BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
History of Fayette County,
Ohio
With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and
Genealogical Records of Old Families
Frank M. Allen, Editor
Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen & Co.,
1914
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JARED
F. ADAMS. Success in this life
is almost always won by the truly deserving. It is an
axiom demonstrated by all human experience that a man gets
out of this life what he puts into it plus a reasonable
interest on the investment. The individual who
inherits a large estate and adds nothing to his fortune
cannot be called a successful man. On the other hand
he that falls heir to a large fortune and increases its
value is successful in proportion to the amount which he
adds to his original possessions, but the man who starts in
the world unaided and by sheer force of will, controlled by
correct principles, forges ahead and at length reaches a
position of honor among his fellow citizens, achieves
success such as representatives of the two former classes
can neither understand nor appreciate. To a
considerable extent
Jared F. Adams is a creditable representative of the
class last named, having started out as youth of
fourteen on his own responsibilities. As a school
teacher, as a lawyer and as a business man, he has performed
his every duty faithfully and well, and is justly classed
with the representative citizens of Fayette county.
Jared F. Adams, the son of Isaac and
Elizabeth (Wright) Adams, was born Feb. 22, 1863, in
Frederick county, Virginia. His parents were natives
of the same state and reared a family of eight children,
seven of whom grew to maturity: Mary the wife
of J. S. Stottlemyre, of Winchester, Virginia;
Nimrod, of Frederick county, Virginia; Lana, the
wife of Tobias Loy; Ellen, the wife of George W.
Catlett; John, who was killed by lightning when a young
man; Isaac; Thomas who died in young manhood, and
Jared F., who is represented in this narrative.
Isaac Adams was a life-long farmer in Frederick
county, Virginia, where his death occurred at the age of
sixty. His wife is still living and is now in her one
hundredth year. Isaac Adams was the son of
David Adams, a farmer of Frederick county, Virginia, and
the father of several children, among whom were Hiram,
Peter and Isaac The parents of Isaac
Adams' wife were natives also of Virginia, living in the
extreme eastern part of the state. The mother of
Mrs. Adams died at the age of one hundred and three.
James F. Adams lived on his father's farm in
Virginia until he was fourteen years of age and then came to
Ohio and went to work on a farm in Fayette county near
Milledgeville. He worked for five years for William
A. Creamer, during which time he attended school during
the winter season. His first schooling was under the
tutelage of Frank M. Allen, the editor of this
volume. He also attended the Bloomingburg Normal,
which was conducted by Mr. Allen and Dr. A. M.
Jones. Upon reaching his majority he started to
teach in the district schools of this county, and in 1888 he
came to Washington C. H. and taught school in the country
near this city. While teaching he took up the study of
law in the office of Hidy & Patton, and was finally
admitted to the bar Oct. 6, 1894, and has been in the
practice of his profession in Washington C. H. for the past
twenty years. However, most of his time has been given
to the loan and insurance business, in which he has been
very successful. He is the attorney for and a
stockholder in the Farmers Bank, of Good Hope, and was one
of the number to organize the bank in that place. He
is also a stockholder in the Fayette County Bank, of
Washington C. H.
Mr. Adams was married Oct. 8, 1891, to
Arminta Cline, the daughter of William and Naomi
(Glasgow) Cline. Mrs. Adams was born in Jasper
township, this county, both of her parents being natives of
this state also. Her father, who was a farmer, died in
1910, on April 10th, at the age of seventy-three, while her
mother died in 1907 at the age of sixty-eight. The
paternal grandparents of Mrs. Adams were George W.
and Catherine (Feaggins) Cline, early settlers in this
county, where they lived to a ripe old age. They were
the parents of five children: Edward, Mary, Philip,
Andrew J., and William S., the father of Mrs.
Adams. The maternal grandparents of Mrs. Adams
were Andrew J. Glasgow and wife, early settlers
in Clinton county, this state.
Politically, Mr. Adams is a Democrat, but has
never had any inclination to become an aspirant for public
office, preferring to devote his time and energies to his
individual interests. Fraternally, he is a member of
Temple Lodge No. 227, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and
also of Fayette Encampment No. 134. He and his wife
are members of the Imperial Rebekah Lodge No. 717. He
also holds his membership in the Knights of the Golden
Eagle, as well as the Ladies of the Golden Eagle. He
is also actively interested in the Junior Order of United
American Mechanics, of which he is a valued member.
Source: History of Fayette County, Ohio - Published
Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen & Co., 1914 - Page 386 |
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DAVID
ALLEN. A substantial and
progressive farmer of Jefferson township, Fayette county,
Ohio, is David Allen, who was born in this township
sixty-five years ago. He is strictly a self-made man,
and by his own hard labor has seen his possessions grow from
a paltry ten acres to an extensive farm of three hundred and
sixty acres. Not only has he gained material
prosperity for himself and family, but he has also been very
much interested in everything pertaining to the welfare of
his community. For twenty-five years he performed
unselfish service as a member of the school board of his
township, and in this capacity did everything he could for
the benefit of the children of his township. He and
his wife have reared a family of six children to lives of
usefulness and honor, all of whom are married and are
rearing families of their own. A greater thing than
this can no man do, and for this reason, if for no other,
David Allen should be classed among the representative
men of his township and county.
David Allen, the son of Ethan and Susan (Straley)
Allen, was born in 1849 in the township where he has
always lived. His father was a native of West
Virginia, a son of Adam and Nancy Allen. Ethan
Allen and wife reared a family of fifteen children,
Elizabeth, Nancy, Adam, Joseph, Charles, Eliza, Harvey,
David, James H., William, Orville, Arthur, Susan, Alice,
and who who died in infancy. Adam Allen was in
the War of 1812, and to him and his wife were born five
children, Aaron, Adam, William, Elijah and Ethan.
David Allen attended the schools of this home
neighborhood early in life began working for himself.
He married at an early age of twenty, and he and his young
wife took a horse, cow and one hog, rented a farm and
started in to make their fortune. They worked and
planned together and as they prospered they added to their
land holdings until they now own about three hundred and
sixty acres of fine land in Jefferson township. To the
original ten acres which they bought was first added
forty-three acres, then one hundred and twenty-seen, then
fifty-nine, then sixty-four, and finally, seventy-two.
As he has enlarged his land holdings he has improved his
farm until now he has probably one of the largest farms of
the township, and one of the most attractive as well.
Mr. Allen was married in 1869 to Isabel West,
the daughter of Edmond and Mary (Edge) West. Edmond
West came from Virginia and settled in Jefferson
township, where Mrs. Allen was born. Six
children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Allen, all of
whom are married: Edgar, Oscar, Clyde, Ernest, Lena
and Mary. Edgar married Bertha Coin
and has three children, Mabel, Donald and Marion;
Oscar married Mata Patch and has three children,
Annabelle, Harold and Florence; Clyde married
Jennie Janes; Ernest married Edith Baughn and
has two children, Lester and Pauline; Lena is
the wife of N. W. Lemon and has two daughters,
Ruth and Marjorie; Mary became the wife of
Chester Janes and has four children, Lucile, Carl,
Helen and Janice.
Fraternally, Mr. Allen is a member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, while he and his wife are
members of the Daughters of Rebekah. Politically, he
is a Republican, and while never taking an active part in
politics, he has always shown his hearty support of all
measures which he felt would benefit his community in any
way. He has always stood for clean living and high
thinking and is one of the substantial men of his township.
Source: History of Fayette County, Ohio - Published
Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen & Co., 1914 - Page 486 |
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EPHRAIM
L. ALLEN. The Allen Family
first came to Fayette county, Ohio, nearly a century ago,
and have been identified with the history of Jasper township
during all of these years. Ephraim L. Allen has
spent the half century of his life within the limits of this
township and consequently is well known by the residents of
his township. His life has always been conducted along
such lines as to merit the high esteem in which he is
universally held, and he is conceded by every one to be one
of the progressive and representative citizens of the
township.
Ephraim L. Allen, son of
Elijah and Mahala (Harper) Allen, was born Sept. 11,
1860, on the farm where he is now living. His father,
who was the son of Elijah and Sorilia (Hinkle)
Allen, was born in Jefferson township, near Lancaster,
this county, in 1827. Elijah Allen, Sr., came
from Pendleton county, Virginia, and was one of the early
pioneers of Fayette county, Ohio. Elijah Allen, Jr.,
and wife were the parents of twelve children, James, Mrs.
Adelia Sanderson, Mrs. Sevelia Wilt, Mrs. Christina E.
Street, Ephraim L., Emma, Ella, William S., Carrie and
Maywood P. Of these children,
Emma and Ella are dead.
The
education of Ephraim L. Allen was received in the
Milledgeville and Octa Schools, finishing at the latter.
He remained at home until he was twenty-two years of age,
and then be gain working out y the month. After his
marriage he rented land of his father and subsequently
purchased sixty-nine acres where he is now living. He
has always engaged in general farming, dividing his
attention between the raising of grains and live stock in
such a manner as to make his farm yield the best results.
He has a good country home, excellent barns, and
outbuildings and everything which the successful farmer
needs to farm to the best advantage.
Mr. Allen was married in 1893 to Francies
Servis, the daughter of Phillip and Martha (Harrison)
Servis. Phillip Servis was one of Charles
Servis, a native of New Jersey and an early settler in
Fayette county. Phillip Service and wife reared
a family of nine children, Phillip, Ollie, Mrs. Elizabeth
Lambert, Mrs. Martha Watts, James, Phoebe, Mrs. Frances
Allen, Jacob and Charles. Four of these
children are deceased, Philip, Ollie, James and
Phoebe. Mr. Allen and his wife have a
family of seven children, five of whom are living, Oscar,
Melvin, Grace, Edith and Harry. Grace
married Arthur Houser and has one daughter, Helen
Lucile. The second and the last children born to
Mr. and Mrs. Allen, Katie and Charles,
are both deceased.
Politically, Mr.
Allen is identified with the Republican party and has
always taken an active part in local politics. He has
served as road supervisor and school director, filling both
positions with credit to himself and satisfaction to the
citizens of the township. Mr. Allen is a whole-souled
man, interested in everything which might benefit the
general welfare of his community, and is a strong supporter
of all worthy moral, educational and civic enterprises.
Source: History of Fayette County, Ohio - Published
Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen & Co., 1914 - Page 654 |
Frank M. Allen |
FRANK M. ALLEN.
The success of any man is not the measure of material wealth
that he may be able through his genius to accumulate, but by
the actual good he may perform for himself and for others.
It has been wisely stated that "he who causes two blades of
grace to grow where one grew before is a benefactor to
mankind." The man is loyal to his family, to his
community and to his country always makes a model citizen.
Some men are gifted in one way and others in another, but
the man who can adapt himself to his environments and do
well his part in life's conflict, best serves the purpose
for which he was created. Such a man is Frank M.
Allen, supervising editor of the historical portion of
this volume. Hence the following notice concerning
Mr. Allen, the present county superintendent of schools
in Fayette county, whose career as a teacher, a soldier, a
county official and most exemplary American citizen, will be
briefly referred to.
Frank M. Allen was born June 30, 1846, in
Jefferson township, Fayette county, Ohio, the son of
Armstrong and Jane (McHenry) Allen, natives of Ohio and
Kentucky, respectively. Armstrong Allen was
born in Madison county, Ohio, Dec. 25, 1808, and was reared
to manhood in his native county. His wife, Jane
McHenry, was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 1809,
the daughter of John McHenry, a native of Scotland,
who came to this country in young manhood and became the
American ancestor of this McHenry family.
John and Mary McHenry were the parents of five children,
Elizabeth, Isaac, Green, John and Jane.
The last named because the wife of Armstrong Allen.
Her brothers, Green and John, were
soldiers in the War of 1812.
Armstrong and Jane (McHenry) Allen were blessed
with children as follows: Elizabeth, Rachel, John
C., Mary, William, David, Isaac and Frank M.
John C. Allen, of this family, was captain of Company K,
Forty-fourth
Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, during the Civil War.
In this same regiment also loyally served three other sons
of Armstrong Allen and wife, viz: William,
Isaac and David, while the youngest child,
Frank M. Allen, who was too young to enlist at
the beginning of the war, managed to enter the army in
February, 1864, and served as an efficient soldier until his
final muster out on Aug. 6, 1865, having participated, under
Gen. Phil Sheridan, in Virginia during the last year
of that memorable conflict. Thus it will be seen that
all of Armstrong Allen's five sons were soldiers from
their native state - a splendid record of loyalty indeed.
The father, Armstrong Allen, died Feb. 19, 1847, when
Frank M. was less than one year of age. The
good mother survived until Aug. 12, 1895.
Frank M. Allen attended the common schools of
Jefferson township, then went to the graded schools of
Jeffersonville, after which he entered the Normal University
at Lebanon, Ohio, from which he subsequently graduated.
He then began teaching in the district schools of Fayette
county, continuing many yeas with marked success. He
was promoted as an instructor to the principalship of the
Bloomingburg schools. In 1879 he was elected principal
of the high school at Washington C. H. The last named
position he left for the purpose of taking the
superintendency of the city schools of Muncie, Indiana,
where he gave universal satisfaction, and resigned to accept
a more lucrative position as superintendent of the North
Denver schools, in Colorado. His latest school
teaching was at Jefferson, Ohio, where he taught a few years
before being elected clerk of Fayette county.
Rich with the experience of years in the school rooms
of this and other states, it is no wonder that he was
elected, under the new school law of Ohio, in July, 1914, as
county superintendent of schools. In this he is
proving the same methodical, painstaking educator that has
characterized him so long as an instructor.
Politically, Mr. Allen has long been identified
with the Republican party and, because of his ability, he
has been honored on numerous occasions and was elected to
the office of county clerk, beginning in 1887 and serving
faithfully and well for three terms. He has also
served as a member of the Washington C. H. school board and
as county examiner. For many years he was on the
county board of equalization, and was appointed by
Governor Cox as a trustee of the Ohio Soldiers and
Sailors' Orphans' Home at Xenia, which position he still
holds. He is also a member of the board of examiners
of the state, being appointed by the supreme court. In
this role he serves as chairman of the committee on general
learning. He has served as commander of Hays Post,
Grand Army of the Republic, at Washington C. H. and is much
interested in this post. He has served as senior
vice-commander of the state. He is a member of the
Free and Accepted Masons, having joined this fraternity in
1876, at Bloomingburg, Ohio. He is also identified
with the Knights of Pythias order at Washington C. H.
He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, as are the
members of his household.
Unlike the man who has had fortunes showed upon him
from his youth, what he possesses in way of prosperity has
come by the industry and toil so well known to every citizen
of Fayette county. Among his holdings may be mentioned
his two-hundred acre farm on Mallow pike, three and a half
miles to the west of Washington C. H. To this he gives
personal supervision, and delights in seeing it produce its
annual crops and also in making improvements from year to
year as needed. The family home in Washington C. H. is
situated on East Temple street, where genial hospitality is
duly appreciated by a legion of friends.
Of Mr. Allen's domestic life it ay be stated
that he married Sarah, daughter of Harvey and Mary
(Brooks) Sanderson, on Jun. 18, 1868. Mrs.
Allen was born near Milledgeville, Ohio, in Jasper
township, this county. Her father was born in the same
township, a son of Harvey and Ruth (Figgins) Sanderson.
Harvey Sanderson, Jr., one of four in his parents'
family, was a prosperous farmer in Jefferson township; was a
zealous church worker; was active in political work and one
of the best known citizens here in his day and generation.
Mr. and Mrs. Frank M. are the parents of three
children, Aurelius (Rell G.), Claude and Ralph.
Aurelius Allen, the eldest son, graduated from the
high school at Washington C. H., after which he entered the
Cincinnati Law School, from which he graduated in 1896.
He has been in active practice at the county seat for a
number of years. He served as deputy clerk in the
Fayette county court; was mayor of the city three terms and
is now probate judge of Fayette county. He is ranking
major in the Ohio National Guard.
Claude, the second child of Mr. and Mrs.
Allen, graduated from the local high school, and entered
the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, from which she
graduated. She is now the wife of Guy B. Saxton
and their daughter, Jane Saxton, is attending the
Ohio Wesleyan College, at Delaware, Ohio.
Ralph, the third and youngest of the family of
Frank M. Allen and wife, is deceased.
Source: History of Fayette County, Ohio - Published
Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen & Co., 1914 - Page 656 |
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GEORGE
ALLEN. The late George Allen,
the son of William and Sarah (Hidy) Allen, was one of
eight children born to his parents, the others being
Irvin, Samuel, Adam, William, Aaron, Joel and
Elizabeth.
George Allen was reared to manhood in his home
county and received a good common school education. He
remained with his parents until his marriage and then
located in Jefferson township, in Fayette county. He
bought a small farm and gradually added to it until at the
time of his death he owned two hundred and fifty acres of
land on the Jamestown pike about two miles from
Jeffersonville. He was a progressive farmer and took
an active interest in the welfare of his community. In
addition to farming he operated a tile mill for about ten
years in his township. He served in the Civil War as a
member of Company G, One Hundred and Sixty-eighth Regiment
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and upon the organization of the
Grand Army of the Republic became a member of the post of
Washington C. H.
Mr. Allen was married Dec. 1, 1868, to Mary
S. Williams, the daughter of Jesse and Margaret
(Bodkin) Williams. Her father was born in Harrison
county, West Virginia, and when a young man came to Ohio and
located in Fayette county. Seven children were born to
Jesse Williams and wife, Jeremiah, Henry M., Mary
S., Thomas, John, Esther and Fannie. Jesse
Williams was the son of Thomas and Esther (Young)
Williams, natives and life-long residents of West
Virginia. Thomas Williams and wife reared a
family of five children, Elizabeth, Prudence, John, Eli
and Jesse.
Mr. Allen and wife reared a family of seven
children, Lily, Adah, Ford, Raymond G., Roy, Clarence O.
and Della. Lily is a wife of Adam Jacks
and has three children, Luella, Claude and Marie.
Adah is the wife of Arthur Hidy and has three
children, Florence, Francis and Earl. Ford
H. married Jennie Edge. Raymond G.
married Belle Perslinger and has two children,
Mildred and George. Roy married Edith
Connor, and Della became the wife of James
Rea.
Source: History of Fayette County, Ohio - Published
Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen & Co., 1914 - Page 726 |
Mr. and Mrs.
Joel A. Allen |
JOEL A. ALLEN.
One of the pioneer farmers of this county is Joel A.
Allen, whose career of seventy-five years has all been
spent within the limits of Fayette county. He is now
living in retirement after a strenuous life of activity
which covered considerably more than half a century.
His well directed efforts in the practical affairs of life,
his capable management of his interests and his sound
judgment have brought to him a very satisfactory competence
for his declining years. He served with distinction
during the dark days of the Civil War and was probably at
the front longer than any man who enlisted from Fayette
county. Too much honor can not be accorded the men who
faced every danger and death itself upon the battlefields of
the Civil War and bore suffering and made sacrifices for
their country's sake.
John A. Allen, the son of Adam and Rosanna (Hidy)
Allen, was born Aug. 7, 1839, in the township where he
has lived most of is life, having spent nineteen years in
Greene and Clinton counties, Ohio. His father was also
born in this same township and was a prominent farmer and
land owner. Adam Allen lived all of his life in
this county with the exception of a few years when he lived
in Madison and Clinton counties, this state. His
declining years were spent with his son, Joel.
Thirteen children were born to Adam and Rosanna (Hidy)
Allen: Mrs. Sarah J. Bryant, John, Mrs. Catherine
Morris, Joel A.., William, George, deceased,
Elijah, Samuel, Etta, Mrs. Rossetta, deceased,
Lucy Straley, Adam and one who died in infancy. Of
these children the following are now deceased: Sarah J.,
Catherine, William, Etta and George.
Joel A. Allen was reared under the primitive
pioneer conditions which prevailed during his boyhood days
and attended the rude log school house with its
greased-paper windows and slab seats, and there learned the
rudiments of reading, writing and arithmetic. At the
opening of the Civil War he enlisted in Company K,
Forty-fourth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and
served for more than four years. The company was under
the command of Colonel S. A. Gilbert and Colonel
Moore and participated in engagements in West Virginia,
Kentucky and Tennessee. Mr. Allen had the honor
of having served for a longer time in the Civil War than any
other man from his county. After the close of the war
Mr. Allen returned to Jeffersonville, Ohio, and
worked on a farm in the immediate neighborhood. After
his married he began renting land in Greene county,
this state, and later located in Clinton county for a short
time. He then returned to Fayette county and bought
fifty acres of excellent land adjoining the village of
Jeffersonville, where he is now living. He also is the
owner of several town lots of Jeffersonville.
Mr. Allen was married to Mary C. Janes,
the daughter of William and Mary (Mock) Janes, early
pioneers of the county, and to this union have been born two
children, Isophine and Ralph. Mr. and
Mrs. Allen have also reared a boy, Howard Haynes,
who is the son of George and Lucy (Horney) Haynes,
who are both deceased, the father being buried in Chicago,
Illinois, and the mother in Hidy cemetery, at
Jeffersonville, Ohio.
Politically, Mr. Allen is a Republican and has
always been actively interested in political matters.
He has held various township offices, among them being that
of township trustee and school director. Mr. Allen
and his family are all loyal and consistent members of the
Friends church, of Clinton county, and take an active
interest in all the work of that denomination.
Source: History of Fayette County, Ohio - Published
Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen & Co., 1914 - Page 576 |
|
RALPH
ALLEN. One of the younger
farmers of Fayette county who is making a name for himself
as a successful tiller of the soil is Ralph Allen of
Concord township. Starting out as a renter eleven
years ago, he now rents his father's farm of two hundred and
fourteen acres. He has already gained a comfortable
position in life, which is proof that it is possible for the
average man to do likewise. The chief difficulty with
most men is the lack of definite plans or the lack of energy
to carry out their plans after they are once made.
Ralph Allen, the son of James H. and Ellen
(Rankin) Allen, was born May 7, 1881, in Milledgeville,
Ohio. His father was born in West Lancaster, Ohio, the
son of Ethan, native of Vermont, and a soldier of the
War of 1812. J. H. Allen and wife were the
parents of four children: Glenn, who married Emma
Wilson; Ralph, with whom this narrative deals; Flora,
single; Mabel, who married Arthur McCoy.
Ralph Allen attended the schools at Octa, Wabash
and Buckeye in Fayette county and received a good common
school education. This has been supplemented with wide
reading since he left the school room, so that he is now
well informed on all the main questions before the American
people today. He began farming for himself
immediately after his marriage and takes a commendable pride
in keeping everything about the farm in good repair and has
thus gained the reputation of being a careful and
conscientious farmer. He raises all of the crops
usually grown in this section of the state and gives a due
share of his attention to the breeding of live stock.
Mr. Allen was married on New Year's day, 1903,
to Mary Myrtle Stafford, the daughter of Charles
and Mary (Jhnson) Stafford. To this union has been
born one son, Charles and Mary (Johnson) Stafford.
To this union has been born one son, Charles H., Nov.
13, 1904. Fraternally, Mr. Allen is a member of
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the encampment as
well. He is a genial, affable and pleasant man to meet
and is well deserving of the high esteem in which he is
universally held by his friends and acquaintances.
Source: History of Fayette County, Ohio - Published
Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen & Co., 1914 - Page 650 |
|
WILLIAM
WAGNER ALLEN. The Allen
family have been a noted one for many generations.
It is not definitely known who was the founder of the
family, but some members of the family who have investigated
the genealogy of the
Allens believe that it was Alan, Earl of
Brittany, who came to England with William the
Conqueror, in 1066. The name itself has undergone many
variations in spelling although it is now limited to three
or four forms, Allen, Allan, Alan and
Alleyne. The French spell it Allain, the
Scotch use the form Alan or Allan, while the
commonest form in England and America is Allen.
It is not possible to follow the various families of
Allens in America in this brief sketch, but it is
interesting to note that Ethan Allen, of
Revolutionary fame, was one of the most illustrious to bear
the name.
The first Allen to locate in Fayette county was
Adam Allen, who was born in 1754. He was one of
the earliest settlers in this county and died here in 1851
at the advanced age of ninety-seven, his wife, Nancy,
passing away in 1854. How many children were born to
Adam and Nancy, passing away in 1854. How many
children were born to Adam and Nancy Allen is not
known, but one son, Adam, became the father of
William Wagner Allen, with whom this narrative deals.
Adam Allen, Jr., married Rosannah Hidy, a
daughter of one of the earliest pioneers of Fayette county.
It seems that Adam Allen, Jr., was born in this
county in the year 1812, but it may have been earlier.
William Wagner Allen, the late pioneer of this
county, was the son of Adam and Rosannah (Hidy) Allen.
He was born in Jefferson township, Fayette county, Ohio,
August 19, 1842, and died at his home in Milledgeville,
Ohio, Mar. 24, 1895. He received the limited education
which the country schools of his day afforded and remained
at home until the opening of the Civil War. He then
was so anxious to serve his country that he ran away from
home to enlist. He enlisted Sept. 6, 1861, in Company
K,
Forty-fourth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was
mustered in as a corporal. Previous to this enlistment
he has served three months as a member of the Twenty-fifth
Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. His time in the
Forty-fourth Regiment was up in January, 1864, and as soon
as he was mustered out of this regiment he re-enlisted in
the Eighth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, serving in the
cavalry service for a year and three months after the close
of the war. While in the cavalry he was captured near
Huttonsville, Virginia, and placed in Libby prison at
Richmond, Virginia. He remained there about two months
and while being transferred to Andersonville prison made his
escape. He wandered about in the mountains of eastern
Tennessee for forty-one days before coming in touch with the
Union forces at Knoxville. His record as a soldier was
a brilliant one and he was signally honored by having the
Grand army post at Milledgeville named in his honor.
At the close of his service in the army he returned to
his home in Fayette county. Shortly afterwards he went
into the livery business at Cedarville, Ohio, and lived
there for several years. He traveled for a few years,
after which he settled on his farm in Jasper township.
Later he moved with his family to the county seat and
engaged in the contracting business, building many of the
best roads in the county. His last years were spent in
Milledgeville, near which was located his fine farm of one
hundred and twenty-five acres.
Mr. Allen was married Jan. 3, 1878, to Rachel
Anna Rankin, the daughter of Smith and Parthenia
(Wood) Rankin. His widow is still living. To
Mr. and Mrs. Allen were born four children, Forest
May, Fred Herman, Mary Elizabeth and Harry Rankin.
Forest May received a good education in the common and
high schools and then entered a school of dramatic art at
Cincinnati, Ohio, from which she later graduated. She
is now living with her mother in Milledgeville.
Fred H. married Jennie Hunt, deceased, and has
one daughter, Jane. Mary E. became the
wife of Fred Jones and has three children, Marian,
Ellen and Susan. Harry R. married Eva
Carr and has one daughter, Martha.
Mr. Allen was always interested in political
matters and as a Republican was one of the leaders of his
party in this county. He served as supervisor of
Jasper township and for many years was on the school board
of his township. He was a public spirited man and
interested in all measures pertaining to the general welfare
of his community. Fraternally, he was a member of the
Free and Accepted Masons and had attained to the commandery
degrees. Personally, he was a man of essentially
domestic tastes and was never happier than when surrounded
by his family. No place on earth had for him so much
fascination or afforded him more comfort than his own family
and home circle. He was a true and loyal citizen and
upright in all of his business relations. Benevolent
in spirit, seeking to aid the needy in whatever way he
could, he was a man universally beloved by everyone who knew
him.
Source: History of Fayette County, Ohio - Published
Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen & Co., 1914 - Page 622 |
|
JOHN WESLEY ANDERSON
Source: History of Fayette County, Ohio
- Published Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen & Co., 1914 -
Page 412 |
|
ROBERT G. ANDREWS
Source: History of Fayette County, Ohio
- Published Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen & Co., 1914 -
Page 459 |
|
JOSEPH M. ARNOTT
Source: History of Fayette County, Ohio
- Published Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen & Co., 1914 -
Page 747 |
NOTES:
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