Western Pennsylvania Genealogy
Compiled by Douglas H. Lusher


Family Group Record



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Robert Allison and Mary Elliott




Husband Robert Allison 1 2 3

           Born: 10 Mar 1777 - near Greencastle, Franklin Co, PA 4
     Christened: 
           Died: 2 Dec 1840 - Huntingdon, Huntingdon Co, PA 4 5
         Buried: 


         Father: Col. John Allison (1738-1795) 6 7 8
         Mother: Elizabeth Wilkin (1748-1815) 6 7 8


       Marriage: 21 Sep 1802 2



Wife Mary Elliott 2 3 6

           Born: 6 May 1781 - Fort Bedford, Bedford, PA 2
     Christened: 
           Died: 4 May 1857 - Huntingdon, Huntingdon Co, PA 2 6
         Buried: 


         Father: Judge Benjamin Elliott (1752-1835) 6 9 10
         Mother: Mary Carpenter (1755-1783) 3 6 11




Children
1 F Mary Henderson Allison 4 5

           Born: 13 Dec 1803 4
     Christened: 
           Died: 22 Oct 1884 - St. Paul, Ramsey Co, MN 12
         Buried: 
         Spouse: Dr. Jonathan H. Dorsey (      -      ) 5 12
           Marr: 6 Jan 1824 12


2 F Elizabeth Wilkin Allison 4 13

           Born: 19 Nov 1805 4
     Christened: 
           Died: 11 May 1887 12
         Buried: 
         Spouse: Benjamin Miller (      -1839) 12 13
           Marr: 28 Dec 1826 12


3 F Catharine M. Allison 4 5

           Born: 9 Feb 1810 4
     Christened: 
           Died: 29 Jun 1857 5 12
         Buried: 
         Spouse: Alexander Gwin (      -      ) 5 12
           Marr: 2 Aug 1832 12


4 M John Craig Allison 4 5

           Born: 4 Jan 1814 4
     Christened: 
           Died: 1 Jul 1815 4
         Buried: 
         Spouse: Did Not Marry


5 F Lydia Rebecca Allison 4 5

           Born: 2 Aug 1816 4
     Christened: 
           Died: 1 Apr 1891 14
         Buried: 
         Spouse: William Penn Orbison (1814-      ) 5 15
           Marr: 16 Sep 1841 16


6 M Robert Wilkin Allison 5 14

           Born: 6 Oct 1819 14
     Christened: 
           Died: 25 Jul 1820 14
         Buried: 
         Spouse: Did Not Marry


7 M William Elliott Allison 5 14

           Born: 28 Mar 1822 14
     Christened: 
           Died: 3 Sep 1828 14
         Buried: 
         Spouse: Did Not Marry


8 F Nancy Davidson Allison 5 14

           Born: 29 Aug 1825 14
     Christened: 
           Died: 1865 14
         Buried: 
         Spouse: Rev. W. R. Bingham, D.D. (      -      ) 5 14



General Notes: Husband - Robert Allison


When a young man, he went to Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, where he was clerk in the public offices held by his brother-in-law, Andrew Henderson. Here he read law with Richard Smith, and was admitted to the Huntingdon bar at April Term, 1798.
He was captain of the "Huntingdon Light Infantry," a volunteer company which on May 4, 1812, voted to tender its services to the President in the then impending war with Great Britain, a formal declaration of the war not being issued until June 18. The tender was accepted, and the company marched from Huntingdon on September 7, and reached Buffalo, New York, October 2. His diary, kept during their march, was found many years later by R. A. Orbison. In 1830 he was elected to Congress, his opponent being John Scott. He was elected chief burgess of the borough of Huntingdon in 1815, again in 1817, 1819, and from 1821 to 1824 inclusive, and again in 1826 and in 1830. He and his brother-in-law, Andrew Henderson, erected Allegheny Furnace, near Altoona, in 1811. He had a stroke of paralysis in the fall of 1830, which affected his speech to a great extent.

He removed to Huntingdon about the year 1796.

He read law with Richard Smith, and was admitted a member of the Huntingdon bar, on motion of Mr. Smith, at April term, 1798. He took up his residence at Huntingdon, became prominent at the bar, and had a large and profitable practice for some thirty years or more.
As a gentleman and lawyer, Mr. Allison justly ranked high. He was a man of considerable wealth and influence, connected by marriage with several of the most influential families in the county. He was a man of good understanding, but he was not eloquent. Neither he nor his cotemporary members of the bar resident in Huntingdon at that period excelled in oratory. In almost all important cases lawyers from abroad were associated in the trial of them with the resident attorneys, and generally the arguments to the juries were made by the attorneys from abroad.
Mr. Allison was several times a candidate for Congress, and carried Huntingdon County against John Mitchell and John Brown, and in 1830 he was elected over John Scott. The district was composed of the counties of Huntingdon, Mifflin, Centre, and Clearfield.
While Mr. Allison was filling a high office, assisting in making laws for the nation, he did not despise small things, but was also assisting in making laws for the borough of Huntingdon, and enforcing them in the capacity of chief burgess. He was first elected burgess in 1815, and again in 1817, 1819, and from 1821 to 1824, both inclusive, and again in 1826 and in 1830, thus serving for nine years, the longest period ever served by any man in that office, two years in excess of the service of his brother-in-law, Andrew Henderson.
Mr. Allison was a man of medium size, well proportioned, fair complexion, and fine presence. He married a daughter of Judge Elliott, of Huntingdon, and reared a large family of daughters. In his later years he was afflicted with apoplexy, which affected his speech to such an extent as to render it difficult to understand him. His residence at the time of his death was at No. 523 Penn Street, which at the time of its erection was considered the best in the place.


General Notes: Wife - Mary Elliott


She was in Fort Bedford, Bedford, Pennsylvania, where her parents had gone for protection from the Indians, who were very troublesome at that time; so much so that George Ashman, then lieutenant of Bedford County, addressed a letter dated June 12, 1781, to the President of the Supreme Executive Council, stating that a number of families were fleeing away daily, and that he would move his family back to Maryland unless assistance should be rendered.

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Sources


1 J. Simpson Africa, The History of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: Louis H. Everts, 1883), Pg 73, 437.

2 —, Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of the Juniata Valley (Chambersburg, PA: J. M. Runk & Co., 1897), Pg 4.

3 —, Book of Biographies of Leading Citizens of Berks County, PA (Buffalo, NY: Biographical Publishing Company, 1898), Pg 14.

4 —, Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of the Juniata Valley (Chambersburg, PA: J. M. Runk & Co., 1897), Pg 11.

5 J. Simpson Africa, The History of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: Louis H. Everts, 1883), Pg 438.

6 J. Simpson Africa, The History of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: Louis H. Everts, 1883), Pg 437.

7 —, Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of the Juniata Valley (Chambersburg, PA: J. M. Runk & Co., 1897), Pg 10.

8 —, Biographical Annals of Franklin County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: The Genealogical Publishing Co., 1905), Pg 86.

9 —, Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of the Juniata Valley (Chambersburg, PA: J. M. Runk & Co., 1897), Pg 1.

10 —, Book of Biographies of Leading Citizens of Berks County, PA (Buffalo, NY: Biographical Publishing Company, 1898), Pg 13.

11 —, Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of the Juniata Valley (Chambersburg, PA: J. M. Runk & Co., 1897), Pg 2.

12 —, Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of the Juniata Valley (Chambersburg, PA: J. M. Runk & Co., 1897), Pg 13.

13 J. Simpson Africa, The History of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: Louis H. Everts, 1883), Pg 417, 438.

14 —, Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of the Juniata Valley (Chambersburg, PA: J. M. Runk & Co., 1897), Pg 12.

15 —, Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of the Juniata Valley (Chambersburg, PA: J. M. Runk & Co., 1897), Pg 15.

16 —, Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of the Juniata Valley (Chambersburg, PA: J. M. Runk & Co., 1897), Pg 19.


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