BIOGRAPHY: James Hobart ALLPORT, Cambria County, PA 

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From Wiley, Samuel T., ed. Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Cambria 
County, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Union Publishing Co., 1896, p. 383-5
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JAMES HOBART ALLPORT, -- The subject of this sketch is the second son of Hobart 
and Edith S. Allport, and was born at Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania, April 13, 
1874. He received his education in the public schools of that place, which he 
attended until the age of fifteen when he was employed in the Pennsylvania 
railroad office under the chief engineer. An unusual talent for drawing combined 
with a quick perception of mathematics enabled him to advance rapidly, and in 
less than three years he held the position of chief draughtsman.
     Mr. Allport remained with the railroad company till 1893 when he joined 
himself to the Benton Coal company of Hastings, Pennsylvania, as superintendent, 
which position he holds at the present time. Besides his connection with the 
Benton Coal company he has extensive interests in the Allport Coal company, the 
mines of which are situated on Walnut Run, near Barnesboro. His business 
acquaintance is decidedly large, embracing many of the most prominent coal 
operators, both in the Cambria region and in the eastern market, besides having 
a large circle of friends among the railroad people.
     Mr. Allport's family are originally of Norman descent, coming over from 
Normandy to England with William the Conqueror prior to 1066. He has in his 
possession the “family tree” extending back to 1585, embracing thirteen 
generations; it was taken from the church records and could have been extended 
back several generations further, but not without an immense amount of work, for 
before that time the country was very unsettled over political wars. The male 
members of direct descent with the date of birth and death are as follows: 
William Allport died 1585, William Allport died 1603, William Allport died 1625, 
John Allport, born 1584, died 1685; John Allport, born 1644, died 1730; John 
Allport, born 1679, died 1717; William Allport born 1713, died 1808; James 
Allport, born 1763, died 1816; James Allport, born 1799, died 1854; Hobart 
Allport, born 1848, died 1893.
     Mr. Allport's father is a cousin of the late Sir James Joseph Allport, of 
Darby, England, under whose management the Midland railway assumed its present 
proportions. His grandfather was taken into the army at the age of eight years 
by his uncle, who was commissary general under the Duke of Wellington. He was 
all through the Peninsular war as well as being an eye-witness of the battle of 
Waterloo. After the battle he secured several souvenirs, which are still in the 
family, and are highly prized as relics. In 1816 he was sent to America in 
company with a Mr. Carp to learn business and commenced as an importer of 
hardware; he continued in this business ten years, during which time he boarded 
at the old City Hotel, near the battery, New York city.
     About this time — 1826 — the firm of Carp, Ellis & Shaw failed; in payment 
of their debt to him Mr. Allport took three tracts of land in Clearfield county, 
Pennsylvania; one in Morris township, one at Cramondale and one on Clearfield 
Creek.
     He came to look over his property in 1828, but returned to New York after a 
brief visit. However, he came back in 1830, settled on the tract in Morris 
township, near what is now Allport post-office. In 1831 he married Miss Matilda 
Hunter, of Buffalo Run, Centre county, Pennsylvania.
     Mrs. Allport's family were of Scotch descent, but came to America from 
Ireland long before the Revolution. The first children were three boys, David, 
Robert and Andrew. The latter, at the age of nineteen, ran away from is home at 
Lewistown, entered the army under Washington, and served until the Independence 
of the United States was secured. He was with the army during the dark winter at 
Valley Forge, and took part in the battle of Trenton, where he secured a pair of 
Hessian horse-pistols which are yet in the family.
     In 1789 he moved to Centre county, where Andrew, Jr., was born one year 
later. He died about 1819, and is buried with his wife in the cemetery at 
Indiana town. The son Andrew lived at Centre Furnace from 1813 (when he married 
a Miss Evans) until 1816, when he moved to Buffalo Run, residing there until his 
death, in 1873, at the advanced age of nearly eighty-five years. His two 
children—Matilda, widow of James Allport, and Catherine are still living in 
Phillipsburg.
     To Mr. and Mrs. James Allport were born seven children, four of whom are 
living. The youngest son, Hobart, was born in 1848, at Morrisdale, Clearfield 
county, being of a very delicate nature he was unable to study very hard while 
young, but as he grew older he grew stronger, and in 1875 he entered the 
University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1878.
     In 1870 he married Edith S. Nevling, niece of Mr. and Mrs. Jno. A. Boynton, 
late of Clearfield, but now residing in Philadelphia. He was surgeon-in-chief of 
the Cottage State hospital from the time it was erected until his death, and it 
was mainly through his efforts that the hospital was secured to the Clearfield 
mining region. His death occurred January 7, 1893, the result of blood-poisoning 
the previous summer; he is survived by his wife and six children, of whom James 
Hobart is the second.