Autographs
1773 Indictment Signed by Andrew Allen Colonial Attorney General of Pennsylvania Fled to Britain as a Loyalist in 1776 in 1781 the PA. Assembly Convicted of Treason in Absentia!
ANDREW ALLEN (1740-1825). Colonial Attorney General of Pennsylvania, Colonel in the Pennsylvania Line, Member of the Second Continental Congress, Fled to Britain as a Loyalist in 1776, in 1781 the PA. Assembly Convicted him of Treason in Absentia.
December 3, 1773-Dated Pre-Revolutionary War, Autograph Letter Signed, "And.ew Allen" as Attorney General of Pennsylvania, 1 page, measuring 8.25" x 7.5", Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Fine. Written on laid period paper with a Crown "GR" watermark. Here, Allen signs this "Grand Inquest" Indictment of William Grothouse of Northampton County for an unspecified crime designated as "... against the Peace and Lord King his Crown and Dignity, etc.". Boldly endorsed on its blank reverse Docket by "John Hays foreman" of the grand jury, noted at "The King v Wm. Grothouse - December 1773". Lightly toned overall with darker along some folds, a small square paper reinforcement on the reverse. The top and bottom halves were separated at one time, then trimmed and rejoined such that at least one line of the text is missing. If there was ever a doubt that Allen was a Loyalist, it is evident in the nearly three lines in which he addresses his: "Sovereign Lord George III by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France & Ireland, King Defender of the Faith &c...". In the early years of the American Revolution, Allen sided with the Colonial cause and actually served in the Second Continental Congress, but as soon as America declared its independence, his Loyalist tendencies resurfaced and he immediately switched sides. Allen left for England in 1778, never to return. In 1781, the Pennsylvania Assembly convicted Andrew Allen of "Treason" in absentia.
Andrew Allen (June 1740 - March 7, 1825) was a lawyer and official from the Province of Pennsylvania. Born into an influential family, Allen initially favored the colonial cause in the American Revolution, and represented Pennsylvania in the Second Continental Congress from 1775 to 1776. Like many other wealthy elites in Pennsylvania, however, he resisted radical change, and became a Loyalist after the Declaration of Independence and the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776.
KEYWORDS:
Treason, British Crown, Loyalist, Colonial America, Patriot, Revolutionary War, George Washington, King George III, Stamp Act, Continental Congress