Edward Thomas Allen

Edward Allen was born in or near Dublin, Wayne Co., Indiana, first child of James and Lucinda (Beauchamp) Allen. Since Lucinda was born in July 1819, she must have been just under 16 when Edward was born. His father James had several brothers and sisters living in this area. His mother Lucinda had many relatives there too. In 1835, family members began moving to Grant Co., Indiana, some 80 miles north. In "Abstracts of Records of Society of Freiends in Indiana, Part 3" by Willard Heiss, Mississinewa - Marion MM, we find the following record: ALLEN 1-22-1838, Edward rec. (Received) by req. of father James. Then in the 1840 census of Grant Co., in the family of James Allen, there are two sons, one under 5, which would be brother Miles and one 5 - 10, Edward. Sister Lydia, born 1837, was in the under 5 age group and the mother, Lucinda, 20 - 30. The father, James, was dismissed from the Quaker group for non-attendance in 1847. The youngest brother Ziba was born in Porter Co., Indiana in 1848. So between those two dates, the family moved to the northwest part of the state, between 120 - 130 miles.

 In March, 1850 Edward's mother Lucinda, died leaving five children ages 1 - 14.  Brother Clarkson, born 1845, is not listed with the family in the 1850 census, so we have to assume that he had died by then, reportedly from the kick of a horse.  The five listed with James, age 36, are Edward, 15; Lydia, 13; Miles, 10; Silas, 8; and Ziba, 1.

 Edward's whereabouts between 1850 and 1856 is unknown.  He went back to Wayne Co. and married Caroly Elizabeth Thomas, 22 Mar, 1856, near where he was born over 20 years earlier.  The marriage took place in Newport, now Fountain City, Indiana.  In the Newport MM Quaker records, Carolyn Allen asked that her name be erased, May 19, 1856.  No reason is given.  They evidently were planning to move to Minnesota and probably didn't know if there would be Quaker s there to join.  Their oldest child, Charles Sumner, was born in Osseo, MN, 16 June, 1857.  Osseo is near Minneapolis.  As Minnesota became a state in 1858, this must have been raw wilderness country.  It is estimated that fewer than 5,000 persons lived in Minnesota Territory when the first Scandinavians started to settle there after 1851.  The lumber industry was the attraction and Edward worked in or owned a sawmill in those early days.  The five oldest children were born in the Minneapolis area, Charles 1857; James Robert, 1860; Lydia Carrie, 1861; Almedia, 1863; and Lucinda Beauchamp, 1865.  The next child was born in 1867, at Elk River, between Minneapolis and St Cloud, near where they moved next.  The three youngest children were born in Benton Co., MN.  Emma Louise in 1869, Edward Thomas in 1872, and Esther Nancy in 1876; nine children in all.  It is believed that Edward had a sawmill near Maywood then.

 I never looked for a record of Edward in the census of 1860, but he must have been in Hennepin Co. with wife Carrie and son Charles Sumner.  Possibly James Robert would be listed too as he was born June 1860, the time the census is supposed to be taken.  I do have their listing in the 1870 census, Benton, Co., Glendorado Twp., pages 204, 205.

 Allen, Ed, 35, farmer, born Indiana

   Carrie, 35, keeps house, born Ohio

     Children:  Charles S., 12; James, 10; Lydia, 7; Andro, 5; Mary I., 1; and Emma 6/12; all born in Minnesota.

 Edward's youngest brother, William Ziba Allen, is enumerated with the family, age 21, farm laborer, born Indiana.  Their father James had come to Minnesota in 1864, and surely Ziba came then too.

 I had hoped to have the story of Edward Allen's life written by one of his descendants, but couldn't manage that.  Therefore, I'm putting together what information I have from my research and from letters written to me by some of his descendants.  He was a mail carrier for 20 years.  I have alwaysassumed that he was the Edward Allen, Justice of the Peace, who signed some of the papers in brother Silas Allen's application for a Civil War Pension in 1888 and 1889, from Maywood, MN.

 I have no other knowledge of his life between 1876, when his youngest child Esther was born, and his death, 18 September, 1902.  He and Carrie made their home with daughter Lucinda Beauchamp Allen Latterell and her husband, Charles Henry Latterell near Foley, MN.  In a letter from Naomi Latterell Jurek (daughter of Charles and Lu) she tells that she was about a year old at the time of Edward's death.  She was told that she would go to his bedside and hold his hand to comfort him.  She also told about the children playing with his wooden leg.  He had lost a leg in an accident in which he fell into a well and suffered a broken leg which was amputated.  It must have been when he was young, because it was said that doctors at that time didn't know much about setting a broken bone.  He died 13 September 1902, and Carrie died 18 June 1918.  Both are buried in St Patrick's Cemetery, Foley, MN.

 If my readers feel as I do that our lack of knowledge about the life of Edward Allen is tragic, let us all endeavor to write down our life story and what we know of our parents and grandparents so that some of our descendants in later years might have their questions answered.

As written by Margaret E Goddard in 1985 and posted by Virginia (Gini) Labbe / McClure (Anderson) He is my 2nd great grandfather