Isabelle Ferguson Allan

It's been awhile since a blog post, but that's because I've been doing quite a bit of research.  Almost too much research to post in one entry.  Since some of the items of information are unrelated, I will likely do two different posts.  I started this out as all the children in one post, but with all the information decided to tackle one child at a time.

In order to understand some of the research, it's important to explain the histories of the children of William and Mary (Steel) Ferguson. To review here is how I am related to William Ferguson.

William Ferguson----->Thomas A. Ferguson----->Chester Ferguson---->Thomas C. Ferguson---->Sarah Ferguson Potter

Here are William's children in birth order.

1. Isabelle Ferguson 1858-1923.  She first appears in the 1860 census living with her parents and brother, John.  It states she was 2 years old and born in Illinois.  She is again found in the 1870 census living at home.  I have yet to find her in the 1880 census because she wasn't living with the family.  Of course the 1890 census is missing so she doesn't reappear until 1900.  Isabelle did not marry until later in life.  Before she married she worked as a housekeeper for a wealthy man in town named Frank Hall.  She worked there for nine years before she met her husband.  She was 39 years old when she married David T. Allan in 1896.  The wedding was held at his home and for a honeymoon they traveled to Racine Wisconsin, where afterword they would move to La Salle, Illinois.  David Allan was well known in La Salle County of Illinois.  He ran his own coal mine while they lived in La Salle.  William Ferguson was staying with Isabelle since the 4th of July, when he suddenly died on July 23, 1898. On the day he died, Isabelle went to the train station to pick up her sister Jeanette.  Both of them traveled back to her home in La Salle and found William dead.  He was alone in the house at the time, except for some of her step children who were in the home.  In the 1900 census, David and "Isabella" are listed living with 8 of the children at 1025 5th St. in La Salle.   In 1903, he sold his business and bought the Alta Hotel in Denver Colorado.  Recently, two pictures were found of Isabelle.  One in a book about the Allan Genealogy and another in my Aunt Debbie's basement.  We knew it was Isabelle and her sisters because you can very faintly see in the corner and background of the picture the word "Alta".  It was a very strange coicidence to learn about the David and Isabelle purchasing the hotel and then find a picture of them in front of the hotel the very same day!

Isabelle is the one on the right, her sisters Elizabeth is next to her, while her other sister Jeanette is on the end.  This picture would have been taken sometime after 1903.

This is a picture of David T. Allan and his second wife Isabelle taken in Denver around 1910.  David was married previously to Jesse Barr who later died.  The couple had 11 children and Isabelle helped raise many of them as she is listed with them on the census during various years.  In the 1910 census, the couple appear again in Denver Colorado.  They are listed with one daughter and 3 boarders, assuming at the Alta Hotel.  David Allan died of "heart trouble" in 1915 and shortly after Isabelle returned home to live with her sister Elizabeth at the Kay House in downtown Morris.  In the 1920 census she is listed living there with  head of the household,  nephew Robert Kay (Elizabeth's son) along with several roomers including Harry McNabb (a nephew), Thomas Ferguson (her brother and my great grandfather), Chester (my grandfather), Isabelle, and Thomas Jr. both children of Thomas Ferguson.  She died in 1923 of carcinoma of the face, the first sibling to be born and to die (besides a childhood death) in the family.  Her death certificate also listed her first name as Belle.  She was buried in Evergreen Cemetery.

Because Isabelle had no children she had no descendants to contact for further information.  However, there were step children who may have had descendants to help with finding out further information.

Next entry: John Ferguson and Elizabeth Agnes Ferguson