Aaron Minor Allen

     Aaron was born in Horse Prairie, Evansville, Randolph Co, IL, on Dec 25, 1818.^{1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8}
     Aaron Minor Allen was employed by Shannon's store as a as a clerk in Sparta, Randolph Co, IL.⁶
     He married Jurinda Sarah McClinton in Sparta, Randolph Co, IL, on Mar 3, 1843.^9,10,3,4
     On Mar 10, 1843, Aaron Minor Allen was granted a land patent in in Kaskaskia, IL. The patent was issued from the land office and signed by president John Tyler. The property consisted of eighty acres, on the West half of the Southwest quarter of Section Eight, Township Five South, Range Seven West.¹¹
     Aaron was listed as the head of a family on the 1850 Census in Sparta, Randolph Co, IL. Aaron was a merchant, with $1,400 in real estate. Nancy was in school.¹²
     Aaron Minor Allen was a member of United Presbyterian church, in Sparta, Randolph Co, IL.⁶
     On Sep 1, 1853, Aaron Minor Allen was granted a land patent in in Kaskaskia, IL. The patent was signed by president Franklin Pierce. The property consisted of forty acres on the Southwest quarter of the Northwest quarter of Section Eight in township Five South of Range Seven West.¹³
     Aaron Minor Allen was the head of Allen, Watson & Crawford, a large mercantile establishment in Sparta, Randolph Co, IL.⁶
     Aaron and Jurinda sold property to Jacob N. and Nicholas Hemel in Randolph Co, IL, on Feb 15, 1855. The land is described as the SE 1/4 of the NW 1/4, the NE 1/4 of the SW 1/4, and the SW 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of Section 8, Township 5S, Range 7W. The purchase price was $1500.¹⁴
     He bought property from Richard Smith and wife Susan in Sparta, Randolph Co, IL, on Mar 30, 1855. He paid $200 for a property described as a fractional piece of lot number 46 in Armours Survey and lot 40 in McClurkens Addition, making a lot with 66.5 feet along Brook Street reaching back 117 feet..¹⁵
     They sold property to John M. McClinton in Randolph Co, IL, on Nov 28, 1856. John paid $1600 for the NE 1/4 of Section 10 Township 5S Range 5W, "except 30 acres of the East side which has been sold to Robert Clark by James McMillan.".¹⁶
     He bought property from John M. McClinton and Mary "Polly" R. McClinton in Randolph Co, IL, on Nov 28, 1856. The land consisted of 120 acres: the SW 1/4 or the SW 1/4 of Section 24, the NW 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of Section 25, and the NW 1/4 or the NE 1/4 of Section 25, all of T4S, R6W. The purchase price was $1200.¹⁷
     He bought property from J.F. Gutelius and wife Margaret in Sparta, Randolph Co, IL, on May 2, 1857. He paid $300 for lots 10 and 13 in Block 11 of the James McClurken Addition.¹⁸
     Aaron was listed as the head of a family on the 1860 Census in Sparta, Randolph Co, IL. A. M. was a merchant, with $4,000 in real estate and $8,000 in personal property. Nancy, Avis, Mary and Sarah were in school. A Charles Stamon, 23, a grocer, was living with the family.²
     Aaron was listed as the head of a family on the 1870 Census in Township 5 Range 5, Randolph Co, IL. Aaron was a merchant, with $10,000 in real estate and $10,000 in personal property. Mary, Sarah and Samuel were in school.⁴
     Aaron Minor Allen reopened his shop in Sep, 1874 on Broadway, Sparta, Randolph Co, IL.¹⁹
     Aaron Minor Allen was employed by by the city as street commissioner in Nov, 1875 in Sparta, Randolph Co, IL. An important part of the street commissioner's job was building and maintaining the sidewalks that allowed people to avoid walking in the muddy, horse-poop-filled streets.^20,21
     Aaron was listed as the head of a family on the 1880 Census in St. Louis Street, Sparta, Randolph Co, IL. Aaron was a clerk, William was working in a F. mill, and Samuel worked on a farm. Samuel, Winnie, Laura and Henry were all in school.³
     They sold property to Henry H. Allen in Sparta, Randolph Co, IL, on Jan 29, 1896. The land was a sliver, approximately 40 by 202 feet, along the edge of Lot 5 Block 3 of McDill's addition. Henry paid $150..²²
     Aaron Minor Allen was left a widower by Jurinda Sarah McClinton's death in 1896 in Sparta, Randolph Co, IL.^23,24,25,7
     
     Aaron was listed as the head of a family on the 1900 Census in 205 1/2 N. St. Louis St, Sparta, Randolph Co, IL. Aaron and Winnie were living in their own house.⁷
     Aaron Minor Allen and Winnie Allen lived in Dec, 1903 in St. Louis Street, Sparta, Randolph Co, CA.⁶
     Aaron died on Dec 4, 1903 in at his home on St. Louis street, Sparta, Randolph Co, IL, at age 84. He died of "valvular disease of heart" after a lingering illness.^1,26,6,8 Aaron's funeral was held on Dec 6, 1903 in Sparta, Randolph Co, IL.⁶ He was buried on Dec 6, 1903 at Union Cemetery, in Sparta, Randolph Co, in IL.^5,6,8 An obituary was published on Dec 11, 1903 in the Sparta Plaindealer in Sparta, Randolph Co, IL.⁶