John ALLUM 1st

  General Notes:

Document: The 1835 Deed dated November 16 bears the signatures of John Allum (1784-1836) and his son, James Allum (1812-1850).
From the collection of Shirley Allum Hudlicky


1784 BIRTH (approximate) of John Allum

It is believed John was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania and is speculated that his was the first Allum birth after his parents' migration from Harford County, Maryland.

(In 1784 in Virginia, the Marquis de Lafayette spent several days at the plantation of George Washington, no doubt discussing their hardest years of the Revolutionary War; Washington would not become President until 1789. In Maryland, Thomas Jefferson proposed names for western states such as "Cherronesus," "Michigania," "Saratoga" and "Polypotamia." Jefferson had drafted a Land Ordinance for 10 states to be created from land ceded to the government by New York, Connecticut and Virginia. The State of Frankland was formed by and near North Carolina; in 1785 its name became "Franklin," but in 1788 the region was recovered by its originator. Congress had not yet established a permanent home and met in Philadelphia, Princeton, Annapolis, Trenton and New York. At a conference in Baltimore, Maryland, Methodists in the United States succeeded in separating themselves from the Church of England.)

1790 CENSUS, Pennsylvania, Washington County, West Bethlehem Township (John with parents)

1800 CENSUS, Pennsylvania, Washington County, West Bethlehem Township (John with parents)

1808 NAMED IN THE WILL of Dr. Charles Wheeler (will proved 1813), although to benefit only under certain circumstances (In the Index of Names in this online file, click on "Wheeler, Charles")

1810 CENSUS, Pennsylvania, Washington County, East Bethlehem Township ("Allam" in some census indexes)

1809-1810 MARRIAGE of John Allum and Sarah Raper, likely in Washington County, Pennsylvania

Shirley Allum Hudlicky, October 14, 1998 letter to DeeAnna:

"People who have difficulty accepting the surname RAPER should keep in mind that it could also be the German Raber - Raeber - Reber."

1820 CENSUS, Pennsylvania, Washington County, West Bethlehem Township

7 people are in the household in 1820:

1 male 26-45 (John, born about 1784)
2 males under 10 (sons James and Jonathan, born 1812 and 1817)
2 females 26-45 (John's wife Sarah born in 1780, and ?)
1 female 10-16 (unidentified)
1 female under 10 (unidentified)

Young females are documented in both 1820 and 1830 census years in the John Allum and Sarah (Raper) Allum household. If they were daughters of John and Sarah, their names, years of birth--and fates--are unknown.

Members of families can be "lost" because census records 1790 through 1840 provide names of heads of families only.

If a child, male or female, grew to maturity and married prior to 1850, he or she would not necessarily be recognized as a member of a specific family line unless other documentation had been created and survived.

Might one of the daughters of John and Sarah have been "Matilda Ann," born in 1820, who became the wife of Thomas Allum, 1818-1897?

See "Thomas Allum 1818-1897" and see the biography of his son, "Leroy Woods Allum." Note that John Allum, subject of this online page, died in 1836 and his widow did marry a man named Wallace between 1840 and 1850, although John's widow's given name was Sarah, not "Belle"...

1820 REFERENCE found in ABSTRACTS OF THE WASHINGTON REPORTER, Washington County, PA, 1820-1822, Volume 4, by Bonnie Malmat, printed and published by Closson Press, Apollo, Pennsylvania, copyright 2006 by Bonnie Malmat/Closson Press, page 166:

List of Letters remaining in the Washington Post Office, September 30, 1820:
AWLAMS, John
I do believe the reference is to John Allum, 1784-1836. The Allum surname is sometimes found with an "s" at the end.
--DeeAnna

1820-1830 DEATH of John's mother, first wife of William Allum

1830 CENSUS, Pennsylvania, Greene County, Richhill Township ("Alum")

5 people are in the household in 1830:

1 male 30-40 (John, born about 1784)
1 male 15-20 (son James, born 1812)
1 male 10-15 (son Jonathan, born 1817)
1 female 40-50 (John's wife Sarah, born 1780)
1 female 10-15 (unidentified, born 1815-1820) (perhaps "Matilda Ann Allum," who later became the wife of Thomas Allum, 1818-1879)

1836 DEATH of John Allum at approximately 52 years

(Andrew Jackson was President in 1836, but Martin Van Buren was elected late in the year to attain office in 1837. Van Buren defeated William Henry Harrison and three other candidates, including the Whig party's Daniel Webster. In Texas, Santa Ana's troops besieged the Alamo. General Sam Houston became "the first President of the Republic of Texas" and called for the annexation of Texas by the United States. Meantime, in Virginia, the country's 4th President, James Madison, died at Montpelier. In "Oregon Country" the first two white women to travel overland arrived at that destination with their husbands, both Protestant missionaries. A new primer was published at Cincinnati, Ohio by William Holmes McGuffey. The mint produced its first coins on Franklin Beale's steam press. In Louisiana, New Orleans divided into three municipalities; one was the French Quarter. Thirty circuses toured the country with the help of the growing railway system.)

****

1837 ADMINISTRATOR'S NOTICE published in the WAYNESBURG MESSENGER, Waynesburg, Greene County, Pennsylvania on September 26, as follows:

Letters of Administration on the Estate of JOHN ALLUM, late of Richhill township, Greene county, deceased, having been granted to the subscriber, residing in Richhill township, he hereby notifies all person (sic) indebted to said estate, to make payment, and all those having claims against said Estate, to present them, legally authenticated for settlement.

JAMES ALLUM, Administrator

1840 DEATH of John's father, William Allum

1840 CENSUS, Pennsylvania, Greene County, Richhill Township (Sarah Allum only, "one female 60-70." She was shown as 40-50 in the 1830 census.)

1842 MARRIAGE of John's widow Sarah to James Wallace on November 9

1843 DEATH of Sarah's second husband, James Wallace, at 90 - 91 years (born 1752 or 1753)

1850 CENSUS, Pennsylvania, Greene County, Richhill Township (A Sarah Wallace, age 77(!), is in the household next to Jonathan Allum; she is documented as having been born in Pennsylvania)

1860 CENSUS, Pennsylvania, Greene County, Richhill Township (A Sarah Wallace, age 80, born in Delaware, is in the household of Jonathan Allum. The designation Delaware as Sarah's place of birth is a clear departure from the Pennsylvania births of all others in the Jonathan Allum household in the 1860 census, but is it accurate? The 1870 Mortality Schedule states her place of birth as New Jersey.)

1869 DEATH of Sarah (Raper) Allum (Wallace) (Ulysses S. Grant was President)
A discrepancy exists about Sarah's date of birth: Born on May 1, 1780, she would have been 89 years 6 months 23 days upon her death on November 24, 1869. An entry in the Bible of James H. Carroll and Sophia Jane Allum Carroll reveals "Sarah R(e)aper Allum Wallace, died November 24, 1869, age 88 years, 6 months, 28 days, born May, 1780. In fact, that latter age upon death computes to a date of birth as April 26, 1781.

Cause of death: "Ascity" (should have been "Acidity"?) --1870 Mortality Schedule, Richhill Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania




SOME DOCUMENTS:

1835 - Deed dated November 16 bearing signatures of John Bell, Thomas Patterson and John Allum (1784-1836) with John's son, James Allum (1812-1850) as witness

1836 - Letters of Administration, Estate No. 832, John Allum: Letters of Administration were granted to James Allums September 19, 1836. Bond with John Supler and Henry Sprowl as sureties taken same day. Renunciation of widow filed with bond.

1842 - Handwritten release dated February 1, 1842 for "Sarah Allum" from payment of a note with signatures of Jonathan Allum, Thomas Allum and James Allum "heirs of John Allum, deceased."

Is the signature of Thomas Allum that of Thomas, 1818-1897, son of Charles W. Allum, who was 22 years old in 1842, and a nephew to the deceased John Allum? The writing does somewhat resemble the signature of Thomas from other documents.

Or does it represent an elder Thomas, for example, a brother to John Allum, 1784-1836 (a Thomas who would also have been a son of William Allum 1st) ?

1842 - Handwritten receipt dated March 21, 1842 for $1.75 from James Allum in conjunction with estate of John Allum

1842 - Orphans Court Record Extract dated March 23, 1842, Greene County, Pennsylvania: James Allum, Administrator of Estate of John Allum, dec'd., presents his Administration account for confirmation by which it appears there is a balance in the hands of the administrator of $12.07. Confirmation of same is suspended until next Court.

1855 - Deed dated June 26, an elaborately-written deed among John and Anne Bell...Thomas and Dorcas Patterson...Benjamin and Hannah Ross and heirs of John Allums, deceased, excerpt as follows:

"This Indenture Made the 26th day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty-five between John Bell and Anne, his wife; Thomas Patterson and Dorcas, his wife; and Benjamin Ross and Hannah, his wife, parties of the first part, and he heirs and legal representatives of John Allums, decd. of the other part, Witnesseth, That the said parties of the first part for and in consideration of the sum of one thousand dollars lawful money of the United States of America, unto to them well and truly paid by the said John Allums in his life time or by his heirs after his decease at and before the sealing and delivery of these presents, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, have granted, bargained, sold, aliened, enfeoffed, released and confirmed, and by these presents do grant, bargain, sell, alien, enfeoff, release and confirm unto the said parties of the second part their Heirs and Assigns, All that certain tract or parcel of land situate in Richill (sic) township, Greene County, and State of Penn. 256 perches to a "Stone"; thence by land formerly of the parties of the first part, North 20 degrees East, 132 perches to "Stones"; thence by land of Charles Allum South 71 degrees East, 256 perches to Stones; thence by land formerly of the parties of the first part, South 20 degrees West, 132 perches to the Beginning containing two hundred and eleven acres and four perches strict measure, it being part of a tract of land called "Fallen Timber," patented to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to Thomas Lieper, deceased, and sold and conveyed by the Heirs of the said Thomas Lieper, deceased, to the said parties of the first part, who by agreement in writing covenanted to sell and convey the portion, situate and described as aforesaid, unto the said John Allums, deceased, which conveyance was not executed in the life time of said John Allums, deceased, or if executed by the parties of the first part, was not delivered to the said John Allums, decd., in his life time, according to the said agreement, together with all and singular the land Ways, Waters, Water-Courses, Rights, Liberties, Privileges, Hereditaments and Appurtenances whatsoever thereunto belonging or in anywise appertaining, and the Reversions and Remainders, Rents, Issues and Profits thereof; and all the estate, right, title, interest, property, claim, and demand whatsoever of the said parties of the first part in law, equity, or otherwise howsoever, of, in, and to the same and every part thereof, To Have and To Hold the said Tract of Land the Hereditaments and Premises hereby granted, or proper use and behoof of said parties of the second part their Heirs and Assigns, for ever, AND the said John Bell, Thomas Patterson and Benjamin Ross Heirs, Executors and Administrators, DO--by these presents, covenant, grant and to and with the said parties of the second part their Heirs and Assigns that they, the said John Bell, Thos. Patterson and Benjamin Ross, their Heirs, all and singular the Hereditaments and Premises herein above described and granted, or mentioned and intended so to be, with the Appurtenances,unto the said parties of the second part their Heirs and Assigns, against them the said John Bell, Thos. Patterson and Benjamin Ross, their Heirs, and against all and every other Person or Persons whomsoever lawfully claiming or to claim the same or any part thereof, SHALL and WILL WARRANT and for every DEFEND. In witness whereof, the said Parties to these presents have hereunto interchangeably set their hands and seals. Dated the day and year first above written. Signatures of John Bell, Anne Bell, Thos. Patterson, Dorcas Patterson, Benjamin Ross, and Hannah Ross"

1856 - Handwritten receipt dated September 3, 1856 for $1.25 from Israel Craft in conjunction with estate of John Allum

1856 - Handwritten receipt dated September 3, 1856 for $5.50 from Israel Craft in conjunction with estate of John Allum

John married Sarah RAPER, daughter of Jonathan RAPER and Unknown, in 1809-1810 in (Probably) Washington County, Pennsylvania. (Sarah RAPER was born on May 1, 1780 in Pennsylvania, Delaware Or New Jersey and died on November 24, 1869 in Pennsylvania.)