Little is known about the early part of his life, but it is supposed that he grew up in Ireland and in the United States of America.

[2] On 18 May 1846, Pollen married Jane Henderson, the daughter of an officer of the Royal Navy (Lieutenant Essex, RN, of Demerara).

[2] In 1852, Pollen opened the first brickworks in West Auckland, at Rosebank on the shores of the Whau River.

[8] Together with British potter James Wright, Pollen created the first commercial scale crockery kiln in New Zealand here.

[8] Pollen spent several years on Kawau, during which time he began to contribute articles to The New Zealander supporting the agitation for responsible government.

When the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 became law, Pollen was made chief clerk in the Auckland Superintendent's office.

[12] In 1862, he resigned as Commissioner of Crown Lands, and became the Deputy Superintendent of Auckland, where he served until the end of his second term.