Amador
County
Biographies
GEORGE ALLEN
In the death of George Allen, on the
6th of September, 1896, Sutter Creek and northern California lost
one of their most prominent and highly respected citizens. As the day with its morning of hope and
promise, its noontime of activity and its evening of completed and successful
effort, ending in the grateful rest and the quiet of the night, so was the life
of this honored man. His career was a
busy and useful one, but although an earnest businessman devoting his whole
daily time and attention to the further development of his commercial and industrial
interests, he never allowed the pursuit of wealth to warp his kindly nature,
but to the end of his career was a genial friend and courteous gentleman with
whom it was a pleasure to meet and converse.
Mr. Allen was born in New York City,
on the 11th of July, 1841, and was of English lineage. His parents, natives of England, emigrated to
New York City in their early married life, and both died of cholera in the
first year of their residence in the new world, leaving their little son of
only one year. He was reared by an uncle
in Rochester, and in his nineteenth year took passage on a sailing vessel for
San Francisco, arriving at Sutter Creek on the 2nd of March,
1860. Here he began the battle of life
in earnest, working as a laboring man for twenty-five dollars per month. In early manhood he was employed as driver of
a team, but he saved his money and soon had a team of his own. He then began business on his own account,
and later he took up government land, which was heavily wooded. Becoming engaged in lumbering, he was for
thirty-five years the principal lumber merchant at Sutter Creek, and sold
nearly all of the lumber used in the construction of the buildings in this
town. As his patronage increased he
enlarged his facilities, and his trade steadily grew until it has assumed
extensive proportions. He also became
the owner of large tracts of land, on which he raised grain, hay and stock,
becoming prominent in that department of industry. He was a man of energy, good judgment and
high moral character, and not only won a richly deserved success in his
business endeavors but also gained the high regard of all with whom he came in
contact.
In 1870 Mr. Allen was united in
marriage to Miss Annie E. Bradbury, of Montville, Maine, a daughter of John
Bradbury, who was born in the Pine Tree state and was descended from English
ancestors, several generations of the family, however, having been born in
America. Their union was blessed with
five children, three of whom are living, namely: George E., Sophie M. and John F. They now assist their mother in the conduct
of the large business interests belonging to the estate and are energetic and
progressive young men, a credit to the family name. In connection with the lumber business they
now have three thousand acres of land on which they are raising cattle; and the
ranch yields to them an excellent income as a result of their capable
management. Two daughters of the family,
Flora E., and Annie E., have both passed away, the former at the age of six
years and the latter when five years of age.
In his political view Mr. Allen was a Republican, earnest and active in
support of the principles of the party.
He was also a valued member of the Masonic fraternity, in which he
attained the Knight Templar degree, and at his death was laid to rest with
Masonic honors. He passed away on the 6th
of September, 1896, after a short illness of pneumonia, and his loss was deeply
deplored not only by his immediate family but by many friends. His commendable principles of conduct at all
times won him the regard of those with whom he came in contact and his many
estimable characteristics gained for him a large circle of true friends. Mrs. Allen and her sons and daughter reside
in a very pleasant home in Sutter Creek, and in social circles they occupy an
enviable position. They are surrounded
by the comforts which it is possible for them to obtain through the estate left
them by the honored husband and father, but they do not claim this as the
greater part of their heritage, having received for him the priceless treasure
of an untarnished name.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
“A Volume of Memoirs and Genealogy of Representative Citizens of Northern
California”, Pages 483-484. Chicago Standard Genealogical Publishing Co. 1901.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden Nugget Library's Amador County Biographies