St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1890-04-26
AN OFFICIAL FAMILY


Its Memberv Have Held Once for . uan.
dred Years..
A HarrodsburR Ky.) correspondent Of
the Louisville Courier-JOurnAl says:
The Allin family Of this place. Of which
our venerable County Clerk Ben Aliin Is
the head, have q history that for OH
GERS and oflice-holders is without . par
allel in the State, and perhaps in the
United States.
In September. 1855. at the fret court
ever held in Mercer County, Thopas
Allin, Sr., father Of Ben c., the subject
Of this article. held the oface 0 both
county and circuit clerk until 1880.
period of forty-four years He was sue
ceeded by his son, Thomas Allin, Jf,
brother Of Ben C. Thomas Auin, Jr.
held the Office (both county and
circuit) until 1854, q period OF
thirty-six years, and in. 1s4p Uncle
Ben took one Of the Offices from him.
He was succeeded in turn BY Ben
c., our present county. clerk who
had been circuit clerk from 1S49 to
1852. Squire Richard Bonsel wss Shen
elected to the Circuit Court clerl0hip.
and held the Office until 1854. when he
was defeated by Bush w. Allin. . SON Of
Ben C.. who is the present circuis clerk.
Ben C. was ousted from the County
Courts office during the war for . period
Of four years. during which time the Of
fee was held by DIR. c. S. Abell This
period is the only time since this has
been q county that one or both omces
have not been in the Allin family. and
in 1856 ben C., the present elefk, was
reelected county clerk and has held 1t
uninterruptedly ever since, q period OF
nearly forty-onc years. Barring the
period of four years during the war the
Office Of county clerk will have been in
this family one hundred years next
September, and the Circuit Court clerk
ship in the family for eighty years. No'
Is this all. sSf
Uncle Ben had . brother Jack. who
was clerk Of Huntsville, Mo-, who held
the Office for number Of years, and he
in turn was succeeded by two sons, who
held the Office for long while, and still
another nephew, Thomss H., was clerk
Of Kirksville, Mo-, for three terms, Phil
Allin. . son of Uncle Ben. Is circuit
clerk of Claiborne, Tex, and has Keen
for three terms of two years each An
other son, William L., Of this place, was
county attorney for twelve years, and 1
doubt if there is . man in the county
Who could beat him now If he offered for
the place. One Of the most remarkable
features of Uncle Ren's ofice-holding is
yet to come. At the last primary there
were 1.7O7 votes cast, OF which he got
l,7O6. Uncle Ben refusing to vote for
himself. He is the only man who ever
run for Office in the county who gOe the
entire vote cast. He is in his eighty
second year. and enjoys good health.
and attends to the duties Of the Office
with that regularity that he did thirty
years ago. In 1878 he got his second
sight, and he now sees - we'll as heJid
when he was . youth. - rs, So.
He and his excellent wife Amt Susan,
had born to them eleven children, nine
Of whom grew up to be men and women.
He has twenty grandmother and two
great-grandchildren. Nona Of hts chill
dren had over two children born TO them
except Bush w., who has twelve, II
there is q family more remarkable for
holding Office would like to hear from
them. And there is not . county in the
State that has better clerks than Mercer.
1t is proposed that next September
Mercer celebrate the centennial elec.
tion Of the first Of the Allinaih AstAy
to make the old mans heart prQVdeI
than 1t was last election Cay, when he
got every vote cast but his own sES
Uncle Ben's actual term Of 0hico does
not include all his time spent ip.the
Office. He acted as deputy to both his
father and brother. When this time is
considered he has been in one or the
other Of the Offices for over sfxty-dve
years. There is not book q daa1 or
any thing else in that Office he, can mot
put his hand on almost in the DARK. All
the Allins, from Thomas, ST., - Wtsren
l., the present deputy. ase nRee1 sfor
their pretty. smooth, eyen and legible
writing. In fact, it Is SO plain that
child can read any thing writtsn.h1 an
Allin that ever wrote in either tho couD
u or circuit clerks onice.