James Allen (1802–1854) was an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bic ...

, farmer and soldier. He represented Hampshire County (which is now in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

) in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

1839–40, 1847–49, and 1852–54. Allen received land grants along

Patterson Creek Patterson Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 tributary of the North Branch Potomac River in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle, in the United States. ...

in 1832 and 1848, and his brother Robert Allen (1808-1878) also settled in the area. Col. Allen commanded the 77th Regiment in the 3rd Division of the Virginia militia and died at

Fort Ashby Fort Ashby is a historic stockade fort located in Fort Ashby, West Virginia, US. A military installation constructed during the French and Indian War, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Origin On October 26, 1755, Colone ...

in an area of Hampshire County that became

Mineral County, West Virginia Mineral County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,938. Its county seat is Keyser. The county was founded in 1866. Hi ...

after his death. James Allen married Catherine Hollenback (1807-1896). Their family included sons James Clinton Allen (1828-1905), William A. Allen (b. 1830), Edward F. Allen (1834-1909), Hiram R. Allen (1839-1911), John Herman Allen (1841-1923), CSA Pvt. Elijah Allen (1843-1864) and Daniel Thomas Allen (1845-1939), as well as daughters Sarah Katherine Allen (1836-1842), Mary Jane Allen Monroe (1834-1909), Margaret Ann Allen Parker (1837-1905), and Rhoda Mariah Allen Gauer (1838-1919). Pvt. Allen enlisted in the 7th Virginia Cavalry on November 2, 1861, shortly after he turned 18, and was captured in August 1863 and died of scurvy as a prisoner of war on July 31, 1864.findagrave nos. 69489546, 2535774

Notes

1802 births 1854 deaths Members of the Virginia House of Delegates People from Fort Ashby, West Virginia 19th-century American legislators People from Hampshire County, West Virginia {{Virginia-delegate-stub