ALLEN, Captain Jesse - 1881-1964

(Married to Elizabeth Maude Mohan)

Father of Dorothy Allen

Grandfather of William Carlyle Sparrow

Great Grandfather of Holly Sparrow

Great Great Grandfather of Kathryn Cawfield

Great Great Great Grandfather of Adora and Shiloh Boivin

Capt. Jesse Allen

1917

Jesse Allen was born April 24, 1881 in Great Milton, Oxfordshire,

England.  He immigrated to Canada in 1885 at the age of 4 and

resided in the Hochelaga District of Montreal,  Quebec.

Below is a portion of Jesse Allen's family tree.

(Click on picture to enlarge)

In 1901 he signed up with the Canadian Yeomanry to

go to South Africa and fight in the Boer War, also known as

the Second South African War.  According to his Attestation papers

of the First World War he was in the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles
while in South Africa.

He married Elizabeth Maude Mohan in 1903 in Midland, Ontario.

Elizabeth had been living in Montreal with her parents when

they met.  At this point in his life his occupation is listed as 'clerk'.

Jesse ALLEN, 22, of Midland (born:England) Clerk,

son of  Henry & Elizabeth ALLEN,

married Elizabeth Maud MOHAN, 20, (born: Montreal)
Midland, daughter of William MOHAN & Mary Jane Cooke.

Witness: Arthur HARVIE & Mrs. Arthur HOLMES

both of Midland, on September 16,1903 in Midland.

  

Jesse Allen (top right in bowler hat) and beside him is Elizabeth.

The children are Carl and Dorothy.  The others are members

of Elizabeth Mohan Allen's family.

 (click to enlarge) 

Jesse and Elizabeth had three children:

 Dorothy Allen, 1906-1960

Carlyle Wiliston Piers Allen, 1908-1979

Barbara Allen, 1913-1981

Attestation Paper for the

Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force

World War I

   

The photo above was printed on a postcard, the back of which

is pictured below.

Capt. Jesse Allen was a calvary officer at Vimy Ridge during World War I and he told the 

story that he was forced to shoot his horse in order to use the animal

for protection while under fire.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a military engagement fought primarily as part of the Battle of Arras,  in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the Canadian Corps, of four divisions, against three divisions of the German Sixth Army. The battle, which took place from 9 to 12 April 1917, was part of the opening phase of the British-led Battle of Arras, a diversionary attack for the French Offensive.

The objective of the Canadian Corps was to take control of the German-held high ground along an

escarpment at the northernmost end of the Arras Offensive. This would ensure that the southern flank could advance without suffering German enfilade fire. Supported by a creeping barrage, the Canadian Corps captured most of the ridge during the first day of the attack. The town of Thelus fell during the second day of the attack, as did the crest of the ridge once the Canadian Corps overcame a salient of considerable German resistance. The final objective, a fortified knoll located outside the town of Givenchy-en-Gohelle, fell to the Canadian Corps on 12 April. The German forces then retreated to the Oppy-Mericourt line.

Historians attribute the success of the Canadian Corps in capturing the ridge to a mixture of technical and tactical innovation, meticulous planning, powerful artillery support and extensive training, as well as the failure of the German Sixth Army to properly apply the new German defensive doctrine. The battle was the first occasion when all four divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force participated in a battle together and thus became a Canadian nationalistic symbol of achievement and sacrifice. A portion of the former battleground serves as a preserved memorial park and site of the

Canadian National Vimy Memorial.

Jesse Allen with the result of

bombing in the background during World War I

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This declaration at the American border indicates that Jesse Allen

was going to work as an investigator in Niagara Falls, New York

in 1929.  His employer there was Steve Brody on 10th Street.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jesse Allen in 1938 leading the group.  

Other than the year there is no identification on this photo 

so I'm not sure who the uniformed personnel are and 

what this occasion is.  However, it's interesting to 

see how active Jesse was throughout his life.

1940

In this New York census Jesse is renting a room from

a woman named Beulah Miller and is working as a

 salesman in a retail store.

(See the line with yellow highlighting.  Click to enlarge)

~~~~~~~~~~

1946

Capt. Jesse was always quite willing to take his medals out of the dresser

drawer and explain to his great grandchildren what they were and what they

were for.  Listed here are the medals in order from left to right

as they appear on his chest in the photo above:

1.  Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.) 

2.  The Queen's South Africa Medal (Boer War)

3.  The British War Medal (World War I)

4.  The Victory Medal

5.  The Long Service Good Conduct Medal

6.  Volunteer Officer's Decoration (?)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Below is a letter Jesse sent to Bill and Alberta Sparrow (Bill was

Jesse's grandson) declining the invitation to their wedding.  What's

especially interesting is that he says in the letter that he is going

to be writing to Carl but also that he is going to write to 'Mother'.

That would be Elizabeth Maude.....his estranged wife.  It's interesting

because we've believed, all these years later, that he had left and

never communicated with Elizabeth again.

It's also interesting that he signed the letter, 'Capt.'  He was

addressed by his rank throughout his life.

The letterhead indicates he was a member of what we now call

"The Legion".  In Canada it's the Royal Canadian Legion.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Other Women

When he went overseas during World War I Jesse left Elizabeth with the

three children.  Obviously, it was assumed he would return to them at the end of 

the war.  Instead, he returned with a woman and by-passed his family entirely.

This is a copy of Jesse's return from Europe on a military ship and it indicates

he was accompanied by "Mrs. A. Allen 16 yrs". 

Below, is a close-up of the larger image under it.

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

Later,  a woman named Amelia Hocking Rendle is referred to as

Jesse's wife in this death notice.

The assumption would be that it was a common-law arrangement given

the fact there is no evidence of any divorce between Jesse Allen 

and his legal wife Elizabeth.  

In the New York census of 1925 Jesse and Amelia are listed

as Mr. and Mrs. Allen at 833 Pierce Ave. in Niagara County.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jesse was a Shriner and belonged to the Ismailia Shriners

 in Buffalo, New York.

I can only assume that Jesse Allen was a Knight Templar as well.

When his daughter Barbara died I was given a large trunk of

family mementos and in it were several of the items Capt. Jesse

had brought home from Europe after W.W. I including two German

helmets and several small swords or bayonets.  His Sam Brown belt

was in the trunk and also an odd looking hat.  I've discovered since

that the hat was actually a Knights Templar chapeau.

I no longer have the chapeau but it looked exactly like this one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Below is a photograph of Jesse Allen with two of

his three children.  By this time his eldest, Dorothy,

had died.

From left to right:

Carl (son) and his wife Florence

Capt. Jesse Allen

Barbara (daughter) and her 2nd husband Bob Carter

Carl and Jesse Allen

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jesse Allen with Holly and Peter Sparrow

1960