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John Allen (died March 11, 1851) was an
In early February 1824, Allen and Rumsey left Detroit. After choosing their site, they returned to Detroit on February 14 to register their claims at the federal land office. Allen, the wealthier of the two men, purchasing for $600. Rumsey purchased for $200. They also purchased the right to have their village designated the county seat for $1,000. On May 25, the town plot was registered in Wayne County. Initially, the name of the town was written "Annarbour", but thereafter it appeared as two words. According to Russell Bidlack's ''Ann Arbor's First Lady: Events in the Life of Ann I. Allen'' (1998), Ann Arbor was named in honor of John Allen's wife, Ann. Other writers have suggested that Ann Arbor was named for both Ann Allen (wife of Allen) and Mary Ann Rumsey (wife of Rumsey).
Allen found a new start in Ann Arbor, as well as financial success. He became an owner of several thousand acres of land in the western part of Michigan. He was directly involved in many civic duties and functions of Ann Arbor, and was largely responsible for its initial success. He promoted Ann Arbor as a great place to live, establishing its first post office in 1825, and becoming its first postmaster. He also served in other positions, including Coroner and Justice of the Peace. Having studied law with James Kingsley, he was admitted to the Bar of Washtenaw County in 1832. Before becoming a lawyer, he unsuccessfully ran for state representative. He later won a seat in the state senate, serving from 1845 to 1848. Allen and Samuel Dexter established ''Western Emigrant'', Ann Arbor's first newspaper, which used to promote their anti-Mason views.
John Allen and the founding of Ann Arbor.
by
American pioneer
American pioneers were European American and African American settlers who migrated westward from the Thirteen Colonies and later United States to settle in and develop areas of North America that had previously been inhabited or used by Nativ ...
and a co-founder, along with Elisha Rumsey
Elisha Walker Rumsey (ca. 1785-August 1827) was an American pioneer and co-founder of the U.S. city of Ann Arbor. He and John Allen founded Ann Arbor in 1824.
Early life
Little is known about Rumsey's early life. He was born in Sharon, Connecti ...
, of the U.S. city of Ann Arbor
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie.
Anne is sometimes used as a male name in th ...
, Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
.
Early life
John Allen, the son of a wealthy farmer, was born inAugusta County, Virginia
Augusta County is a county in the Shenandoah Valley on the western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The second-largest county of Virginia by total area, it completely surrounds the independent cities of Staunton and Waynesboro. Its county ...
, on May 17, 1796. He had two children with his first wife, Mary Crawford: James and Elizabeth. After Crawford's death, he married Ann I. (Barry) McCue, a widow with two sons: John and Thomas. Both Crawford and McCue had large inheritances, but historical records maintain that Allen left Virginia primarily to escape financial difficulties.
Allen left Virginia in fall 1823 with a herd of cattle which he intended to sell in Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
. From Baltimore, he went to Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Southe ...
, where he stayed for two months while looking for an associate. He moved on to Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
in January 1824, where he met Elisha Rumsey
Elisha Walker Rumsey (ca. 1785-August 1827) was an American pioneer and co-founder of the U.S. city of Ann Arbor. He and John Allen founded Ann Arbor in 1824.
Early life
Little is known about Rumsey's early life. He was born in Sharon, Connecti ...
. Rumsey was also looking for an opportunity to escape the mistakes of his past and work toward a better future.
Ann Arbor
In early February 1824, Allen and Rumsey left Detroit. After choosing their site, they returned to Detroit on February 14 to register their claims at the federal land office. Allen, the wealthier of the two men, purchasing for $600. Rumsey purchased for $200. They also purchased the right to have their village designated the county seat for $1,000. On May 25, the town plot was registered in Wayne County. Initially, the name of the town was written "Annarbour", but thereafter it appeared as two words. According to Russell Bidlack's ''Ann Arbor's First Lady: Events in the Life of Ann I. Allen'' (1998), Ann Arbor was named in honor of John Allen's wife, Ann. Other writers have suggested that Ann Arbor was named for both Ann Allen (wife of Allen) and Mary Ann Rumsey (wife of Rumsey).
Allen found a new start in Ann Arbor, as well as financial success. He became an owner of several thousand acres of land in the western part of Michigan. He was directly involved in many civic duties and functions of Ann Arbor, and was largely responsible for its initial success. He promoted Ann Arbor as a great place to live, establishing its first post office in 1825, and becoming its first postmaster. He also served in other positions, including Coroner and Justice of the Peace. Having studied law with James Kingsley, he was admitted to the Bar of Washtenaw County in 1832. Before becoming a lawyer, he unsuccessfully ran for state representative. He later won a seat in the state senate, serving from 1845 to 1848. Allen and Samuel Dexter established ''Western Emigrant'', Ann Arbor's first newspaper, which used to promote their anti-Mason views.
Later life
Having become very influential in Ann Arbor, Allen moved to New York to better manage his financial affairs. He was unsuccessful in New York and by 1850, he had lost most of his wealth in real estate. Looking for ways to regain his fortune, he went west in 1850 to try his luck in theCalifornia Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...
. He died on March 11, 1851 near San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
.
Notes
References
* *John Allen and the founding of Ann Arbor.
by
Russell Bidlack
Russell may refer to:
People
* Russell (given name)
* Russell (surname)
* Lady Russell (disambiguation)
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* Russell, Australian Capital Territory
* Russell Island, Queensland (disambiguation)
...
. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1962; University of Michigan Library, 2005.
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, John 1796 births 1851 deaths American pioneers People of the Michigan Territory Businesspeople from Ann Arbor, Michigan 19th-century American businesspeople American city founders