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Reuben Allen and Elsie Clevenger, both born in 1770 in Shenandoah County, Va., were married Sept. 29, 1791 in Rockingham, County, Va. They raised their family of 12 in Cocke County, Tenn., before moving to Ray County, Mo. Elsie's parents and some of Reuben's relatives made Cocke County their permanent home after moving from Virginia.
One of the attractions to Cocke County for these Virginians was Big Pigeon Primitive Baptist Church, an affiliate of their Big Spring Primitive Baptist Church in Shenandoah County. Big Pigeon was the first church established in Cocke County (before Cocke was a county...
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Reuben Allen and Elsie Clevenger, both born in 1770 in Shenandoah County, Va., were married Sept. 29, 1791 in Rockingham, County, Va. They raised their family of 12 in Cocke County, Tenn., before moving to Ray County, Mo. Elsie's parents and some of Reuben's relatives made Cocke County their permanent home after moving from Virginia.
One of the attractions to Cocke County for these Virginians was Big Pigeon Primitive Baptist Church, an affiliate of their Big Spring Primitive Baptist Church in Shenandoah County. Big Pigeon was the first church established in Cocke County (before Cocke was a county and Tennessee was a state) and its most prominent religious institution in the 1790s and early 1800s. A reading of church minutes (starting with footnote on p. 15) indicates that Reuben Allen was an active member. Big Pigeon members who moved to Missouri transferred their membership to New Garden Primitive Baptist Church.
Reuben and Elsie's oldest son, Abraham Allen, was born in Virginia but grew up in Cocke County, where he married and raised his first family. He raised a second family in Missouri.
Reuben and Elsie's son James Madison Allen, born in Cocke County, married Sarah Frakes, who was probably a cousin of his older brother Abraham's second wife, Elizabeth Frakes. James and Sarah's son Reuben (named after his grandfather) has a Find-A-Grave memorial with portrait.
Reuben and Elsie's son George William Allen married Eliza Gryder. Their son Almorine has a Find-A-Grave memorial.
Reuben and Elsie's daughter Psyche/Syche married Thomas Keeney. There is an online data sheet for their family.
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As a boy growing up in Cocke County, Tenn. (whose paternal grandmother was an Allen), I [Gene Bryant] heard repeatedly that there were two, possibly three, sets of Allens in the county that were not related.
But I remember a discussion (possibly more), around 50 years ago, I had with M.G. Roberts, a local historian, who explained how all the Allens were related. No notes from that discussion, but I recall his explaining to me how Minerva Allen, wife of Judd Bryant, was related to the other Allens “on Cosby.” Minerva’s father was Isaac Allen whose father was John, an early county sheriff. John’s father was also named Isaac. Isaac, according to Mr. Roberts, was a surveyor who helped to map out the boundary between N.C. and Tenn. This Isaac and two (or more) other brothers came to Cocke County from Virginia just before the turn of the 18th century. One of Isaac’s brothers was named John, who was a wealthy farmer and businessman in the Wilton Springs area. The other brother [Reuben], who moved to Missouri, was married to a daughter of Thomas Clevenger.
Landon Bryant, Minerva Allen’s son (and a "grandfather-like figure” to me growing up) had also told me his maternal grandfather was “Ike” Allen, and that he, Landon, had always been told that Ike’s grandfather was also named “Ike.”
Another of senior Isaac's sons, Jackson Allen, was the father of Rachel Allen, wife of Arch Clevenger. (An Arch/Rachel family photo includes Jackson, who lived with them after his wife Rose died.) I have concluded (documentation lacking) that Isaac had a son also named Reuben who died in Cocke County, TN.
My grandmother Dollie Allen was a descendant of Reuben Allen. Her grandfather, George Allen (son of Abraham Allen), was a grandson of Reuben Allen and Elsie Clevenger. Among George’s other siblings were Winnie Allen, ”Miss Allen” (2nd wife of Tarlton Bryant) and Calvin Allen.
RELATED LAND SURVEYS:
REUBEN ALLEN-133 acres-Cocke County-on waters of English Creek beginning at a black oak corner to THOMAS STEWART on the road leading from Newport to Jones Cove, STEWART’s line, GEORGE GRACE’s corner, stake near edge of said road-CC WILLIAM STEWART and ANDREW DONOVAN Surveyed March 20, 1807
ISAAC ALLEN-153 ½ acres-Cocke County-on waters of English Creek beginning at a locust corner with WILLIAM NORTH, corner to WILLIAM SMALL, corner to ORIGINAL ROE, ROE’s corner and corner to JAMES ALLEN, crossing Cosby Road and NORTH’s line-CC GEORGE PARSON and JAMES ALLEN Surveyed May 10, 1807
JOHN ALLEN-328 ¼ acres-Cocke County-beginning at the head of English Creek at a hickory on Jones Cove Road corner to JAMES SMITH and CALEB O’DELL, hickory on JARRET BRICKEY’s line, THOMAS WILLIAMS line, THOMAS WILLIAMS corner, white oak at the foot of English Mountain, GILBERT NORTH’s line, post oak corner to NORTH, SIMM’s and O’DEL, ODEL’s line-CC JOHN GILES and CALEB O’DEL surveyed May 9, 1807
JAMES ALLEN-195 ½ acres-Cocke County-on English Creek beginning at a large black oak corner to GILBERT NORTH, corner to WILLIAM SIMMS, SIMMS line, SIMMS corner, SAMUEL LITTEREL’s line, LITTEREL’s corner, white oak under the foot of English Mountain, along the spurs of the mountain-CC WILLIAM SIMMS and GILBERT NORTH Surveyed May 7, 1807
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The following is research compiled by Wilburn Allen, a descendant of Reuben Allen (provided by Find-A-Grave contributor MSkach #48293154):
THE FOURTH CHILD OF JOHN AND LUCY ALLEN....REUBEN ALLEN I was my great, great grandfather b.1760/70 (per the 1830 census of Ray Co., Mo.), place unknown. Using his position with his siblings as a guide, Shenandoah Co., Va tax records, and the dates of the marriages of his brothers, I have further deduced that Reuben was b. 1765/70. Notice that our Reuben Allen I and wife Else (Clevenger) Allen named one son Isaac. (perhaps in honor of Reuben's bro. Isaac). Reuben and Else named a son John (perhaps after Reuben's father John). They named another another son Thomas (perhaps after Else's father Thomas Clevenger). Notice that this Thomas Allen named a son Elijah (perhaps for his Uncle Elijah Allen back in the Shen. Valley). Reuben and Else named a son George (perhaps after Reuben's bro George or Else's grandfather George Clevenger.). Note that Reuben and Else named a son William (perhaps for Reuben's bro William back in Roane Co., Tenn). Five of Reuben and Else's children named a son Isaac (perhaps for Reuben's bro Isaac back in Cocke Co., Tn. or for Reuben's son Isaac. Five of Reuben's children named a son John (perhaps for Reuben's father John back in Shen. Co., Va). Two of Reuben and Else's children named sons Jesse (perhaps for Reuben's bro Jesse back in the Shen. Valley). Reuben and Else's daughter Elizabeth (Allen) Millsap named a son Joseph (perhaps for Reuben's brother Joseph back in the Shen. Valley). Reuben and Else named a daughter Lucy (perhaps for Reuben's mother Lucy, wife of John, Sr. back in Shen. County, Virginia). Reuben and Else named a dau "Sithy" which was colloquial for Else Allen's mother Syche Clevenger. Reuben and Else's eldest son Abraham Allen named a dau Lucy/Lucinda (perhaps for Reuben's mother Lucy Allen). My grandpa Reuben III's next youngest bro was named Jesse (could have been named for several Jesse Allen's. By now, the reader should be getting the message. These enumerations above do tend to show a relationship of Reuben I's family to his "theorized" brothers and parents back in Shenandoah County or in E. Tennessee.
My grandpa Reuben Allen III was a staunch Primitive Baptist like his forebearers back in Virginia and Tennessee. He took the wording of the Bible literally and knew many passages of it by heart. He loved to argue its merits with non-Baptists. Note that many of the names that Reuben and Else gave their children were Biblical in origin..Reuben, John, Isaac, Abraham, etc.
John Allen, Sr. and Lucy Allen back in Shen. Co. did the same thing, i. e. named sons John, Abraham, Isaac, , Reubin, Jesse, Elijah, Joseph, all names from the Bible. This custom tells us something of the strong part religion played in the lives of John and Lucy when they named so many sons after well known Biblical personages. I have not, unfortunately, been able to learn the names of the children of Reuben Allen I's brothers.
My guess is that the use of Biblical names would have continued on down through those parallel Allen lines also.
From info previously given above and that to follow, we see that our great, great grandparents Else and Reuben Allen I:
1. Married in 1791 in Shenandoah County, Virginia
2. Removed from that county in late 1795 (when he last appears on the tax rolls of Shen. Co.) to early 1796 when they were accepted into the Big Pigeon (Primitive or "Old School") Bapist Church in Cocke County, Tn. near the present day county seat of Newport, Tn.
3. Removed from that county in 1825 to our native Ray County, Missouri.
The minutes of the B. P. Bap Ch tell us Reuben was given a letter of dismissal (character reference) from that church in 1825 to present to his new church (in Missouri). He and the remainder of his family followed his three eldest sons Abraham, Isaac, and John Allen who had removed (1818/21) from Cocke Co., Tn. to Ray Co., Mo. prior to the main body of Allens in 1825.
So, our Reuben and Else participated in the TWO BIG WESTERLY MIGRATIONS which included many relatives from SHENANDOAH CO., VA. to COCKE CO., TN. to RAY COUNTY, Mo. It is my belief that some of Reuben's brothers also migrated from the Shendandoah Valley to Tennessee to various counties. Lack of time and records have made it impossible to do a thorough search for those Allen siblings of Reuben and as well as the Clevenger siblings of Else who also went along on those same two huge migrations of people in search of new land to settle. The migration to Missouri is documented by the marriage of Reuben and Else's son Reuben II in Ray Co. in July 1826 (allowing a little time for courtship, since he did not know wife Rhoda Rowland in Tenn.) and the probate records for Reuben Allen I in Ray County courthouse in Richmond, Mo. dated 1833/34. We do not know for sure where Reuben and Else are buried. It is my unfounded "guess" that they must have been buried somewhere in Orrick Township or Fishing River Township in Ray Co. This is especially possible given the fact that some of their oldest sons and families are buried in Dillon Cem. in Western Ray Co. on land owned by the Battagler family. Another possible locale may be around Cooley Lake in Western Fishing River Township in Ray Co. or in Eastern Fishing River Township in Clay Co., Mo where some early pioneers of the area were buried.
From this point on , I provide voluminous information on all the children of Reuben Allen I and wife Else as well as most of their descendants. Much of this Allen family info can be documented by family Bibles, censuses, gravestones, wills, land transactions, church records, courthouse records, etc. The credibility of all other information depends mostly on the reliability and accuracy of each donor of Allen info. It is my sincere hope that these volumes of Allen family information (our direct line of Allens) be not only informative but enjoyable to the reader. |
