The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 67, July 1963 - April, 1964 Page: 280
672 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
give my consent to your request, you making the promise to her
Parents that you will not take our daughter to reside beyond the
limits of the county in which we live during our natural lives.
Yours respectfully
Branchville the 25th March 1850. John Bell
The family of Doctor Allen centered its life around the Presby-
terian Church and Princeton University. His father Edward Allen
received his D.D. degree from Princeton. His mother Elizabeth Linn
was the daughter of Judge John Linn, who was a Representative
from New Jersey at the first Continental Congress to convene in
Washington, D. C., and there he died of typhoid fever in 1821.
Dr. Edward Allen was a Dominie of the old Presbyterian school.
Dr. Anna S. Allen records this incident at one of his early assign-
ments:
After he married he took a run-down country church and dis
covered the congregation were decidedly undisciplined-in fact one
deacon when the sermon began always took out his handkerchief
and went to sleep. On the deacon's side remember the sermons lasted
two hours.2 My father said he always drew a sigh of relief when
grandfather said "and now fifthly" for he knew the next would be
"and now lastly." Alas, the deacon who went to sleep being a rich
old soul himself was impervious to hints. One Sunday great grand-
father as usual gave out his text and as usual the deacon took out
his handkerchief, covered his face and put his head back. Great
grandfather continued for several minutes his sermon until the
deacon was gently snoring and well asleep. Suddenly great grand-
father's fist crashed down on the pulpit and he roared, "fire, fire."
Every one jumped and the deacon tore the handkerchief off his
face and shouted, "where, where?" "In Hell for those who sleep
in Church," replied great grandfather.3
Doctor Allen practiced medicine in Branchville, New Jersey, till
the time of his death. Charlotte Bell Allen died in 1916 in the
home where she was born in 1831.
Here is the letter:
San Antonio, 12 July 1847
My dear nephew:
You know not how unpleasantly we felt, to leave Sussex [New
Jersey] without seeing you. I sent word to you several times, that
2It was altogether different with a certain preacher who prided himself on his
short sermons: five, six, or seven minutes. He put a lifesaver in his mouth and
when it had dissolved, he ended his sermon. One Sunday morning he preached
about an hour. His wife asked him "What on earth happened?" The parson
chuckled, "By mistake, I pulled a button from my pocket and put that in my
mouth!"
3Personal communication.280
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 67, July 1963 - April, 1964, periodical, 1964; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101197/m1/322/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.