Sigh.
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