Clifford Gilmore Allen, b. abt 1870, possibly at Centerville, Maine

Clifford Gilmore Allen was born about 1870, possibly at Centerville, Maine, the son of Edward Foster Allen and his wife Eunice E. Norton.  

Clifford signed a page in the autograph book of his cousin Berniece E. Allen of Centerville.

Clifford's father Edward Foster Allen was born 14 March 1825 at Centerville, Maine.  At the age of 40,when he had six children, he enlisted in Company F of the Maine 20th Infantry Regiment.  He mustered out on July 16, 1865.  He had two more children after the war; Clifford was the last of his children.

Edward's parents were Henry and Leah (Jacobs) Allen, both born, I believe, in Centerville, Maine.

Eunice E. Norton was born 18 September 1828 at Addison, Maine.  Her parents were Enoch Norton and Phebe (Norton) Norton, both born in 1796.   Her two grandfathers, Seth Norton and Abraham Abraham of Addison, Maine, were brothers, sons of Seth and Amy Daggett (Norton) Norton.

For more information, click on names for their individual pages.

Clifford Gilmore Allen made his way from the small village of Centerville, Maine, to Boston University, where he graduated about 1900.  He subsequently moved west where he became a professor of languages and philology at Leland Stanford Jr. University, now known simply as Stanford.  In the 1910 Census of Palo Alto, California, he listed his occupation as professor. 

In 1913 he married Alice J. Chalfant, who was born 18 June 1884 at Ukiah, California, the daughter of Samuel Jesse Chalfant and his wife Elizabeth W. Cunningham.  Her father was born in Maryland and her mother in California.  I don't have further information on her grandparents except that her maternal grandmother's first name was Mary.

Samuel Jesse Chalfant moved from Maryland to California.  In the 1870 Census of Big River, Mendocino County, he gave his occupation as saw filer.  In the 1880 Census of Little River, Mendocino County, he gave his occupation as superintendent of a mill.  In 1884, applied for a patent on a Saw Tooth Swage.

About the same time, his daughter was born, and he built a house for his family in Mendocino, a house that still stands today, at 45080 Calpella Street.

Clifford Gilmore Allen and his wife Alice J. (Chalfant) had two sons, John Gilmore Allen and Robert Chalfant Allen.   

             

John Gilmore Allen was born in France on 9 December 1913.  He majored in political science at Stanford.  He died in the 1980s in California.  

Robert Chalfant Allen was born 19 November 1918 in California.  He also attended Stanford University.  After graduation, he joined the US Navy as a Lieutenant Junior Grade.  Sadly, he went down with his ship in World War II.

Below is a tree for Robert Chalfant Allen, which shows his parents' ancestry.  If you have any corrections, additions or insights regarding any of the people discussed here, please leave a comment or contact Todd House directly.  Thanks!