The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-03-08
HsR NlNETIeTH BIRTHDAY.
sirs. william Allen Observed It Yesterday
An Address and a Poem.

sirs. William Allen Observed 1t Yesterday
An Address and Poem.
Ninety years ago yesterday. Mrs. Har-
riet (Stacy) Allen, who resides at the cor
ner of Cdshman and Lewis streets IN this
city, was born in South Reading (now
Wakefield), Mass.
During the day she received the con-
CALCULATIONS of many friends who were
much pleased to find her looking SO wen
and in such good spirits. In the evening
she held q reception at her residence at
which, among othtr invited guests we're
all her sons and daughters now living,
VIM. Jr., Frank r., Fred E., Harriet N.
Alien and Mrs. Mary K. rockingham:
The table was profusely decorated with
| flowers, and there WAS no lack of all the
good things of this world. During the
evening the company present listeneo 20
the following remarks from her eldest
| son, VIM. Allen Jr.
| What a flood Of "reminiscences and recol.
lections must come to one 80 years old
The good book tells US that THE days OF
q mans years are three score years ana
ten and still we meet around this festive
board tonight, with one among us VINO
has lived twenty years more than 'ne
usual time allotted to man.
/
birthday. Only four years before she was
born, Napoleon was crowned Emperor OF
France. Only one year before, the nrst
wheels Of a steamboat was put In motion
in the United States. The year that sne
was born found Thomas jefferson Presl-
dent of the United States, and that same
year the slave trade was abolished IN tnls
country. In 1908 there were but thirteen
states in the Union with population
larger than the State of Maine, today
there are twenty nine.
The entire population of the United
States In 1893 was seven million, TO-DAY ~
is seventy -four million. The debt OF the
United States in 1903 was sixty five mil
lion. March lst 1897, 1t was 81 1889, 49,
1872. The cash in the UnitedssStates Treas
ury on that date was 1864, 33S, l66.
Mother was four years old when war
was declared by the United States against
England in 1919 She remembers stand
ing in the street and waving handker-
chief to Gen. Lafayette as he made his
appearance over the Marblehead road Into
Salem.
Six years old when Napoleon was sent
to Elba, and twelve years old when he
died on the Island OF St. Helena. Seven
years old when the Battle of Waterloo was
fought. Eleven years old when Queen
Victoria was born.
Father was born in Gloucester, Mass.
Oct. 10th, 1901. He died in Portland
iOct 18th, 1860 and was buried on his
birthday, fifty nine years old. In the war
of 1919 he enlisted as drummer in the
company of Capt. Isaac Tucker Of Glou-
cester, Mass, and was ordered into SER
vice down on Cape Ann. At that time
the British fleet were outside of Glouces-
i ter. and expected to land at any hour.
Owing to the preparation made to receive
them, the British troops did not attempt
t O land.
Mass, in 1908 Was married in Salem
Mass, when she was 16 years and six
months old Lived in Salem two years
in Gloucester, Mass. seven years, and
moved to Portland in March 1884 and
has resided in this city since that time.
She we'll remembers of very heavy
thunder storm on the night of her arrival
in Portland, early in March. The family
came all the way by land, were four days
on the journey, and found mud six inches
deep a good share of the time The house
that they occupied on their arrival in
| this city was frame dwelling owned by
Capt. Nathaniel Blanchard, and situated
on Willow street. (now PearD and was
| located on the land now occupied by
| Cloudy & Kent. Mother says that she
| well recolIects that on the first morning
after their arrival in Portland. that she
started a fire with finder box, flint and
! file and made Johnny cake for break
| fast. As was the custom in those days,
the dough was spread on hard wood
board, which was put up in front of a
body of live Goals, and held in place by
| fiatiron placed behind the board, the
| board being turned as occasion required,
until the cake was baked
| She was the mother OF nine children,
five boys and four girls, five of whom
are living and are present here this even
ling. At the time that mother made cit
her home in Portland, the population was
| about Il, 000 today 1t is about 49, GOO with
good prospect of soon being 10000.
| She well recolleots when peace was de-
olared at the end of the war for 1919. Well
recollects when cholera swept over this
| country in 1892. She was twenty seven
years old when the first house was erected
in San Francisco. Twenty eight years
old when the first friction match was in
vented. Before that time, Ere was OBJ
ltained by striking flint into box of
burnt lint, the spark from the flint being
! struck by a steel file. Thirty years old
vented. Thirty years old at the time. that
| the writer used to carry a box of hot. Goals
| to church every cold Sunday in the win
ter, to keep her feet warm, and then cry
| for it himself until he got it. Forty four
years old when Daniel Webster and Henry
| Civil War commenced. Fifty eight years
| old when the war ended in 1866. Two of
her boys were in the army of tho civil
| war Frank went bravely to the front
for nine months, and won glory enough
to last him for the balance of the war.
| The Oldest boy joined the 'Home Guard"
and during that time was under very
severe discipline, as will be seen by the
following rules and regulations-to wit:
stHone Guard is hereby pledged not to
leavesthe city unless 1t is invaded by the
enemy" These two boys expect to have
pension awarded them in the near
! future. But / am sorry to say that the
youngest boy will never have his name
entered on that roll Of fame, unless we
have war with Spain 1866 also brought
to her the great fire Of that year in which
nearly one third of the city was de-
stroyed.
Mother became connected with the First
Baptist church in this city Juno 18th,
1887 then under the charge of Rev John
| S Maginnis, ID. d. who continued her
rector for five years; James T. Champlin
y. D., four years; Luther f. Beecher,
seven years; Jacob h. Scott, four years;
VIM. II Smaller, ID. d. twentyfour years.
Thomas D. Anderson, five years; A. K.