Allen Pioneer Memorial Cemetery

Located near Fort Calhoun in Washington County, Nebraska

Founded by John M. and Mary (Camerer) Allen, the cemetery stands at the pinnacle of what was John Allen’s bounty land claim. The family established themselves here, in the hills between the high lands and the bottom lands, when they arrived in Washington County, Nebraska Territory, in May of 1856.

The earliest recorded burial is that of John and Mary’s young daughter, Martha Catherine. It was her accidental death in 1876, which prompted her burial on the hilltop near her home. The death of her mother, Mary, followed two years later. Over the next several years, friends and neighbors—members of other pioneer families, were laid to rest in what had become the neighborhood Pioneer Cemetery of the Allen family.

Allen Pioneers of Washington County

The story of our Allen heritage in Washington County, Nebraska, would not be complete without including several brothers of our forefather, John M. Allen. Thomas J., William, Robert, Clinton, Archilles P., and John M., sons of John D. and Martha (Clark) Allen, were among the earliest pioneers to settle in Nebraska Territory. They purchased bounty land from less adventuresome soldiers, and settled near old Fort Atkinson or in the hills west of it, where they played a significant role in the settlement of Washington County.