Moses Allen was a son of George Allen and Mary Elizabeth Collins.  He served in the New Jersey Militia during the Revolutionary War.  His brothers, Ananias, George and his wife Sarah’s brothers Nathaniel Whitaker, Johnathan Whitaker, and Stephen Whitaker also served in the Revolutionary War.

Moses lived in New Jersey until 1793.  Moses and Sarah took the family on a long trek across several hundred miles and made a new home for themselves out of the wilderness of Crawford County, Pennsylvania, about three miles north of Meadville.  Moses lived there until May 1832, when he returned to New Jersey to apply for pension for his service in the Revolutionary War.

Moses applied for a pension in June of 1832, when he was 80 years of age.  From the papers in the Revolutionary War pension claim, S*W3125, it appears Moses Allen was born in 1752 at Hardwick Township, Sussex County, New Jersey.

Moses described his military service in his Pension Application.  He enlisted about September 1776, and served at various times until the spring of 1779.  Moses was a private in the New Jersey Troops under Captains John Shaw, Ananias Allen and Colonels Force and Ephraim Martin.  He was at the Battle of Springfield.  He was called to service a number of times, and was sometimes sent home after a campaign.  Moses was at Westfield in January 1777, at the taking of about 30 Waldeckers, and for taking salt from the British.⁽⁵⁾⁽⁶⁾  About the first of July 1778, Moses volunteered in Captain Ananias Allen’s Company of the New Jersey Militia against the Indians, after the massacre at Wyoming, Pennsylvania.  He volunteered in March or April 1779 at Hardwick, upon an alarm that the Indians had burned a house and killed people over at the Delaware.

He was allowed pension, August 31, 1832, at which time he living at Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey.  He died August 31, 1833.^(1)(2)(3)

After Moses died, his wife, Sarah, applied for a Widows Pension, and her brother Nathaniel Whitaker wrote a letter evidencing her marriage to Moses, December 27, 1771, at the house of Jonathan Whitaker in Bernard's Township, Somerset County, New Jersey, for the pension application.  Sarah Whitaker Allen was allowed pension on her application executed February 6, 1839, at which time she was 86 years of age and was living at Crawford County, Pennsylvania.

Endnotes:

1. From a letter written by grandson Eliphalet Allen:
   "The records show that Moses Allen was a "Minute Man" in the Revolutionary War and drew a pension for a year before he died on September 31st., 1833. He applied for a pension from the town of Newton, New Jersey but we do not know where he died or is buried. His widow (Sarah Whitaker) drew a pension until her death in 1844 and was made to John Garret at Philadelphia on Sept 18,1843, Garret being the attorney for the pensioner. She was living in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, at the time of her death.  She is buried in the Wilson Cemetery near Espyville, Pennsylvania."

2.  According to Martha Western, a descendant of Moses and Sarah, she received information from Floyd D. Allen's information on the Allen Family written in May 1937 which states the following:
   "The village of Hardwick, New Jersey (where Moses was born) is no longer in existence but it was probably situated a few miles north of the present village of Blairstown, in what was then Sussex County but is now Warren County, New Jersey.  In her notes Martha Western states : "Many records say Moses Allen died in Espyville, Pennsylvania.  His burial place is unknown. I am inclined to believe he died in New Jersey, as Rebecca Allen Finney has said.  It was her father Jeremiah that went back to be with him when he died.  He was in Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey when he applied for his pension in August 1832.  He died August 1833.  His wife stayed in Espyville, Pennsylvnia."

3. Maude G. Stewart wrote letters around 1928 to the Bureau of Pensions for information about Moses Allen.  The letters and responses are included in the pension files.  She wrote the she had been told that Moses and his family had lived at Sussex County, New Jersey, until 1789 when they moved to Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and then in 1801 they moved to South Shenango, Crawford County Pennsylvania, but he died in New Jersey where he had gone for his pension.  Moses believed that he had to return to New Jersey to apply for his pension, and Maude asked the Bureau of Pensions if they required veterans to do that.  They replied that this was not required to get the pension approved.

4. Moses Allen’s service record is registered with the Sons of the American Revolusion (P-102707), and Daughters of the American Revolution (A001747).

5. Third Waldeck Regiment (Hessian).

6. History of Town of Westfield New Jersey, Page 21:
   “The success at Springfield and through Westfield was followed December 26 by Washington's' surprise party for the Hessians at Trenton. The sad and gloomy days of the first part of the month were at Christmas time turned to gladness; and the patriots were fired with an indomitable zeal for victory. Washington's Instructions from Trenton to Maxwell were, 'Collect as large force as possible at Chatham and after gaining the proper intelligence endeavor to strike a stroke upon Elizabeth Town or that neighborhood." It is probable that Washington interviewed Maxwell in Westfield concerning this matter about the time of the battle of Trenton. Benjamin Downer, in the biography of his father, the Rev. Edwin Downer, says Samuel Downer entertained General Washington there (in the house now occupied by Dr. Frederick Kinch) for a few days at the time of the battle of Trenton. Passing around the enemy at Trenton, Washington captured Princeton, January 3, 1777, and by way Of Pluckemin went into winter quarters at Mornstown, January 6.  At this time the enemy was much confused, and Maxwell, following out instructions, had a brush with them at Springfield, compelled Leslie's brigade to evacuate Newark, drove them out of Elizabeth and fought the Waldeckers, January 5, at Spank Town (Rahway). At this last place mentioned about 1,000 bushels of salt were captured. Amboy and New Brunswick alone were left in possession of the enemy. - With this success great relief come to the people of Westfield. The enemy ceased his plundering, and the inhabitants who had taken refuge back of the mountains returned to their homes from their six weeks' exile. They found fences broken down, houses plundered, homes destroyed. It is said that the depredations committed by the Hessians and British at this time were a disgrace to human nature."