Gurdon Spicer Allyn (1816-1876) was born in Ledyard, Connecticut, and spent his early years on the farm and at sea with his father, Capt. Rufus Allyn, Jr. (1767-1847). By the 1840's Allyn was a carpenter, building houses and other structures in the area. In 1853 he built and operated a successful ice house, and soon after set up a fish processing business on Mason's Island (Mystic, Connecticut) that became known as G. S. Allyn & Co. The company processed Manhaden, or "bony-fish," to extract the oil and produce fertilizer from the remaining fish pumice. Much of Allyn's business life was spent in the Menhaden fishery, and he received a number of patents for improvements on various aspects of this operation. For nearly 30 years, G. S. Allyn & Co. was one of Mystic's major businesses. Gurdon S. Allyn died in 1876, but the company continued under the direction of his son, Louis P. Allyn, until 1883 when a fire destroyed the Allyn Co. factory. Gurdon Allyn's other business ventures included the Mystic River Water Works, and lumbering investments in Juneau County, Wisconsin. He married Hannah Avery Rathbun (1819-1858) in 1838, and Martha Champion in 1859. Two sons, Louis P. Allyn and Gurdon Champion Allyn survived to adulthood.