Ebenezer Allen Ebenezer Allen ( 1743 – 1806 ) was an American soldier , pioneer , and member of the Vermont General Assembly . Early life . Allen was born in Northampton , Massachusetts on 17 October 1743 . His parents were Samuel Allen ( 1706 – 1755 ) and Hannah Miller ( 1707 – 1755 ) . Allen married Lydia Richards ( 1746 – 1833 ) in 1762 in New Marlborough , Massachusetts . She was the daughter of Zebulon Richards and Lydia Brown . Along with Thomas Ashley , Allen was a founder of Poultney , Vermont . Allen and Ashley ( both had married daughters of Zebulon Richards ) arrived at the site of the town along the Poultney River on 15 April 1771 . Allen brought his family with him on the journey . Ashley traveled alone , building a shanty and planting corn before bringing his family to the wilderness . Poultney was a patriotic village . All of its residents ( except one ) supported the American Revolution and most males served in the revolutionary army at various times during the war . Career . Allen became a Lieutenant in a company of Green Mountain Boys , was with Ethan Allen when Ft . Ticonderoga was captured from the British , and with Colonel Warner in Canada . He was appointed a captain in Colonel Herrick ' s battalion of rangers in July 1777 , and distinguished himself at the battle of Bennington . In September of the same year he captured Mt . Defiance by assault , and on the retreat of the enemy from Fort Ticonderoga made fifty of them prisoners . Subsequently he was made major in the rangers , and showed himself a brave partisan leader . In his later life he was always referred to as Col . Allen . Allen occupied many positions of civil authority in Vermont . He was a Justice of the Peace , served on many town committees , and was a representative to the Vermont General Assembly from 1788 - 1792 . He was prominent in the planning of a new government for Vermont , helping to frame its constitution . Allen was one of the original grantees of South Hero , Vermont by an act of the legislature in 1779 . He left Poultney with his family for South Hero , Vermont where he once again was the first pioneer in a wilderness — tradition states that he arrived on 25 August 1783 , however he may have arrived as early as 1779 . In 1787 he enlarged his house and operated a public house on the island . He held many public offices and was a representative to the Vermont General Assembly from 1788 - 1792 . His cousin , Ethan Allen , spent the last night of his life at his house in South Hero . Ebenezer removed from South Hero to Burlington , Vermont in 1800 and operated a tavern there until his death in 1806 . Allen was known as a man of strong convictions — whether political , moral or religious . He was opposed to slavery . On 27 November 1777 , he granted freedom to two slaves stating : " I being conscientious that it is not right in the sight of God to keep slaves , give them their freedom . " In 1792 Allen toured the unsettled portions of Ohio , Michigan and Upper Canada with a group of Indians for a year . In 1795 , Allen was part of a partnership with Charles Whitney , also of Vermont , Robert Randal , of Philadelphia and several British subjects in Detroit including John Askin and William Robertson , which planned to buy the entire lower Michigan peninsula from the United States government for $ 500 , 000 . A stock company was established , and two of Allen ' s eastern partners promised members of Congress either stock or cash for their support in the purchase . This clumsy scheme was exposed , and the partner ' s plans evaporated . Family . Ebenezer Allen married Lydia Richards and they had 8 children : 1 . Abiel Allen ( 1763 in Poultney - 1765 in New Marlborough , MA ) 2 . Timothy Allen ( 1765 in Poultney - 1850 in South Hero ) 3 . Mary Allen ( 1766 in Vermont - ? in Vermont ) 4 . Lydia Allen ( 1768 in Poultney - 1800 in ? ) 5 . Ebenezer Allen Jr . ( 1771 in South Hero - July 2 , 1844 in LaPorte , Indiana ) 6 . Amy Allen ( 1775 in Poultney - April 30 , 1822 in South Hero ) 7 . Charlotte Allen ( 1777 in South Hero - September 13 , 1813 in South Hero ) 8 . Eunice Allen ( April 7 , 1779 in Tinmouth - Jan . 24 , 1852 in Rome , Michigan ) Death . Allen died in 1806 Burlington , Vermont . He is interred at Elmwood Cemetery in Burlington .