ALLEE, CAPT. William H. - Putnam

CAPT. WILLIAM H. ALLEE

Back in the early pioneer days of Putnam county is traced the history of the Allee family, many members of which hare made their influence felt for the general welfare of the locality during each succeeding generation, one of the best known being Capt. William H. Allee, who, after an unusually successful, interesting and useful career, is sleeping the sleep that knows no breaking, but his good deeds are still alive and his memory is revered and cherished by hosts of friends, for he was indeed a grand character, whom to know was both to admire and to love.

Mr. Allee was born in Jefferson township, Putnam county, Indiana, in 1833, when the country was new, and he lived to take part in its great development. He was the son of John and Lucretia (Pruitt) Allee, a complete ancestry of whom is to be found in the sketch of F. M. Allee on another page of this work.

Mr. Allee grew up on the home farm, and, owing to the new condition of the country when he was a boy, it fell to his lot to do a great deal of clearing and hard work, and his educational advantages were limited, but he made the most of every opportunity and developed into a strong, successful man, remaining at home until his marriage in 1856, when he formed a matrimonial alliance with Mary McCarty, daughter of William and Ann (Langham) McCarty. She was born in 1834 in Warren township, Putnam county, about three miles west of Mt. Meridian, on the National road. Her parents were both natives of Tennessee, having come to Indiana from Claiborne county, near Nashville. When they arrived in Putnam county they found a wilderness through which roamed wild beasts and Indians; they settled in the unbroken forest, cleared a small place, pitched a camp in which they lived until a log cabin could be erected. Then John McCarty set to work - clearing the land and the arduous toil and hardship incident to pioneer life were such as to prematurely injure his health. He secured two hundred and sixty acres and added to this until he owned three hundred and sixty acres before his death. Eleven children constituted his family, namely: Elijah, Jane, Julia, Sarah, Abel, Emily, Mary, Ellen, Martha, Angeline and Lewis, the last named dying when two years old, the others all living to maturity. Mrs. McCarty died about 1849, at the age of sixty-three years. Mr. McCarty had served as justice of the peace in Warren township. Both parents belonged to the Primitive Baptist church, both taking a great interest in its affairs. They assisted in the organization of Deer Creek church, the first church in that part of the county, the building being erected in their farm.

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Allee went to live on a farm given him by his father, which place was only a short distance northwest of Providence church, Jefferson township. Five years later he bought more land from his father and moved to it, a mile and a half further northwest. Five years later he purchased the old McCarty homestead in Warren township and moved thereto, remaining on the place five or six years. About 1873 he bought a farm at the crossing of the section lines of sections 5, 6, 7 and 8 and moved thereto soon afterwards, the place having remained in possession of the family ever since. Mr. Allee was a very successful man, laid his plans well and executed them in a manner that stamped him as the possessor of rare business foresight and soundness of judgment. He became the owner of two thousand acres, divided into twelve farms. He kept his land well improved and looked after every detail of the work, his painstaking labor always being amply rewarded.

In politics Mr. Allee was an active Republican, and while he was not an office seeker he took more or less interest in the affairs of his party. He was one of those brave men of the Middle West who ever stood ready to defend the flag in time of national peril, and when only seventeen years of age, during the Mexican war, he ran away from home and started to enlist for service, but was too young and his father overtook him at Greencastle and brought him back home. During the Civil war he felt it his duty to stay at home and look after his large family, but he was patriotic and was an able assistant in the Union cause as a civilian at home, giving moner with which to hire help on the farms so that young men could be sent to the front and helped organize companies. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity and also the Methodist church. Mrs. Allee has also long been a member of this church and still delights in its services, attending when she can.

Mr. Allee's chief occupation was farming, but he also traded in land, bought and sold livestock and as regarded as a man of safe business methods. He was well known all over Putnam county and highly esteemed by all who knew him, for he was a man whom everybody trusted, being scrupulously honest and fair in his dealings. The death of this excellent citizen occurred on July 24, 1905, having attained an advanced age which was replete with both success and honor.

Mr. Allee's companions like to remember the efforts he put forth during the war of the Rebellion, for then his patriotism ran high and he proved the mettle of which he was made. He was captain of the Home Guards, after which he was always known as Captain Allee. They remember him as a man of splendid qualities, of sterling character. He was a well read man, a deep thinker, a logical reasoner and of a kind and genial disposition, driving away dull care and letting in the sunshine of cheerfulness. He was fold of young men who were just starting in life, always welcoming their society and was every ready, without intrusion, to give the best of advice, which, when followed, insured success. He inherited and practiced the many virtues of the early days, knowing how best to adapt them to the great progress of later times. His sincere courtesy and geniality endeared him to all. He was one of the foremost, wealthiest and most modern of Putnam county agriculturists. His friendly nod and warm hand clasp was given to all, rich and poor alike, at all times and his charitable qualities to those in need will long be remembered. His faithful life companion, a woman of rare grace and beautiful Christiain character, is enjoying the serenity of old age on the homestead southwest of Mt. Meridian, and she is a favorite with a wide circle of friends.

To Mr. and Mrs. William H. Allee eleven children were born, named as follows: Horace, born in 1857, died in infancy; Corellah, born in 1858, died October 16, 1863, when five years old; Albert Franklin, born in 1860; Lucretia married Leonard S. Peck and lives south of Greencastle, and is the mother of one son, Ross; Elijah Walter, born in 1864, married Alpha Wallace and has six children, Marie, Jewel, Thelma and Velma (twins), Flossie and Albert Ross; this family is living on a good farm in Mill Creek township; Charlotte, born in 1866, married Americus Jones and lives on the Bloomington road south of Greencastle; she has six children: Frank, Ruby, Florence, Thaddeus, Jessie and Anna; Grant, born in 1868, died in infancy; Thaddeus Stevens, born in 1869, married Jessie Surface; he was a lawyer in Chicago and died childless; Florence Nightengale, born in 1872, died November 19, 1897, when twenty-five years old; John Williams, born in 1873, married Cadora Denny and lives a mile south of Mt. Meridian, and has two children, Piercy and Lucile; Samuel Reed, born in 1877, died August 15, 1892, when fifteen years of age.