Allen Family Papers

Access and use

Location of collection:
West Virginia and Regional History Center
West Virginia & Regional History Center
West Virginia University
P.O. Box 6069
1549 University Avenue
Morgantown, WV 26506
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Lori Hostuttler
Phone: (304) 293-3536
Restrictions:

No special access restriction applies.

Terms of access:

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Allen Family Papers, A&M 2257, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
31 Linear Feet 31 ft. (72 document cases, 5 in. each); (8 unboxed ledgers, 12 in.)
Creator:
Allen family
Abstract:
Personal and business correspondence, legal papers, ledgers, family records, and other papers of the Allen family of Moorefield, Hardy County, West Virginia. Also includes papers of members of the Barr, Weibley, Taylor, and Gamble families. The majority of the collection includes personal and business correspondence, legal papers, and financial records of Judge James W.F. Allen (1813/12/03 - 1875/07/16), a Hardy County lawyer, Jacksonian Democrat, and Circuit Court Judge in Hardy and Grant Counties (active ca. 1852-1865, 1872-1875). Also includes the papers of Allen's second wife, Caroline Williams Allen (d. 1907), several of Allen's children, and other related people, and a large group of 19th century advertising memorabilia. See Scope and Content Note for more information.
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Allen Family Papers, A&M 2257, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

Personal and business correspondence, legal papers, ledgers, family records, and other papers of the Allen family of Moorefield, Hardy County, West Virginia. Also includes papers of members of the Barr, Weibley, Taylor, and Gamble families. The majority of the collection includes personal and business correspondence , legal papers, and financial records of Judge James W.F. Allen (December 2, 1813 - July 16, 1875), a Hardy County lawyer, Jacksonian Democrat, and Circuit Court Judge in Hardy and Grant Counties (active ca. 1852-1865, 1872-1875). Disbarred because of Confederate sympathies, Allen regained bench in 1872. The collection also includes the papers of Allen's second wife, Caroline Williams Allen (d. 1907); son and merchant Franklin Page Allen (b. 1860); daughter Eleanor Boyd Allen (b. 1866); daughter and teacher Marie Annette Allen (b. 1841); daughter and teacher Mary E. Allen (b. 1857); and son Paul Allen. There is also business correspondence, legal papers, and financial records of Alfred Taylor, a leather worker and dealer in Moorefield; letters to Charity Johnson, a black "mammy," from her charges; correspondence and diaries of Mrs. Sophie Weibley, wife of a Kansas frontier doctor; and a large group of 19th century advertising memorabilia. The collection is divided into series, which include:

Series 1. Judge James W. F. Allen Papers (1st); 1766-1876, undated (includes facsimiles); boxes 1-20.
Series 2. Judge James W. F. Allen Papers (2nd); ca. 1830s-1880s; boxes 1-26.
Series 3. Caroline W. Allen Papers; 1848-1907, undated; boxes 1-6.
Series 4. Frank P. Allen Papers; 1878-1932, undated; boxes 1-6.
Series 5. Eleanor Boyd Allen Papers; 1878-1933, undated; boxes 1-7.
Series 6. Alfred Taylor Papers; 1828-1889, undated; boxes 1-4.
Series 7. Papers of Various Persons; 1833-1932, undated; boxes 1-4.
Series 8. Ledgers; undated; boxes 1-2 and 8 loose ledgers.

This series includes correspondence, legal papers, business advertising, financial records, and miscellaneous material. Additional correspondence involving Judge Allen can be found in Series 2.

Please note, some boxes did not have box titles, and some folders did not have folder titles. In cases where there is both a box and a folder title, they are separated with a double dash ( -- ).

This series includes Judge Allen's correspondence dealing with business and politics, as well as some legal papers. For folder-level index, see the control folder. Letters are indexed through folder 48; from folder 49 on, business letters are not indexed and political letters are indexed.

This series includes correspondence and other miscellaneous papers of Judge Allen's second wife, Caroline Williams Allen.

Please note, some boxes did not have box titles, and some folders did not have folder titles. In cases where there is both a box and a folder title, they are separated with a double dash ( -- ).

This series includes personal correspondence, business correspondence, and bills and receipts of Judge Allen's son, Franklin Page Allen.

Please note, some boxes did not have box titles, and some folders did not have folder titles. In cases where there is both a box and a folder title, they are separated with a double dash ( -- ).

This series includes correspondence, financial records, legal papers, and other miscellaneous papers of Judge Allen's daughter, Eleanor Boyd Allen.

Please note, some boxes did not have box titles, and some folders did not have folder titles. In cases where there is both a box and a folder title, they are separated with a double dash ( -- ).

This series includes business and personal correspondence, deeds and proclamations, receipts and contracts for slaves, and other financial records.

Please note, some boxes did not have box titles, and some folders did not have folder titles. In cases where there is both a box and a folder title, they are separated with a double dash ( -- ).

This series includes papers of various children and relatives of Judge Allen. Some papers may relate to the family of his first wife, Ann Caroline Gamble (married in 1840, died in 1845). Also included are papers of Dr. and Mrs. Sophie Weibly, whose diary can be found in the collection; and letters to Charity Johnson, a black "mammy" or domestic servant of the Allen family. This series also includes two addenda, which include papers of John A. Olson pertaining to genealogy of the Allen family and the allied Barr family, especially Ted Barr; papers of Judge Allen; and typescripts of some of the Allen family correspondence.

Please note, some boxes did not have box titles, and some folders did not have folder titles. In cases where there is both a box and a folder title, they are separated with a double dash ( -- ).

This series includes ledgers pertaining to Allen's family and others.

Please note, some boxes did not have box titles, and some folders did not have folder titles. In cases where there is both a box and a folder title, they are separated with a double dash ( -- ).

Physical location:
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard