Friday, May 1, 2009

Andrew Jackson Allred, Pioneer and Settler

ANDREW JACKSON ALLRED, known as Jack Allred all his life, was born February 12, 1831 in Monroe County, Missouri. He was the twelfth child and the last one born to James Allred and Elizabeth Warren. His family was living in Monroe County Missouri when his parents and their children who were old enough, joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the year before Jack was born. Because Andrew’s family became part of the early movement of the Mormon Church, he experienced in his young life the persecutions and testing that eventually brought the saints to the west.

In the spring of 1851, Jack traveled across the plains with his parents and arrived in Salt Lake City in October. That same year, they settled in Manti, Sanpete County, Utah.
Andrew was very interested in the Native American language, and in time he and his brother James T.S. became interpreters, helping to solve problems between the settlers and the Indians. He wore buckskin pants and became familiar with the Indian lifestyle. One time Chief Whitehorse raised his gun to shoot him, but for some unknown reason, the chief could not do so.

At the age of twenty-three, Jack married Chloe Stevens on November 3, 1855. She was born on June 18, 1838 at St. Louis Missouri. Seven children were born to Jack and Chloe.
Five months after her last child, Elizabeth Ann was born, Chloe died at the age of thirty-four on October 22, 1872.

The following year in July 1873, Jack Allred married his second wife, Elizabeth Ivy. They had two children.

In the spring of 1876 Brigham Young called Andrew to settle in Rabbit Valley with the Indians and establish a trading post.

Jack Allred built his first home east of the Fremont River. That winter was so cold, the river froze over, flooding much of the valley. Jack decided to move straight west on top the point of the hill, since known as Jack’s or Allred point.

He built a house and joined some cabins to it. The place became a rendezvous for Indians, travelers and stockmen. William brought in a two-story sawmill made out of logs lined with lumber. It was set up in the canyon above the valley, taking water from UM Creek for power. The logs were brought from Pole Canyon on the Morrell Fork. This was the first sawmill to operate in the valley.

Jack’s son Marion was the first white boy born in the valley. His daughter Luzernia married Silas Morrell, and their daughter Chloe Jane Morrell was the first white girl born in the valley on March 15, 1877.

Jack’s second wife, Elizabeth died in 1888. Later he married his third wife, Martina Nielson Anderson, and the union bore two more children.

In 1892, the Jack Allred farm was sold to William Irvin Callahan, and Jack moved to Richfield where he died on October 10, 1899 at the age of 68 years. In his later years he developed a swelling on his leg known as “White Swelling,” and he had to walk on crutches.

He is buried beside his second wife Elizabeth in the Fremont Cemetery, located in Wayne County, Utah.

To view his headstone in the Fremont,Utah cemetery click on this link:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=allred&GSiman=1&GScid=77235&GRid=32906107&

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