Thomas ALLUM

  General Notes:

dPhoto: The gravemarker for Thomas Allum, 1818-1897, is at Mount Hope Cemetery, San Diego, San Diego County, California. Wife Rebecca's gravemarker is configured exactly as his with her name and years of birth and death.
From Louise (Allum) Fortune


1818 BIRTH of Thomas Allum (James Monroe was President)

Thomas Allum's date of birth, May 29, 1818, is from a family Bible in the possession of one of his descendants; his place of birth is from other family records; and his date of death is written in pencil in a Book of Remembrance

(Like his first cousin, Charles W. Lewis--son of Mary Allum Lewis--Thomas was born in 1818. In that year ships began regular crossings of the Atlantic. Steamboat service began on the Great Lakes. Five more stars were added to the American flag representing Ohio, Tennessee, Louisiana, Indiana and Mississipi.)

1820 CENSUS, Pennsylvania, Greene County, Richhill Township (with parents) ("Allims")

6 people are in the household in 1820:

4 males (father Charles and sons William, Thomas and John)
2 females (mother Jemima and ?)

1820-1830 DEATH of grandmother, first wife of William Allum

1830 CENSUS, Pennsylvania, Greene County, Richhill Township (with parents)

10 people are in the household in 1830:

1 male 30-40 (father Charles, born 1796)
2 males 10-15 (sons William and Thomas, born 1817 and 1818)
2 males 5-10 (sons John and James, born 1820 and 1822)
1 male under 5 (son Isaac, born 1828)
1 female 30-40 (mother Jemima, born 1795)
1 female 5-10 (daughter Delila, born 1823)
2 females under 5 (daughters Peninah and Hannah, born 1825 and 1827)

1840 DEATH of grandfather William Allum

1840 MARRIAGE (approximate) of Thomas Allum and Matilda (last name unknown)


Was Matilda's maiden name also Allum? See "Leroy Woods Allum" for a bio that mentions his parents, Thomas and Matilda.

It is believed Matilda's mother's name was "Belle Wallace" ("Belle" may even have been a nickname). Was "Wallace" Belle's maiden...or married name? Did Belle marry an Allum? (Sarah [Raper] Allum, widow of John Allum, 1823-1854, is believed to have married a man named Wallace, although a record of that marriage has not been located.) Perhaps a Wallace researcher can provide clues! See Notes for "Belle Wallace"


1840 CENSUS, Pennsylvania, Greene County, Richhill Township

2 people are in the household in 1840:

1 male 20-30 (Thomas, born 1818)
1 female 15-20 (wife Matilda, born 1820)

1850 CENSUS, Pennsylvania, Greene County, Richhill Township ("Thomas," age 32, no occupation documented) (wife "Matilda A.," age 30)

1853 MIGRATION from Pennsylvania to Iowa...to Davenport, Scott County; records indicate he was still in Scott County in 1856

1854 CENSUS, Iowa State Census, Scott County, Davenport ("Thos." Allum is documented with 8 people [including himself] in his household--3 males and 5 females)

1855 DIRECTORY of the City of Davenport for 1855-1856 reveals the following:

"Alum, Stafford and Co. cotton-batting manufs, N. Davenport" and

"Alum, Thomas, of Alum, Stafford and Co., residence N. Davenport"

1856 CENSUS, Iowa State Census, Scott County, Davenport ("Thomas," age 36, "Carpenter") (wife "Matilda," age 35)

1859 DEATH of mother, Jemima (Barnhart) Allum

1860 CENSUS, Iowa, Jasper County, Newton Township, Newton ("Thos.," age 42, "Farmer") (wife "Matilda," age 40)

1863 DEATH of wife Matilda (last name Wallace?) at approximately 43 years (Abraham Lincoln was President)


Linda Kelley Schlater, July 19, 1998 e-mail:
"Re burial place of Matilda Allum, wife of Thomas Allum: In Newton Union Cemetery records are two burials listed as ALLUM?, unknown adult. Both are in Block 1, Lot 14, page 352 (Newton Union Cemetery Records, Jasper County, IA, published by IGS). In other words, there are two unknown adults buried on a lot owned by an ALLUM. This is in the old part of the cemetery, burials probably before the Civil War. Could they be Matilda Allum and Lucinda Parson Allum? Records do not exist in Jasper County and there are no stones."


1865 MARRIAGE of Thomas Allum and Rebecca Wert on December 5 at Newton, Jasper County, Iowa by Rev. Sam Westwood

1868 DEATH of father, Charles W. Allum

1868 BENEFICIARY in will of father, Charles W. Allum

1870 CENSUS, Iowa, Jasper County, Newton Township, Newton ("Thomas Allums," age 52, "Carpenter") (wife "Rebecca," age 33)

1880 CENSUS, Iowa, Polk County, DesMoines ("Thomas, age 62, "Carpenter") (wife "Rebecca," age 42) ("Allen" in some census indexes)
"
1885 CENSUS, Iowa State Census, Polk County, Des Moines Township ("Thomas," age 66, "Contractor") (wife "Rebecca," age 46) (in the household are children "Maggie A.," "Emma E.," "Bertha A.," and "Hattie")

MIGRATION from Iowa to California

1897 DEATH of Thomas Allum at 78 years 9 months 8 days

(When Thomas died on March 7, 1897, William McKinley of Ohio had just been sworn in as 25th President of the United States on March 4, succeeding Grover Cleveland. McKinley pledged to keep the nation out of war: "We want no wars of conquest. War should never be entered upon until every agency of peace has failed; peace is preferable to war in almost every contingency." [Nevertheless, in 1898 the U. S. was at war with Spain.] A major gold strike occurred in the Yukon Territory of Alaska creating a rush to that northern location. In 1897, the Niagara Falls Bridge linked the United States with Canada. In Illinois, the Marshall Field Company erected a huge clock at the corner of State and Washington Streets in Chicago, an ornament that became a symbol of the retail store for the next 100+ years.)

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1900 CENSUS, California, San Diego County, San Diego ("Rebecca," age 63, widow; in her household are daughter Bertha, "Dressmaker" and grandson "Gerrold" A. Cooney, age 4 [should be Harold] [Harold Allum Cooney] ) (Rebecca is documented as the mother of 5 children, 4 children living in the year 1900)

1910 CENSUS, California, San Diego County, San Diego ("Rebekah," age 72, widow, and daughters Bertha A. and Harriet M., both Dressmakers) (Rebecca is shown as the mother of 5 children, 4 children living in the year 1910)

1918 DEATH of Rebecca (Wert) Allum at 81 years 4 months 28 days (Woodrow Wilson was President)




DESCRIPTION (Thomas): 5' 10" tall, light complexion, dark brown hair, blue eyes (from military record with signatures of Thomas and Rebecca)


MILITARY SERVICE: Civil War (see below)

From ROSTER OF IOWA VOLUNTEERS, Iowa State Department of History and Archives, Des Moines, Iowa:

ALLUM, Thomas:
Age 44. Residence Newton, nativity Pennsylvania. Enlisted August 2, 1862, as Third Corporal, Mustered August 28, 1862. Discharged for disability June 10, 1863, Vicksburg, Mississippi. 22nd Regiment, Company C.

ALLUM, Thomas:
Age 46. Residence Newton,nativity Pennsylvania. Appointed First Lieutenant July 13, 1864. Mustered July 13, 1864. Mustered out October 21, 1864, Rock Island, Illinois, expiration of term of service. Company B, 48th Infantry.


BOOK: OFFICIAL ARMY REGISTER OF THE VOLUNTEER FORCE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY For The Years 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865, Part VII, (Missouri, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, California, Kansas, Oregon, Nevada), published 1865, page 404: Thomas Allum is documented as one of six First Lieutenants in the 48th Regiment with the notation, "This regiment, composed of four companies, was organized at Davenport, Iowa, July 13, 1864 to serve one hundred days. It was mustered out October 20, 1864 by reason of expiration of term of service."


MILITARY PENSION RECORD: No. WC 464 316


OCCUPATION: Carpenter and contractor (From 1882 through 1885 Thomas Allum was listed in the DesMoines, Iowa City Directory as a contractor and builder living at 1506 West 9th Street)


LOCATIONS: Greene County, Pennsylvania to Davenport, Iowa (1853); 1506 9th Street, DesMoines, Iowa (1879); 1169 6th Street, San Diego, California (1897); 233 20th Street, San Diego, California (1918--Rebecca only, after Thomas's death) (While living in Davenport, Iowa, Thomas was an officer of I.O.O.F., Davenport Lodge No. 7)


BOOK: ILLUSTRATED HISTORICAL ATLAS OF THE STATE OF IOWA, 1875 by A. T. Andreas regarding Jasper County, Iowa History, pages 478 and 479: "Newtown was incorporated in 1857. The first council consisted of Hugh Newell, Mayor; S.H. Galusha, Recorder; Elzy Hiatt, C. Seymour, T.H. Miller, Thomas Allum, D.L. Clark, Trustees. D.D. Piper is Mayor at the present time; John C. Wilson, Recorder; George T. Anderson, D.L. Stover, James Herron, C. Howard and R.A. Rhoads, Trustees"




DEATH NOTICE for Thomas Allum in the SAN DIEGO UNION, March 9, 1897:

Capt. Thomas Allum, a resident of Pennsylvania. Friends are invited to attend the funeral service at the family residence at 2 p.m. today.




DEATH NOTICE for Thomas Allum in a Newton, Iowa newspaper, March 10, 1897:

Thomas Allum, age 79, died in San Diego, Calif. He had lived in Newton many years. He was the father of LeRoy Allum, who was the publisher of the Newton Republican. He leaves his wife Rebecca and 9 children, 4 of whom live in Des Moines.




OBITUARY (Thomas) from THE NEWTON RECORD, Newton, Jasper County, Iowa, March 12, 1897:

Death of Thomas Allum

News reaches us of the death of Thomas Allum at his home in San Diego, Calif. last Sunday. Mr. Allum came to Newton in 1856 with his family, and made this his home a greater part of the time, until about ten or twelve years ago, when he moved to California.

In 1862 he enlisted in Company C, 22nd Iowa Infantry, and after a year's service, was discharged on account of disabilities incurred.

His wife died in this city in 1863, and he was afterward married to Miss Rebecca Wert, who survives him. Of his children by his first marriage, whom our people will well remember, are Mrs. Minerva Garton and Mrs. Belle Robeskie of Des Moines; Leroy W. Allum and Mrs. Sarah Blanton, of San Diego, Cal. Mr. Allum was about seventy-nine years of age.




CAUSE OF DEATH (Thomas): "Disease of the chest incurred in service" --Civil War Pension Record

CAUSE OF DEATH (Thomas): "Heart disease, dilatation vent valvular insufficiency" --death certificate


Lucile Adamson Slocum:

Thomas and Rebecca's flat stones look like granite and say: "Capt. Thomas Allum, Father, 1818-1897"; "Rebecca Wert, Mother, 1837-1918."

--March 11, 1998 letter to DeeAnna



CONTRIBUTORS to this page:

Margaret Smith Brennan

Louise Allum Fortune

Linda Kelley Schlater

Lucile Adamson Slocum

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Thomas married Matilda Ann ALLUM in 1838-1839 in Greene County, Pennsylvania. (Matilda Ann ALLUM was born on August 13, 1820 in Pennsylvania, died on April 5, 1863 in Jasper County, Iowa and was buried in (Perhaps) Newton Union Cemetery, Newton, Jasper County, Iowa.)

Thomas next married Rebecca WERT, daughter of Joseph WERT Jr. and Margaret Jane MILLER, on December 5, 1865 in Newton, Jasper County, Iowa. (Rebecca WERT was born on May 4, 1837 in Crawford County, Ohio, died on October 2, 1918 in San Diego, San Diego County, California and was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, San Diego, San Diego County, California.)