Patterson Allan

Patterson was one of three recognized sons of John Allan, who was the foster father of Edgar Allan Poe. (It is believed that John also had at least one illegitimate child).

From the website, "Students of the University of Virginia, 1825-1874":

"[Patterson] was educated in Richmond schools prior to his attendance at the University of Virginia in sessions 29-30 (1852-1854). Patterson Allan followed in the footsteps of his brothers in his choice of studies. Though the S. Bassett French Biographical Sketches (located in the Archives of the Library of Virginia) states that Patterson served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, I have not been able to confirm that through any other sources. Patterson married Mary Caroline Wilson (b. ca. 1831-d. between 1900 and 1910) of Cincinnati, OH, and the couple had four children, Genevieve Allan, John W. Allan (who died at the age of 13), and two others who died young.

"The Allans were involved in one of the Civil War's interesting episodes of espionage. During the war, Mary Caroline Allan had continued her correspondence with her family and friends in Cincinnati, Ohio, and in a letter sent during June 1863, she had enclosed another letter which was to be passed on to the Rev. Morgan Dix, son of Union General John A. Dix. This packet was intercepted by the Confederates, and on 18 July 1863, Mary Caroline Allan was arrested at the order of Confederate General John H. Winder for "treasonable correspondence with the enemy" and tried for high treason in the case of The Confederate States v. Mrs. Allan.

"Mrs. Allan was accused of sending 'a letter of advice and intelligence to the enemies' of the Confederacy. She never went to prison, but was released on her own recognizance due to the fact that her husband put up a $100,000 bond – an incredible sum in those days. The case was drawn out for two years. In February 1865, the primary accuser, General Winder, died, and by April 1865, after the surrender at Appomattox, the case was moot. Mrs. Allan was released by the legal system in 1865, and in the 1870 census, she and her two children were living with the Wilson family in Cincinnati."

(See: http://uvastudents.wordpress.com/2011/09/10/allan-family-richmond-va/ )

• Updated from Find A Grave Memorial via father John Allan by SmartCopy: Sep 5 2015, 19:13:31 UTC