General Notes

REFN: 1
[lillief.ged]
Benjamin Allen was probably born before 1752, possibly in Ireland.  H
is fi rst wife may have been Sarah Sommers.  She died sometime before Ju
ly 5 th , 1803 when Benjamin married Sarah Maddox, daughter of Notley Madd
ox I II in Campbell  County, Kentucky.
By the time Kentucky became a state in 1792 , Benjamin Allen was well en
tr enched in Campbell County , KY.  A court order dated June 2 1795, list
ed B enjamin Allen as one of 5 men picked by the court to blaze the best r
ou te for a road from Wilmington to a main road that ran from Plum Cre
ek to N ewport.  Wilmington no longer exists.  It was located on what is n
ow the K enton County side of Licking River.  It was the site of the fir
st county c ourt meetings and was a small settlement on land owned by Jo
hn Gran t.                While in Campbell  county Benjamin and David All
en, prob ably a son, both operated mills on the Licking River .  One of t
he road su rveys that Benjamin was involved with in 1806 ran from Benjamin
's mi ll to David Allen's mill.  The Campbell County Tax list starti
ng in 1795 l ist Benjamin Allen until 1808, when he was listed as , "g
on to Spain".  Th is probably means that me must have moved west of the Mi
ssissippi, which w as at that time Spanish Territory.  The Tax List of 18
07 Listed Benjam in as "insolvent" so it is probable that the move was ma
de for financial r easons.             Benjamin and his son , Martin All
en moved their famili es south to Louisiana.  In 1812 Benjamin, Martin a
nd Hiram and a neph ew of Martin, joined the ill fated Gutierrez Magee Exp
edition who invad ed the Spanish Territory of Tejas.  This expedition al
so called "The Repub lican Army of the North", succeeded in capturing t
he four main towns in Te xas including the capitol ,San Antonio and declar
ed it a new nation.  A f ew months later a large Spanish Army marched ba
ck to San Antonio and defea ted the 1400 man force at the Medina River.  M
ost of the expedition were k illed either in the battle or as prisone
rs as no quarter was given.  A f ew managed to escape back to Louisia
na as Hiram Allen did.  A petition th at Martin Allen filed in 1836 with t
he Republic of Texas stated that Benja min and a nephew of Martin was kill
ed.  Apparently at the time of the batt le Martin was back in Louisiana re
cruiting more volunteers for a new natio n.
Died in the Battle of Medina. Was a member of the Gutierrez Magee Expedi
ti on also known as the Republican Army of the North. The bodies of the "R
epu blicans" were left unburied for about 10 years when they were all bu
ri ed in a common grave at the base of a large oak tree.
Benjamin Allen purchased the rights for a Mill Dam and Landing for a F
er ry on the west bank of Licking, from Nathaniel Vice.
The Gutierrez-Magee Expedition
(The Republican Army of the North)
The Battle of Medina
Texas under Seven (7) NOT 6 Flags
Participation of Martin Allen and family members
(With Special thanks to Robert H. Thonhoff for his research, writin
gs , wi llingness to share to help others, and to make the truth better kn
own- )
I
The sale of Louisiana by France to the U.S. in 1803 increased inte
re st in Texas from the east. It blossomed as a new frontier. The U. S. Go
ver nment felt that present day Texas was included in the Louisiana purcha
se-h owever, publicly the U. S. recognized Spain as The Mother Count
ry of Mexi co (Then New Spain) which included present day Texas.
II
Gutierrez-Magee Expedition Organized
With not too secret cooperation of the U. S., apparently including fina
nc e, and by placing a U. S. "agent", William Shaler in Natchitoches,(In p
res ent Louisiana) in the U. S. - Spain border "neutral zone" the foundati
on w as laid for organization of the Expedition. It is believed by some th
at Wi lliam Shaler, with respect to his participation in the Expedition, w
as act ing under orders/approval of the then U. S. Secretary of State