Francis "Frank" Edward Allen 1850-1899

ALLEN, KIRTLAND

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 9/8/2010 at 20:30:27

F. E. Allen Dead
Francis E. Allen, president of the First National Bank, died at his home in this city Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock. His death, though expected, was a shock to the community.

At his bedside at the time of his death were all the members of his family, consisting of his wife and two sons, Eddie and Donald, his brother George, and his most intimate friends, Messrs. M. K. Whelan and J. P. Kirby. The end was peaceful.

Funeral services will be held from the residence tomorrow (Friday) morning at ten o’clock, under the auspices of the Masonic fraternity.

A Man of Sterling Worth
Francis Edward Allen was born at Maumee, Lucas county, Ohio, February 20th, 1850. His parents were John C. Allen and Nancy Kirtland Allen, and were descendents of sturdy New England stock, the mother being a relative of the famous historian, Dr. Parkman. His father was a successful merchant until he retired from business in the late sixties, but survived until four years ago, when he died at the advanced age of eighty-six years. His mother still survives.

The subject of this sketch was educated in the pubic schools of his native town, with some special courses of instruction at Oberlin college. From early youth his spare time was employed in assisting in his father’s store, and he was brought up to mercantile pursuits which he followed, first in his father’s store, and afterwards at Fort Dodge, Iowa, where he came in 1869, clerking in the store of David Fessler, and afterwards in the store of D. M. Crosby at Fort Dodge. In the summer of 1871 he came to Estherville, bought a lot, built a store building and opened up a general store, the firm being J. C. Allen and Son. He continued to conduct the business until 1873, when the panic which followed the failure of J. C. Cook & Company caused such general depression in business that the business was liquidated and discontinued. In 1873 he was elected to the position of Auditor of Emmet county, which office he filled with great acceptability to the people of the county for one term. Before the end of his term as Auditor he entered the office of E. B. Soper at Estherville, and entered upon the study of law, which he prosecuted until he was admitted to the bar in 1876. After his admission to the bar, a partnership was formed between him and Mr. Soper, under the firm name of Soper & Allen, which partnership has continued to the day of his death. The firm has been successful, and in addition to a large practice that was conducted by it in Emmet and adjoining counties, the firm having also an office at Emmetsburg, where Mr. Soper has resided since 1879, has been engaged in numerous business enterprises, all of which have been happily successful.

He was a highly respected member of all the Masonic orders in Estherville, being one of the past commanders of the order of Knight Templar, and past worthy patron of the order of Eastern Star.

Mr. Allen possessed an excellent legal mind, but on account of his early business education and training, has devoted his time more especially to the business interests of the firm, and showed great ability in the management of transactions, both large and small. His acquaintance with the people of Emmet county was general. For many years there was not a man in the county who was not personally acquainted with the subject of this sketch, and few, if any, who did not call him their friend. Since his residence in Emmet county he has been foremost in all matters of public interest, and which had for its object the building up of the county and the town of Estherville. He was active in securing the B.C.R.&N. Ry., was one of the principal stock holders of the Estherville Improvement Company, the telephone lines and exchange, and was the moving spirit in the organization of the First National Bank, and one of its largest stock holders, as also the State Bank of Armstrong, and was largely interested in the First National Bank at Emmetsburg, the Standard Savings Bank of Huron, S.D., and many other corporations and enterprises, and leaves his family a large property.

Mr. Allen’s sickness dates from some years back, but was not regarded by him as at all serious or worthy of consideration until about a years ago, when he went to the sanitarium at Battle Creek, Mich., for treatment. He has not been able to give much attention to business since that time. His suffering has been great, but he endured them all with great patience and cheerfulness. During his illness he has been treated by some of the most celebrated physicians in the country, but to no avail. In September he was thoroughly and carefully examined by Doctors Henrotin and Billing of Chicago, and Dr. Vaughn of Hot Springs, Arkansas, and although they were unable to find that he was suffering from any organic disease, yet his ailment baffled the skill of all the physicians, and just the cause of his death is yet unknown and probably never will be definitely determined.

He leaves surviving him his mother, three brothers and two sisters, together with a wife and two sons, Edward and Donald, who hardly realize what they have lost. (Emmet County Republican, Estherville, IA, January 19, 1899)