Biography
Joseph Stewart Allen was born 25 June 1806 in Whitestown, Oneida County, New York, United States to Daniel Allen (1770-1854) and Nancy Agnes (1771-1854) and died 25 April 1889 Huntington, Emery County, Utah, United States of unspecified causes. He married Lucy Diantha Morley (1815-1908) 2 September 1835 in Clay County, Missouri, United States. He married Caren Mariah Hansen (1834-1884) 28 January 1854 in Sanpete County, Utah, United States. He married Ingeborg Kirtine Jesperssen (1802-1869) 11 September 1857 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, United States.
Joseph was a good cooper and also a wheelwright. He had a nice chest of tools to perform his tasks in making barrels. He would go into the forest and cut down trees sawing them in lengths so there would be no knots in the staves. From the long lengths he would make barrels and he used the shorter ones to make churns.
Religious Awakening (LDS)
The 1830's saw a great Protestant religious revival sweep across the United States that was called the "Second Great Awakening" and was characterized by much emotional preaching, spiritual and social reform movements and a surge in membership growth for a great many Christian denominations.
This period also saw the rise of a new Church of Christ that was organized in early 1830 by its young prophet-leader, Joseph Smith (1805-1844), and after 1838 was formally named The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This church group was frequently called the "Mormon Church" or "Latter-day Saints" (LDS) for its belief in a new set of holy scriptures called "The Book of Mormon". For better or worse, this new religion generated a lot of attention in this region.
Missionaries of this church taught that it was not a reform movement or protest movement but a "restoration" of the original church with completeness of the full of doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ including the ministering of angels, the restored priesthood, lost scripture, revelations, prophecy, living apostles, the gifts of the spirit and much more. This message had profound impact on many who subsequently left all to follow the Prophet and the Church. In many cases their faith was so strong as to push these early converts to endure many difficult hardships and sacrifices and to eventually journey over a thousand miles westward to settle in the Great Salt Lake Valley. (See also New Religion (LDS 1830).)[1][2]
Zions Camp Participant
One of the most interesting episodes in the early history of LDS Church was the march of Zion's Camp (1834). The members of the Church in Missouri were being persecuted, and the Prophet Joseph made it a matter of prayer and received a revelation on February 24, 1834. The Lord instructed the Prophet to assemble at least one hundred young and middle-aged men and to go to the land of Zion, or Missouri. (See D&C 130:19–34.[3])
Zion’s Camp, a group of approximately one hundred and fifty men, gathered at Kirtland, Ohio, in the spring of 1834 and marched to Jackson County, Missouri. By the time they reached Missouri, the camp had increased to approximately two hundred men.
Stewart Allen was a very religious man having had spiritual experiences of direct and almost immediate answers to prayers – one time praying for shoes as his feet were cut and bleeding, while marching with Zion's Camp (1834), and then finding shoes that fit perfectly laying there on a log. Immediately after this he served a mission to the South.
Missouri
After being released from his mission he became acquainted with a man by the name of Isaac Morley (1786-1865) from whom he learned the cooper trade. He also married his daughter, Lucy Diantha Morley (1815-1908), in 1835. They traveled to Jackson County, Missouri, where their oldest child was born August 15, 1836. They went back to Lima, Ohio, where six more children were born to them during this time. They endured all the hardships of that time.
Brigham Young 1848 Pioneer Company
After leading his first historic 1847 Vanguard Company to blaze the trail to the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham Young (1801-1877) and many of the others returned back to Winter Quarters to collect their families and the rest of the church.
This family was numbered with the 1229 pioneers in 397 wagons make the 1,031 mile trek in 86 days (May 26 to Sept 24) and would be amongst the first of many that would make the same journey over the next 24 years. They came with one wagon and only one yoke of oxen to bring their provisions, seed, belongings and a family of five.
He landed in Salt Lake City in 1848 and with his relatives, settled in Sessions Settlement (now Bountiful). He was always a strong supporter of his father-in-law, Isaac Morley, and helped him in every way possible. Joseph was called to go to Sanpete County and they arrived in Manti November 22, 1849 with about 50 families under the leadership of Isaac Morley as president and Seth Taft and Charles Shumway was counselors. He and his family lived for a time at Glenwood about 30 miles south of Manti.
Indian Troubles
While here word came of the death of Isaac Morley. When they reached the Sevier River where they had to cross, the team refused to go. They did everything they could think of to make them go but finally had to give up. They turned around and the team went back without any further ado. Lucy was very much grieved at not being able to go and attend her father's funeral. They later found out that at that very place and time, thirty Indians were hiding in the thick trees and would have killed them and no doubt taken the team and wagon. A Brother Roberts was killed there.
They then moved to Battle Creek (Pleasant Grove) staying one year and then moving on to Provo in 1857. After that they went to Santaquin, to Northbed, and then to Glenwood for one season. The Indians stole most of their cattle as the Walker War was on and caused much trouble.
They went back to Monroe while the Black Hawk War was on. Many lives were lost among both the whites and the Indians. Much property was destroyed and fear and anxiety were in the hearts of the people. From there they went back to Manti. While there Joseph had a bad encounter with the Indians. They were taken prisoners and he almost lost his life.
Marriage and Family
2nd Marriage: Karen Hansen
Joseph married Karen Marie Hansen, a handcart emigrant, on September 11, 1853. They were taken in by his family because Brigham Young asked for volunteers to take in the handcart people. In exchange for food and shelter, Karen Marie, her mother, and her brother, Peter, worked for Joseph's family. Joseph married her while they still lived in the stone fort.
Children
Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
Mary Elizabeth Allen (1836-1916) | |||
Caroline Delight Allen (1838-1879) | |||
Lucy Gunn Allen (1840-1928) | |||
Cordelia Allen (1843-1846) | |||
Calista Allen (1845-1846) | |||
Joseph Lorenzo Allen (1847-1847) | |||
Isaac Morley Allen (1849-1944) | |||
Charles Albert Allen (1851-1924) | |||
Hyrum Allen (1853-1854) | |||
Harriet Lenora Allen (1857-1930) | |||
Simeon Morley Allen (1859-1916) | |||
Clara Amelia Allen (1861-1863) |
Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
Elizabeth Eliza Allen (1857-1896) | |||
Christena Maria Allen (1859-1923) | |||
John Millard Allen (1861-1947) | |||
Ellen Lucinda Allen (1864-1953) | |||
Erastus Snow Peter Allen (1867-1953) | |||
Daniel Spencer Allen (1870-1911) | |||
Lydia Jane Allen (1873-1963) | |||
Diadamia Allen (1875-1953) |
Siblings
See Also
- Joseph Allen
- Allen Family
- Allen in Oneida County, New York
- Allen in Emery County, Utah
References