Nobles County MN Archives Biographies.....Chaney, Allen 1811 - 1892
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com October 21, 2006, 7:43 pm

Author: Arthur P. Rose (1908)

  ALLEN CHANEY (1811-1892) was a pioneer settler of Nobles county, having come

in 1872 as a member of the National colony, and for many years took a prominent

part in the affairs of the county and the community in which he lived.



  Allen Chaney was born at Barnard, Vermont, August 8, 1811, a descendant of one

of the earliest colonial families, which came from England in the first half of

the seventeenth century. John Cheney (the spelling of the name has been changed

by one branch of the American family) was the founder of the American Chaneys

and Cheneys. The first mention of the family in official records is the

following from the pen of that noble man, Rev. John Eliot—"Apostle to the

Indians"—while that preacher was at Roxbury. In the record of his church Eliot

wrote:



  "John Cheney he came into the land in the yeare 1635. he brought 4 children,

Mary, Martha, John Daniel. Sarah his 5t child was borne in the last month of the

same yeare 1635, cald February, he removed from o' church to Newbery the end of

the next suer 1636. Martha Cheney the wife of John Cheney."



  The family was a respected one in Newbury and intermarried with the best

families there. John Cheney held office, being on the board of selectmen more

than once. The descent from this founder of the family to the subject of this

sketch is direct. Daniel Cheney, son of John Cheney, was born in England about

1633 and died at Newbury, Mass., Sept. 10, 1694. John Cheney, son of Daniel

Cheney, was born in Newbury July 10, 1676 and died in 1728. Moses Cheney, son of

John Cheney, was born Oct. 20, 1715, and served in the war of the revolution.

Moses Cheney, Jr., son of Moses Cheney, was born in Newbury Feb. 28, 1764. He

removed to Orange, Mass., about the year 1790. It was this member of the family

that brought about the change in the spelling of the name. One day Moses Cheney,

Jr., purchased a volume at a book store and requested the book seller to write

his name in the book. The storekeeper explained to Mr. Cheney that the name was

French and meant "oak," that in the French language the e had the sound of a,

and that the proper pronunciation of the name was Chaney. Moses Cheney, Jr., was

so taken up with the explanation that he changed the spelling of the name, and

the revised spelling has been followed by all his descendants, although a large

part of the American family still spell the name with the e. Luther Chaney was a

son of Moses Chaney, Jr. He was born at Orange May 9, 1728, and was the father

of our subject. He was an inkeeper, farmer and blacksmith, resided at Orange

several years, and then removed to Barnard, Vermont, where he lived many years

and where he died Dec. 2, 1841. His wife and the mother of Allen Cheney was

Sabra Allen, who died June 3, 1885, aged 96 years.



  Allen Chaney lived in Barnard, Vermont, until 1829, when he went to

Ogdensburg, N. Y., to accept a position as clerk in the hardware store of his

uncle, E. B. Allen. A little later he took a partnership in the business, and

for many years his home was at Ogdensburg, later becoming a manufacturer of iron

and steel goods. In 1866 he removed to Detroit, Mich., where he engaged in the

manufacture of agricultural implements and machinery, and that city was his home

until his removal to Nobles county in 1872. Upon his arrival in Worthington he

gave up his manufacturing pursuits and became a farmer, taking a homestead in

Worthington township, where he resided until his death, twenty years later.



  During his long residence in Nobles county Mr. Chaney took an active part in

the religious, social and political affairs of the community in which he lived.

He took a leading and prominent part in the organization of the Westminster

Presbyterian church of Worthington, which was organized in February, 1873, and

for many years he was ruling elder in that church—in fact, from the date of

organization until his death. In 1876 he was elected county surveyor and served

one term. He was an officer of Worthington township during all the time he was a

resident there—over twenty years. He held the offices of supervisor, treasurer,

assessor, etc.



  Allen Chaney was twice married. His first marriage was to Miss Susan Angelina

Caryl, daughter of William Caryl. She was born in Barnard, Vermont, March 30,

1811, and died at Ogdensburg, N.. Y., Oct. 15, 1850. His second marriage

occurred in May, 1853, when he was united in marriage to Miss Candase Coan

Rumsey, daughter of David Rumsey. She was born in 1826 and died in February,

1865. Mr. Chaney was the father of six children, as follows: Julia Maria, born

March 1, 1841, resides at Worthington; Catherine Rumsey, born Aug. 5, 1854,

married June 19, 1873, to J. A. Town, died July 17, 1890; Allen Miller, born

March 16, 1856, resides at Minneapolis; David Rumsey, born Jan. 18, 1858,

resides at Dundee, Minn.; Roberta Van Valkenburg, born Aug. 20, 1860, married

Dec. 30, 1890, to James Mackay, resides at Worthington; William, born Feb. 10,

1865, resides at Worthington.



  Allen Chaney died at his home in Worthington township Dec. 20, 1892.



Additional Comments:
Extracted from:



AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY

MINNESOTA

BY

ARTHUR P. ROSE



NORTHERN HISTORY PUBLISHING COMPANY 

WORTHINGTON, MINNESOTA 

PUBLISHERS

1908

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