Allen, Jerry T.
1876-1965 | Pioneer
Jerry Thomas Allen was born in Oblong, Illinois on December 15, 1876, the son of Otho “Othie” Washington Allen and Hannah Ann Weger Allen.[1]
On May 2, 1899, Allen enlisted in Company B, 6th U.S. Cavalry, 3rd Brigade, 6th Illinois Volunteers, serving in Madrid, Cuba during the Spanish-American War (1898) and then in the Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902). While in the U.S. Army he became an expert rifleman and baseball and track star in his division.[2]
While stationed in San Francisco in 1906, Allen assisted in rendering aid to the victims of the earthquake and fire. While stationed as a military guard at Alcatraz Prison, Allen met and married Albina Kodym, who was born in San Francisco in 1888.
In 1908, Allen was sent to Nome, Alaska in the military contingent before being assigned to Fort Liscum, which is now the location of the Alaska Pipeline terminus in Valdez, Alaska. Albina Allen accompanied him to Fort Liscum. On September 5, 1915, their son, Jerry Albert, was born, at the post.
On August 8, 1917, Allen was appointed U.S. postmaster at Fort Liscum, a position he held until the post closed in 1924.[3] He was also a veteran of World War I.[4]
On June 24, 1924, Allen retired as a first sergeant in the U.S. Army and moved to Anchorage, Alaska. He was employed by the Alaska Road Commission (ARC) and also worked part-time for the City of Anchorage as a laborer. By 1930, he was a “gas engineer” in the city’s public works department.[5] Allen kept up his interest in baseball and spent time with the youth of Anchorage coaching baseball. He was also one of Anchorage's first volunteer firemen.
In 1924, Jerry and Albina Allen purchased their original home at 4th Avenue and A Street. He acquired rental property on 4th Avenue and A Street adjacent to his home and spent most of his time maintaining the properties. In 1944, the family moved to 744 Fifth Avenue, in Anchorage.
On July 20, 1953, Albina Allen died at her home in Anchorage. She was buried in the Masonic Tract of Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery.[6]
In 1956, Allen returned to Oblong, but visited Anchorage each summer to spend a few months with relatives, including his son, Jerry A. Allen. He was a 32nd degree Mason and a member of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry.
On October 20, 1965, Jerry Thomas Allen died in the Richland Hospital in Olney, Illinois, where he was a patient. He was buried at the Oblong Cemetery in Oblong, Crawford County, Illinois.[7] In addition to his son, Jerry Albert[8], he was survived by two grandchildren and two great grandchildren. His son, Jerry Albert Allen (1915-1977), was buried at Angelus Memorial Park, Anchorage.[9]
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Endnotes
[1] Jerry T. Allen, 1880 U.S. Census, Oblong, Crawford County, Illinois, ED 186, stamped page 435, National Archives Microfilm Publication T9, Tenth Census of the United States, 1880, Roll 142, 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line], http://ancestry.com (accessed November 9, 2016); Jerry T. Allen, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line], http://ancestry.com (accessed November 9, 2016); and John P. Bagoy, Legends & Legacies, Anchorage, 1910-1935 (Anchorage: Publications Consultants, 2001), 256-257.
[2] Jerry F. Allen [Jerry T. Allen], National Archives Microfilm Publication M233, Register of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914, Roll 63, U.S. Army, Register of Enlistments, 1798-1914 [database on-line], http://ancestry.com (accessed May 11, 2016); John P. Bagoy, Legends & Legacies, Anchorage, 1910-1935, 256-257; and Typescript, Jerry Thomas Allen [1st generation Alaskan], File: Jerry T. Allen, Bagoy Family Pioneer Files (2004.11), Box 1, Atwood Resource Center, Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, Anchorage, AK.
[3] Entry for Jerry T. Allen, National Archives Microfilm Publication M841, Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-September 1971, Roll 4, U.S., Appointment of U.S. Postmasters, 1832-1971 [database on-line], http://ancestry.com (accessed November 9, 2016).
[4] “Jerry Allen, 87, Oldtime Alaskan, Dies in Illinois,” Anchorage Daily Times, November 3, 1965, 20.
[5] Jerry T. Allen, 1930 U.S. Census, Anchorage, Third Judicial District, Alaska, ED 14, page 17B, National Archives Microfilm Publication T626, Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930, Roll 2627, 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line], http://ancestry.com (accessed November 11, 2016).
[6] “Albina Allen, Pioneer Woman, Dies at Home,” Anchorage Daily Times, July 21, 1953, 1; and Albina K. Allen, U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line], http://ancestry.com (accessed November 13, 2016).
[7] Jerry Thomas Allen, U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line], http://ancestry.com (accessed November 13, 2016); “Jerry Allen, 87, Oldtime Alaskan, Dies in Illinois,” Anchorage Daily Times, November 3, 1965, 20; and Jerry T. Allen, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line], http://ancestry.com (accessed November 9, 2016).
[8]See, Fond Memories of Anchorage Pioneers, Vol. II (Anchorage: Pioneers of Alaska, Igloo 15, Auxiliary 4, 1996), 179-180.
[9] Jerry Albert Allen, U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line], http://ancestry.com (accessed November 13, 2016).
Sources
This biographical sketch of Jerry T. Allen is based on an essay which originally appeared in John Bagoy’s Legends & Legacies, Anchorage, 1910-1935 (Anchorage, AK: Publications Consultants, 2001), 256-257. See also the Jerry T. Allen file, Bagoy Family Pioneer Files (2004.11), Box 1, Atwood Resource Center, Anchorage, AK. Photographs courtesy of the Allen family. Edited by Mina Jacobs, 2012. Note: edited and revised by Bruce Parham, November 13, 2016.
Preferred citation: Bruce Parham, “Allen, Jerry T.,” Cook Inlet Historical Society, Legends & Legacies, Anchorage, 1910-1940, http://www.alaskahistory.org.
Major support for Legends & Legacies, Anchorage, 1910-1940, provided by: Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, Atwood Foundation, Cook Inlet Historical Society, and the Rasmuson Foundation. This educational resource is provided by the Cook Inlet Historical Society, a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt association. Contact us at the Cook Inlet Historical Society, by mail at Cook Inlet Historical Society, Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, 625 C Street, Anchorage, AK 99501 or through the Cook Inlet Historical Society website, www.cookinlethistory.org.