Born in Indiana as A. Macon Bolling, he moved to New England at some point in the early 1840s and changed his name to Macon Bolling Allen in Boston in January 1844. Soon after, Allen moved to Portland, Maine and studied law, working as an apprentice to Samuel Fessenden, a local abolitionist and attorney.
A. Macon Bolling was born in Indiana and later changed his name to Macon Bolling Allen in Boston in January 1844. After moving to Portland, Maine, he studied law under the tutelage of Samuel Fessenden, an abolitionist and attorney.