William I. Allen, William I. Allen, one of the prominent men of Vermilion County, in the latter half of the nineteenth century, came from Ohio in 1844, and entered land in what is now the northwestern part of Hoopeston. It, at that time, however, was a tract of uncultivated land over which deers, wolves, prairie chickens and other wild creatures, had up to this time wandered undisturbed by man. There was not a tree or brush in sight, and the pioneer after building his cabin, frequently stood in his doorway and counted nunlbers of deer, sometimes as high as sixty in a herd. Mr. Allen was not married when he came here, but in 1848 he became the husband of Miss Emily Newell, tlle daughter of William Newell. He broke his land and improved his farm, working during the summer months and teaching schooI in the winter. Mr. Allen was a man of fine classical education. When he graduated from his eastern college he wrote a letter home in Latin, which the family yet have in their possession. Finally Mr. Allen sold out his land to Mr. Hoopes and himself settled six miles west, where East Lynn now stands. By entry and purchase he acquired 3,200 acres of land which was mostly devoted to grazing. He built three houses and made other improvements remaining there until after the breaking out of the Civil war. He enlisted in the 12th Illinois Infantry, which regiment was first ordered to Cairo and then to Paducah, Kentucky. After a little he was promoted to be the captain of his company, but became disabled for service and was returned home. He went back to his farm but in a few months bought 500 acres in the vicinity of Rossville. A few years after he sold out again and returned to the northern part of East Lynn. This town was located on a part of the old farm when the railroad came through later. In 1884 Mr. Allen moved to Cherry County, Nebraska, but he lived here only four years, when he returned to Hoopeston, where he spent the remainder of his days. Mr. Allen was the father of six children. One of them, Mr. Chas. Allen, has been a prominent citizen of Vermilion County, where he was born in 1851. Mr. Charles Allen has represented Vermilion County in the state legislature for many terms and been a conspicuous member of each session. His home has always been in Hoopeston. Mrs: William I. Allen was the daughter of James Newel1 and was born in Kentucky, in 1824, coming to Vermilion County with her parents when she was but a small child. Her father was a prominent early settler, the township of Newel1 being named for him. The father of William Allen did not come to Illinois tot settle but remained in Indiana as long as he lived. Lawrence Allen, the grandson of Mr. William Allen and son of Hon. Charles Allen, is at present county judge of Vermilion County. He is a practicing attorney located in Danville. Mr. Charles Allen married Miss Mary Thonlpson, the daughter of L. hf. Thompson. They are the parents of two sons, John N. and Lawrence. . William Allen bears the distinction of being the first settler of the northern part of the county. History of Vermilion Co. 1879 pages 177 and 178 Submitted by: Prudy Paulius
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 22:59:27 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015