John Thomas Alloway was born in Kentucky about 1810 or 1811, most likely in Petersburg, Boone County. John Thomas' father was John Walker Alloway, who was christened in 1781 as John Walker Strange. John Walker's parents, and John Thomas' paternal grandparents were Mary (Moore) and Abraham Alloway *Strange. Mary Moore's parents were Judith (Walker) and John Moore. Abraham Alloway Strange's parents were Ann (Mitchell) and John Alloway Strange Senior.
In published genealogies and public family trees, John Thomas Alloway's mother is recorded as Jane "Jennie" (Curtis) Berry, the daughter of Susannah (Cottrell) and Samuel Curtis. No record of his parent's marriage has been found by family historians, but deed records from Jennings County, Indiana, establish John Walker Alloway had a former wife named Jane.
John Walker Alloway's four wives were Elizabeth Waters, Jane (Curtis) Berry, Nancy Herring, and Mary (Bowman) Dillman. From his father's 1st marriage to Elizabeth Waters, John Thomas' half sisters were Nancy Ann (Alloway) Blue Cooper and Sarah (Alloway) Epperson. From his father's 2nd marriage to Jane (Curtis) Berry, John's brothers and sisters were twins Allen and Alfred Alloway, Susannah (Alloway) Herring, Caroline (Alloway) Luwellen, twins Abijah and Abisha Alloway, and Nelson Alloway. From his father's 3rd marriage to Nancy Herring, John Thomas' half sisters were Amanda (Alloway) McClure Osborn, Alabama Alloway, and Elizabeth (Alloway) Parker Dooley.
In addition, John Thomas' mother, Jane, is said in published genealogies and public family trees to have had 2 children from her first marriage to Franklin Berry, who would be half siblings to John Thomas. These children are said to have been raised by Jane's parents, Susannah (Cottrell) and Samuel Curtis. The names of Jane's children from her 1st marriage, or documentation of their births, marriages, or deaths, have not been found by family historians. A daughter named Jane is mentioned in Samuel Curtis' will; Curtis stating he was leaving ** one dollar to the children of his daughter, Jane, and nothing more.
John Thomas' father is documented living in Petersburg, Boone County, Kentucky from about 1812 to 1820, where he enlisted for the War of 1812 as John Alloway Senior, to differentiate himself from his younger cousin, *** John Alloway, who also lived in Boone County during that time.
Petersburg, Boone County, Kentucky Tax Lists and Court Records document that by 1818, John Thomas' father owned 2 Town Lots, and that he had a license in 1817, renewed in 1818, to operate a Tavern from his home in Petersburg. After the 1820 US Federal Census when the family was recorded as living in Petersburg, John Walker moved his family to Jennings County, Indiana, where he lived until 1852, when he then moved with his 4th wife, Mary, to Jasper County, Iowa, where he died in 1863.
In a list of heirs, John Thomas was listed as "Thomas" in his father's probate records. The list included all of John Thomas' brothers and sisters, living or deceased, except for his sister, Alabama, who perhaps was not listed if she had died, unmarried, or with no living heirs. Alabama is not found in records after the 1850 US Federal Census.
It is unknown when John Thomas Alloway moved from Jennings County, Indiana back to Petersburg, Boone County, Kentucky, where he lived all of his adult life. John Thomas married Frances Ann Norris, the daughter of Elizabeth (Dowden) and John Norris Senior in Boone County on November 4, 1832. Their marriage bond was signed by John Alloway and John Norris. The signature for John appears to be John Thomas' signature, as it differs from the documented signatures for his father, making him at least **** 21 years old at the time of his marriage.
John Thomas and Frances had five known children: Orville Norris Alloway, Elizabeth Rebecca "Lizzie" (Alloway) Bush, Charles N. Alloway, Zenith A. Alloway, and John J. Alloway.
John Thomas was a blacksmith in Petersburg. He was appointed a School Trustee in 1862 and 1863, and an Officer of Elections in 1863. He owned 4 Town Lots in Petersburg where he operated his Blacksmith Shop. One of his sons, Orville, carried on John Thomas' profession, working as a blacksmith and living in Petersburg or Boone County for his entire life. John's daughter, Zenith, was a school teacher in Petersburg in 1862 and 1863, before her death at the age of 23 in 1865.
Orville Alloway married Caroline Clark in Lawrenceburg, Dearborn, Indiana on October 17, 1855. Caroline died in 1875, and Orville never remarried. At the turn of the 19th Century, Orville and Caroline's son, Arthur "Podge" Alloway, gained acclaim as a Major League baseball player and umpire.
John Thomas and France's daughter, Elizabeth Rebecca, at various times in her life, lived in Petersburg, or Aurora, Dearborn County, Indiana, across the Ohio River from Petersburg. Elizabeth and her husband, John Bush, lost one or more children in infancy, and they divorced in Dearborn County in 1878. Elizabeth was named a guardian for her nephew, Solon Alloway, the son of her deceased brother, John J. Alloway.
John Thomas and France's son, Charles, worked as a Cooper. He married Mary Frances Karrick in Kenton County, Kentucky. He started his married life in Covington, Kenton County, and Petersburg, Boone County, but he then lived in Nicholasville, Kentucky, and again, in Covington, after the death of his wife in 1904.
John Thomas and France's son, John J. Alloway, married Martha "Mattie" Snyder, the daughter of Isabella (Fisher) and Joseph Snyder, when she was 16 and he was 21. John died young at the age of 27, leaving his widow, his 5 year old daughter, Josie Vie, and his 3 week old son, Solon, to survive him. John J. was a Civil War Union Veteran, serving as a Private for 3 years in Company A, 23rd Kentucky Infantry, from the age of 17 to 21. After his marriage to Mattie, he also worked as a Cooper.
In his obituaries, and in newspaper articles published in Covington, Kentucky, John Thomas' son, Charles, was acknowledged as a Civil War Veteran, an ambulance driver in the Union Army, but there is no record of Charles' service, and he never applied for a pension.
John J.'s widow, Martha, applied for a Civil War Widow's Pension, but it was not approved because she could not verify that John J.'s death was from a war related illness or injury, a requirement at the time of her initial application, and her re-opened application.
John Thomas and Frances both ***** lived in Petersburg for their entire married life. John died on August 11, 1866, his death noted on that date in The Loder Diary, by Lewis Loder. After John's death, Frances lived with her son, Orville, and his family, until her death in Petersburg on September 13, 1891. John and Frances are buried in the Petersburg Cemetery side by side with their son, John J. Alloway.
Notes:
* John Walker Alloway's father, Abraham Alloway Strange, sometimes used the surname, Strange, and sometimes Alloway, Alloway Strange, or A. Strange. As an adult, John Walker Alloway Strange dropped his second surname, and used only Alloway, which is the surname used by all of John Walker Alloway and John Thomas Alloway's descendants. (John Walker Alloway did not use his middle name "Walker" in any records or documents that have been found. He signed documents as John Alloway. His middle name is used here to differentiate him from his son, John Thomas Alloway.)
** In a will, leaving $1 can denote that the recipient already received an inheritance or other assistance.
*** Cousin, John Alloway, AKA John "Jack" Alloway, was the son of Elizabeth (Vannerson) and Archelaus Alloway Strange, known in Petersburg, Boone, Kentucky, as Archelaus Alloway. Archelaus was Abraham Alloway Strange's brother, making him John Walker Alloway's uncle, and John Thomas Alloway's grand uncle. Archelaus Alloway died in Petersburg in 1808. His son, John "Jack" Alloway, who moved from Petersburg by 1814, died in Nashville, Tennessee in 1846.
**** John Thomas Alloway is listed in Petersburg, Boone County Tax records starting in 1833, recorded as a male over 21. Tax Lists did not survive for the year 1832, when John Thomas may have first appeared. John is not listed in the 1831 Petersburg Tax Lists. In the 1850 and 1860 US Federal Census, John is recorded as born in Kentucky about 1810.
***** John purchased 80 acres of land in 1855 in Jasper County, Iowa, under the name, John T. Alloway, located near land owned by his father, John, and land owned by each of his brothers, Abijah, Abisha, and Nelson, but there is no evidence that John, or his wife, Frances, ever lived there. The land was sold by Frances after John's death.
~ Sep 2023
In published genealogies and public family trees, John Thomas Alloway's mother is recorded as Jane "Jennie" (Curtis) Berry, the daughter of Susannah (Cottrell) and Samuel Curtis. No record of his parent's marriage has been found by family historians, but deed records from Jennings County, Indiana, establish John Walker Alloway had a former wife named Jane.
John Walker Alloway's four wives were Elizabeth Waters, Jane (Curtis) Berry, Nancy Herring, and Mary (Bowman) Dillman. From his father's 1st marriage to Elizabeth Waters, John Thomas' half sisters were Nancy Ann (Alloway) Blue Cooper and Sarah (Alloway) Epperson. From his father's 2nd marriage to Jane (Curtis) Berry, John's brothers and sisters were twins Allen and Alfred Alloway, Susannah (Alloway) Herring, Caroline (Alloway) Luwellen, twins Abijah and Abisha Alloway, and Nelson Alloway. From his father's 3rd marriage to Nancy Herring, John Thomas' half sisters were Amanda (Alloway) McClure Osborn, Alabama Alloway, and Elizabeth (Alloway) Parker Dooley.
In addition, John Thomas' mother, Jane, is said in published genealogies and public family trees to have had 2 children from her first marriage to Franklin Berry, who would be half siblings to John Thomas. These children are said to have been raised by Jane's parents, Susannah (Cottrell) and Samuel Curtis. The names of Jane's children from her 1st marriage, or documentation of their births, marriages, or deaths, have not been found by family historians. A daughter named Jane is mentioned in Samuel Curtis' will; Curtis stating he was leaving ** one dollar to the children of his daughter, Jane, and nothing more.
John Thomas' father is documented living in Petersburg, Boone County, Kentucky from about 1812 to 1820, where he enlisted for the War of 1812 as John Alloway Senior, to differentiate himself from his younger cousin, *** John Alloway, who also lived in Boone County during that time.
Petersburg, Boone County, Kentucky Tax Lists and Court Records document that by 1818, John Thomas' father owned 2 Town Lots, and that he had a license in 1817, renewed in 1818, to operate a Tavern from his home in Petersburg. After the 1820 US Federal Census when the family was recorded as living in Petersburg, John Walker moved his family to Jennings County, Indiana, where he lived until 1852, when he then moved with his 4th wife, Mary, to Jasper County, Iowa, where he died in 1863.
In a list of heirs, John Thomas was listed as "Thomas" in his father's probate records. The list included all of John Thomas' brothers and sisters, living or deceased, except for his sister, Alabama, who perhaps was not listed if she had died, unmarried, or with no living heirs. Alabama is not found in records after the 1850 US Federal Census.
It is unknown when John Thomas Alloway moved from Jennings County, Indiana back to Petersburg, Boone County, Kentucky, where he lived all of his adult life. John Thomas married Frances Ann Norris, the daughter of Elizabeth (Dowden) and John Norris Senior in Boone County on November 4, 1832. Their marriage bond was signed by John Alloway and John Norris. The signature for John appears to be John Thomas' signature, as it differs from the documented signatures for his father, making him at least **** 21 years old at the time of his marriage.
John Thomas and Frances had five known children: Orville Norris Alloway, Elizabeth Rebecca "Lizzie" (Alloway) Bush, Charles N. Alloway, Zenith A. Alloway, and John J. Alloway.
John Thomas was a blacksmith in Petersburg. He was appointed a School Trustee in 1862 and 1863, and an Officer of Elections in 1863. He owned 4 Town Lots in Petersburg where he operated his Blacksmith Shop. One of his sons, Orville, carried on John Thomas' profession, working as a blacksmith and living in Petersburg or Boone County for his entire life. John's daughter, Zenith, was a school teacher in Petersburg in 1862 and 1863, before her death at the age of 23 in 1865.
Orville Alloway married Caroline Clark in Lawrenceburg, Dearborn, Indiana on October 17, 1855. Caroline died in 1875, and Orville never remarried. At the turn of the 19th Century, Orville and Caroline's son, Arthur "Podge" Alloway, gained acclaim as a Major League baseball player and umpire.
John Thomas and France's daughter, Elizabeth Rebecca, at various times in her life, lived in Petersburg, or Aurora, Dearborn County, Indiana, across the Ohio River from Petersburg. Elizabeth and her husband, John Bush, lost one or more children in infancy, and they divorced in Dearborn County in 1878. Elizabeth was named a guardian for her nephew, Solon Alloway, the son of her deceased brother, John J. Alloway.
John Thomas and France's son, Charles, worked as a Cooper. He married Mary Frances Karrick in Kenton County, Kentucky. He started his married life in Covington, Kenton County, and Petersburg, Boone County, but he then lived in Nicholasville, Kentucky, and again, in Covington, after the death of his wife in 1904.
John Thomas and France's son, John J. Alloway, married Martha "Mattie" Snyder, the daughter of Isabella (Fisher) and Joseph Snyder, when she was 16 and he was 21. John died young at the age of 27, leaving his widow, his 5 year old daughter, Josie Vie, and his 3 week old son, Solon, to survive him. John J. was a Civil War Union Veteran, serving as a Private for 3 years in Company A, 23rd Kentucky Infantry, from the age of 17 to 21. After his marriage to Mattie, he also worked as a Cooper.
In his obituaries, and in newspaper articles published in Covington, Kentucky, John Thomas' son, Charles, was acknowledged as a Civil War Veteran, an ambulance driver in the Union Army, but there is no record of Charles' service, and he never applied for a pension.
John J.'s widow, Martha, applied for a Civil War Widow's Pension, but it was not approved because she could not verify that John J.'s death was from a war related illness or injury, a requirement at the time of her initial application, and her re-opened application.
John Thomas and Frances both ***** lived in Petersburg for their entire married life. John died on August 11, 1866, his death noted on that date in The Loder Diary, by Lewis Loder. After John's death, Frances lived with her son, Orville, and his family, until her death in Petersburg on September 13, 1891. John and Frances are buried in the Petersburg Cemetery side by side with their son, John J. Alloway.
Notes:
* John Walker Alloway's father, Abraham Alloway Strange, sometimes used the surname, Strange, and sometimes Alloway, Alloway Strange, or A. Strange. As an adult, John Walker Alloway Strange dropped his second surname, and used only Alloway, which is the surname used by all of John Walker Alloway and John Thomas Alloway's descendants. (John Walker Alloway did not use his middle name "Walker" in any records or documents that have been found. He signed documents as John Alloway. His middle name is used here to differentiate him from his son, John Thomas Alloway.)
** In a will, leaving $1 can denote that the recipient already received an inheritance or other assistance.
*** Cousin, John Alloway, AKA John "Jack" Alloway, was the son of Elizabeth (Vannerson) and Archelaus Alloway Strange, known in Petersburg, Boone, Kentucky, as Archelaus Alloway. Archelaus was Abraham Alloway Strange's brother, making him John Walker Alloway's uncle, and John Thomas Alloway's grand uncle. Archelaus Alloway died in Petersburg in 1808. His son, John "Jack" Alloway, who moved from Petersburg by 1814, died in Nashville, Tennessee in 1846.
**** John Thomas Alloway is listed in Petersburg, Boone County Tax records starting in 1833, recorded as a male over 21. Tax Lists did not survive for the year 1832, when John Thomas may have first appeared. John is not listed in the 1831 Petersburg Tax Lists. In the 1850 and 1860 US Federal Census, John is recorded as born in Kentucky about 1810.
***** John purchased 80 acres of land in 1855 in Jasper County, Iowa, under the name, John T. Alloway, located near land owned by his father, John, and land owned by each of his brothers, Abijah, Abisha, and Nelson, but there is no evidence that John, or his wife, Frances, ever lived there. The land was sold by Frances after John's death.
~ Sep 2023
John Thomas Alloway was born in Kentucky about 1810 or 1811, most likely in Petersburg, Boone County. John Thomas' father was John Walker Alloway, who was christened in 1781 as John Walker Strange. John Walker's parents, and John Thomas' paternal grandparents were Mary (Moore) and Abraham Alloway *Strange. Mary Moore's parents were Judith (Walker) and John Moore. Abraham Alloway Strange's parents were Ann (Mitchell) and John Alloway Strange Senior.
In published genealogies and public family trees, John Thomas Alloway's mother is recorded as Jane "Jennie" (Curtis) Berry, the daughter of Susannah (Cottrell) and Samuel Curtis. No record of his parent's marriage has been found by family historians, but deed records from Jennings County, Indiana, establish John Walker Alloway had a former wife named Jane.
John Walker Alloway's four wives were Elizabeth Waters, Jane (Curtis) Berry, Nancy Herring, and Mary (Bowman) Dillman. From his father's 1st marriage to Elizabeth Waters, John Thomas' half sisters were Nancy Ann (Alloway) Blue Cooper and Sarah (Alloway) Epperson. From his father's 2nd marriage to Jane (Curtis) Berry, John's brothers and sisters were twins Allen and Alfred Alloway, Susannah (Alloway) Herring, Caroline (Alloway) Luwellen, twins Abijah and Abisha Alloway, and Nelson Alloway. From his father's 3rd marriage to Nancy Herring, John Thomas' half sisters were Amanda (Alloway) McClure Osborn, Alabama Alloway, and Elizabeth (Alloway) Parker Dooley.
In addition, John Thomas' mother, Jane, is said in published genealogies and public family trees to have had 2 children from her first marriage to Franklin Berry, who would be half siblings to John Thomas. These children are said to have been raised by Jane's parents, Susannah (Cottrell) and Samuel Curtis. The names of Jane's children from her 1st marriage, or documentation of their births, marriages, or deaths, have not been found by family historians. A daughter named Jane is mentioned in Samuel Curtis' will; Curtis stating he was leaving ** one dollar to the children of his daughter, Jane, and nothing more.
John Thomas' father is documented living in Petersburg, Boone County, Kentucky from about 1812 to 1820, where he enlisted for the War of 1812 as John Alloway Senior, to differentiate himself from his younger cousin, *** John Alloway, who also lived in Boone County during that time.
Petersburg, Boone County, Kentucky Tax Lists and Court Records document that by 1818, John Thomas' father owned 2 Town Lots, and that he had a license in 1817, renewed in 1818, to operate a Tavern from his home in Petersburg. After the 1820 US Federal Census when the family was recorded as living in Petersburg, John Walker moved his family to Jennings County, Indiana, where he lived until 1852, when he then moved with his 4th wife, Mary, to Jasper County, Iowa, where he died in 1863.
In a list of heirs, John Thomas was listed as "Thomas" in his father's probate records. The list included all of John Thomas' brothers and sisters, living or deceased, except for his sister, Alabama, who perhaps was not listed if she had died, unmarried, or with no living heirs. Alabama is not found in records after the 1850 US Federal Census.
It is unknown when John Thomas Alloway moved from Jennings County, Indiana back to Petersburg, Boone County, Kentucky, where he lived all of his adult life. John Thomas married Frances Ann Norris, the daughter of Elizabeth (Dowden) and John Norris Senior in Boone County on November 4, 1832. Their marriage bond was signed by John Alloway and John Norris. The signature for John appears to be John Thomas' signature, as it differs from the documented signatures for his father, making him at least **** 21 years old at the time of his marriage.
John Thomas and Frances had five known children: Orville Norris Alloway, Elizabeth Rebecca "Lizzie" (Alloway) Bush, Charles N. Alloway, Zenith A. Alloway, and John J. Alloway.
John Thomas was a blacksmith in Petersburg. He was appointed a School Trustee in 1862 and 1863, and an Officer of Elections in 1863. He owned 4 Town Lots in Petersburg where he operated his Blacksmith Shop. One of his sons, Orville, carried on John Thomas' profession, working as a blacksmith and living in Petersburg or Boone County for his entire life. John's daughter, Zenith, was a school teacher in Petersburg in 1862 and 1863, before her death at the age of 23 in 1865.
Orville Alloway married Caroline Clark in Lawrenceburg, Dearborn, Indiana on October 17, 1855. Caroline died in 1875, and Orville never remarried. At the turn of the 19th Century, Orville and Caroline's son, Arthur "Podge" Alloway, gained acclaim as a Major League baseball player and umpire.
John Thomas and France's daughter, Elizabeth Rebecca, at various times in her life, lived in Petersburg, or Aurora, Dearborn County, Indiana, across the Ohio River from Petersburg. Elizabeth and her husband, John Bush, lost one or more children in infancy, and they divorced in Dearborn County in 1878. Elizabeth was named a guardian for her nephew, Solon Alloway, the son of her deceased brother, John J. Alloway.
John Thomas and France's son, Charles, worked as a Cooper. He married Mary Frances Karrick in Kenton County, Kentucky. He started his married life in Covington, Kenton County, and Petersburg, Boone County, but he then lived in Nicholasville, Kentucky, and again, in Covington, after the death of his wife in 1904.
John Thomas and France's son, John J. Alloway, married Martha "Mattie" Snyder, the daughter of Isabella (Fisher) and Joseph Snyder, when she was 16 and he was 21. John died young at the age of 27, leaving his widow, his 5 year old daughter, Josie Vie, and his 3 week old son, Solon, to survive him. John J. was a Civil War Union Veteran, serving as a Private for 3 years in Company A, 23rd Kentucky Infantry, from the age of 17 to 21. After his marriage to Mattie, he also worked as a Cooper.
In his obituaries, and in newspaper articles published in Covington, Kentucky, John Thomas' son, Charles, was acknowledged as a Civil War Veteran, an ambulance driver in the Union Army, but there is no record of Charles' service, and he never applied for a pension.
John J.'s widow, Martha, applied for a Civil War Widow's Pension, but it was not approved because she could not verify that John J.'s death was from a war related illness or injury, a requirement at the time of her initial application, and her re-opened application.
John Thomas and Frances both ***** lived in Petersburg for their entire married life. John died on August 11, 1866, his death noted on that date in The Loder Diary, by Lewis Loder. After John's death, Frances lived with her son, Orville, and his family, until her death in Petersburg on September 13, 1891. John and Frances are buried in the Petersburg Cemetery side by side with their son, John J. Alloway.
Notes:
* John Walker Alloway's father, Abraham Alloway Strange, sometimes used the surname, Strange, and sometimes Alloway, Alloway Strange, or A. Strange. As an adult, John Walker Alloway Strange dropped his second surname, and used only Alloway, which is the surname used by all of John Walker Alloway and John Thomas Alloway's descendants. (John Walker Alloway did not use his middle name "Walker" in any records or documents that have been found. He signed documents as John Alloway. His middle name is used here to differentiate him from his son, John Thomas Alloway.)
** In a will, leaving $1 can denote that the recipient already received an inheritance or other assistance.
*** Cousin, John Alloway, AKA John "Jack" Alloway, was the son of Elizabeth (Vannerson) and Archelaus Alloway Strange, known in Petersburg, Boone, Kentucky, as Archelaus Alloway. Archelaus was Abraham Alloway Strange's brother, making him John Walker Alloway's uncle, and John Thomas Alloway's grand uncle. Archelaus Alloway died in Petersburg in 1808. His son, John "Jack" Alloway, who moved from Petersburg by 1814, died in Nashville, Tennessee in 1846.
**** John Thomas Alloway is listed in Petersburg, Boone County Tax records starting in 1833, recorded as a male over 21. Tax Lists did not survive for the year 1832, when John Thomas may have first appeared. John is not listed in the 1831 Petersburg Tax Lists. In the 1850 and 1860 US Federal Census, John is recorded as born in Kentucky about 1810.
***** John purchased 80 acres of land in 1855 in Jasper County, Iowa, under the name, John T. Alloway, located near land owned by his father, John, and land owned by each of his brothers, Abijah, Abisha, and Nelson, but there is no evidence that John, or his wife, Frances, ever lived there. The land was sold by Frances after John's death.
~ Sep 2023
In published genealogies and public family trees, John Thomas Alloway's mother is recorded as Jane "Jennie" (Curtis) Berry, the daughter of Susannah (Cottrell) and Samuel Curtis. No record of his parent's marriage has been found by family historians, but deed records from Jennings County, Indiana, establish John Walker Alloway had a former wife named Jane.
John Walker Alloway's four wives were Elizabeth Waters, Jane (Curtis) Berry, Nancy Herring, and Mary (Bowman) Dillman. From his father's 1st marriage to Elizabeth Waters, John Thomas' half sisters were Nancy Ann (Alloway) Blue Cooper and Sarah (Alloway) Epperson. From his father's 2nd marriage to Jane (Curtis) Berry, John's brothers and sisters were twins Allen and Alfred Alloway, Susannah (Alloway) Herring, Caroline (Alloway) Luwellen, twins Abijah and Abisha Alloway, and Nelson Alloway. From his father's 3rd marriage to Nancy Herring, John Thomas' half sisters were Amanda (Alloway) McClure Osborn, Alabama Alloway, and Elizabeth (Alloway) Parker Dooley.
In addition, John Thomas' mother, Jane, is said in published genealogies and public family trees to have had 2 children from her first marriage to Franklin Berry, who would be half siblings to John Thomas. These children are said to have been raised by Jane's parents, Susannah (Cottrell) and Samuel Curtis. The names of Jane's children from her 1st marriage, or documentation of their births, marriages, or deaths, have not been found by family historians. A daughter named Jane is mentioned in Samuel Curtis' will; Curtis stating he was leaving ** one dollar to the children of his daughter, Jane, and nothing more.
John Thomas' father is documented living in Petersburg, Boone County, Kentucky from about 1812 to 1820, where he enlisted for the War of 1812 as John Alloway Senior, to differentiate himself from his younger cousin, *** John Alloway, who also lived in Boone County during that time.
Petersburg, Boone County, Kentucky Tax Lists and Court Records document that by 1818, John Thomas' father owned 2 Town Lots, and that he had a license in 1817, renewed in 1818, to operate a Tavern from his home in Petersburg. After the 1820 US Federal Census when the family was recorded as living in Petersburg, John Walker moved his family to Jennings County, Indiana, where he lived until 1852, when he then moved with his 4th wife, Mary, to Jasper County, Iowa, where he died in 1863.
In a list of heirs, John Thomas was listed as "Thomas" in his father's probate records. The list included all of John Thomas' brothers and sisters, living or deceased, except for his sister, Alabama, who perhaps was not listed if she had died, unmarried, or with no living heirs. Alabama is not found in records after the 1850 US Federal Census.
It is unknown when John Thomas Alloway moved from Jennings County, Indiana back to Petersburg, Boone County, Kentucky, where he lived all of his adult life. John Thomas married Frances Ann Norris, the daughter of Elizabeth (Dowden) and John Norris Senior in Boone County on November 4, 1832. Their marriage bond was signed by John Alloway and John Norris. The signature for John appears to be John Thomas' signature, as it differs from the documented signatures for his father, making him at least **** 21 years old at the time of his marriage.
John Thomas and Frances had five known children: Orville Norris Alloway, Elizabeth Rebecca "Lizzie" (Alloway) Bush, Charles N. Alloway, Zenith A. Alloway, and John J. Alloway.
John Thomas was a blacksmith in Petersburg. He was appointed a School Trustee in 1862 and 1863, and an Officer of Elections in 1863. He owned 4 Town Lots in Petersburg where he operated his Blacksmith Shop. One of his sons, Orville, carried on John Thomas' profession, working as a blacksmith and living in Petersburg or Boone County for his entire life. John's daughter, Zenith, was a school teacher in Petersburg in 1862 and 1863, before her death at the age of 23 in 1865.
Orville Alloway married Caroline Clark in Lawrenceburg, Dearborn, Indiana on October 17, 1855. Caroline died in 1875, and Orville never remarried. At the turn of the 19th Century, Orville and Caroline's son, Arthur "Podge" Alloway, gained acclaim as a Major League baseball player and umpire.
John Thomas and France's daughter, Elizabeth Rebecca, at various times in her life, lived in Petersburg, or Aurora, Dearborn County, Indiana, across the Ohio River from Petersburg. Elizabeth and her husband, John Bush, lost one or more children in infancy, and they divorced in Dearborn County in 1878. Elizabeth was named a guardian for her nephew, Solon Alloway, the son of her deceased brother, John J. Alloway.
John Thomas and France's son, Charles, worked as a Cooper. He married Mary Frances Karrick in Kenton County, Kentucky. He started his married life in Covington, Kenton County, and Petersburg, Boone County, but he then lived in Nicholasville, Kentucky, and again, in Covington, after the death of his wife in 1904.
John Thomas and France's son, John J. Alloway, married Martha "Mattie" Snyder, the daughter of Isabella (Fisher) and Joseph Snyder, when she was 16 and he was 21. John died young at the age of 27, leaving his widow, his 5 year old daughter, Josie Vie, and his 3 week old son, Solon, to survive him. John J. was a Civil War Union Veteran, serving as a Private for 3 years in Company A, 23rd Kentucky Infantry, from the age of 17 to 21. After his marriage to Mattie, he also worked as a Cooper.
In his obituaries, and in newspaper articles published in Covington, Kentucky, John Thomas' son, Charles, was acknowledged as a Civil War Veteran, an ambulance driver in the Union Army, but there is no record of Charles' service, and he never applied for a pension.
John J.'s widow, Martha, applied for a Civil War Widow's Pension, but it was not approved because she could not verify that John J.'s death was from a war related illness or injury, a requirement at the time of her initial application, and her re-opened application.
John Thomas and Frances both ***** lived in Petersburg for their entire married life. John died on August 11, 1866, his death noted on that date in The Loder Diary, by Lewis Loder. After John's death, Frances lived with her son, Orville, and his family, until her death in Petersburg on September 13, 1891. John and Frances are buried in the Petersburg Cemetery side by side with their son, John J. Alloway.
Notes:
* John Walker Alloway's father, Abraham Alloway Strange, sometimes used the surname, Strange, and sometimes Alloway, Alloway Strange, or A. Strange. As an adult, John Walker Alloway Strange dropped his second surname, and used only Alloway, which is the surname used by all of John Walker Alloway and John Thomas Alloway's descendants. (John Walker Alloway did not use his middle name "Walker" in any records or documents that have been found. He signed documents as John Alloway. His middle name is used here to differentiate him from his son, John Thomas Alloway.)
** In a will, leaving $1 can denote that the recipient already received an inheritance or other assistance.
*** Cousin, John Alloway, AKA John "Jack" Alloway, was the son of Elizabeth (Vannerson) and Archelaus Alloway Strange, known in Petersburg, Boone, Kentucky, as Archelaus Alloway. Archelaus was Abraham Alloway Strange's brother, making him John Walker Alloway's uncle, and John Thomas Alloway's grand uncle. Archelaus Alloway died in Petersburg in 1808. His son, John "Jack" Alloway, who moved from Petersburg by 1814, died in Nashville, Tennessee in 1846.
**** John Thomas Alloway is listed in Petersburg, Boone County Tax records starting in 1833, recorded as a male over 21. Tax Lists did not survive for the year 1832, when John Thomas may have first appeared. John is not listed in the 1831 Petersburg Tax Lists. In the 1850 and 1860 US Federal Census, John is recorded as born in Kentucky about 1810.
***** John purchased 80 acres of land in 1855 in Jasper County, Iowa, under the name, John T. Alloway, located near land owned by his father, John, and land owned by each of his brothers, Abijah, Abisha, and Nelson, but there is no evidence that John, or his wife, Frances, ever lived there. The land was sold by Frances after John's death.
~ Sep 2023
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