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It is not known what he did there or how long he remained. At any rate, he returned to the Detroit area after the war ended, and took up land south of the city near Flat Rock, then known as Brownstown. He made friends with the Indians and did considerable trading with them.
On August 9, 1818, he married 16-year-old Mary Barnes at Brownstown. Mary was born in New York State on July 21, 1802.Moses and Mary had six children. The first, (no name given) was born on August 17, 1819, and probably died in early infancy. Amanda was born on September 27, 1820 and died on September 23, 1821, just four days before her first birthday. Their only son, Jefferson, was born on July 22, 1822. Amelia was born on October 12, 1824. Aurelia was born on September 19, 1826.
These children were all born at the Brownstown farm and Aurelia was only seven-months-old when the family made the long wagon journey through the wilderness to Allen Prairie in Hillsdale County in 1827. On October 26, the following year, their sixth child, Adelia was born, probably the second white child to be born in Hillsdale County.
Captain Moses Allen made his first visit to Hillsdale County in 1825 as a member of the party commissioned to survey the Sauk Trail from Detroit to Chicago. He was very favorably impressed with the area. The next spring (1826) in company with John Fletcher and George Hubbard, he again traveled the recently surveyed "turnpike" to explore much of southern Michigan. He decided that the valley of the St. Joseph River around Muscootah Siac, (later Allen Prairie) was an ideal place for a
new home. A year later, in April 1827, he moved his family along with his brother, John, to the land he had selected the year before.
They built their log cabin at once and that summer planted a small patch of corn, certainly the first farm crop grown in Hillsdale County. This was the beginning of the first "white" settlement.
It is said that Captain Allen was a skilled carpenter and cabinet maker. He made chests, beds, tables, chairs, and even a rocking chair for their home. The Indians especially liked the rocking chair when they made visits to the cabin as they frequently did.
The closest mill was at Tecumseh, a long way to travel to get corn ground. To save these long trips Captain Allen invented a mortar and pestle to grind the corn at home. He hollowed out a tree stump for the mortar. He made a pestle from a large piece of wood. This he attached to a spring pole so it did not have to be lifted. Later settlers from Jonesville would sometimes come to Allen Prairie to use this "grinder".
Moses made trips to Detroit for supplies and trading quite regularly leaving his family alone. They were good friends with the Indians and had no cause to fear them.
In addition to the things Captain Allen got from the Indians he often took cranberries to Detroit to trade. At that time they grew in abundance on the bogs of the area.
Mary and the older children knew how to use a gun and they usually had plenty of venison in addition to cranberries and wild honey. With these Mary made many a tasty mince pie. A bunch of raisins from his pack when Captain Allen returned from a trip to Detroit was a real treat for the family.
Mary had a tin oven which she used for baking. It was hung in the fireplace.
Many settlers were coming to central and western Michigan along the Sauk Trail, so Captain Allen decided to build a tavern to accommodate the travelers. Before he could complete the structure he died suddenly (from "exposure to the elements") on November 19, 1829, at the age of 43.
Mary managed to take care of her family with the help of her older children for nearly a year. On October 11, 1830 she married Hiram B. Hunt. Mary and Hiram had two children. Sarah Rose Ann was born on July 15, 1831 and Hiram Robert was born September 2, 1833.
The first schoolhouse was built in Allen Prairie in 1831. It was a crude log cabin. The first teacher was Mary's second husband, Hiram B. Hunt.
Mr. Hunt died on August 5, 1834 leaving Mary a widow again.
Some years later in 1838 or 1839, Mary married William J. Folyer. They had one son, William Wallace Folyer, born on March 24, 1840 at Allen Prairie.
Mary's oldest son, Jefferson Allen, was 17 at the time of her marriage to Mr. Folyer. He did not approve. There was always considerable bitterness between them and Jefferson wanted to perpetuate the Allen name. It was his wish that his mother keep the name of Allen and she was always known as Mary Allen.
Jefferson's health began to fail in the 1850's and the family decided to return to Sumpter. (Sumpter must have been a settlement at or near the original Wayne County farm site.) Before this move, Jefferson must have had his mother's marriage to Mr. Folyer "set aside". Jefferson, his mother, Aurelia, (who was at school and work in Detroit) and the two Hunt children were the only ones to make this move. William Wallace Folyer remained at Allen Prairie with his father. Amelia had died
in 1841 and Adelia in 1849 after brief marriages.
Jefferson Allen died at Sumpter on October 3, 1858 following several years’ illness. Mary's two younger sons, Hiram Robert Hunt and William Wallace Folyer gave their lives in the Civil War. William died on January 13, 1863 and Hiram just twelve days later on January 25. That was a sad time for Mary and she was left alone on the farm at Sumpter. She might have gone to live with one of her children, but she was far too independent for that. Later, she married a Mr. Jones at Sumpter.
The date is not known.
The old farm at Sumpter was traded in on property in Ypsilanti about 1874. That is where Mary Barnes Allen Hunt Folyer Jones died on January 7, 1877 at the age of 74½ years.
Not a great deal can be found about Mary's daughters and their families.
It is known that Amelia Allen married Joseph Divine, Jr., in 1840 and died eleven months later at the birth of their son, Oscar Allen Divine on January 28, 1841. She was a few months past 17 years. Nothing is known of the son.
Adelia Allen married David Myers. No record of any children has been found. Adelia died on December 15, 1849 at 21-years-of-age.
Aurelia Allen married Hiram Ostrander after the family returned to Wayne County. They lived at Trenton.
There is a record of at least three Ostrander children: Allen Ostrander, who died in November, 1885; Catherine Ostrander, who married a Mr. Dennis, was born January 4, 1853 and died March 11, 1933; and Arthur Dale Ostrander who was born about 1866. It is not known when or to whom he was married. He served in both the Spanish American War and World War I. He was a Lieutenant. He had at least two children. A son, Allen Ostrander gave his life in World War I. A daughter, Ruth
Ostrander, survives in Seattle, Washington now in 1976.
Arthur Ostrander possessed many priceless family papers which he generously loaned to the town of Allen during its Centennial year of 1927. He also donated the War of 1812 marker which was placed on the grave of his grandfather, Captain Moses Allen, the first settler of Hillsdale County.
Lieutenant Ostrander died in Illinois in December, 1931.
Nothing was found about Mary's daughter, Sarah Rose Ann Hunt.
Information for this sketch came from the following:
1. Recollections of Catherine Ostrander Dennis written in the 1930's.
2. Prize winning histories of Hillsdale County by Jane Randolph.
3. Opal McBain from the DAR essay contest printed in the, Hillsdale Daily News in July 2, 1927 issue.
4. Clipping from Te Hillsdale Daily News for January 28, 1932.
5. A historical sketch by Vivian Lyon Moore.
by Ruth L. Ruder |
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