Sarah Allen

Sarah Allen (also known as Sara Allen and Mother Allen; née Bass; 1764 – July 16, 1849) was an American abolitionist and missionary for the African Methodist Episcopal Church. She is known within the AME Church as The Founding Mother. Early life Sarah Bass was born in 1764 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, as a slave. When she was eight she was sent to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was no longer enslaved as of 1800. That year she met Richard Allen. They married by 1802. They had six children: Richard Jr., James, John, Peter, Sara, and Ann. Allen maintained the family finances and general homemaking tasks. Life in Philadelphia and founding of the AME Church The family purchased property for $35 in Philadelphia. The property housed a blacksmith shop. The shop was planning to relocate and the Allens used their team of horses to transport the shop to its new location. The property was eventually renovated and made into a church, which would become the founding African Methodist Episcopal Church.