114
Markers XXVII
Notes 1. This paper was originally delivered at the 1984 AGS Conference, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, in abbreviated form. 2. Vincent F. Luti, “Eighteenth-Century Gravestone Carvers of The Upper Narragansett Basin: George Allen,” Markers XX (2005): 108-159. 3. Harriette M. Forbes made errors in her brief exposition of the work of the Allen shop: Gravestones of Early New England and the Men Who Made Them 1653-1800 (New York: Da Capo Press, 1967): 98-99. There is the remote but undocumented possibility that Forbes saw some records for the long-lived George Allen, son of Ebenezer Allen of Rehoboth, 1748-1821, and thereby erroneously deduced that the “G. Allen” signature found on many gravestones in the last three decades of the eighteenth century were George Allen Jr.’s work. Alan Ludwig, Graven Images (Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 1966): 322-25, created a non-existent George Allen Sr. “imitator.” Stones signed “G. Allen” with dates after the death of George Allen (senior), were cavalierly attributed to George Allen Jr. by many authors. Regrettably, when Markers II came out in 1983, the study on Gabriel Allen had not yet been presented at AGS (1984) nor published (2003). An article in Markers II (pp. 74-75) attributes sixteen signed stones to George Allen Jr. They were, in fact, done by his younger brother, Gabriel Allen (see Markers XX, 76-109). 4. Luti, “Eighteenth-Century Gravestone Carvers of The Upper Narragansett Basin: George Allen” 5. James Arnold, Vital Records of Rehoboth (Providence, 1897), 748, and Rehoboth Town Records (Rehoboth Town Hall, ms.), 2:87. His mother was Mrs. Sarah Spring, widow of Ephraim. 6. James Arnold, Vital Records of Rhode Island, Bristol Co.: Warren, vol. 6, part II (Providence, R.I.: Narragansett Historical Publishing Co., 1894): 43.
7. Worcester Co. Probate Records, Worcester, Mass., 7: 444.
8. Providence Probate Records, City Hall, case A818.
9. Gray Williams, James Slater, James Blachowitz and Vincent Luti have shown in their writings the special importance of signature lettering elements and sets for attributing entire stones and collaborations.
10. Vital Records of Wrentham, Mass. to the year 1850 (Boston, 1910).