A. H. Allison, p. 1035

A. H. ALLISON, a prominent farmer and stock raiser of Chartiers township, is a native of the same, having been born here November 24, 1828, a son of Hugh and Jane (Gabby) Allison, also natives of Washington county. John and Jane (Brownlee) Allison, grandparents of subject, were natives of the Highlands of Scotland, emigrating to Washington county, Penn., in 1768. On April 5, 1786, they obtained a patent for 415 acres of land, and settled on the same, cultivating and adding to it until they had 640 acres. They were the parents of nine children, eight sons (all of whom died in Washington county, except Gavin, who died in Butler county, Penn.) and one daughter. They were as follows: John, deceased in 1804; Gavin, deceased; Archibald, deceased in 1835; William, deceased in 1764; James deceased in 1810; Thomas, deceased in 1840; Ebenezer, deceased in 1812; Hugh, deceased in 1853, and Jane. The father of this family died in March, 1790, in Washington county; his widow survived him several years.

Hugh Allison, the father of subject, was born in 1773, in Washington county, Penn., on the farm in Chartiers township, and was reared to farm life. In 1791 he was married to Miss Jane Irwin, a native of this county, who bore him one child, Jane, who became the wife of George Morrison and died in 1871, in Mattoon, Coles Co., Ill., leaving seven children. Mrs. Allison died in Washington county in 1795, and in 1798 Mr. Allison was married to Miss Jane Brownlee, a native of Washington county, who died in 1802, the mother of two children: Eliza, who married William Scott, and afterward moved to Guernsey county, Ohio, where she died, leaving seven children; and Ammi, who died in Washington county at the age of fourteen. In 1804 Mr. Allison was again married, this time to Miss Rebecca McBride, of this county. To this union were born the following children: Maria, who became the wife of Hugh Lee, and moved to Henderson county, Ill., where she died; Rebecca, wife of John C. Hanna, died in Washington county, the mother of four children; Hugh and James, both deceased in infancy; John, married three times (he moved to Henderson county, Ill., and died there, leaving a large family); Thomas, moved to Henderson county, Ill., and married a Miss Graham (his death occurred in 1869, in Illinois); and one that died in infancy. The mother of this family died in 1818. In 1820 Mr. Allison married Miss Jane Gabby, a native of Washington county, daughter of James and Janet (Brownlee) Gabby, natives of Maryland, who came in an early day from Chambersburgh to Washington county, where they died. To Hugh and Jane (Gabby) Allison were born eight children, as follows: Jane G., born June 11, 1822, married to Joseph McNary, and residing in Chartiers township, this county (they have nine children); James G., born September 18, 1824, married to Mary Gabby, and now residing in Nuckolls county, Neb. (he had a family of ten children, eight of whom are now living); Margaret, born March 11, 1826, widow of E. K. Rogers, residing in Washington county (she has six children); Archibald H; Hugh Brownlee, born April 20, 1830, first married to Mary Jane Gabby, and they had five children, but one of whom is living (his second wife was Mrs. Oakison; he moved to Des Moines, Iowa, where he is now residing); one that died in infancy; Anna Henderson, born June 27, 1833; and Ebenezer, born August 12, 1835, married in 1873 to Orpha Jane Hayes, and residing on a part of the old homestead. Mr. Allison was a man of robust health. He was an active worker in the United Presbyterian Church, and was chosen elder at the age of about twenty years. He attended all the synods and meetings of the Presbytery, and was present at the meeting that made slavery a question of communion; he was also an ardent advocate of the temperance cause. He was commissioned major in the State Militia. He was a Whig, active in politics, and held several offices of public trust in the township. He died in Washington county September 3, 1853, his wife surviving him until December 14, 1870.

Archibald H. Allison was reared on the home farm, and received his education in the district schools of the county. For a while he taught school in Washington county, and studied under private teachers, but his life work has been agriculture. Mr. Allison has made many improvements on the farm upon which he now resides. It consists of 125 acres of good land, in a fine state of cultivation, upon which he has built a substantial dwelling house and barn. Politically, Mr. Allison is an active Republican, and has held various offices of trust in Chartiers township. He was in the convention that opposed "Know-Nothingism" in the county; is active in all that pertains to the public welfare, and is a prominent, enterprising man.

Text taken from page 1035 of:
Beers, J. H. and Co., Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893).

Transcribed January 1997 by Neil and Marilyn Morton of Oswego, IL as part of the Beers Project.
Published January 1997 on the Washington County, PA pages at http://www.chartiers.com/.

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