Individual Details

Peter's name is Peter Buell in the Andrew Warde book. Son is also Peter Buell. Aunt Grace had Peter Benton Allen in one place - some branches of the family do believe his middle name was Benton. My grandmother's notes also had him as Peter Benton Allen, but my grandmother also believed he had been born in Polk Co, Arkansas.
Peter's obituary written by son C.E.F. Allen states that he was born in Cayugo Co NY and came west to Terre Haute with his family at age 9.

Peter B. Allen married Mary Hoskins; Vigo County; 28 Dec 1836. Have seen her name both as Hoskins and Hawkins, but I believe Hoskins to be correct. Amanda Allen, Peter's sister, married Silas Hoskins who was probably related to Mary in some way.
Marriage record from Vigo County definitely says "Hoskins". M. Augustus Jewett officiated.
Jewett also officiated at the marriage of Elisha Stephens to (?) Ruhama/Ruthann Allen on Dec 25th, both also of Vigo Co. This is not a known sister of Peter B. but was she a cousin?
Obituary of Peter B. Allen also gives Mary's name as Hoskins.


From Probate Records of Vigo Co IN. "Complete Order Book" Vol. 1, 1829-1836; p.378. Peter B. Allen was Deputy Court Clerk signing documents dated in April, 1833. The Court Clerk was Curtis Gilbert, likely the Curtis Gilbert married to his older sister Catherine before her death at age 19. Peter would have been aged 22, and still single. Peter's obituary states that he was an assistant in the Vigo county clerk's office for two years.

Found in Arkansas Territorial Census 1840: Peter B. Allen, Sevier County (became Polk County in 1840). According to his obituary, Peter B. first located at Lanes Port on the Red River in Sevier Co in 1839, moving after 2 years to what is now Cove on Buffalo Creek.

A Polk Co Tax List from 1846 shows that Peter B. Allen had 1 horse, 6 head of cattle. In 1847, he had 2 horses, 4 cows.

Found in White Township, Polk County, AR, 1850 Census. He was the enumerator: started 8 Oct 1850 and finished on 1 Nov. Listed his family last.
Peter B. was 38, a farmer, Mary R. age 32, both born NY; children all born in Arkansas
Augustus A. 11, Henry C. 9, Nathaniel O. 6, Peter B. F. 4, Mary A. 2, Charles C. age 3/12, or 3 months

Land Patents - Polk Co AR
#7784 Mar 1 1855. 40 acres. NE 1/4 of the SE 1/4 Section 10, Township 4, Range 32W.
#7785 Mar 1 1855. 40 acres NW1/4 of the SW 1/4 Section 11, Township 4, Range 32 W
#7808 Mar 1 1855. 40 acres NE1/4 of the SW 1/4, Section 11, Township 4, Range 32W
Homestead Certificate #448 15 Jun 1875 80 acres. NW 1/4 of the SW 1/4 of Section 12 and the NE 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of Section 11, Twp 4, R 32W
Homestead Certificate #8878 19 Sep 1898 80 acres SE 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of Section 11 and the SW 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of Section 12 in Twp 4, R32W

1860 Census. White Twp, P.O. Cove, Polk Co, AR, Hh 527
Peter B. Allen, 48, farmer, b. NY. Mary R., 44, b. NY
A. A., 21, male, H. C. 18, male, N.O., 16, male, P.B.P., 14, male, M. A., 12, female, C.E.F., age 10, male, Martha, 8, Dewitt, age 6, Josephine, age 4 - all the children born in AR
Abel Rogers, 36, Merchange, b. GA
Edward Shepherd, 21, farm labor, b. MS
Nancy Shepherd, 18, b. IL

Peter Allen served as a Representative in the Arkansas Legislature 1860-1862 for the counties of Scott, Polk, Montgomery, and Hot Springs. Obituary states he also served a term in 1868. He was postmaster for a number of years. Served as justice of the peace and county judge.

Three of my great, great grandfathers in Arkansas served as Postmasters - Joseph Christopher Wood was postmaster in Uniontown, Crawford County, AR for over 20 years. Tom Comstock was postmaster of the village Barcelona for about five years. Until Ancestry posted a database of civil employes, I had no idea that Peter Allen had also been a Postmaster. 30 Sep 1863, he is noted as being the Postmaster at Cove, Polk Co, AR - no salary noted. In 1865, he received .50 for his duties. In 1869, his pay was $3.00, but in 1871, he received $12.00 - and that seems to be the end of his postal duties.

The 1870 Polk County census lists as child, McCoy W., age 3. no different surname apparent. He is too young to be Mary & Peter's. William McCoy, age 13, b. TX is in the 1880 Census with Dewitt Allen.
White Twp, Cove P.O., Hh 402
Peter B. Allen, age 58, b. NY. Mar R., 53, b. NY.
Charles E. F. 20. Martha E. 18. Dewit C. 16. Velina J. 14. McCoy W. age 3
next door in Hh 403
Peter B. P. Allen, age 24, b. AR. Mary, 24, b. GA. Edwin F., age 1., b. AR
and in 404
John Hays, age 23, b. AR, b. TX and Sarah age 20, b. TX - since two of the children of Peter B. married Hays siblings, this is curious. This John not known to be related to the other Hays in anyway and they were never known to be in Texas - apparently just a coincidence.

1880 Polk County AR Census lists Peter B. Allen, age 68, Farmer born NY, mother & father both born in NY; Mary R., age 62, Keeps house, born NY, mother & father both born in NY. He was also an enumerator for this census according to his obituary.
He was enumerator for Cove Township, Dist 128, but he was counted in White Twp, Dist 129, Wm. J. Barton, enumerator.

1890 Polk County AR "Census" as reconstructed/compiled by Wanda Tilley from the 1888 Real Estate Tax book shows P. B. Allen paying tax on Sections 11 & 12 of Township 49, Range 32 W.

1900 Polk County AR Census, White Twp, living with Henry Clay & family. Peter B. Allen, father, age 88, born Nov 1811 in New York, parents born in New York. He was marked as Widowed.

His obituary appeared in "The Mena Star" on 10 Oct 1901, written by son C.E.F. Allen. Notice of his death had appeared in an earlier edition.

Buried in Pleasant Grove Cemetery 1/2 mile SE of Cove. "Peter B. Allen 1811-1901" The obituary states the funeral was on Saturday, 28 Sep, at the cemetery, conducted by Rev. Night. All of his children were present except Martha Williams & Josie Hays.

Will dated 9 April 1901. Copied in the Newsletter of the Polk County Genealogy Society (1986-1992) Filed for Probate 14 Oct 1901 (sic- it was 14 Oct 1902). Left his homestead: NE 1/4 of SE 1/4 and SE 1/4 of NE 1/4 S11 and the SW 1/4 of NW 1/4 and NW 1/4 of SW 1/4 of S12, T4, R32 to be divided among his eight heirs: Henry C. Allen, Nathaniel O. Allen, Porter Allen, Mary A. Little, Charles E. F. Allen, Martha E. Williams, Dewitt C. Allen, Philena Hays.
N. O. Allen was appointed Executor, 14 Oct 1902.


From the Terre Haute Evening Gazette,
Saturday, 12 Oct 1901, page 1
A TERRE HAUTE PIONEER IS DEAD
Peter B. Allen, Who Came Here in 1818 With His Father, Gen. P. B. Allen.
UNCLE OF CAPT. NAT ALLEN
Lived Here For a Number of Years and Then Moved to Arkansas -- A Pioneer Family.

Captain Nat Allen, of this city, has just received a letter announcing the death of his uncle, Peter B. Allen, son of Gen. Peter B. Allen, a pioneer resident of Terre Haute. He died on the 26th of last month at Cove, Polk county, Arkansas, from geneal debility. He was born in Ontario county, N. Y., Nov. 5, 1811, so that he was almost 90 years old at the time of his death.
The deceased, as stated, was the son of Gen. Peter B. Allen who came to Terre Haute on June 4, 1818. Gen. Allen landed with his wife and family, one of whom was the son just deceased, then only 11 years old, at Old Terre Haute on that date on a boat that floated the Ohio and was pulled up the Wabash to Old Terre Haute. At that time the present city of Terre Haute consisted of only a few houses. It was laid out in 1816.
Gen. Allen took the lumber, out of his boat and made a house out of it that stood for years on the present site of the I. V. Preston farm house north of the county poor house.
The deceased was married at the old house on the Preston place east of Terre Haute on December 26, 1836, to Mary Hoskins, a daughter of Gen. Hoskins, also a pioneer resident of Terre Haute dead many years. He had eight children and there are seven of them still living. Mrs. Allen, his wife, died several years ago in Arkansas.
The deceased when a young man was a clerk in the county clerk's office of Vigo county for a number of years under his brother-in-law Curtis Gilbert, who was county clerk for a long time. Soon after his marriage here in 1836 the deceased moved to Arkansas and has never been back to Terre Haute since. It was thirty years before his relatives knew where he was.
Capt. Nat Allen, of this city, was the son of Ira Allen, who came here his brother, the deceased, on the boat to Old Terre Haute on June 4, 1818, with their father, Gen. Peter B. Allen. Ira Allen was killed in an accident in Clay county in 1869. He was also the father of Ed. Allen, recently deceased, and the grand-father of George M. Allen for many years editor of the Express.
Capt. Nat Allen, of this city, has lived to see all the Allens who came to Old Terre Haute on June 4, 1818 on the board with Gen. Peter B. Allen, and who afterward located in Terre Haute, pass away, the deceased in Arkansas being the last. Captain Nat Allen is almost the last of the Allens and is the oldest of the family tree now living. He will soon be 80 years old, having been born in Terre Haute, June 8, 1822, on south First street opposite the old Ellis Woolen mills.

Birth	5 Nov 1811	Ontario County, New York
Marriage	28 Dec 1836	Vigo County, Indiana - MARY ROWENA HOSKINS
Death	26 Sep 1901	Cove, Polk County, Arkansas

Spouse	MARY ROWENA HOSKINS (1815 - 1885)
Child	Augustus A. Allen (1841 - 1882)
Child	Henry Clay Allen (1843 - 1912)
Child	Nathaniel Orrin "Nat" Allen (1844 - 1933)
Child	Peter B. P. "Port" Allen (1846 - 1926)
Child	Mary Adeline "Addie" Allen (1848 - 1936)
Child	Charles Edward Francis Allen (1850 - 1905)
Child	Martha Elizabeth Allen (1852 - 1936)
Child	Dewitt Clinton Allen (1854 - 1918)
Child	PHILENA JOSEPHINE "JOSIE" ALLEN (1856 - 1935)

Father	PETER BUELL ALLEN (1775 - 1833)
Mother	MARY PETERSON (1774 - 1832)
Sibling	Henry Cromwell Allen (1797 - 1837)
Sibling	Ira Allen (1799 - 1866)
Sibling	Catherine Allen (1801 - 1821)
Sibling	Harriett Allen (1803 - 1855)
Sibling	Myron Holley Allen (1805 - 1872)
Sibling	Amanda Allen (1807 - 1866)
Sibling	Chloe Ward Allen (1809 - 1869)
Sibling	Adaline Allen (1814 - 1857)