Allen T Silver

SILVER

Posted By: County Coordinator (email)
Date: 4/26/2010 at 11:15:33

Allen T Silver who for the past twenty-eight years has resided at Boone, is a retired farmer, now residing a the home of George W McBride at 1606 Carroll street. He is widely known and highly respected, for his life has bee a busy and useful on ei n every relation. He proved himself a loyal soldier during the Civil war, has made a capable public officer and is known as a reliable business an. At the present time, however, he is enjoying a rest which he has truly earned and richly deserves. He was born at Franklin, Warren county, Ohio April 25, 1827, and has , therefore, passed the eighty-seventh milestone on life’s journey. He is a son of James and Mercy (Mullin) Silver. The grandfather removed with his family to Warren county, Ohio in 1805, and there followed the occupation of farming, spending his remaining days in that locality. He was twice married and by his first wife had two children and by the second ten. The father, a native of Jew Jersey, was but five years of age when he went with his parents to Warren county, Ohio, and in 1831 he removed with his family to Henry county, Indiana. He engaged in merchandising at West Liberty and when the new National road was built removed to Knightstown, where he engaged in business for a number of years. Subsequently he took up his abode upon a farm in Rush county, Indiana, but has later years were spent at Knightstown, where he died in 1864. He was active in politics and at one time a candidate for the state legislature. His religious faith was that of the Society of Friends, or Quakers. He married Mercy Mullin, who was born in New Jersey, December 31 1799, a daughter of Isaac Mullin, who removed to Warren county, Ohio about the same time the Silver family established their home there. He became an extensive farmer of that district. His father also went to Ohio and died near Springboro, Warren county. He was a native of Ireland. Mrs Mercy (Mullin) Silver passed away in 1855.
Allen T Silver has reached a more advance age than any other member of his family. He is the eldest of six children and only one other is now living, Isaac who resides near Indianapolis and is seventy-eight years of age. For a quarter of a century Allen T Silver was a resident of Indiana, the family home being established there when he was but four years of age. It was a frontier region in which they settled, and he experienced the usual privations and hardships of pioneer life. His education was acquired in the old time subscription schools, for the public school system had not then been organized in his locality. There he engaged in farming until 1853, when he removed to Boonesboro, Boone county, Iowa. However, he had previously attended lot sales here in 1851. For some time after taking up his abode in the county he engaged in clerking and in 1856 he went to Ridgeport, where he conducted merchandising on his own account for two years. Later he was again in the same line of business for short periods. At length he purchased a farm just jorth of the city and operated it until his removal to Boone, where he engaged in stock buying, conducting business very successfully.
On April 15, 1855, in Dodge township, MR Silver was untied in marriage to Miss Sophia Friedley, a native of Indiana and a daughter of Daniel Friedley. She came to Boone with he brother Henry Fridley, a pioneer of this county, who arrived in 1850. He spent his later years near Tacoma, Washington, and there passed away in December 1913, at the age of almost eight years. Mr and Mrs Silver had no children of their own but adopted George W McBride when he was but thirteen moths old. He had lost his other, and they took him into their family as a son, rearing and educating him. He is a machinist by trade and is in the employ of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Company. He married Miss Lena Pohl, and to them have been born three children, Leone, and Ella and Alice, twins. Ella was married and has one son, Richard Lamonte Noland. The death of Mrs Silver occurred in Sept3ember, 1902, and Mr Silver now makes his home with his foster son, Mr McBride. His wife was a consistent member of the United Brethren church and had a large circle of warm friends in this county.
In public affairs Mr Silver has always taken a keen interest. He acted as enrolling officer during the Civil war in Dodge and Harrison township, Boone county, being appointed to that position in 1863. In the following year he enlisted as a member of Company K, Thirteen Iowa Infantry, with which he served until the close of the war. He is now a member of the Grand Army post at Boone and thus maintains pleasant relations with those who were his comrades in arms. Politically he was originally a whig, but on the organization of the republican party he joined its ranks and has since been one of its stalwart advocates. He served as supervisor of his township, at township trustee, as justice of the peace and postmaster. He acted as deputy postmaster at Boonesboro for a year and later was postmaster of Ridgeport. He has likewise been school director and at all times he has been a helpful factor in promoting public progress. In former years he served as a trustee of the Methodist Episcopal church and assisted in building the house of worship for that denomination at Ridgeport. His life has been well land worthily spent, and he is today one of the most venerable of Boone’s citizens, receiving the honor and respect which should ever be accorded those of advanced years, whose lives have been guided by manly principles. Six decades have come and gone since he arrived in this county, so that he has been a witness of much of the growth and development of this part of the state. H has seen many remarkable changes and can tell many interesting stories of the early days.

1914 Boone County History Book