Butler County Genealogy Trails Kansas Susan B. Allen Bio

Butler County’s Eighty Years ~ 1855-1935

by Jessie Perry Stratford

A History of Butler County Biographical Sketches and Portraits with Foreword by Rolla A. Clymer

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Susan B. Allen, in whose beloved memory her son, Frank S. Allen contributed a fortune to make possible the great Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital, was a native of New England and came of a long line of fine old Anglo-Saxon and Colonial American stock.

Mrs. Allen was the daughter of Arnold Boyden, also a native New Englander and who gave his life for his country while serving with the American army in Mexico, in 1848. Her mother was Susan (Mansfield) Boyden, also born in New England. Mrs. Allen was born in Boston, December 20, 1831. Her death occurred September 11, 1924, in the Allen home, on the present hospital site and in which home she had lived for nearly a half century—the house has been remodeled into one of the nurses homes, also gifts of her son and a part of the $200,000 Memorial Hospital plant.

Mrs. Allen became the wife of Lewis E. Allen, of Boston, in 1847, just a year before the death of her soldier-father on the historic plains of Otumba. He was a merchant, and, in the 1850's, established a store in New Orleans, Louisiana. He lost his life in October, 1866, while enroute home from a business trip, being one of those lost at sea when the illfated steamer, Evening Star, New York to New Orleans, went down in a storm off the Carolina coast.

Following the death of Mr. Allen, Mrs. Allen continued to live for a time in New Orleans, then removed to Mason City, Illinois, where many of her relatives then were living, including Daniel Boyden, a brother, who later became one of El Dorado's best known business men, a personal friend and intimate associate of Nathan Frank Frazier, Gen. Alfred W. Ellet, Alvah Shelden, Dr. Allen White and other citizens of El Dorado of a generation ago. Mr. Boyden, having settled in El Dorado at an earlier date persuaded his sister, Mrs. Allen, and her son, Frank S. Allen, then a young man, twenty-two years of age, to join him. The mother and son arrived in 1881, fifty-four years ago.

From that date to the time of her death, Mrs. Allen constantly was high in the esteem and the love of her friends and neighbors. She was active in Episcopal church work here and virtually built and for years generously helped to maintain that organization. She was a member of the Towanda Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star; and was a member of a Boston Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Her charity and welfare work was wise and constant and generous. Few women, even in this section, have become more meritedly notable for kindliness and practical and substantial sympathy for less fortunate friends or any one in distress.

But with all her goodly work, stated an article, published recently in The El Dorado Times, her greatest achievement and one that is redounding to the eternal benefit of the people of this city and county, was the perfect manner in which she reared her son, Frank S. Allen. The affection between the mother and the son was one of the most sincere in the annals of this splendid old town. The kindliness, gentleness, the sympathetic understanding and commonsense generosity of the mother has been handed down to the son, as is gloriously manifest in the great hospital which was built in loving memory and which will perpetuate forever the sainted name of Susan B. Allen, one of El Dorado's noblest women.

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(Insert picture of F. S Allen)

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Frank S. Allen, dean of the profession of Kansas abstracters, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, December 20, 1857. He came to Kansas and to El Dorado in 1882 and for the last fifty-three years, has been as highly respected by the people of this section of the state and as genuinely beloved by his own coterie of close friends, as has any citizen who ever distinguished a community. The progressive genius of Mr. Allen has made him a vital, although reticent, member of that group of citizens who are directly responsible for the constructive achievements of this county and town.

The most notable of Mr. Allen's numerous philanthropies was the presentation, in June, 1930, of the Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital, non-sectarian and dedicated to the use of all the people of this section. Commercially, he not only has developed one of the most complete systems of abstracting in the country, but jointly with the late Charles H. Selig, erected the Allen-Selig building in El Dorado; has constantly given support to movements for better streets, improved highways, efficient government; and otherwise has assumed and properly handled the serious responsibilities which invariably fall upon the more successful of any community's citizenship. His career has been varied. Alternately, he has been farmer, abstracter, and register of deeds, and has had experience in other lines. He was not born with the proverbial silver spoon. His present affluence was not a heritage but an achievement, consequent upon his industry, strictest integrity, loyalty to duty, a consistent consideration of the rights of others and a genuine devotion to friendships.

Mr. Allen's early education was received in the public schools of New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mason City, Illinois. His farming venture, 1877 to 1881, took place near Mason City. He finally decided, at the request of his mother, to migrate to El Dorado and came in March 1882. He entered the office of Daniel Boyden, who had purchased a set of abstract books in 1879 and which had been established since 1868. Mr. Allen's ownership and direct supervision came about when he and his associates consolidated all the abstract offices in Butler County. Later, they acquired the Butler County Abstract Company's office. Mr. Allen bought out his associates in 1899 and continued to conduct the business under the firm name of the Boyden Abstract Company, until 1920 when he established the F. S. Allen Abstract Company. In the meantime, he had studied law and was admitted to the bar, but never practiced. The records of the courthouse also show that during a period of more than a half century, Mr. Allen was the only Democrat ever elected to the office of register of deeds, being elected in 1896. He served in that capacity for five years, a little more than two terms, the holdover being caused by a change in the law of 1901.

The greatest achievement, however, of his life, is the erection of the Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital, presented in memory of his mother and which will be an enduring testimonial, not only to the sacred love he bore her but also a magnificent token of the affection he feels for the people of this section, and particularly, El Dorado. An editorial, written by Rolla Clymer, editor of The El Dorado Times and appearing in the issue of June 30, 1930, perfectly analyzes the entire public's response to this notable gift. It follows:

"The gift of Frank S. Allen of $100,000 in cash and a handsome and well located site for the erection of a hospital in El Dorado is one of the notable events in the history of this town. It insures the possession of an institution of mercy for this community along modern lines that have been deemed necessary and it indicates in no uncertain way the deep and affectionate interest residents of El Dorado have in the finer, less material, attributes of their community. Mr. Allen though always loyal to El Dorado, has belonged to that quiet, even reticent group which has made its contributions to citizenship in a modest and self-effacing way. For a number of years, he has had in mind the leaving of a generous bequest for hospital purposes to be administered by his estate. But the present need has presented itself so appealingly to him that he has decided to make his gift at this time and to entrust the erection and management of a hospital along non-sectarian lines to a

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group of his neighbors and friends comprising the hospital board. The money will be forthcoming immediately and plans will take form at once. The new hospital will be a memorial to the late Susan B. Allen, Mr. Allen's mother. Mr. Allen, who is a man of wealth, undoubtedly long has held the vision of devoting some of his means in such a way that it will contribute to the perpetual uplift of the community wherein he has labored so many years and for which he bears a mighty love. By making possible a modern hospital for this town, he has won the eternal gratitude and commendation of its citizens. The Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital will stand through the years as a monument to community loyalty as well as to the generosity of a man who hopes to leave his home town better equipped for the future than he found it. That his magnificent gift will be greatly appreciated and will be properly applied and administered, goes without saying. By announcing the contribution of this large sum of money and appreciable amount of property at this time, Mr. Allen has rendered an invaluable service and has given this town one of the happiest occasions in its long and happy history."

Scores of other institutions, associations and individuals formally commended Mr. Allen for his gift of the hospital. The staff of St. Luke's Hospital and the board of that institution, especially were earnest in their commendations. "The staff of St. Luke's Hospital," says a letter from that organization, "and the physicians of El Dorado and Butler County and the Butler-Greenwood Medical Society, wish to express their most profound appreciation and offer their heartiest congratulations for your most splendid gift to El Dorado and the community surrounding. We feel it is a wonderful act and can think of nothing that will do more good for the community, or re-act as to the unselfishness of yourself. As a memorial, there is nothing that will denote more love for one's Mother and nothing that will be more lasting to her memory than your very fine gift." A more detailed description of the Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital and a biographical sketch of Mrs. Susan B. Allen appear in preceding chapters of this book.

Mr. Allen is the son of Lewis E. and Susan (Boyden) Allen, both natives of Massachusetts, each being born in Boston. The father was a merchant and died at sea, October 6, 1866. He was of English descent. Mrs. Allen, mother of Frank S. Allen, was the daughter of Arnold Boyden, merchant, and at the time of her marriage, was living in Boston, Mads. She had two brothers, Daniel Boyden, well known El Dorado resident for many years and a veteran of the Civil War on the Union side; the other brother, Arnold, Jr., was a resident of Louisiana and a Confederate veteran. Mrs. Allen made her home here with her son and died following a lingering illness, September 10, 1924, in their home on the site of the proposed hospital where she had resided for over a third of a century.

Mr. Allen never married. He preferred to devote his entire home attention to his mother and the affection between them was notably beautiful. He has never affiliated with any lodge or church but his contributions to the latter have been frequent and generous, particularly during recent years when all the leading congregations erected new and larger buildings. He long has been a member of the State Association of Abstracters and is the organization's oldest member. He also is a charter member of the American Title Association, and an honorary member of Rotary Club. Politically he is a Democrat.

Mr. Allen's friends cover an amazingly wide cross-section of the citizenship of Butler County and Kansas, and many of them call him "Frank." His diversions range from trips to Europe, California, Florida, Hawaii and Cuba to week-end visits in Kansas City. Mr. Allen is loyal to his friends who range from William F. Benson with whom he has been closely associated for more than half a century, to those he has known but a few months or a few years. Mr. Allen for so many years devoted his spare hours to his mother that he became somewhat of a recluse and was not often seen at public dinners or events. No one ever has heard him make a public address. He is not inclined to pose as a person of extraordinary talents. He believes that his financial success has been due to a combination of considered judgment and the usual tricks of fate. He applies commonsense ideas to the influence of

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temperament, heritage, location and the things that "just come to pass," as responsible for success or lack of success, as it may be.

That, in substance, is a characterization of the man who has given this section a hospital that is as modern as is possible to the science of hospitalization; an institution that will be an angel of service to the sick and the unfortunate for half score centuries; and who attached not a single "string" to the gift. Mr. Allen's gift of the hospital is not his sole contribution to the welfare of others. He constantly contributes to the hospital, making many of these gifts anonymously. He gladly would have given the hospital anonymously, had that been possible. He has also given generously of his wealth to unfortunate persons and many a tattered and hungry depression victim owes his very life to a tennet handed him by Mr. Allen with the inevitable instruction to "say nothing about it."