Freshman is descendant of UD founder

Carly Peterson, in front a portrait of her ancestor, Francis Alison

2:31 p.m., Dec. 2, 2005--Carly Peterson has a special connection and affinity with UD--she is a direct descendant of the Rev. Francis Alison, who founded the boys’ academy in pre-Revolutionary times that eventually became the University of Delaware.

“I’ve been coming to the University of Delaware to football games and basketball games for as long as I can remember with my parents. I have always loved the University of Delaware and wanted to attend school here when the time came, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I learned I was descended from Francis Alison,” Peterson said.

“My mother became interested in her family’s genealogy and started to research the family tree, which is so large it covers four tables,” she said. “That’s when we learned about Francis Alison. It was really awesome learning we were direct descendants of the founder of the University of Delaware.

“I think he would be astounded at what his perseverance and that of others has accomplished as far as college education goes today, and that he would be humbled by the size and accomplishments of the University of Delaware,” Peterson said.

A history buff, she said she feels Alison’s efforts in establishing an educational system in the 1700s would make a great movie and should star Mel Gibson as Francis Alison. “This is such an interesting story that it needs to be told,” she said.

A graduate of the Charter School in Wilmington and a health and exercise sciences major, Peterson said her freshman year at UD has been “great.” She is involved in Habitat for Humanity and the Minority Student Network and attending sports events.

According to Sue Peterson, her mother and the family historian, Francis Alison had five children and their branch of the family descends from Francis Alison’s son, also named Francis. The son was a physician who treated both British and American soldiers during the Revolutionary War. He and many members of his family are buried at the New London Presbyterian Church Cemetery in nearby Pennsylvania.

“Several generations of my family, including my grandfather, had Alison as a middle name, and we wondered where it came from,” Sue Peterson said. Research at the Chester County Historical Society revealed the link with the Rev. Francis Alison.

Carly Peterson said she feels as if she has come full circle in coming to UD. “I never applied anywhere else--it’s where I want to be,” she said. “Not only that, my long-term goal is to become a physician like the second Francis Alison.”

Article by Sue Moncure
Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson

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