~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She hath done what she could
Ellen Vickery Warner gave birth to her first child on a sailing ship bound for America. That Baby was only a few months old, when his father Tom Warner disappeared while harvesting corn in the Ohio River bottom lands. It is quite possible that the Warners who had married August 18, 1849, had not yet celebrated their first wedding anniversary.
Ellen and her son lived with her family in their temporary residence in Detteson's enlargement of Evansville - next to a family headed by Josiah DeLong, who kept a tavern. If James DeLong was a son of Josiah, then James must have been employed elsewhere when the census was taken in September 1850.
Whether James was Josiah's son or a more distant relative, it seems reasonable to speculate that these neighbors were responsible for the introduction of the young widow Ellen to James DeLong, whom she married in February, 1855. Their first child, named Elizabeth and called "Eliza", was born in 1856, just before Christmas. Her cousins recalled that she was blonde - which must have been unusual enough in the family to be worth remembering. A second daughter, Sarah Ellen, was born in 1857, but died of dysentary the following year.
There is some confusion over where James and Ellen DeLong lived. Family tradition puts them in Fort Branch, where probably some of Josiah's offspring had gone, but we have no record that Vickery/DeLongs were in Gibson County for another quarter century.
It was Ellen's third husband James Allen who bought property in Fort Branch about 1879 and moved his family from Evansville. All the records indicate that the DeLongs lived in or near Evansville, perhaps working the Vickery farm or another one in Center Township. James Vickery DeLong said he was born in November, 1859 in Evansville. Less than three months later, in February 1860, his father James DeLong died in Vanderburgh County of injuries caused by a run-away hay wagon. He was not yet 30 years old. Once again Ellen was a widow with an infant son, plus two other children under ten. In the 1860 census taken several months after the tragedy, Ellen and her children are found living on a farm in Center Township. Heading the household is Samuel DeLong, a 24 year old Ohio-born farmer, and a match for one of Josiah's sons.
Three DeLongs are buried at Oak Hill on the James W. Vickery lot. They were not exactly welcome there. James W.'s granddaughter recalled that the graves on the back left side were "All of relatives of Jim DeLong. Grandma always said that whenever anyone died Jim DeLong knew. He did not even ask, but just brought the body to be buried on grandpa's lot."
The story is delightful, but Grandma must have exaggerated. Possibly Jim Sr. buried his daughter Sarah there because he himself had no lot, or Jim Jr. brought his sister Ella to join her father and sister, but it is impossible to hold either the infant Jim Jr. or the deceased Jim Sr. for Jim Sr. being buried there "without asking".
The 1860 census shows a 34 year old English shoemaker named James Allen living in the McCutchanville area. He had a wife Rebecca, also English, and two sons born in Indiana: William (aged six) and Josiah (aged two). No further information about Rebecca and Josiah has been found.
Ellen was married for the third time in August 1862 to James Allen, a shoemaker born in London in 1826. There is no story that James Allen and Ellen Vickery were two bereaved souls who fell in love. They might have made a practical marriage to supply a two-parent family for two sets of growing children, but soon both older sons were living elsewhere.
In the census of 1870, William Allen, (aged 16), was recorded with the Samuel Vickery household; in 1880 he was still there and described as an "adopted son". William was employed by the firm of Lant & Allen, but through most of those years he clerked for Vickery Bros.
Ellen's son William Warner was boarding with his grandparents on Seventh St. He too found employment clerking at Vickery Bros., though apparently he was kept in the rear of the store. Young Will was very religious, read well, and when he had money he gave it to the Free Methodist church. But he was loose jointed and not bright - a good argument against allowing cousins to marry. He was fond of molasses, which dribbled from his mouth down his chin when he ate. His younger cousins considered him - at best - "rather peculiar".
"Worst of all," recalled Elizabeth, "was Will Warner. I was scared of him, and once spent an entire evening in Grandma's bedroom rather than go into the living room where he was." Will stayed with his grandparents most of the time as long as his grandmother lived.
In 1864, James Allen purchased two lots from his brother-in-law James W., and went into business in Evansville as a maker of boots and shoes. The Directories variously describe his location as SES Main beyond 9, the NE corner of Main and William (Sycamore], and 1001 Main: all probably the same, and about a block from James W.'s future store. Allen paid $1500 for the property which had cost James W. $500, and the following year he mortgaged it to James for $1000.
The Allen's first child, John, was born in the early summer of 1863. For the first time a husband of Ellen would see their first-born son grow up. Two years later another son, named Samuel, was born. The child was deaf and unable to speak, and the 1890 census enumerator made a check in the "idiot" column. In September, 1868, a set of twins completed Ellen's family: Mary Olive, known as "Ollie", and a second Sarah Ellen, who was called Nellie.
Not only did Allen's family increase, but the census shows the value of his "real" property jumped from $250 in 1860 to $5000 in 1870. In 1876 James Allen and his shoe store disappear from the Evansville City Directory. His step-daughter Eliza had been married in December 1875 to Malachi Ballew. Mala (one of several Ballew brothers who were coopers) and his bride lived at 1003 Main with Ellen and her family. Ellen's first grandchild, Ellen Elizabeth "Ella" Ballew, arrived in September. The store at 1001 Main was occupied in 1877 by the firm of "Ballew & DeLong", a grocery operated by the cooper and his teenage brother-in-law.
The association was a brief one. Eliza Rallew died in childbirth in 1878. The "attending physician" is listed as (her grandmother) Mrs. William Vickery. Eliza and her child were buried together on James W.'s lot, the last DeLong burials there. The Vickery monument in the middle of the back row divides the DeLongs from the James W. Vickerys.
Mala Ballew continued the store through 1880. He lived with his widowed sister Marthy Streets and her children; they shared the house with their brother Edward E. Ballew and his family.
The cooper / grocer became an itinerant Free Methodist minister. The Evansville Free Methodist Church, dedicated in 1872, of which his former mother-in-law Ellen Allen was a charter member, had been founded primarily by her brother James W. Vickery. For a short period, the Rev.
Mr. Ballew "was pastor of church situated at 1321 Walnut St. with a comfortable parsonage attached."
When Malachi Ballew died in 1888, he was buried in Fort Branch. We do not know whether young Jim DeLong tried to bury Mala beside his wife Eliza. Such an attempt could have been the last straw which made Elizabeth Aleon Vickery put her foot down and mutter to her family. It could have been the source of Sadie Vickery's belief that Jim DeLong had buried people that weren't even related on the James W. lot.
Meanwhile, James Allen had purchased property in Fort Branch in 1879 and established a small shoemaking shop. The R.G. Dun Mercantile Agency Reference Book for 1889 lists Allen's business as "M4" which denotes an "estimated pecuniary strength" of less than $500 and a "limited" credit rating. ("Three" was the highest rating given to a business that small.)
The 1880 census lists James and Ellen Allen, with their children Sam, Ollie and Nellie, living in Fort Branch. Another member of the household on Mulberry Street was Jim DeLong, a clerk in a Fort Branch grocery. John Allen had gone to Vincennes to live with his Uncle John Vickery. Jim also made a closer connection with his Uncle John; in December, 1882, he married John's daughter, his cousin "Lillie".
JOHN ALLEN, grocer of Vincennes, Ind., is a native of Evansville, Ind., born June 16, 1863. His parents are John and Ellen (Vickery) Allen, natives, respectively, of England and Ireland, and are now residents of Fort Branch, Gibson Co., Ind. John was raised in Evansville and attended the public schools of that city. In 1879 he came to this city and engaged as clerk in the grocery store of his uncle, John Vickery. In 1883 he purchased a one-half interest in the business, which he held until his uncle's death in August 1885. Since that time he has assumed complete management and control of the business. He has an excellent stock of goods and is doing well financially. December 11, 1884, he wedded Sarah Callender, a native of Parke County, Ind., who died October 9, 1885; had one child, also deceased. In politics he is a Republican and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and although a young man is recognized as one among the successful business men of this city.
After the death of his uncle John Vickery, John Allen carried on the business temporarily, and then his name disappears from the Vincennes records. According to family tradition he was married to Flora Hester, (who may have been a connection of Methodist preacher Mck. Hester), and became an attorney in Decatur, Illinois. There is no tradition that he was survived by any children.
When Mary Olive died of tuberculosis in 1890, Jim DeLong bought a cemetery lot in Oak Hill. The monument says "DeLong - Allen" but there is no one buried there under the name of DeLong. Mary Olive was joined by her brother Sam four years later. In September 1896, Ellen died of dysentery, and was buried beside her two Allen children. On that same lot, her son William Warner, who died at the Vanderburgh County infirmary in 1918, lies in an unmarked grave. Thomas Warner's body was never found; James DeLong is buried on the other side of the hill; James Allen rests in Fort Branch. Ellen Vickery Warner DeLong Allen, who had three husbands in life, is buried with none of them.
Ellen's children: (by 3 husbands)
1. William Warner b. abt 1850.
2. Jamica DeLong b. 1851, d. 1858.
3. Marille DeLong b. 1854, d. 1856.
4. Elizabeth DeLong Ballew b. abt 1856
5. Sarah Ellen DeLong b. 1857, d. 1858.
6. James Vickery DeLong b. 1859.
7. John Allen b. 1862-63.
8. Samuel Allen b. 1865-66.
9. Mary Olive Allen b. 1867-68.
10. Sarah Allen Corson b. 1867-68.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
an Obituary
Sister Ellen Allen, whose maiden name was Vickery, was born in Roosca, Ireland, May 5, 1827 and died at her home in Ft. Branch Ind., Sept 2, 1896. Sister Allen came to America in 1850 and settled in Evansville, Ind., where she resided until 1877, when she came to Ft. Branch, and has since that time made this her home. She was married three times, and was the mother of eight children. Four of the children and two of her companions preceded her to the better world.
Sister Allen was converted and confirmed in the Episcopal church at the age of fifteen. On coming to America she identified herself with the Methodist church in Evansville in 1872, when she became one of its charter members. As a Christian she was conscientious and devoted. She gave liberally of her means to assist in carrying on the work of the Lord. We believe that it may be said of her, "She bath done what she could". During her last sickness she suffered much, but was never heard to murmur or complain. A short time before she died she repeated a part of the twenty-third Psalm. When the summons came she was ready. She has laid down the cross and taken up the crown. She fought the good fight, won the victory and entered into rest.
The funeral service was conducted by the Rev. J.H. Keys, assisted by the writer. The text was of her own choosing, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." We laid her remains to rest in Oak Hill Cemetery.
A.W. Brant.
She hath done what she could
Ellen Vickery Warner gave birth to her first child on a sailing ship bound for America. That Baby was only a few months old, when his father Tom Warner disappeared while harvesting corn in the Ohio River bottom lands. It is quite possible that the Warners who had married August 18, 1849, had not yet celebrated their first wedding anniversary.
Ellen and her son lived with her family in their temporary residence in Detteson's enlargement of Evansville - next to a family headed by Josiah DeLong, who kept a tavern. If James DeLong was a son of Josiah, then James must have been employed elsewhere when the census was taken in September 1850.
Whether James was Josiah's son or a more distant relative, it seems reasonable to speculate that these neighbors were responsible for the introduction of the young widow Ellen to James DeLong, whom she married in February, 1855. Their first child, named Elizabeth and called "Eliza", was born in 1856, just before Christmas. Her cousins recalled that she was blonde - which must have been unusual enough in the family to be worth remembering. A second daughter, Sarah Ellen, was born in 1857, but died of dysentary the following year.
There is some confusion over where James and Ellen DeLong lived. Family tradition puts them in Fort Branch, where probably some of Josiah's offspring had gone, but we have no record that Vickery/DeLongs were in Gibson County for another quarter century.
It was Ellen's third husband James Allen who bought property in Fort Branch about 1879 and moved his family from Evansville. All the records indicate that the DeLongs lived in or near Evansville, perhaps working the Vickery farm or another one in Center Township. James Vickery DeLong said he was born in November, 1859 in Evansville. Less than three months later, in February 1860, his father James DeLong died in Vanderburgh County of injuries caused by a run-away hay wagon. He was not yet 30 years old. Once again Ellen was a widow with an infant son, plus two other children under ten. In the 1860 census taken several months after the tragedy, Ellen and her children are found living on a farm in Center Township. Heading the household is Samuel DeLong, a 24 year old Ohio-born farmer, and a match for one of Josiah's sons.
Three DeLongs are buried at Oak Hill on the James W. Vickery lot. They were not exactly welcome there. James W.'s granddaughter recalled that the graves on the back left side were "All of relatives of Jim DeLong. Grandma always said that whenever anyone died Jim DeLong knew. He did not even ask, but just brought the body to be buried on grandpa's lot."
The story is delightful, but Grandma must have exaggerated. Possibly Jim Sr. buried his daughter Sarah there because he himself had no lot, or Jim Jr. brought his sister Ella to join her father and sister, but it is impossible to hold either the infant Jim Jr. or the deceased Jim Sr. for Jim Sr. being buried there "without asking".
The 1860 census shows a 34 year old English shoemaker named James Allen living in the McCutchanville area. He had a wife Rebecca, also English, and two sons born in Indiana: William (aged six) and Josiah (aged two). No further information about Rebecca and Josiah has been found.
Ellen was married for the third time in August 1862 to James Allen, a shoemaker born in London in 1826. There is no story that James Allen and Ellen Vickery were two bereaved souls who fell in love. They might have made a practical marriage to supply a two-parent family for two sets of growing children, but soon both older sons were living elsewhere.
In the census of 1870, William Allen, (aged 16), was recorded with the Samuel Vickery household; in 1880 he was still there and described as an "adopted son". William was employed by the firm of Lant & Allen, but through most of those years he clerked for Vickery Bros.
Ellen's son William Warner was boarding with his grandparents on Seventh St. He too found employment clerking at Vickery Bros., though apparently he was kept in the rear of the store. Young Will was very religious, read well, and when he had money he gave it to the Free Methodist church. But he was loose jointed and not bright - a good argument against allowing cousins to marry. He was fond of molasses, which dribbled from his mouth down his chin when he ate. His younger cousins considered him - at best - "rather peculiar".
"Worst of all," recalled Elizabeth, "was Will Warner. I was scared of him, and once spent an entire evening in Grandma's bedroom rather than go into the living room where he was." Will stayed with his grandparents most of the time as long as his grandmother lived.
In 1864, James Allen purchased two lots from his brother-in-law James W., and went into business in Evansville as a maker of boots and shoes. The Directories variously describe his location as SES Main beyond 9, the NE corner of Main and William (Sycamore], and 1001 Main: all probably the same, and about a block from James W.'s future store. Allen paid $1500 for the property which had cost James W. $500, and the following year he mortgaged it to James for $1000.
The Allen's first child, John, was born in the early summer of 1863. For the first time a husband of Ellen would see their first-born son grow up. Two years later another son, named Samuel, was born. The child was deaf and unable to speak, and the 1890 census enumerator made a check in the "idiot" column. In September, 1868, a set of twins completed Ellen's family: Mary Olive, known as "Ollie", and a second Sarah Ellen, who was called Nellie.
Not only did Allen's family increase, but the census shows the value of his "real" property jumped from $250 in 1860 to $5000 in 1870. In 1876 James Allen and his shoe store disappear from the Evansville City Directory. His step-daughter Eliza had been married in December 1875 to Malachi Ballew. Mala (one of several Ballew brothers who were coopers) and his bride lived at 1003 Main with Ellen and her family. Ellen's first grandchild, Ellen Elizabeth "Ella" Ballew, arrived in September. The store at 1001 Main was occupied in 1877 by the firm of "Ballew & DeLong", a grocery operated by the cooper and his teenage brother-in-law.
The association was a brief one. Eliza Rallew died in childbirth in 1878. The "attending physician" is listed as (her grandmother) Mrs. William Vickery. Eliza and her child were buried together on James W.'s lot, the last DeLong burials there. The Vickery monument in the middle of the back row divides the DeLongs from the James W. Vickerys.
Mala Ballew continued the store through 1880. He lived with his widowed sister Marthy Streets and her children; they shared the house with their brother Edward E. Ballew and his family.
The cooper / grocer became an itinerant Free Methodist minister. The Evansville Free Methodist Church, dedicated in 1872, of which his former mother-in-law Ellen Allen was a charter member, had been founded primarily by her brother James W. Vickery. For a short period, the Rev.
Mr. Ballew "was pastor of church situated at 1321 Walnut St. with a comfortable parsonage attached."
When Malachi Ballew died in 1888, he was buried in Fort Branch. We do not know whether young Jim DeLong tried to bury Mala beside his wife Eliza. Such an attempt could have been the last straw which made Elizabeth Aleon Vickery put her foot down and mutter to her family. It could have been the source of Sadie Vickery's belief that Jim DeLong had buried people that weren't even related on the James W. lot.
Meanwhile, James Allen had purchased property in Fort Branch in 1879 and established a small shoemaking shop. The R.G. Dun Mercantile Agency Reference Book for 1889 lists Allen's business as "M4" which denotes an "estimated pecuniary strength" of less than $500 and a "limited" credit rating. ("Three" was the highest rating given to a business that small.)
The 1880 census lists James and Ellen Allen, with their children Sam, Ollie and Nellie, living in Fort Branch. Another member of the household on Mulberry Street was Jim DeLong, a clerk in a Fort Branch grocery. John Allen had gone to Vincennes to live with his Uncle John Vickery. Jim also made a closer connection with his Uncle John; in December, 1882, he married John's daughter, his cousin "Lillie".
JOHN ALLEN, grocer of Vincennes, Ind., is a native of Evansville, Ind., born June 16, 1863. His parents are John and Ellen (Vickery) Allen, natives, respectively, of England and Ireland, and are now residents of Fort Branch, Gibson Co., Ind. John was raised in Evansville and attended the public schools of that city. In 1879 he came to this city and engaged as clerk in the grocery store of his uncle, John Vickery. In 1883 he purchased a one-half interest in the business, which he held until his uncle's death in August 1885. Since that time he has assumed complete management and control of the business. He has an excellent stock of goods and is doing well financially. December 11, 1884, he wedded Sarah Callender, a native of Parke County, Ind., who died October 9, 1885; had one child, also deceased. In politics he is a Republican and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and although a young man is recognized as one among the successful business men of this city.
After the death of his uncle John Vickery, John Allen carried on the business temporarily, and then his name disappears from the Vincennes records. According to family tradition he was married to Flora Hester, (who may have been a connection of Methodist preacher Mck. Hester), and became an attorney in Decatur, Illinois. There is no tradition that he was survived by any children.
When Mary Olive died of tuberculosis in 1890, Jim DeLong bought a cemetery lot in Oak Hill. The monument says "DeLong - Allen" but there is no one buried there under the name of DeLong. Mary Olive was joined by her brother Sam four years later. In September 1896, Ellen died of dysentery, and was buried beside her two Allen children. On that same lot, her son William Warner, who died at the Vanderburgh County infirmary in 1918, lies in an unmarked grave. Thomas Warner's body was never found; James DeLong is buried on the other side of the hill; James Allen rests in Fort Branch. Ellen Vickery Warner DeLong Allen, who had three husbands in life, is buried with none of them.
Ellen's children: (by 3 husbands)
1. William Warner b. abt 1850.
2. Jamica DeLong b. 1851, d. 1858.
3. Marille DeLong b. 1854, d. 1856.
4. Elizabeth DeLong Ballew b. abt 1856
5. Sarah Ellen DeLong b. 1857, d. 1858.
6. James Vickery DeLong b. 1859.
7. John Allen b. 1862-63.
8. Samuel Allen b. 1865-66.
9. Mary Olive Allen b. 1867-68.
10. Sarah Allen Corson b. 1867-68.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
an Obituary
Sister Ellen Allen, whose maiden name was Vickery, was born in Roosca, Ireland, May 5, 1827 and died at her home in Ft. Branch Ind., Sept 2, 1896. Sister Allen came to America in 1850 and settled in Evansville, Ind., where she resided until 1877, when she came to Ft. Branch, and has since that time made this her home. She was married three times, and was the mother of eight children. Four of the children and two of her companions preceded her to the better world.
Sister Allen was converted and confirmed in the Episcopal church at the age of fifteen. On coming to America she identified herself with the Methodist church in Evansville in 1872, when she became one of its charter members. As a Christian she was conscientious and devoted. She gave liberally of her means to assist in carrying on the work of the Lord. We believe that it may be said of her, "She bath done what she could". During her last sickness she suffered much, but was never heard to murmur or complain. A short time before she died she repeated a part of the twenty-third Psalm. When the summons came she was ready. She has laid down the cross and taken up the crown. She fought the good fight, won the victory and entered into rest.
The funeral service was conducted by the Rev. J.H. Keys, assisted by the writer. The text was of her own choosing, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." We laid her remains to rest in Oak Hill Cemetery.
A.W. Brant.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She hath done what she could
Ellen Vickery Warner gave birth to her first child on a sailing ship bound for America. That Baby was only a few months old, when his father Tom Warner disappeared while harvesting corn in the Ohio River bottom lands. It is quite possible that the Warners who had married August 18, 1849, had not yet celebrated their first wedding anniversary.
Ellen and her son lived with her family in their temporary residence in Detteson's enlargement of Evansville - next to a family headed by Josiah DeLong, who kept a tavern. If James DeLong was a son of Josiah, then James must have been employed elsewhere when the census was taken in September 1850.
Whether James was Josiah's son or a more distant relative, it seems reasonable to speculate that these neighbors were responsible for the introduction of the young widow Ellen to James DeLong, whom she married in February, 1855. Their first child, named Elizabeth and called "Eliza", was born in 1856, just before Christmas. Her cousins recalled that she was blonde - which must have been unusual enough in the family to be worth remembering. A second daughter, Sarah Ellen, was born in 1857, but died of dysentary the following year.
There is some confusion over where James and Ellen DeLong lived. Family tradition puts them in Fort Branch, where probably some of Josiah's offspring had gone, but we have no record that Vickery/DeLongs were in Gibson County for another quarter century.
It was Ellen's third husband James Allen who bought property in Fort Branch about 1879 and moved his family from Evansville. All the records indicate that the DeLongs lived in or near Evansville, perhaps working the Vickery farm or another one in Center Township. James Vickery DeLong said he was born in November, 1859 in Evansville. Less than three months later, in February 1860, his father James DeLong died in Vanderburgh County of injuries caused by a run-away hay wagon. He was not yet 30 years old. Once again Ellen was a widow with an infant son, plus two other children under ten. In the 1860 census taken several months after the tragedy, Ellen and her children are found living on a farm in Center Township. Heading the household is Samuel DeLong, a 24 year old Ohio-born farmer, and a match for one of Josiah's sons.
Three DeLongs are buried at Oak Hill on the James W. Vickery lot. They were not exactly welcome there. James W.'s granddaughter recalled that the graves on the back left side were "All of relatives of Jim DeLong. Grandma always said that whenever anyone died Jim DeLong knew. He did not even ask, but just brought the body to be buried on grandpa's lot."
The story is delightful, but Grandma must have exaggerated. Possibly Jim Sr. buried his daughter Sarah there because he himself had no lot, or Jim Jr. brought his sister Ella to join her father and sister, but it is impossible to hold either the infant Jim Jr. or the deceased Jim Sr. for Jim Sr. being buried there "without asking".
The 1860 census shows a 34 year old English shoemaker named James Allen living in the McCutchanville area. He had a wife Rebecca, also English, and two sons born in Indiana: William (aged six) and Josiah (aged two). No further information about Rebecca and Josiah has been found.
Ellen was married for the third time in August 1862 to James Allen, a shoemaker born in London in 1826. There is no story that James Allen and Ellen Vickery were two bereaved souls who fell in love. They might have made a practical marriage to supply a two-parent family for two sets of growing children, but soon both older sons were living elsewhere.
In the census of 1870, William Allen, (aged 16), was recorded with the Samuel Vickery household; in 1880 he was still there and described as an "adopted son". William was employed by the firm of Lant & Allen, but through most of those years he clerked for Vickery Bros.
Ellen's son William Warner was boarding with his grandparents on Seventh St. He too found employment clerking at Vickery Bros., though apparently he was kept in the rear of the store. Young Will was very religious, read well, and when he had money he gave it to the Free Methodist church. But he was loose jointed and not bright - a good argument against allowing cousins to marry. He was fond of molasses, which dribbled from his mouth down his chin when he ate. His younger cousins considered him - at best - "rather peculiar".
"Worst of all," recalled Elizabeth, "was Will Warner. I was scared of him, and once spent an entire evening in Grandma's bedroom rather than go into the living room where he was." Will stayed with his grandparents most of the time as long as his grandmother lived.
In 1864, James Allen purchased two lots from his brother-in-law James W., and went into business in Evansville as a maker of boots and shoes. The Directories variously describe his location as SES Main beyond 9, the NE corner of Main and William (Sycamore], and 1001 Main: all probably the same, and about a block from James W.'s future store. Allen paid $1500 for the property which had cost James W. $500, and the following year he mortgaged it to James for $1000.
The Allen's first child, John, was born in the early summer of 1863. For the first time a husband of Ellen would see their first-born son grow up. Two years later another son, named Samuel, was born. The child was deaf and unable to speak, and the 1890 census enumerator made a check in the "idiot" column. In September, 1868, a set of twins completed Ellen's family: Mary Olive, known as "Ollie", and a second Sarah Ellen, who was called Nellie.
Not only did Allen's family increase, but the census shows the value of his "real" property jumped from $250 in 1860 to $5000 in 1870. In 1876 James Allen and his shoe store disappear from the Evansville City Directory. His step-daughter Eliza had been married in December 1875 to Malachi Ballew. Mala (one of several Ballew brothers who were coopers) and his bride lived at 1003 Main with Ellen and her family. Ellen's first grandchild, Ellen Elizabeth "Ella" Ballew, arrived in September. The store at 1001 Main was occupied in 1877 by the firm of "Ballew & DeLong", a grocery operated by the cooper and his teenage brother-in-law.
The association was a brief one. Eliza Rallew died in childbirth in 1878. The "attending physician" is listed as (her grandmother) Mrs. William Vickery. Eliza and her child were buried together on James W.'s lot, the last DeLong burials there. The Vickery monument in the middle of the back row divides the DeLongs from the James W. Vickerys.
Mala Ballew continued the store through 1880. He lived with his widowed sister Marthy Streets and her children; they shared the house with their brother Edward E. Ballew and his family.
The cooper / grocer became an itinerant Free Methodist minister. The Evansville Free Methodist Church, dedicated in 1872, of which his former mother-in-law Ellen Allen was a charter member, had been founded primarily by her brother James W. Vickery. For a short period, the Rev.
Mr. Ballew "was pastor of church situated at 1321 Walnut St. with a comfortable parsonage attached."
When Malachi Ballew died in 1888, he was buried in Fort Branch. We do not know whether young Jim DeLong tried to bury Mala beside his wife Eliza. Such an attempt could have been the last straw which made Elizabeth Aleon Vickery put her foot down and mutter to her family. It could have been the source of Sadie Vickery's belief that Jim DeLong had buried people that weren't even related on the James W. lot.
Meanwhile, James Allen had purchased property in Fort Branch in 1879 and established a small shoemaking shop. The R.G. Dun Mercantile Agency Reference Book for 1889 lists Allen's business as "M4" which denotes an "estimated pecuniary strength" of less than $500 and a "limited" credit rating. ("Three" was the highest rating given to a business that small.)
The 1880 census lists James and Ellen Allen, with their children Sam, Ollie and Nellie, living in Fort Branch. Another member of the household on Mulberry Street was Jim DeLong, a clerk in a Fort Branch grocery. John Allen had gone to Vincennes to live with his Uncle John Vickery. Jim also made a closer connection with his Uncle John; in December, 1882, he married John's daughter, his cousin "Lillie".
JOHN ALLEN, grocer of Vincennes, Ind., is a native of Evansville, Ind., born June 16, 1863. His parents are John and Ellen (Vickery) Allen, natives, respectively, of England and Ireland, and are now residents of Fort Branch, Gibson Co., Ind. John was raised in Evansville and attended the public schools of that city. In 1879 he came to this city and engaged as clerk in the grocery store of his uncle, John Vickery. In 1883 he purchased a one-half interest in the business, which he held until his uncle's death in August 1885. Since that time he has assumed complete management and control of the business. He has an excellent stock of goods and is doing well financially. December 11, 1884, he wedded Sarah Callender, a native of Parke County, Ind., who died October 9, 1885; had one child, also deceased. In politics he is a Republican and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and although a young man is recognized as one among the successful business men of this city.
After the death of his uncle John Vickery, John Allen carried on the business temporarily, and then his name disappears from the Vincennes records. According to family tradition he was married to Flora Hester, (who may have been a connection of Methodist preacher Mck. Hester), and became an attorney in Decatur, Illinois. There is no tradition that he was survived by any children.
When Mary Olive died of tuberculosis in 1890, Jim DeLong bought a cemetery lot in Oak Hill. The monument says "DeLong - Allen" but there is no one buried there under the name of DeLong. Mary Olive was joined by her brother Sam four years later. In September 1896, Ellen died of dysentery, and was buried beside her two Allen children. On that same lot, her son William Warner, who died at the Vanderburgh County infirmary in 1918, lies in an unmarked grave. Thomas Warner's body was never found; James DeLong is buried on the other side of the hill; James Allen rests in Fort Branch. Ellen Vickery Warner DeLong Allen, who had three husbands in life, is buried with none of them.
Ellen's children: (by 3 husbands)
1. William Warner b. abt 1850.
2. Jamica DeLong b. 1851, d. 1858.
3. Marille DeLong b. 1854, d. 1856.
4. Elizabeth DeLong Ballew b. abt 1856
5. Sarah Ellen DeLong b. 1857, d. 1858.
6. James Vickery DeLong b. 1859.
7. John Allen b. 1862-63.
8. Samuel Allen b. 1865-66.
9. Mary Olive Allen b. 1867-68.
10. Sarah Allen Corson b. 1867-68.
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an Obituary
Sister Ellen Allen, whose maiden name was Vickery, was born in Roosca, Ireland, May 5, 1827 and died at her home in Ft. Branch Ind., Sept 2, 1896. Sister Allen came to America in 1850 and settled in Evansville, Ind., where she resided until 1877, when she came to Ft. Branch, and has since that time made this her home. She was married three times, and was the mother of eight children. Four of the children and two of her companions preceded her to the better world.
Sister Allen was converted and confirmed in the Episcopal church at the age of fifteen. On coming to America she identified herself with the Methodist church in Evansville in 1872, when she became one of its charter members. As a Christian she was conscientious and devoted. She gave liberally of her means to assist in carrying on the work of the Lord. We believe that it may be said of her, "She bath done what she could". During her last sickness she suffered much, but was never heard to murmur or complain. A short time before she died she repeated a part of the twenty-third Psalm. When the summons came she was ready. She has laid down the cross and taken up the crown. She fought the good fight, won the victory and entered into rest.
The funeral service was conducted by the Rev. J.H. Keys, assisted by the writer. The text was of her own choosing, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." We laid her remains to rest in Oak Hill Cemetery.
A.W. Brant.
She hath done what she could
Ellen Vickery Warner gave birth to her first child on a sailing ship bound for America. That Baby was only a few months old, when his father Tom Warner disappeared while harvesting corn in the Ohio River bottom lands. It is quite possible that the Warners who had married August 18, 1849, had not yet celebrated their first wedding anniversary.
Ellen and her son lived with her family in their temporary residence in Detteson's enlargement of Evansville - next to a family headed by Josiah DeLong, who kept a tavern. If James DeLong was a son of Josiah, then James must have been employed elsewhere when the census was taken in September 1850.
Whether James was Josiah's son or a more distant relative, it seems reasonable to speculate that these neighbors were responsible for the introduction of the young widow Ellen to James DeLong, whom she married in February, 1855. Their first child, named Elizabeth and called "Eliza", was born in 1856, just before Christmas. Her cousins recalled that she was blonde - which must have been unusual enough in the family to be worth remembering. A second daughter, Sarah Ellen, was born in 1857, but died of dysentary the following year.
There is some confusion over where James and Ellen DeLong lived. Family tradition puts them in Fort Branch, where probably some of Josiah's offspring had gone, but we have no record that Vickery/DeLongs were in Gibson County for another quarter century.
It was Ellen's third husband James Allen who bought property in Fort Branch about 1879 and moved his family from Evansville. All the records indicate that the DeLongs lived in or near Evansville, perhaps working the Vickery farm or another one in Center Township. James Vickery DeLong said he was born in November, 1859 in Evansville. Less than three months later, in February 1860, his father James DeLong died in Vanderburgh County of injuries caused by a run-away hay wagon. He was not yet 30 years old. Once again Ellen was a widow with an infant son, plus two other children under ten. In the 1860 census taken several months after the tragedy, Ellen and her children are found living on a farm in Center Township. Heading the household is Samuel DeLong, a 24 year old Ohio-born farmer, and a match for one of Josiah's sons.
Three DeLongs are buried at Oak Hill on the James W. Vickery lot. They were not exactly welcome there. James W.'s granddaughter recalled that the graves on the back left side were "All of relatives of Jim DeLong. Grandma always said that whenever anyone died Jim DeLong knew. He did not even ask, but just brought the body to be buried on grandpa's lot."
The story is delightful, but Grandma must have exaggerated. Possibly Jim Sr. buried his daughter Sarah there because he himself had no lot, or Jim Jr. brought his sister Ella to join her father and sister, but it is impossible to hold either the infant Jim Jr. or the deceased Jim Sr. for Jim Sr. being buried there "without asking".
The 1860 census shows a 34 year old English shoemaker named James Allen living in the McCutchanville area. He had a wife Rebecca, also English, and two sons born in Indiana: William (aged six) and Josiah (aged two). No further information about Rebecca and Josiah has been found.
Ellen was married for the third time in August 1862 to James Allen, a shoemaker born in London in 1826. There is no story that James Allen and Ellen Vickery were two bereaved souls who fell in love. They might have made a practical marriage to supply a two-parent family for two sets of growing children, but soon both older sons were living elsewhere.
In the census of 1870, William Allen, (aged 16), was recorded with the Samuel Vickery household; in 1880 he was still there and described as an "adopted son". William was employed by the firm of Lant & Allen, but through most of those years he clerked for Vickery Bros.
Ellen's son William Warner was boarding with his grandparents on Seventh St. He too found employment clerking at Vickery Bros., though apparently he was kept in the rear of the store. Young Will was very religious, read well, and when he had money he gave it to the Free Methodist church. But he was loose jointed and not bright - a good argument against allowing cousins to marry. He was fond of molasses, which dribbled from his mouth down his chin when he ate. His younger cousins considered him - at best - "rather peculiar".
"Worst of all," recalled Elizabeth, "was Will Warner. I was scared of him, and once spent an entire evening in Grandma's bedroom rather than go into the living room where he was." Will stayed with his grandparents most of the time as long as his grandmother lived.
In 1864, James Allen purchased two lots from his brother-in-law James W., and went into business in Evansville as a maker of boots and shoes. The Directories variously describe his location as SES Main beyond 9, the NE corner of Main and William (Sycamore], and 1001 Main: all probably the same, and about a block from James W.'s future store. Allen paid $1500 for the property which had cost James W. $500, and the following year he mortgaged it to James for $1000.
The Allen's first child, John, was born in the early summer of 1863. For the first time a husband of Ellen would see their first-born son grow up. Two years later another son, named Samuel, was born. The child was deaf and unable to speak, and the 1890 census enumerator made a check in the "idiot" column. In September, 1868, a set of twins completed Ellen's family: Mary Olive, known as "Ollie", and a second Sarah Ellen, who was called Nellie.
Not only did Allen's family increase, but the census shows the value of his "real" property jumped from $250 in 1860 to $5000 in 1870. In 1876 James Allen and his shoe store disappear from the Evansville City Directory. His step-daughter Eliza had been married in December 1875 to Malachi Ballew. Mala (one of several Ballew brothers who were coopers) and his bride lived at 1003 Main with Ellen and her family. Ellen's first grandchild, Ellen Elizabeth "Ella" Ballew, arrived in September. The store at 1001 Main was occupied in 1877 by the firm of "Ballew & DeLong", a grocery operated by the cooper and his teenage brother-in-law.
The association was a brief one. Eliza Rallew died in childbirth in 1878. The "attending physician" is listed as (her grandmother) Mrs. William Vickery. Eliza and her child were buried together on James W.'s lot, the last DeLong burials there. The Vickery monument in the middle of the back row divides the DeLongs from the James W. Vickerys.
Mala Ballew continued the store through 1880. He lived with his widowed sister Marthy Streets and her children; they shared the house with their brother Edward E. Ballew and his family.
The cooper / grocer became an itinerant Free Methodist minister. The Evansville Free Methodist Church, dedicated in 1872, of which his former mother-in-law Ellen Allen was a charter member, had been founded primarily by her brother James W. Vickery. For a short period, the Rev.
Mr. Ballew "was pastor of church situated at 1321 Walnut St. with a comfortable parsonage attached."
When Malachi Ballew died in 1888, he was buried in Fort Branch. We do not know whether young Jim DeLong tried to bury Mala beside his wife Eliza. Such an attempt could have been the last straw which made Elizabeth Aleon Vickery put her foot down and mutter to her family. It could have been the source of Sadie Vickery's belief that Jim DeLong had buried people that weren't even related on the James W. lot.
Meanwhile, James Allen had purchased property in Fort Branch in 1879 and established a small shoemaking shop. The R.G. Dun Mercantile Agency Reference Book for 1889 lists Allen's business as "M4" which denotes an "estimated pecuniary strength" of less than $500 and a "limited" credit rating. ("Three" was the highest rating given to a business that small.)
The 1880 census lists James and Ellen Allen, with their children Sam, Ollie and Nellie, living in Fort Branch. Another member of the household on Mulberry Street was Jim DeLong, a clerk in a Fort Branch grocery. John Allen had gone to Vincennes to live with his Uncle John Vickery. Jim also made a closer connection with his Uncle John; in December, 1882, he married John's daughter, his cousin "Lillie".
JOHN ALLEN, grocer of Vincennes, Ind., is a native of Evansville, Ind., born June 16, 1863. His parents are John and Ellen (Vickery) Allen, natives, respectively, of England and Ireland, and are now residents of Fort Branch, Gibson Co., Ind. John was raised in Evansville and attended the public schools of that city. In 1879 he came to this city and engaged as clerk in the grocery store of his uncle, John Vickery. In 1883 he purchased a one-half interest in the business, which he held until his uncle's death in August 1885. Since that time he has assumed complete management and control of the business. He has an excellent stock of goods and is doing well financially. December 11, 1884, he wedded Sarah Callender, a native of Parke County, Ind., who died October 9, 1885; had one child, also deceased. In politics he is a Republican and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and although a young man is recognized as one among the successful business men of this city.
After the death of his uncle John Vickery, John Allen carried on the business temporarily, and then his name disappears from the Vincennes records. According to family tradition he was married to Flora Hester, (who may have been a connection of Methodist preacher Mck. Hester), and became an attorney in Decatur, Illinois. There is no tradition that he was survived by any children.
When Mary Olive died of tuberculosis in 1890, Jim DeLong bought a cemetery lot in Oak Hill. The monument says "DeLong - Allen" but there is no one buried there under the name of DeLong. Mary Olive was joined by her brother Sam four years later. In September 1896, Ellen died of dysentery, and was buried beside her two Allen children. On that same lot, her son William Warner, who died at the Vanderburgh County infirmary in 1918, lies in an unmarked grave. Thomas Warner's body was never found; James DeLong is buried on the other side of the hill; James Allen rests in Fort Branch. Ellen Vickery Warner DeLong Allen, who had three husbands in life, is buried with none of them.
Ellen's children: (by 3 husbands)
1. William Warner b. abt 1850.
2. Jamica DeLong b. 1851, d. 1858.
3. Marille DeLong b. 1854, d. 1856.
4. Elizabeth DeLong Ballew b. abt 1856
5. Sarah Ellen DeLong b. 1857, d. 1858.
6. James Vickery DeLong b. 1859.
7. John Allen b. 1862-63.
8. Samuel Allen b. 1865-66.
9. Mary Olive Allen b. 1867-68.
10. Sarah Allen Corson b. 1867-68.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
an Obituary
Sister Ellen Allen, whose maiden name was Vickery, was born in Roosca, Ireland, May 5, 1827 and died at her home in Ft. Branch Ind., Sept 2, 1896. Sister Allen came to America in 1850 and settled in Evansville, Ind., where she resided until 1877, when she came to Ft. Branch, and has since that time made this her home. She was married three times, and was the mother of eight children. Four of the children and two of her companions preceded her to the better world.
Sister Allen was converted and confirmed in the Episcopal church at the age of fifteen. On coming to America she identified herself with the Methodist church in Evansville in 1872, when she became one of its charter members. As a Christian she was conscientious and devoted. She gave liberally of her means to assist in carrying on the work of the Lord. We believe that it may be said of her, "She bath done what she could". During her last sickness she suffered much, but was never heard to murmur or complain. A short time before she died she repeated a part of the twenty-third Psalm. When the summons came she was ready. She has laid down the cross and taken up the crown. She fought the good fight, won the victory and entered into rest.
The funeral service was conducted by the Rev. J.H. Keys, assisted by the writer. The text was of her own choosing, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." We laid her remains to rest in Oak Hill Cemetery.
A.W. Brant.
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