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Fayette County, Ohio
History & Genealogy

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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
 
A B C D E F G H IJ K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W XYZ  


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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
  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
  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 PhoebeMr. 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
  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 EdgeRaymond 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 RalphMr. 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, JaneMary 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

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