Biography of Ben Allen, White County, Arkansas *********************************************************** Submitted by: Bonnie Palmer Date: Jun 1997 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ar/white/white.html *********************************************************** From "A Centennial History of Arkansas", edited by Dallas T. Herndon, the Director of the Dept. of Archives & History, published by The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago-Little Rock, 1922. BEN ALLEN Ben ALLEN, sheriff of White Co. & a resident of Searcy, is ever found prompt & faithful in the discharge of his official duties & his record is one which reflects credit & honor upon himself & has proven highly satisfactory to his constituents. A native son of Ark., he was born in Cleburne Co., Sept 23, 1872, his parents being Thomas & Missouri (BUTLER) ALLEN. The ALLEN family has been represented in this state from pioneer times. The grandfather, Eli ALLEN, was a native of Virginia, born in 1804 & followed farming in that state ere his removal to Ark. in 1818. He first made his way to New Orleans, thence up the Mississippi & White Rivers to Des Arc, from which point he traveled to Heber Springs, becoming one of the earliest settlers in that district. He fished, hunted, trapped & carried the furs to Ark. Post, trading among the Indians. He had seen hundreds of buffaloes in droves on the western plains & he passed through all of the experiences & hardships of pioneer life. In the early days he was a squatter but afterward entered land from the government & engaged in farming and on his land he reared his family. He departed this life at the age of 85 years. His son, Thomas ALLEN, was born in what was then Van Buren Co. & is now Cleburne Co., in 1823, & his life record covered the intervening years to 1888, when his death occurred. His wife was born in Missouri & died in 1919 at the age of 65 years. Thomas ALLEN was educated in the old-time subscription school, the schoolhouse being a log structure with split log benches & puncheon floor. Reared amid pioneer surroundings he became familiar with all of the conditions of life on the frontier & bore his share in the work of early development & progress. In 1861 he enlisted for service in the Confederate army, joining the Tenth Ark. Infantry, with which he served the greater part of the time, going to Miss. under Capt. MILLER. He participated in the battle of Shiloh & served throughout the period of the Civil War. With his return from military life he again settled in Van Buren Co., where he followed the occupation of farming, homesteading land in that locality. The tract which he secured was covered with timber & he had to clear most of this. At one time he owned a thousand acres of land, for which he paid only a dollar an acre. In the early days most of his trading was done at Batesville, at Des Arc & at Little Rock. He crossed the ice on the Ark. River at Little Rock in order to get to market. There was much wild game to be had in this section of the country in those days and the hunter had no difficulty in securing meat for the table. During the Civil War Mr. ALLEN lost everything he had accumulated and when he returned home his stock consisted only of an old mule. With undaunted courage he took up the task of regaining his lost possessions & for many years engaged in general farming & stock raising. At a later day he removed to Texas, where he purchased land & his last years were spent in the Lone Star State. He always gave his political allegiance to the democratic party & both he & his wife were consistent members of the Missionary Baptist Church. In their family were born 9 children, 6 of whom are still living: J. G., a practicing physician, residing at Commerce, Texas; Ben, of this review; John, living in Hunt Co., Tex., where he follows farming; Theopholis, a photographer, also living in Hunt Co., Tex.; Vester, a government mail clerk, living at Waco, Tex.; and Dora, the wife of Joe TEDFORD of Pueblo, Colorado. One daughter, Effie, died at the age of 23 years & the 2 children died in infancy. Ben ALLEN was educated in the common schools of Heber Springs & remained in Cleburne Co. through the period of his boyhood & youth. He afterward taught for a few terms in the rural districts of Cleburne Co. & then took up the occupation of farming. He bought & cleared land, securing a part of his father's old homestead & devoted his attention to the task of developing the fields and producing substantial crops. In 1893 he came to White Co. & entered the employ of the Millen Lumber Co. at St. Louis, Missouri, occupying the position of general manager for 8 years. He next purchased 160 acres of land near Beebe & while engaged in farming there he served as constable & as deputy sheriff for a period of 8 years. He was afterward elected justice of the peace at Beebe & occupied that position for four years, while in 1920 he was elected to the office of sheriff, entering upon the duties of the position on the 1st of Jan., following, and is serving in an acceptable manner. He still owns his farm of 112 acres, from which he is deriving a good rental. Mr. ALLEN was married to Miss Jennie THOMPSON, who was born in White Co., Ark., a daughter of Wes Thompson, a farmer & stock dealer. They have become parents of six children: Opal, who is the wife of Albert BEVILL, a farmer of White county; Homer, farming in the same county; Nellie, the wife of Elbert WALLS, a barber of Cabot, Arkansas, Elvis, Velda and Oatley, all at home. Mrs. ALLEN is a member of Presbyterian church. Mr. ALLEN belongs to the Masonic lodge at Beebe and is also identified with the Woodmen of the World. His political endorsement is given to the democratic party and keeps well informed on the vital questions and issues of the day. In all matters of citizenship he stands with those men who are seeking to promote progress and uphold high civic standards.