THIS township was the last one organized in Hancock County, being erected in June, 1850, from territory previously embraced in Cass and Portage Townships, taking twelve sections from each.  It was named in honor of Gen. Ethan Allen, of revolutionary fame, and contains an area of twenty-four square miles, or 15,360 acres.  The official census of 1850 gave Allen a population of 869; 1860, 1,009; 1870, 969, and 1880, 1,025.  The west half of the township lies in Township 2 north, Range 10, and the east half in Range 11.  Allen is bounded on the north by wood County, on the east by Cass Township, on the south by Findlay Township, and on the west by Portage Township.

     When the first settlers built their cabins in this portion of the county, the original forest was unbroken by a single clearing, unless the almost impenetrable tract called "Wildcat Thicket" could be so named.  This was a strip of fallen timber extending across the township from west to east, and covered with a dense undergrowth, where wild animals of every sort took refuge.  The forest had evidently been blown down by a hurricane from the west long prior to the coming of the whites, and bushes and vines of every sort covered the decaying timber like a perfect network of defense.
     The Middle Branch of Portage River flows in from Cass, and winds across the northwest portion of Allen Township; while the east fork of Ten Mile Creek drains the southwest corner westward into Portage.  The southeast corner of the township is drained by a small branch of the Blanchard.  Along the Middle Branch the surface is somewhat broken, and back from that stream may be termed elevated and rolling.  The "Wildcat Thicket" was originally low and wet, but the removal of the fallen trees and judicious drainage has reclaimed the greater part of this tract.  A sand and gravel belt, known as Sugar Ridge, crosses the north half of the township in a southwest direction, Van Buren being on the summit of the ridge.  South of this ridge the soil is generally a mixture of sand and clay, while north of it a black, sandy loam prevails.

     Pioneers. -
     NATHAN FRAKES was the first settler in this township.  In 1827 he purchased of John Gardner the wet half of the northeast quarter of Section 13, Township 2 north, Range 10 (entered by the latter in 1826), upon which he at once erected a small log-cabin.  Frakes settled in Madison County, Ohio, prior to the organization of that county in 1810.  He was there known as one of the "fighting men" of the county, and his name

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     ISAAC MILLER was the second pioneer of what is now Allen Township, coming in the fall of 1828.  In December, 1828, he purchased the west half of the northeast quarter of Section 13, of Nathan Frakes, who had bought it of John Gardner.  Miller died here early in 1830, and his family soon removed from the county.

     ELIAS L. BRYAN

     The sons of JOHN TROUT claim that he came to Hancock Counth in the summer of 1828, selected land and built a double-log cabin on the site of

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Van Buren, and then returned to Perry County for his family, whom he brought out in December, 1828.  The book of entries shows that John Trout entered the east half of the northeast quarter of Section 13, Town 2 north, Range 10, Sept. 1, 1829, and the west half of the southwest quarter of Section 7, Town 2 north, Range 11, June 2, 1830.  It is therefore opined that Mr. Trout did not settle on the site of Van Buren until December, 1829, as his first entry in this county was not made till September of that year.  He was a native of Pennsylvania, whence he removed to Perry County, Ohio, where he married Miss Eleanor Skinner.  Leaving Somerset November 12th, the family did not reach the little settlement on the Middle Branch of Portage River till Dec. 14, 1829, and on the following day Mr. Trout took possession of his cabin. The trip was long and arduous, and well calculated to discourage the stoutest heart.  Fording swamp, stream and river, and being compelled at times to cut their way through forest and thicket, the sturdy parents with their five children, Eliza, Ephraim, John S., George W. and Philip, trudged many a weary mile ere reaching their destination.  Eliza afterward married Elisha Beeson, which was the first marriage in the settlement; while the first death was that of Cornelius, her youngest brother.  Mr. Trout served in the war of 1812, and in early life followed the potter's trade.  In 1833 he and George Ensminger laid out the village of Van Buren upon their land.  Both he and his wife died in this township, and of their children but two survive: Ephraim, the oldest living pioneer of Allen, and John S., a resident of Liberty Township.

     JOHN BURMAN

     CHRISTIAN AND REBECCA (SKINNER) BARND

     The year 1832 brought in quite a large number of settlers, among whom we find John Barnd, George Ensminger, Michael Ensminger, Charles Baker, Hugh Gilchrist and Peter Hockenberry.  Mr. Barnd was born in Somerset County, Penn., Dec. 30, 1808, removed to Perry County, Ohio, with his parents, there grew to manhood and married Miss Sarah Garlinger, and in 1832 came to this township.  He located on the east half of the southeast quarter of Section 13, where he has ever since resided.  Mr. Barnd was the first justice elected for Allen Township, and served continuously in that office from 1850 to 1880.  He reared a family of eleven children, ten of whom are living.  His wife died Mar. 29, 1884, after a happy married life of more than half a century.  Squire Barnd is one of the few living pioneers to whom the writer is indebted for much important information relating to early events in this portion of the State.

     GEORGE ENSMINGER

     In 1833 Isaac Weisel, David Dorsey, Peter Heller and Henry Rader located in the township.  The first two mentioned were brothers-in-law, Mr. Weisel having married Jane Dorsey, and both were natives of Pennsylvania.  Weisel settled on the southeast quarter of Section 2, where both he and his wife died in 1878 or 1879.  They were the parents of ten children, six of whom survive.  David and Rosanna Dorsey came from Bedford County, Penn., in October, 1833, and located near the site of Van Buren in Section 18 in what was then Cass Township.  Here Allen, now a resident of the township, was born in February, 1834, being one of the first births in the settlement.  In 1835 David was elected justice of Cass Township, and re-elected to the same position.  He reared a family of seven children, four of whom survive, Allen and Cordelia being residents of the township, where both the father and mother died.  Peter Heller, of Wayne County, Ohio, settled on the southeast quarter of Section 25, in 1833, and the same year was elected justice of Portage Township, and re-elected in 1836.  He finally sold his farm, and removed to Indiana.  Henry Rader, a native of Virginia, settled in 1833 on Section 13, where his son, Adam, now lives.  Both he and his wife died in this township.

     DANIEL WARNER, JOHN GILCHRIST, CHRISTOHER ERNSPERGER, WILLIAM DOR-

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SEY and ISAAC WOLF are believed to have settled here in 1833-34.  The first mentioned.......

MORE TO COME

     JOHN MOORHEAD

     First Electors. - At the organization of Cass and Portage Townships in April, 1833, each embraced half of what is now Allen Township, and Squire John Barnd says that the following list includes all of the voters then living inside of the boundaries of the latter subdivision; Elias L. Bryan, John Trout, John Burman, John Barnd, Hugh Gilchrist, Charles Baker, Peter Hockenberry, George Ensminger, Michael Ensminger, James Wiley and James Howard.  The last two mentioned never settled in the township, but were staying here temporarily at that time, and were allowed to vote.

     Justices. - John Barnd (from 1850 to 1880), W. L. Heller, J. W. McCaughey, Philip Burman, Robert Thornburg, G. W. Barnd, John H. Spitler and Thomas Briggs.  The last two mentioned are the present incumbents of the office.

     Early Schools. - The first schoolhouse in this township was a small log structure built in 1836, on the section line immediately west of the present building on the farm of Peter Whetstone.  It stood in the center of the road now occupying the section line between 13 and 14, and was built of round logs, covered with a clapboard roof, had greased paper windows and a huge fireplace in one end.  The Bryans, Trouts, Burmans, Ensmingers,

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Brands, Gilchrists, Warners and Raders attended school, which was the only one in the settlement for several years, excepting one on the farm of James Moorhead, which was also opened at an early day.  The pupils of James Moorhead. which was also opened at an early day.  The pupils attending the latter, however, were principally from what is now Portage Township, and the pioneers of Allen scarcely remember it.  With the growth of population more schoolhouses became a necessity, and from time to time districts were organized and schools opened.  There are now nine good school buildings in Allen, that in Van Buren having two rooms.

     Churches. -

     Villages -

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GEO. W. POWELL

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     Van Buren  MORE TO COME.

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and general debility.  The town, however, can boast of four churches and a good two-storied brick schoolhouse of two rooms.

     Silverwood, better known as Stuartville, was laid out in March, 1883, by Addison J. Silverwood, Nancy A. Silverwood and Anthony Huntington.  It lies in Sections 24 and 25, Range 10, and Section 19, Range 11, on both sides of the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad.  The Toledo, Columbus & Southern Railroad passes north and south a short distance east of the village, which has therefore good railroad facilities.  Two small stores, a blacksmith shop, a saloon and a grain elevator make up the business interests of Stuartville.  In May, 1883, a postoffice named Mortimer was established here, with James Huntington as postmaster.  He was succeeded in 1885 by Mrs. A. V. Myers, the present incumbent.