John Hawkins Allen

  General Notes:

Research of James W. Straw

Clay County Arkansas Biographies [Goodspeed's Biographies] on Clay County Message board of www.rootsweb.com [26 Sept 1998]
J. H. Allen, stockman and farmer of Clay County, Ark., was born in North Carolina in July, 1828, being the eighth of nine children born to Isaac and Sarah (Hawkins) Allen, who were born in North Carolina and Virginia, respectively, the latter being a daughter of a Revolutionary patriot. Both parents died on their home farm in North Carolina. J. H. Allen attended the public schools for some time and remained at home until twenty-four years of age, being engaged in overseeing the farm until the breaking out of the Rebellion, when he gave up this work and began operating a grist mill. In November, 1866, he came to what is now Clay County (then Randolph County), and settled twenty-five miles from Pocahontas, in which locality he rented land for some time. He then purchased 380 acres of wild land two miles west of Knobel, on which he immediately began to make improvements. At the present time he has 150 acres under cultivation, well improved with good buildings, orchard, fences, etc. He has added 120 acres to his original purchase, on which he raises a large number of horses, cattle and hogs each year. He has devoted most of his cultivated land to corn and stock for his cattle and horses, but this year (1889) has put in about fifty acres of cotton. He has always been quite active in politics, and has held the office of justice of the peace for ten years, and has been school director a number of years. In 1853 he married Miss Margaret Wagner, who was born in North Carolina, and by her had five children: William, John, Isaac, Henry, and Albert, all of whom are dead. In 1871 he married Miss Nancy Demaree, a native of Illinois, and to them were born three children: Amanda, Jesse and David, all now living at home.

1860 Davie County, NC
J. H. Allen age 31 1829 NC
Margaret age 26 1834 NC
Wm P. age 6 1854
John S. age 3 1857
Isaac age 2 1858
Eliz age 1 1859

1880 Cache, Clay County, Arkansas
John ALLEN Self M Male W 51 NC Farming NC VA
Nancy ALLEN Wife M Female W 34 IL Keeping House IL IL
William ALLEN Son S Male W 25 NC Farming NC NC
Henry ALLEN Son S Male W 14 NC At Home NC NC
Amandy ALLEN Dau S Female W 8 AR NC IL
Jesse ALLEN Son S Male W 4 AR NC IL
David ALLEN Son S Male W 1 AR NC IL

John married Nancy Demaree, daughter of John Allen Demaree and Nancy, in 1871. (Nancy Demaree was born circa 1846 in Illinois and died on 29 Sep 1920.)

John next married Margaret Wagner circa 1853. (Margaret Wagner was born circa 1834 in North Carolina, died in 1869 in Knobel, Clay County, Arkansas and was buried in Allen Plot.)