THE HISTORY OF STONINGTON, CONN., by Richard A. Wheeler, page 236.
1. Allen Breed, the progenitor of the Breed family appears from Lynn, Mass., in 1630. He was b. in England in 1601. The name of his wife is unknown. He d. Mar. 17, 1692, and had five children.
A MODERN HISTORY OF NEW LONDON COUNTY, CONNECTICUT, Benjamin Tinkham Marshall, A.M., D.D., Editor-In-Chief, President of Connecticut College, New London, Volume II, 1922, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, New York City, page 59.
The family which he was a member traces to Allen Breed, who was of record in Lynn, Massachusetts, as early as 1630. He was born in England in xxxx and his death occurred March 1692. The name of his wife is unknown, but he became the father of five children.
A RECORD OF THE DESCENDANTS OF ALLEN BREAD, Who Came to America from England in 1630. Hathaway & Brothers, The Evans Printing House, Fourth and Liberty Sts., Philadelphia, 1892, page 1
Allen Bread, the ancestor of all of this name in the United States of America, was born in England. We do not know in what part of the country. An aged member of the family in Lynn, MA, is quite sure he was a wholesale grocer in Liverpool. At present we must simply say, "We do not know."
As to his wealth or social standing and religious belief, the reader may learn with us, that the following facts prove him to have been among the best and most respected of the Puritans who came with Winthrop to Massachusetts, in 1630.
He lived in Lynn near the point where Summer street crosses the Turnpike. We do not know who his first wife was or how long she lived after the birth of John. That part of the town where Allen lived, is still called "Breed's End".
In 1638, when the town lands were divided by a Committee, appointed by the town, consisting of Daniel Howe, Richard Walker and Henry Collins, "to lay our farms," one allotment was made of 800 acres, three of 500, one of 350, one of 210 and nine of 200 acres each. Allen received 200 acres.
In 1640, about forty families left Lynn to settle a new plantation. Allen Bread was one of these. They invited Mr. Abraham Pierson, who had resided at Boston and at Lynn, to be their pastor, and he went with them.
They made an agreement to establish a church before leaving Lynn. They made an arrangement with one Capt. Howe to transport goods from Lynn to the new plantation, at least three times a year.
The Articles of Agreement, under which they embarked, were signed by John Cooper, Edward Howell, Edmund Needham, Josiah Stanbury, Henry Walton, Allen Breed, William Harcher, Thomas Newhall, John Farrington, Thomas Sayre, Daniel Howe, Job Sayre, George Webb, Thomas Halsey, Philip Kertland, Thomas Paddington, Thomas Terry.
In their Church Agreement, they offer to resign their power in the premises as soon as the town shall have been laid out by them, and a church established, provided that those who follow them shall be governed by their Articles of Agreement.
They sailed in the vessel of Capt. Daniel Howe to Scout's Bay, in the western part of Long Island, where they purchased land of Mr. James Forrett, agent of Lord Sterling, and agreed with the Indians for their rights.
On hearing of this, the Dutch laid claim to that part of the Island, on account of previous purchase from the Indians, and sent men to take possession, who set up the arms of the Prince of Orange on a tree. The Lynn people, disregarding the claims of the Dutch, cut down the trees and began to build. Captain Howe took down the Prince's arms, and instead thereof, "an Indian drew a very unhandsome face." The Dutch Governor became angry and arrested six of the men, and imprisoned them until he communicated with Winthrop, when he was compelled to let them go. They then removed more than eighty miles and settled in the eastern part of the Island, where they established to town which they named for the place from which they had sailed, Southampton.
The vessel, which was owned by those who left Lynn to settle on Long Island, in 1640, was first bought by eight men, Farrington, Stanborough, Welbe, Job and Thomas Sayre, Needham and Walton. Afterward, by consent of the company, Allen Bread, Halsey and Harker were admitted into the company.
The vessel became the property of David Howe, in consideration of his holding it subject to the requirements of the company.
We find that when Allen Bread relinquished his share in the vessel he received a "home lott, planting lott, and farme."
In 1642 these settlers built a church, and Mr. Pierson remained as their pastor until 1647, when he left them, because he believed that none but members of the church should receive the rights of freemen, holding that no man was fit to legislate for others, unless he was himself obedient to the laws of God. Mr. Pierson went to Branford, Conn., and later he became the first pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Newark, New Jersey. His son was the first President of Yale College. Mr. Pierson's withdrawal from Southampton was probably the reason that Allen Bread returned to Lynn. We know that he [Allen Breed] resided there in 1656, as his marriage took place at that time to Elizabeth Knight, a dau. of William Knight, who settled in Lynn in 1630, and who received, in 1638, sisty acres of land. Her sister, Ann Knight, was called, in Nov. 1646, to witness in Court, in a suit of Taylor vs. King, for recover for a mare, in jured by a bull on the highway. Ann Knight became the wife of Edward Richards, (b. 1616).
At a general town meeting, Dec. 30th, 1661, it was ordered by a vote that Ensign John Fuller, Allen Bread, Senior, and Richard Johnson should examine certain land claimed by D. Salmon, as a soldier in the Pequod Wars.
The descendants of John (No. 253 to 263) from the "Breed's Hill branch," and the descendants of Allen-2 are divided in the next generation into two branches. Those from his son John are the "Stonington branch," and those from his other children constitute the "Lynn branch" of the family.
In 1692 (the year when there was so great excitement in New England about witches), the Town appointed the Committee to seat the people in the church, except in the pulpit and at the table, and in the deacon's seat. These seats were to be assigned only by Town Meeting. Allen Breed, "senior," was one of the eight assigned by vote to a seat in the pulpit.
If this was Allen-1, he was 91 years old, and Allen-20 was only 32 years old, and we, therefore, believe that this man, so honored, was the respected father of this family, at the age of sixty-six.
Prepared by Oliver Randall Smith Buckley (Mrs. Frank C.) Presented at Meeting of the BREED FAMILY ASSOCIATION, March 14, 1923., page 29.
Our progenitor Allen Bread of Lynn, born in England in 1601, may have been either the Alline, son of John I, or Allen son of John II, but in either case the Allen who emigrated to America was a man of stability and means for he came as a stockholder in the Mass. Bay Co., having 200 acres of land allotted to him, or 50 acres for each member of his family. The activities of this family for the half hundred years following the settlement at Saugus or Lynn, is familiar to us all...
BREED FAMILY: ALLEN BREED OF LYNN, MASS AND HIS DESCENDANTS, page 38.
Prepared by Miss Mary Blake Breed, of Lynn, Mass. Presented at the Annual Meeting of The Breed Association, March 14, 1923.
In the year 1630 there sailed from England for the new world a company of resolute men, fearless and brave, to find there religious tolerance, freedom of thought and a better chance to carve their fortunes and live in accordance with their highest ideals. They were called Puritans. They sailed with a party under John Winthrop, first Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. With them came one Allen Breed - I seem to see in my mind's eye Allen Breed, a rather stout, tall, young man striding along with resolute step to the wharf, where was anchored the good ship Arabella and fifteen other ships waiting to take the party to the promised land. With Allen Breed came his wife and two sons, Allen and Timothy.
On June 12, 1630, the little fleet arrived at Salem, a company of nine hundred souls, being the Massachusetts Company, under John Winthrop. Here they separated - Allen Breed coming to Saugus, and later to Lynn, MA.
In 1640 Allen Breed, with others from Lynn, sailed away to settle a new plantation and landed on Long Island, where they established the Town of South Hampton, named after the town in England from which they came.
In 1642 these settlers built a church. Abraham Pierson of Boston and Lynn had gone with them to become their minister. He remained with them until 1647 when he left them because he believed that none but members of the church should become free men, for said he, "No man should make laws for others unless he himself is obedient to the laws of God."
Allen Breed left South Hampton and returned to Lynn about this time. He was appointed to "sit in the high seats," a great honor in those days, and also received a grant of two hundred acres of land.
