Land Ownership- The American Dream
This was the American dream of our Irish forefathers, who had toiled for years as tenant farmers for British landlords, with no hope of land ownership. America was the land of opportunity- opportunity for at last becoming landowners and homeowners. Here they could become U.S. citizens with the rights and privileges afforded all citizens. Here with hard work they could prosper and raise families who would have a better life than they had any hope for in Ireland. Nearly the whole family had crossed the sea to pursue this dream. Only the eldest- John Allen- and the youngest- Catherine Allen Byrnes- remained in Ireland. All of the others came to America with dreams of farming, and of owning their own farms, a legacy which they could leave to their children, and their children’s children.
The Farm
Family records show that Hugh bought his first piece of land on April 21, 1863. He paid $3400 (today at least $9000) for 120 acres in Jersey County- Township 8, Range 12 (TBNR12W). He bought the land from Hugh and Antoinette Cross. The land included a log cabin. This was the start of Hugh Allen’s family farm. Hugh had achieved the American Dream. (1)
An 1872 map shows Hugh’s land on the upper right corner- in Township 8, range 12.
The note says that “This township was originally about one-fifth prairie, and the balance timber. The surface is moderately rolling, with a rich fertile soil, well adapted to the growing of grain and fruit. It contains many well improved farms, with an energetic and intelligent population.”
It was here that Hugh began his legacy.
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| Hugh Allen's Land- English Township- Township 8 Range 12 (a) |
Information
1-Family History Notebook
Illustrations
a-Jersey County ILGenWeb, copyright Judy Griffin 2004. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data and images may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or for other presentation without express permission by the contributor(s). http://jersey.illinoisgenweb.org/Map/Maps.htm
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