Extracted from the History of Harrison County Iowa
Chicago
National Publishing Company
1891

   ALLEN TOWNSHIP

ALLEN Township, constituted in 1872, comprises Congressional Township 81, range 43, and was named in honor of one of the early settlers. 

Monona County is north of Allen; Lincoln Township, east; Magnolia, south and Jackson, west.

Among the small spring creeks, which lend both value and beauty to the surface  of the township, may be named Allen, Stowe and Elk creeks.  There is but little native timber, except small groves located on the south line and Stowe's Grove in the northwestern part which extends over into Monona county.  It is a very productive part of Harrison County.  The soil is especially  fertile and well suited for the production of grains, corn, vegetables and all the fruits common to this latitutde.  The population are chiefly American boen.  The state census gave Allen 300 in 1885, while the last federal census -- 1890, places it at 574.

There being no towns, villages or railrods within this portion of the county farmers of neccessitydraw therier crop product some distance to market.  Yet thright and rural prosperiety is found on every section of land within her borders.

EARLY SETTLERS

The first to effect settlement in this goodly section was David Imlay, who settled on Section 34, about 1856.  His son-in-law, Samuel Spinks, settled at the same time on the section.  Mr. Imlaydied during the Civil War and Mr. Srvived until about 1885.. The widow still remains in the township.  Allen Township did not settle up with much rapidity, until after 1870.

John W. Widoes, of section 12, came to the county in 1868, locating in Clay Township, where it is said he shook with the ague for seven long years and then, removed to section 13, in Allen Township, where he now lives.

Arthur Servis "(Uncle Bubby Servis," familiarly known thorughout the entire county) was an old Mexican soldier, who came to Harrison County in the '50's and settled in the east part of the county, but subsequently moved to Allen Township, locating on section 17 and 20, where he lived in a rude "dugout."  From that point he removed to Raglan Township and died there on section 11.  He was a great pioneer character; he was many years a promiment member of the Board of Suprervisors and a man of much native ability, though odd in his own peculiar ways.

Fletcher Armstrong came to Allen Township in 1871, during the month of March and settled on section 33, where he remained for five years and removed to Cass Township, where e still resides.

J. C. McCabe, present owner and editor of the Observer, the Republican paper at Logan, came from Raglan Township in 1871 and settled on section 28, and there followed farm life and school teaching, until April 1, 1888, where he moved to Logan.  See personal sketch in biographical department of this book.

Willaim Miller and family became settlers of Allen Township, on section 16, in 1872.  About two years later he died when the family moved to Modale, where the wife died in 1889.

Merritt Barry came to section 36, in about 1876, and is still a resident.

John T. Burch came to section 24, in 1877 and is still there.

Simon V. Shearer, of section 11 came in 1879.  See personal sketch.

John R. Clark effected settlement during 1880, in section 11.

Charles Lewis, of section 15, came in 1877.  He at first rented land land, but now is a properous farmer.

John F. Dick settle on section 18--his present home, in August 1878.

William La Suer came to Dunlap in 1868, worked out and rented land until he settled on Section 17 in 1880.

Early in the 80'8s came Carl F. Peterson to section 20.

Another settler of 1878 was Conrad Wakehouse, of section 29, where he still lives.

A. Messingill settled on the northwest of section 8, about 1878.  He had been a reisdent of Harrison County many years.  In 1888, he removed to Missouri.

Peter Bolch settled in section 33, in the spring of 1874.  He worked by the month for J. C. McCabe several months and in 1876,  purchased land where he now lives.

A pioneer of 1872 was Erastus Chaffee (now dead) who came to section 34.  He remained seven or eight years and traded land in Boyer Township.

As early as 1862 William H. McHenry settled on a part of section 34.  In 1871, he moved to Woodbine.

John Mann, Jr. settled on section 28, in 1876 on eighty acres of wild land.

John T. Boone came to Allen Township about 1880 and still lives on section 34.

H. P. Morrow came in 1882 and is now an extensive, well-to-do farmer of section 12.

Isaax Cox came in about 1890 from St. John's Township and located on section 34.

Oscar Lewis became a settler on section 4, in the fall of 1881.  He first rented land on section 11, and later purchased land on section 15.

William Griffith came to the county in 1868 and to Allen Township in 1882, settling on section 8.

Benjamin Maynard, of section 16, lived from 1874 to 1880, sold and removed to Kansas.  He is now editing the Courier at Blair, Neb.

A little later -- about 1876 came E. A. Atherton.  He finally moved to Kansas.

James Beecham settled on section 6, in 1873 or 1874.  He moved to Little Sioux after about five years.

Leander Lee settled on section 16, about 1880.

J. H. Crown settled on section 11, about 1878.  His father was among the pioneers of Magnolia Township.

Taylor Atherton settled on section 27, about 1880.  He came from New York.  In 1891 he sold out.

Willaim Glover came to section 34, in 1884.

Louis Kucks, of section 27, came to the county on the fall of 1884, rented near Mondamin and moved to Allen in 1885.

Francis M. Mills, of section 27, came to the county in August, 1868 and to Allen Township in 1888.

For details of many early settlers' career the reader is referred to the biographical department of this volume.

Following is a list of more of the prominent settlers and the years they came to the county.

Noble W. Young came to the county in 1881 and rented land for a time but soon purchased land in Allen Township.

Lewis J. Sherwood came to the county in 1880, renting land for about ten years, when he bought his present farm on section 7.

Charles W. Sherwood had come in the autumn of 1876, but bought his present farm in 1889.

In 1882, Madison C Stearns purchased his farm on which he now resides.

Nels Peterson, of section 20, first came to the county in 1870, locating in Raglan Township, but has been absent about sixteeen years since that date.  See personal history.

In 1884, Samuel Nuzum made settlement and Willaim Neal in 1885.

Thomas Magnet came to the county at the breaking out of ther Civil War.

Joseph S. Miles accompanied his parents to Harrison County in 1878, first locating in Lincoln Township.  

O. L. Michael came in 1878, Oscar Lewis, in 1881 and W. G. Holman, in 1871.

Another resident of of Allen Township, is Solomon J. Cox, who was born in Harrison County.

Madison H. Chaffee is numbered among Harrison County's farmers.  He came to thr county in 1868, locating in Bigler's Grove in Boyer Township; he cmae with his parents.

                                                                                                                                                      POST OFFICES                                                                

A post-office was established in Lincoln Township, known as "Olympus," in 1882, with L. B. Prose as postmaster.  He retained the office at his farm house, on section 5, until his removal from the township in July, 1890, when H. P. Morrow was appointed postmaster, and the office removed to his house on section 12, of Allen Township.  This office provides the farming community between the west side of Harrison and the east side of Jackson township with mail facilities.  A carrier takes the mail from Woodbine twice each week.                       

                                                                                                                                                                               SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES

The first school in what is Allen Township was taught on section 34, in the winter of 1871-72, by J. C. McCabe.  The schoolhouse, which was completed in the fall of 1871, was moved a decade later to section 27.  Mr. McCabe relates how, at this first term of school, he had only five pupils.  He taught five terms in succession at this point.

The second schoolhouse erected in the township was built on Stowe Creek, on section 8, in 1874.  It was a frame structure, and is still in use.

As the township has settled up it has kept pace with its neighbors in the matter of public schools and to-day it is provided with seven schoolhouses.  Its total enrollment of pupils in one hundred and nintey-eight.

There are no church buildings within Allen Township, but a Methodist Episcopal Class has been formed, which holds regular servies at the Allen Creek school house, on section 13.  This class belongs to the "Woodbine charge."

A Free Methodist society also holds meetings at the same school house.

Transcribed by Alvin Poole, December 15, 2023 pages 236-238.