#1-Published in the Pilot August 23, 1922

William Henry Allen passed away at his farm home nine miles south of Blair last Thursday night, August 17th, at about 2 o’clock from pneumonia. He had suffered a paralytic stroke some ten years ago and was unable to get out of his wheelchair since that time. The funeral was conducted at the house at 2:30 Sunday afternoon by Rev. W. H. Underwood and was largely attended by the many old friends of the family. Interment was in the family cemetery on the brow of a hill overlooking the old homestead where Mr. Allen first began keeping house after his marriage to Miss Emily Bottorff, April 20th, 1869. Mr. Allen came to this county with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Allen, from Edgar County, Ill., where he was born February 19th, 1845, in Calhoun. Seven children were born to them, five of whom are now living, Grant, Mrs. Joe Lazure, Scott, Clyde, and Clark. There are eighteen grandchildren. Mrs. Allen died six years ago and Mr. Allen is the last of a large family to pass to the great beyond. He was a good citizen who did his share in the development of this great west and in passing leaves the surviving children a goodly heritage as well as an honored name. The large attendance at the funeral services and the wealth of beautiful flowers sent in his memory show he had not lived in vain to have inspired so much of love and friendship. The bereaved family have the sincere sympathy of their many friends.

#2-REMINISCENCES OF FORT CALHOUN

BY W. H. ALLEN

I reached Fort Calhoun in May, 1856, with my friends [sic-parents], Mr. and Mrs. John Allen; coming with team and wagon from Edgar county, Illinois. I was then eleven years old. Fort Calhoun had no soldiers, but some of the Fort Atkinson buildings were still standing. I remember the liberty pole, the magazine, the old brick-yard, at which places we children played and picked up trinkets. There was one general store then, kept by Pink Allen and Jascoby, and but few settlers. Among those I remember were, my uncle, Thomas Allen; E. H. Clark, a land agent; Col. Geo. Stevens and family, who started a hotel in 1856, and Orrin Rhoades, whose family lived on a claim five miles west of town. That summer my father took a claim near Rhoades', building a log house and barn at the edge of the woods. We moved there in the fall, and laid in a good supply of wood for the huge fireplace, used for cooking as well as heating. Our rations were scanty, consisting of wild game for meat, corn bread, potatoes and beans purchased at Fort Calhoun. The next spring we cleared some small patches for garden and corn, which we planted and tended with a hoe. There were no houses between ours and Fort Calhoun, nor any bridges. Rhoades' house and ours were the only ones between Fontenelle and Fort Calhoun. Members of the Quincy colony at Fontenelle went to Council Bluffs for flour and used our place as a half-way house, stopping each way over night. How we children did enjoy their company, and stories of the Indians. We were never molested by the red men, only that they would come begging food occasionally.

I had no schooling until 1860 when I worked for my board in Fort Calhoun at E. H. Clark's and attended public school a few months. The next two years I did likewise, boarding at Alex. Reed's.

From 1866 to 1869 inclusive I cut cord-wood and railroad ties which I hauled to Omaha for use in the building of the Union Pacific railroad. I received from $8.00 to $15.00 per cord for my wood, and $1.00 each for ties.

Deer were plentiful and once when returning from Omaha I saw an old deer and fawn. Unhitching my team I jumped on one horse and chased the young one down, caught and tamed it. I put a bell on its neck and let it run about at will. It came to its sleeping place every night until the next spring when it left, never to be seen by us again.

In the fall of 1864 1 was engaged by Edward Creighton to freight with a wagon train to Denver, carrying flour and telegraph supplies. The cattle were corralled and broke at Cole's creek, west of Omaha known then as "Robber's Roost," and I thought it great fun to yoke and break those wild cattle. We started in October with forty wagons, seven yoke of oxen to each wagon. I went as far as Fort Cottonwood, one hundred miles beyond Fort Kearny, reaching there about November 20. There about a dozen of us grew tired of the trip and turned back with a wagon and one ox team. On our return, at Plum creek, thirty-fives miles west of Fort Kearny we saw where a train had been attacked by Indians, oxen killed, wagons robbed and abandoned. We waded the rivers, Loup Fork and Platte, which was a cold bath at that time of year.

I lived at this same place in the woods until I took a homestead three miles farther west in 1868.

My father's home was famous at that time, also years afterward, as a beautiful spot, in which to hold Fourth of July celebrations, school picnics, etc., and the hospitality and good cooking of my mother, "Aunt Polly Allen" as she was familiarly called, was known to all the early settlers in this section of the country.

Collection of Nebraska Pioneer Reminiscences Nebraska Society of the DAR 1916, pg 284-285 #3-Article from Echoes Of Ft. Calhoun 31 Aug 1922

A Resume of Important Historical Events and Cheery New Items Edited by W. H. Woods

Among those present at the Wm. Allen funeral were Mrs. Milton Allen of Council Bluffs, a sister of Veteran Swihart of Kennard, who was born at old DeSoto, daughter of Pioneer Sheriff Swihart of Washington county, and her nephew, son of Veteran Swihart, whom we are sorry to report as still being helpless in bed; Henry Steffen of Bennington, who twice erected buildings for Wm. Allen on his farm and built the Crounse addition to Ft. Calhoun school that was sold to Hans Schwager, later Pioneer Charles Myler who came to the territory in 1861; Mr. and Mrs. Harry Leach of Blair, and their son, Wilber, our former neighbor here in Ft. Calhoun; Pioneer and Veteran Dan Compton now of Elk City, aged, 82; W. H. Harrison of McCarthy school district, who when on his father’s farm near Allen’s taught school in what is now Long Creek school; Veteran Abe Sutherland of Blair, now 82; Lou Lantry, 82, who when a butcher, in Blair, at the time C. C. Crowell, the Howes and other Massachusetts people lived in Blair, we found opening a package of dried codfish and said, “Here, take one in remembrance of the days when a dried codfish was the sign manuel on the outside of nearly every grocery store in the west.”

#4-24 Aug., 1922 - The Enterprise - William Allen

PIONEER WASHINGTON COUNTY SETTLER

PASSES AWAY THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 1922

William Allen, well known and highly respected citizen of Washington county died at “Sunnyside” his home nine miles south of Blair Thursday, Aug. 17, 1922 following a short illness of bronchial pneumonia.

Mr. Allen was born in Edgar county, Ill. February 19, 1845, and with his parents came to this county in May, 1856 where he has since made his home.

In 1869 he was married to Miss Emily Bottorff, who preceded him to the great beyond six years ago.

After his marriage he resided for a few years on a farm near the Maney school, but later moved to the farm where he lived until his death.

To Mr. and Mrs. Allen six children were born, five of whom are living. A. Grant Allen, C. Scott and Clyde M. Allen, all living immediate vicinity of the old home, W. Clark Allen of Blair and a daughter, Mrs. Joe Lazure, who made her home at “Sunnyside” who has been a most loving wonderful attendant of her father in his declining years of which for ??? years he has passed as an invalid.

Mr. Allen was a man of great integrity and lived a true life which brought him many friends who held him in high esteem, his word was unimpeachable and he was strictly honest and upright in his dealings.

It has been a great pleasure to the writer to number him among best of friends and it is with ???? we pend this mention of his ????

The funeral was Sunday afternoon at “Sunnyside” where the whole county was gathered to do homage to the man they had known so long and whose example as a man they could do well to emulate.

Interment was made in the family cemetery on the home farm where for years the deceased members of the family have been laid to rest.

The guests from a distance were Mrs. Clara Earhart of ???, a cousin, Mrs. And Mrs. F. M. ???? of Omaha, Mrs. and Mrs. Chas. ???? of Omaha, ????

#5-24 Aug., 1922 - The Tribune - William Henry Allen

ANOTHER PIONEER IS CALLED FROM FIELD OF LABOR HERE

In chronicling the death of W. H. Allen, which occurred last Thursday evening at 10:15, The Tribune is called upon to record the demise of another of the real pioneers of this county. Coming to Washington county with his parents from Edgar county, Illinois at the age of eleven years, Mr. Allen passed through all the hardships of the early settlers in this sparsely settled country. He lived to see the land developed from raw prairie to a high state of cultivation with modern homes and a contented and prosperous people.

Ten years ago Mr. Allen suffered a stroke of paralysis, but his death was caused by an attack of bronchial pneumonia. Since the death of his wife six years go, he has been cared for by his daughter, Mrs. Joe Lazure, and during his invalid years everything that was possible had been done to made his life a pleasant one.

The funeral was held Sunday afternoon from the Allen home south of Blair, and was attended by a large number of sorrowing relatives and friends, all of whom had always held this grand old man in the highest esteem. The services were conducted by Rev. Underwood, and interment was made in the Allen cemetery a short distance from the spot Mr. Allen had held as a home for 48 or more years.

William Henry Allen was born in Edgar county, Illinois February 19, 1845, coming to Washington county with his parents in 1856, the family settling on what is known as the old John Allen homestead. In his young manhood Mr. Allen chopped and hauled wood to Omaha, this being about the only way in which ready cash could be gained, the settlers having very little else that could be marketed.

May 20, 1869 he was married to Ruth Emiiy Bottorff, and took up a homestead just west of the Maney school. Here the young couple lived for several years, and where their elder children were born. When Scott was a baby the family moved to the place now known as the Allen farm where Mr. and Mrs. Allen continued to reside together until six years ago when Mrs. Allen was called to her rest.

During these years this noble couple experienced the difficulties and vicissitudes common to pioneer life, but with faith in the future and in each other they were never disheartened and had succeeded in adding over a thousand acres of land to their holdings. Part of this was later disposed of, but nearly 500 acres were in Mr. Allen’s possession at the time of his death.

To this union seven children were born, five of whom survive - A. Grant Allen, Mrs. Joseph Lazure, Scott Allen, Clyde Allen and Clark Allen - all of whom are residents of this vicinity.

The William Allen home has been known for years as one of the county’s most hospitable homes, and in the passing of this fine old gentleman the community suffers a loss that can never by replaced. Both Mr. and Mrs. Allen will live long in the memory of those who were fortunate enough to be classed as their friends and neighbors.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~