William Allen

William (b. ca 1806-d. after 1879) was the oldest of twelve children born to John and Martha (Clark) Allen. He reported on the 1850 Census in Illinois that he was born in Henry, Virginia. Mormon journals indicate that he was at the Mormon Summer Quarters in 1847-1848 with his younger brother, Thomas J. It is also believed that he was the Bill Allen who, with Tom Allen, helped to stake the first claim in Omaha. The two have been referred to in several historic accounts as the “Allen Boys.”

William married Elizabeth Barnes in Edgar County, Illinois, and there is no indication that she ever lived in Nebraska. William returned to Illinois. They had three sons, who died young, and three biological daughters, Josephine, Caroline and Minerva.

William and Elizabeth raised three other children, Samuel, Henrietta and Martha Hendry, orphan children of William Hend(e)ry of Parke County, Indiana. Martha Hendry, who was an infant when William became her guardian, always used the surname “Allen” and considered William and Elizabeth her parents. Henrietta and Samuel were older and they retained the name of “Hendry.” After Elizabeth’s death, William married Elsie Daily, a widow with two children, Jackson and Sarah.

It is not known when William died. It is believed he is buried next to Elizabeth and their young sons in the Allen Burial Plot on the family farm near Logan, Illinois.

Vinton, Merri Allen, Hillbillies & Hexsigns, “A Study of the Ancestors and Descendants of William Henry Allen & Ruth Emily Bottorff, of Washington County, Nebraska”, 2008.