Biographical Sketch of Francis Allison (1893); Chester County, PA Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by John Morris . *********************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: Printing this file within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ *********************************************************************** Source: "Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Chester County, Pennsylvania, comprising a historical sketch of the county", by Samuel T. Wiley and edited by Winfield Scott Garner, Gresham Publishing Company, Philadelphia, PA, 1893, page 617. "FRANCIS ALLISON (sic), D. D., a fine classical scholar and noted Presbyterian divine of Chester county, was born in County Donegal, Ireland, in 1705, and in 1735 came to this county, where he was pastor of New London Presbyterian church for fifteen years, and principal of New London academy from 1743 to 1752. He then removed to Philadelphia, where he had charge of Philadelphia academy until 1755, in which year he was appointed professor of moral philosophy in the uni- versity of Pennsylvania, and became assistant pastor of the First Presbyterian church of that city. He died November 29, 1779, and of him it is said that 'to his zeal for the diffusion of knowledge Pennsylvania owes much of that taste for solid learning and classical literature for which many of her principal characters have been distinguished."