Andrew Harper Allen

As printed in 1908

ANDREW HARPER ALLEN, a well-known resident of Cuyahoga Falls, now living retired in his pleasant home on Sackett Street, was born at Pond Creek, Bureau County, Illinois, August 18, 1856, and is a son of Robert Henry and Mary Phylura (Cochran) Allen.

The Allen family in Summit County, came from Scotch and Irish ancestors. John Allen, the great-grandfather of Andrew H., was born in County Antrim, Ireland, where he died, leaving a family of six children. George Allen, his third son, born in County Antrim, in 1799, married Elizabeth Harper, and they came to America in 1832, settling first at Lee, Massachusetts, and in 1836, coming to Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. He followed papermaking almost all his active life. He was a man of great industry and prudence and invested in land in Summit County, which became very valuable, a part of his eighty-acre farm being now included in the city of Cuyahoga Falls. He had ten children, namely: Jane, Andrew H., John M., Robert H., William A., George L., Julia, Mary Alexander and the first Mary, who died in infancy while the family was crossing the Atlantic ocean.

Robert Henry Allen, father of Andrew H., was born December 25, 1882, at Lee, Massachusetts, and came to Cuyahoga Falls with his father, in 1836. For twenty years after reaching maturity he was engaged in the carriagemaking trade at Cuyahoga Falls, but in 1874 he moved to a farm which was situated in Stow Township, on which he lived until 1882. He then moved to Akron, where he resumed work at his trade of carriage manufacture, but one year later he discontinued it, and bought a farm of 170 acres in Stow Township, to which he moved. He now turned his attention to acquiring land and continued to add one parcel to another until his possessions aggregated 600 acres. He was a man of exceptional business faculty, but he gained his ample fortune without dishonesty, mainly through his steady perseverance and frugality.

On October 5, 1855, Mr. Allen married.Mary Phylura Cochran, who was born at Cuyahoga Falls, July 18, 1837, a daughter of John M. and Jane (Semple) Cochran. Both the Cochran and the Semples were old colonial families of Scotch-Irish lineage that had generations of honest ancestors behind them. John M. Cochran was born in 1775, at Calcutta, Ohio, and in 1814 was married to Jane Semple, who was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, but who had been reared in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, where her father, James Semple had settled, being an early teacher in that locality. The children of Robert Henry and Mary P. Allen were:.Vndrew H., Maria, William A. and Arthur M. Mrs. Allen ls a consistent member of the Ejiiscopal Church. Mr. Allen was identified with the Republican party, and wa one of its founders in Summit County. He died May 5, 1902, aged sixty-nine years.

Andrew Harper Allen's parents resided only one year at Pond Creek, moving then to Cuyahoga Falls, where he was reared and educated. After completing the High School course, he learned the trade of wagon-maker with his father and uncle. After finishing his apprenticeship with the firm of W. A, Allen & Company, he was married and moved to Lafayette, Indiana, where he worked for about a year. He was then in partnership with John Spafford, at. Akron, for a year, and for another year with John Agne, under the firm name of Allen & Agne. doing business enough to encourage him to organize the Allen Wagon Company. This enterprise was entirely successful and Mr. Allen carried it on for some years,.giving employment to thirty people in his works. After disposing of his interests in this concern, in partnership with his father he purchased the old Galloway farm, and on it was engaged in general farming and dairying for five years.

After retiring from the farm Mr. Allen went to the Goodrich Rubber Company as a millwright and pattern-maker, where he continued for five years. He then started a pattern shop of his own, at Cuyahoga Falls, which he continued to operate, with two assistants, until the spring of 1907. Mr. Allen then retired from active business life, being able to look back over a useful and prosperous career of many years.

Mr. Allen was married, first, to Ora Warner, who was a daughter of William Warner, of Mogadore. She died in 1897, aged thirty-seven years. Her three surviving children are: Walter M., residing at Akron; Edna Grace, who married E. 0. Hale, residing at Akron, and S. Blanche, who married F. F. Bingham, and resides at Bedford, Indiana. Mr. Allen was married, second, to Emma Willgohs, who is a daughter of Dr. Charles F. Willgohs, of Doylestown. Mr. and Mrs. Allen are members of the Episcopal Church. In political sentiment, Mr. Allen is a Democrat. He has been identified with much of the development of Cuyahoga Falls, at all times performing his full duty to the community as becomes a worthy citizen.

As printed in Centennial history of Summit County, Ohio and representative citizens (1908). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.