Allen, Wilson and Emeline (Noble)

(Sherri Reutlinger)

Left to right: Daisy (Allen) Richards, Jenny (Allen) Cowan, Charles Allen, Frances (Allen) Beedy, Roanna Allen Bartholomew. Children of Wilson Reed Allen and Emeline (Noble) Allen.

Wilson Reed Allen was born in Milford Center, Union Co., OH 14 Oct 1831, the youngest son of Daniel Allen (ca. 1794-ca. 1832 or 1837) and Rachel (Burwell) Allen (ca. 1794-died after 1856). Daniel was killed after falling off a hay or grain wagon and breaking his neck when Wilson was still a young child.

Rachel married Samuel Fox, then Solomon Whitman following Samuel’s death. The family remained in Ohio until the fall of 1847, when Solomon, Rachel and her sons, Samuel Allen, Isaac S. and Wilson all moved to Illinois. They stayed there until Jul 1848 when they came to Iowa and entered land in Bloomfield Twp., Winneshiek Co., 3 miles west of Postville.

Wilson Reed Allen

Wilson's sister, Mary (Allen) Reed and her husband David Reed also settled in Winneshiek Co. where David became a county judge. Wilson’s brother, Jonathon Allen married Roanna Talbot and settled in Mahaska Co., IA. His sister Betsey Ann Allen married Uram Carpenter and remained in Ohio. Samuel Allen married Sarah Holcomb and later moved to Spirit Lake, Dickinson Co., IA. Isaac S. Allen married Rebecca Jane Armstrong.

On 30 Sep 1852 Wilson Allen married Emeline Noble in Allamakee Co. Emeline was born about 1836, probably in Pennsylvania, and was the daughter of Henry (ca. 1808-ca. 1856) and Christina Noble (ca. 1809-ca. 1890). Her family came to Iowa about 1840, settling first in Jack-son Co., then entering land in Allamakee Co. west of Postville in the fall of 1848. Other children of Henry and Christina Noble included: James, Calista, Carolina, William P, Harriet, Susannah, Nancy, Elderidge, Henry B. and Christina.

Emeline (Noble) Allen

Wilson and Emeline Allen farmed in Bloomfield Twp. until about 1884, when they moved to Postville, then to Austin, MN where they remained the rest of their lives. Their children were all born in Winneshiek Co. and included: Roanna Agnes (28 Oct 1854-1 Jul 1939) married Andrew Bartholomew; Frances (1855-1936) married Frederick N. Beedy; Charles F. (19 Nov 1859-8 Nov 1917) married Isa Knight; Jenny (b. ca. 1864) married Will Richards; and Kitty (1871-22 Nov 1871).

Wilson died 4 Jan 1903 and Emeline died sometime after 1910. Both are buried in the Postville Cemetery, Postville, Allamakee Co., IA.

Althouse, Christian and Margaret (Steffens)

(Leonard and Mary Althouse)

Christian Althouse was the oldest of 3 sons born to Johannes Althouse and his wife Christine Klincker Althouse. Christian (Chris) was born 25 Mar 1832 in the province of Hessa, Dorrnstadt, Germany.

In 1856 Chris and his brother William came to America landing in Baltimore after 6 weeks of crossing the ocean in a sailboat. The brothers headed west to Sheboygan and Kenoska, Wl where they worked in a dairy in the summer milking cows by hand. In the winter they logged.

Chris was drafted and served in the Civil War from Wisconsin. He was wounded in the Wilderness Campaign and sent to a hospital in Washington, D.C. Upon release from the hospital he returned to active duty with General Sherman on his "March to the Sea.”