Early St. Louis society leader. Mrs. Allen was the wife of attorney Beverly Allen, the daughter of Judge Nathaniel Pope and the sister of Major General John Pope. Her granddaughter Mabel was the wife of author Winston Churchill. The Sturgeon, Orrick and Hall families are her descendants and were the originals of some of the characters in Winston Churchill's novel, "The Crisis." Mrs. Allen was prominently identified with the early St. Louis "Votes for Women" campaigns. She was an avowed advocate of the enfranchisement of women and held to that belief until her death. Penelope first petitioned the Missouri Legislature for the vote for women in 1867. At the time she was vice president of the newly formed Woman Suffrage Association of Missouri which she co-founded with Virginia Minor. Her three daughters were also charter members. Later she would serve as president of the organization. From 1867 on, the state legislature was petitioned for the vote every year, including 1882 when Penelope's daughter Penelope Allen Orrick made her plea. Although they did not meet success until 1919, the women of Missouri made their voices heard, and as a result Missouri had some of the most liberal laws for women of any state in 1899. Penelope wrote many articles on the subject for publication in magazines and other periodicals. One her most interesting characteristics was that she would never sit for a picture; another was that she refused to reveal her age. (Some information for this biography was used with permission from the book "Movers and Shakers, Scalawags and Suffragettes: Tales From Bellefontaine Cemetery" by Carol Ferring Shepley, published by the University of Missouri Press 2008.)
Early St. Louis society leader. Mrs. Allen was the wife of attorney Beverly Allen, the daughter of Judge Nathaniel Pope and the sister of Major General John Pope. Her granddaughter Mabel was the wife of author Winston Churchill. The Sturgeon, Orrick and Hall families are her descendants and were the originals of some of the characters in Winston Churchill's novel, "The Crisis." Mrs. Allen was prominently identified with the early St. Louis "Votes for Women" campaigns. She was an avowed advocate of the enfranchisement of women and held to that belief until her death. Penelope first petitioned the Missouri Legislature for the vote for women in 1867. At the time she was vice president of the newly formed Woman Suffrage Association of Missouri which she co-founded with Virginia Minor. Her three daughters were also charter members. Later she would serve as president of the organization. From 1867 on, the state legislature was petitioned for the vote every year, including 1882 when Penelope's daughter Penelope Allen Orrick made her plea. Although they did not meet success until 1919, the women of Missouri made their voices heard, and as a result Missouri had some of the most liberal laws for women of any state in 1899. Penelope wrote many articles on the subject for publication in magazines and other periodicals. One her most interesting characteristics was that she would never sit for a picture; another was that she refused to reveal her age. (Some information for this biography was used with permission from the book "Movers and Shakers, Scalawags and Suffragettes: Tales From Bellefontaine Cemetery" by Carol Ferring Shepley, published by the University of Missouri Press 2008.)
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