ALLEN, MAGGIE DAVIS (1852 ~ 1941). Maggie Davis Allen, Confederate Widow, was born on February 23, 1852, in Waco, Texas to Attorney James F. Davis of Tennessee and Brunette E. Selman of Alabama.
She grew up and lived in Waco and at the age of 33, married Confederate Veteran, John Seaburn Allen.
John Allen was an elder of Spartanburg, S.C. He was born there on July 9, 1830, and came to Texas at some point before the Civil War broke out. He mustered into Company I, 17th Texas Infantry Allen's Regiment at Belton, Texas in Bell County. He served to the close of the war and returned to Texas and to his first wife.
His first wife was Louisa Jane Parks -- also of Spartanburg, S.C. -- until October 22, 1883, when she passed away. A little under two years later, on July 6, 1885, John Allen married Maggie Davis. They had no known living children.
After his death on November 23, 1885, in McLennan County, Texas and his burial in the Oakwood Cemetery in McLennan County, Maggie remained in Waco until 1928, when she decided to move to Tyler, Texas where she lived with her niece, Florence Wolkewitz.
Then, in May of 1928, Maggie stated to the Comptroller who was in charge of her pension, that she was a temporary visitor of Oregon and had been for the past five months. So, her stay with her niece was short and it is unknown who Maggie was visiting in Oregon for so long.
Yet, Maggie did return to Texas between the years of 1928 and 1932. She entered the Confederate Women's Home on November 21, 1932, from Tyler, Texas. She died there on May 18, 1941. Before her death she requested that all her personal effects go to her sister, Mollie Davis and that her nephew, Thomas E. Davis make funeral arrangements for her. She wanted to be buried in the old Davis plot in the First Street Cemetery in McLennan County where her father had been buried as well as many of her nieces and nephews. However, Thomas Davis was killed in 1937. While he may very well have made the arrangements for Maggie to be interred in the First Street Cemetery, it is almost certain that he did not secure a method of payment to have Maggie Allen transported to such a site posthumously.
Maggie was therefore buried in the Texas State Cemetery following the day of her death with her niece, Florence Wolkewitz, her nephew James Davis, and Lula Adams, an unknown relative in attendance at her funeral in Austin, Texas.
Sources: 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 US Federal Census Records; www.rootsweb.com/~txmclenn/firststreetcemetery.htm; www.rootsweb.com/~txmclenn/oakwood1.htm; Confederate Home Roster; Death Certificate; Pension Application; and Mortuary Warrant.
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