Hansford Allen was born in South Carolina in 1811 to John Allen and Ann Louis Bryan, and was the brother of Richard, William, John, and Norman Allen, all of whom relocated to Lowndes County, Georgia, between 1835 and 1840. He married Nancy Wilkinson, who was born in 1814 in South Carolina and passed away around 1885 in Echols County, Georgia.
Their Children:
- William Allen born 4 Dec 1836, South Carolina, married Rebecca Allen, daughter of Abraham. He died 29 Mar 1914 and is buried in Boney Bluff Cemetery, Echols County. Rebecca was born 3 Nov 1844 and died 5 Oct 1916. Children.
- Mary Ann Allen born 1840, South Carolina, married (1) John T. McAlhaney, and after his decease in 1862, she married (2) James I. “Jim” Mims. She died 24 Jun 1895 and is likely buried in Boney Bluff Cemetery. Children.
- Hansford Allen born 3 Apr 1845, Georgia, married Nancy Daugharty, daughter of Francis. He died 13 Mar 1887 and she married (2) John Demetrius Swearingen. Children.
- Norman Allen born 1846, Georgia, married 14 Oct 1865 Jane (Paxton) Brack, widow of Washington Irving Brack of Taylor County, Florida. He died 25 Aug 1896 and is buried at Bethel Cemetery in Mayo, Florida. He was a mason. Children.
- Sarah Allen born 1848, Georgia, died between the 1850 and 1860 census in Echols County.
- Eliza Allen born 1849, Georgia, married William “Ted” Peterson of Echols County.
- Zilpha Allen born 10 Aug 1857, Georgia, married (1) _ Turner; (2) before 1879, George Eddings. She died 10 Nov 1919 and is buried in Wayfare Primitive Baptist Church in Echols County.
- Nancy Allen born 1858, Georgia, died between the 1860 and 1870 census in Echols County.
During the Indian War, Hansford Allen served in Captain Jesse Carter’s company of the Lowndes County Militia from 01 Jul 1838 to 15 Oct 1838. It appears that his family did not move to Georgia until after the war. They settled in eastern Lowndes County, which in 1850 became part of Clinch County when it was formed from Lowndes. Eight years later, with the establishment of Echols County from Clinch, they were incorporated into the new county, where they remained for the rest of their lives, except for a brief period spent in Columbia County, Florida.
After returning to Echols County, Hansford Allen established a home on Little Suwannee Creek, where he lived until his passing on 10 Oct 1893. He was laid to rest at Boney Bluff Cemetery [1]aka Bethel Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery in eastern Echols County. His wife was also buried there, though her grave remains unmarked.
Sources:
- Huxford, Folks, Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia, vol. 1, p. 7-8, Jacksonville, Florida : Cooper Press, 1951.
- “United States, Census, 1850”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZYV-LJC : Mon Jan 13 17:39:15 UTC 2025), Entry for Hansford Allen and Nancy Allen, 1850.
- “United States, Census, 1860”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZM2-G85 : Mon Jul 08 04:41:20 UTC 2024), Entry for Hansford Allen and Nancy Allen, 1860.
- “United States, Census, 1870”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCSB-YG6 : Sun Jan 19 11:38:11 UTC 2025), Entry for Hansford Allen and Nancy Allen, 1870.
- “United States, Census, 1880”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8LR-QGL : Mon Jan 20 00:26:35 UTC 2025), Entry for Hansford Allen and Nancy Allen, 1880. Two of his children, William and Hansford are listed on this same page with their families.
- Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/36696980/hansford-allen: accessed March 12, 2025), memorial page for Hansford Allen (1817–20 Oct 1893), Find a Grave Memorial ID 36696980, citing Boney Bluff Cemetery, Echols County, Georgia, USA; Maintained by Jeff Hale (contributor 48290181). Gravestone has his given name as Handsford.
References
| ↑1 | aka Bethel Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery |
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