Jennie Allen
1865-1962

My Great-Aunt Jennie Allen lived a very long and eventful life. Several other of the Allen family members were long-lived, John D. Allen lived to 95 and Jennie's sister, my grandmother, was 87 when she passed away. The other seven didn't fare as well, but with the advance of medicine today they might also have lived as long. There were five girls and four boys. Of the nine, there were only four grandchildren, which is somewhat odd for the time period. Lillian and Ann never married, Lillian was a nurse and Ann worked at an Insurance Company. Mollie, Jennie, Charles, and Lewis (Babe) married but had no children. My grandmother, Nell, had only my father; John E. had a boy, and a girl and Jude had just one boy.

Jennie was raised in Lancaster, Ohio where her father was a grocer. They undoubtedly spent considerable time at her mother's home in Fultonham, Ohio. John D. Allen had been a Grocer in that town and married Mary Lake, adopted daughter of Enoch B Lake and his wife, Mary.  Mary's biological father was Christopher Retallick Short, and her mother died after giving birth to her daughter on the ship to America.  When Christopher Short arrived in Ohio, the older boy remained with him, but Mary was adopted by the Lakes.  The Lake home eventually came to be owned by the five Allen girls and was maintained by them to be used as they needed.  Ann probably spent the most time there. I "think" I remember her, but the only two sisters I have positive memories of is Nell, who was my grandmother, and her sister, Jennie.

The Allen Home in Fultonham, Ohio 

In 1887 Jennie married Noah Fenton Bowers. He was kind of the boy-next-door,  next door to her grandparents in Fultonham, that is. Noah was from a local farming family, the last Bowers son living at home - however, he did not inherit the Bowers farm (his sister Elizabeth did).  In the 1900 census, Jennie and Noah are renting a farm close by, as a matter of fact, they are house #109 in the Uniontown Precinct (Fultonham). Jennie's adoptive grandfather, Enoch B Lake is close by - house #145. Now, while we are on the subject of the 1900 census, let it be known that the Minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Fultonham, James H. Rogers, lives in house #144. Remember that name, we'll come back to it in a minute.

Noah Bowers

I have searched the 1910 Census records for Noah and Jennie and have never been able to find them. I did see that Mr. Bowers died in 1914 and he is buried in the Fultonham Cemetery. Jennie was to live another 48 years after her first husband died.

Jennie Allen

Rev. Rogers and his family, on the other hand, are found in the 1910 Census in Stockton, California, where his occupation is shown as "clergyman."


So, the next step is to move on to the 1920 Census. Now, it was no surprise to me because I already knew, but in 1920 we find Jennie married to James H. Rogers and they are living in Pinole, California. Whoa, how actually did this come about?  Annie Mariah Waddel Rogers died 10/2/1911 and is buried in Stockton, California at the Stockton Rural Cemetery.  While we know Jennie probably knew the Rogers family & may have attended services while Rev Rogers was officiating at the Fultonham ME Church, how did they "get together" after their respective spouses had passed? He was, after all, in California and she in Ohio. I wish I knew, but alas...no one left who might know what transpired.  A romantic story, perhaps.

Rev James H Rogers & Jennie Allen

Because I had been confusing James with his son Dwight, I decided to do a little research on James and his first wife & family.  James was born in Wales and emigrated to America in 1880 at the age of 20. He made his way to Ohio,  within three years of his arrival he was married to Anna Mariah Waddell, daughter of Alexander Waddell. Alexander was a lifelong resident of Raccoon, Gallia County, Ohio, a carpenter by occupation and a pillar of the community. His obituary contains the statement "His house was for many years a home for Methodist preachers, and his hospitality and generosity were known far and near." I would suspect James was one of the Methodist preachers Alexander Waddell took under his wing.  Perhaps it was even arranged before James Rogers got on the boat for America. 


James and Anna moved on to Fultonham and later to Stockton, Ca. There were seven children, two of the names I knew - Avanelle and Dwight. I met them when we visited Aunt Jennie in Berkeley during the 50's and early 60's, but I don't remember them.  


In the1930 census, James and Jennie are living in Los Angeles.  Sometime before my folks visited them in the late 1930's (I wasn't around yet) they had moved to 849 Neilsen St in Berkeley, Ca. This was their last move. James died in 1948 at the age of 87 and Jennie stayed on in the Berkeley home until she passed in 1962 at the age of 96. I remember her house quite well, it had a built-in dinette in the kitchen, which I thought was really "cool" but best of all she had one of the early TV's with a round screen, and I distinctly remember watching Howdy Doody on it. Jennie seemed very, very old to me but I liked her very much. I remember being thrilled by the beautiful flowers in her garden that she maintained well into her 90's.

Jennie Allen, Florence Darling (my Mom), Avanelle Rogers and; Me, in front!!

I wish I could find where Jennie and James are buried, likely in Berkeley, but they don't show up on any of the Find-a-Grave searches.