Histories

From “The Commemorative Biographical Record of the Fox River Valley Counties” (1895)

W. B. ALLENDER, a prosperous and prominent agriculturist of Bovina township, Outagamie county, was born at Michigan City, Ind., February 22, 1838, a son of William and Sarah (Lashley) Allender, farmers by occupation.

The parents came from Belmont county, Ohio (where they were married), to Michigan City, from which point they moved to Milwaukee, Wis., in 1839, the latter place being at the time small and of little importance. In the family were ten children: Thomas, Joseph, Sarah, W. B., Mary, Ellen, Susan, Daniel, George and John, all yet living except Joseph, Sarah and Ellen. Upon arrival at Milwaukee, William Allender was employed at surveying by Byron Kilbourn, continuing with him about four years; then moved nine miles out, to Purple Creek, where he took up a homestead of 160 acres, and began at once to clear it. One the place he lived about twelve years, during which time he cleared eighty acres; sold out about the year 1855, removed to Omro, Wis., and purchased a marsh, which proved a poor investment. He next engaged in hotel keeping at the Embarrass river, in Shawano county, remaining some five years, and meeting with good success. From there he removed to an unimproved farm at Wolf River, which he took up as a homestead and occupied during the balance of his life; he died when seventy-four years of age, his wife when seventy-two.

Our subject received his early farm training upon the homestead at Purple creek, under the instruction of his father, but his school education was very meager. On September 2, 1860, he was married to Ester Ann Maine, a native of New York, daughter of Stephen and Clarina (Spencer) Maine, respectable farming people of French descent, who had seven children: Esther Ann (Mrs. Allender), Susan, Gilbert, Eliza, Nancy, Effie and William, all yet living and now residing within twenty miles of each other. Mrs. Allender’s parents removed from New York to Canada, and when she was thirteen years of age the family came to Sheboygan, Wis.; remaining in that place through the winter, they proceeded in the spring to Fond du Lac, from which locality a year and a half year they came to Bovina, where Mr. Maine bought school land, on which he remained sixteen years, finally exchanging properties with John Morse. On his new place he resided until his death, in 1886, he being sixty-seven years old; his widow, now seventy-four years of age, resides with her daughter, Mrs. Allender.

When Mr. Allender was married he went to Waukechon, Wis., and engaged in the lumber business until about 1868, in which year he came to Bovina and purchased forty acres of land on Section 16. On the place was a frame house, which he and his family occupied until 1874, when he purchased and removed to the seventy-eight-acre tract he now resides upon, timber on which had been chopped, but the stumps had yet to be removed; his first crop consisted of oats and corn, which yielded well. While he was busy logging, away from home, his wife managed the farm. From time to time he was enabled to work at clearing his land, until finally he had it in good condition. Aside from the home place he owns other tracts, aggregating about four hundred acres, all acquired through careful management and hard work. Mr. Allender is an active Democrat in political matters; his wife is a member of the Congregational Church. Their children were: Josephine, who married Edwin Hand and died at the age of twenty-six years, and Libbie, Barbie and Harry, all at home.