James C. Allen Dead

On Wednesday morDing at 11 o'clook James Crawford Allen died at his home in the town of Aun Arbor, aged 79 years, 9 rnouths and 18 days. He had been in f ailing health tor the past seven mcmtbs, a good part of which time he had been oonfined to his bed. The funeral services will be held at his late home tbis afternooa at 2 o'clook and will be condueted by Rev. J. M. fielstoD. His remains will be laid to rest in the family burial lot in Forest Hill cemetery. Mr. Allen was in inauy respects a remarkable man. Tenacions of purp ose he had little by little purchased parcela of land lying arouud his homestead until he was the owuer of 600 acres of fine fanuiug land. He was born in Augusta couiity, Virginia, Oct. 4, 1810. His father, John Allen - one of the first settlers in Ann Arbor, where the eity now is - carne here in 1824. In 1S2S his graudfather having died, Mr. Allen and his sister returned to Virginia with his grandmother, and remaiued there uutil 1S32. Returning to Aun Arbor he remained here until 1836, wheu at the age of 20, he was sent to Lima, New York, to school. He was in school but one year, his health being poor, and he carne back again to Anu Arbor and began his life wnrk as a farmer. After 10 years of farming he carue to the village of Ann Arbor and entered the store of E. T. Williams aftei-wards beiug employed by Wm, S. Mayuard. In 1848 he was married to Miss Martha T. Porter, who with her parents hal come here from JNíew York the year previous. Two children were boru tu them, oue of whom, Mrs. Frauk Wood, of this city, is still living. The youug couple moved onto a farm near Tecumseh, where Mr. Allen remaiued nntil the death of his wife, Jan. 8, 1852. He then i'ernoved to his fayu in Pittsfield, and in 1856 he was again married, this time to Miss Mary Jane Ayres, of Brooklyn. After living on the Pittsfield farm for 12 years, he removed to Ann Arbor and engaged in miscellaneous business for three years. In 1808 he and his family moved onto the farm -vhere he died, two miles north of this city. There the lasr of November, 1868, his second wife died, leaving four children, three of whom are now living, Daniel A. Allen, of Colorado, Wru. McC. Allen, of Chicago, and Miss Elizabeth Tate Alleu, who is an invalid at home. Marcb 29, 1873, he was married for the third time, to Miss Francés Eliza Ayres, who survives hiin. Two daugbters, Francés Josephine and Genevieve, were born of this marriage, botb of whom live at home. In politics Mr. Alleu was first a whig. later a republican. His religious sympathies were Presbyteriau and siuce 1806 he has been a member of that church. Some incidents oonnected with his early life are worthy of meution. When his fatber's family with the Rumseys arrived here, they spent the first summer together, living in a tent and an arbor which was built on the BOuth side of Hurou st., near the creek. Both Mrs. Allen and Mrs. Rumsey had Aun as a o,hristian name, and the little arbor constructed by their husbands for their comfort, was called by them Auu's Arbor, henee the r.ame of the oity - Ann Arbor. Mr. Alleu's father built a block house on the lootion now occupied by the Aun Arbor Savings Bank in which the family lived for two years, after which tbey removed to a house on the site now oocupied by Polhenius' livery. Shortly after Mr. Allen's father, Johu Allen, settled here tne entile Alien faiuily consisting of nis (John Allen's) father and ruother his brother James T. aud others carne to the city and moved iuto the blocKhouss. Graudfather Allen ereoted a sawmill with old fashioued maohinery and oog wheels made of maple wood, the first mili in tfais part of the country west of Detroit, aud before he was nine years old James C. Allen, the deceased, used to assist his graudfather in sawing the maple logs for this mili with a crosseut saw. Mr. Allen in the oonrse of his long and eveutful life saw all the changes that have trausforined Ann Arbor from a mere handful of houses in the woods to the present beautiful city. He was indeed oue of the pioneers of this place.