Allen Family History

Patriarchal Blessings given to Heber Simeon Allen: (volume 468, page 2)

Cardston, Alberta, Canada Dec 31 1893

A Patriarchal Blessing upon the head of Heber S. Allen under the hand of Henry S. Hinman.

Brother Heber S. Allen I place my hand upon the crown of your head and by authority of my office and calling as a patriarch in Zion give unto you a Patriarchal Blessing, even the blessing of life, of health and of strength of body and mind that you may be capable of performing every mission, that is assigned unto you in the flesh, and enjoy life eternal in the world to come. And I say unto you that you are of the blood of Joseph through the loins of Ephraim, and you are entitled through your faithfulness to all the blessings of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. And say unto you be faithful & God will multiply you in wives in children to your hearts content. And he will give unto you the spirit of revelation that will enable you to prophecy and to working miracle that is needful for the bringing to pass the purposes of God upon the earth for his honor and glory. And God will give unto you great stores of wisdom & knowledge that you may forth upon the earth and preach the Gospel of repentance and you shall become a mighty instrument in the hand of God in redeeming both the living and the dead. And you shall have power to travel in the midsts of calamity and distress without fear and without injury for the purpose of the Lord. And I ask God my heavenly Father to pour out upon you the spirit of meekness, and through this, thou shalt have great stores of faith and of wisdom that you may be enabled to glorify his name and live upon the earth to see righteous Saints preserved from great calamities. And in the midsts of these scenes your heart shall have joy and peace in the goodness of the Lord. And you shall be blessed with the good things of this earth, that will enable you to fill every requirement that is made of you by the servants of God that preside over you in the priesthood. That will enable you to take an active part in the building up of Zion upon the earth. And your mission upon the earth shall be a joy and a comfort to those around you and the Lord will protect you from dangers both seen and unseen and will enlarge your understanding , that you may have power and become a mighty man in Israel, that your children shall grow up around you and honor and respect you. And you shall have the confidence and love of your family and those who preside over you in the priesthood. I say unto be diligent in your research after knowledge and through your faithfulness you shall hold high and responsible calling in Zion and you shall be blessed of the Lord in your outgoings and your incomings and fill the mission you are called to do in interests of the Sunday school and primaries and the spirit of this mission shall be upon you and return to your home in safety. And I say unto you dear brother let your heart be enlarged to conceive of all the blessings that your heart would desire in righteousness and they shall be thine. I seal these blessings upon the crown of your head in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

~~~~~ (volume 902, page 178)

Cardston, Alta, Canada Sept 23rd 1903

A Patriarchal Blessing given under the hand of Charles O. Card upon the head of Heber Simeon Allen son of Simeon Franklin and Boletta Maria Johnson Allen, born Dec 26th 1864 at Hyrum, Cash Co, Utah, U.S.A.

Brother Heber S Allen in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by authority of the Holy Priesthood, I lay my hand on your head and bless you that you may live long upon the land and fill up the measure of your usefulness before the Lord and continue to fill the position wherein you are called to act until you have finished a great work in spreading the settlements of the Saints in this land and enjoy wisdom sufficient to your day. I pronounce upon you also the blessings of health and strength and life, that you may act in wisdom it shall be yours and God shall inspire you from day to day to perform your mission honorably before Him. And you shall have power to rear your children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, and they shall continue to grow and increase until they shall become a flock. And God shall give you wisdom even beyond your own comprehension and you shall have power to do a great and a mighty work that shall (____) to the glory of our God and Father here upon the earth, and you shall be called to other positions, and be blest of the Lord and be enabled to magnify this by His help, for thou art of Ephraim and greatly blessed of the Lord, for He has been mindful of you from the earliest period of your existence until the present, and He will continue to bless you, for all blessings are dependent on the faithfulness of those who receive them. And no good thing shall be with held from you that is proper for you to receive, for you shall have visions by day and dreams by night, that shall guide you in the ways of the Lord. Listen to the prompting's of the hold spirit and you shall not fail, for He has long held you in reserve for the work you are now reforming, and will reform in the future. And I seal you up to come forth in the first resurrection to enjoy the blessings of those who have gone before who shall appear as a great host.

I seal all these blessings upon you by authority of my priesthood as a patriarch and in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Life Sketch of Heber Simeon Allen

Heber Simeon Allen was born December 26, 1864 at Hyrum, Utah, which is twenty miles northwest of Brigham City and not far from the Golden Spike monument in northern Utah. Heber was the son of Simeon Franklin Allen, of Michigan, and Bolette Maria Hansdatter Johnson, a native of Norway. Heber grew up working on his father's 25-acre farm and also helped the family by hauling logs. His young days were filled with work and taught him to appreciate a job well done.

Heber was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on August 30, 1873. A few years later, when Heber was about twelve or thirteen years old, he received a memorable Christmas gift. His parents had a custom of placing Christmas presents on each of their children's dinner plates rather than in a stocking or under a tree. For this Christmas, Heber's father placed a Book of Mormon on his plate with a note which read: Read and remember. And be kind to all people. This was the first book Heber ever owned besides his school books. Soon after receiving it, Heber began to read it carefully, and has written: I knew very little of its contents before reading this sacred record but when I read the words of Moroni and his promise as contained in Moroni 10:4-5 I received a strong testimony of the truthfulness of the book and the inspiration of it. My whole being was thrilled with a heavenly influence. I also received a testimony of the Divine mission of the prophet Joseph Smith and this fervent testimony I bore to my mother, who was in the room with me when I read this chapter in the record.

Heber attended school at Brigham Young College in Logan, Utah from 1881 to 1886. Since his family's funds were meager, Heber said I had to get through school on the least possible amount of money. He paid for part of his rent with vegetables from his family's farm. He went home each weekend and got free transportation on a lumber wagon. Heber listed the following courses which were offered at the college: English, rhetoric, history, arithmetic, algebra, bookkeeping, elocution [speech], theology, psychology, physiology, and natural drawing. Heber's most influential class was a course in bookkeeping he took during the winter of 1885-6. This course was taught by a Mr. D. S. Daw and cost $15.00, which was no small sacrifice at that time. Heber used the knowledge he gained throughout his life.

At age nineteen, Heber headed north to Canada with his father, who was a contractor on the trans-continental Canadian Pacific Railway. They worked near Calgary in the province of Alberta. A year later Heber and his father returned to Utah to farm his 25 acres. They had a great year and raised about 2700 bushels of wheat. They later returned to Canada and laid more railroad track, Heber sometimes working as bookkeeper for the company his father and a partner had created, which was named Allen and Smith. He often lived in the railroad camps, which were not very uplifting for an LDS young man, but Heber has related that these experiences strengthened his resolve to live the Word of Wisdom and refrain from profanity.

In 1888, Heber attended the University of Utah. At that time the university was held on 300 West in Salt Lake City, where West High School now stands. While attending Brigham Young College he had decided to become a teacher and his attendance at the university furthered his education. He was accepted as a schoolteacher in his home town of Hyrum, but was unable to take the position. Heber's father, Simeon Franklin Allen, had two wives, Bolette Johnson (Heber's mother) and Rebecca Osborn, and was threatened with prosecution and imprisonment for unlawful cohabitation if he remained in Utah. Heber's father needed him to drive one of his teams of horses up to Canada, where his father planned to settle in order to avoid imprisonment. They headed through Helena, Montana to Cardston, Alberta, Canada.

When Heber arrived in Cardston there were only seventeen houses and a few ranches on the settlement. Heber and his party lived in tents until mid-December. They then put together a one-room log house which sheltered them for the next several months. Next spring they built a two-room house and used the original shelter as a stable. Heber can be glad he took the journey to Cardston. As he and his fathers family entered Cardston on the 17th of November, 1888, their party caught the attention of a young woman named Amy Louise Leonard. One story says Amy waved to him and got his attention. The next Heber came over to meet the pretty young woman. Another story states the two did not officially meet until December at a meeting or dance that was held in the small community. At any rate, the two fell in love and were married April 2 of the next year. Theirs was the first wedding in Cardston. They received many practical gifts, such as a cow and calf from the bride's father, a pig, some bees, a wash tub and board, pots, pans, kettles, groceries, [and] vegetables . . . They lived for a time in part of the home of Amy's father. Heber and Amy traveled by horse and buggy to Logan to be sealed in the Logan Temple in July of 1889. They returned to Cardston with a sewing machine and an organ.

Heber was offered a position as a schoolteacher in Cardston and began teaching in December of 1888. He was the second person to teach school in the area. The school was only held in December, January, and February because once spring began all of the children were needed for plowing and sowing. Heber was paid $5.00 a week for his work and was mostly paid in wheat and potatoes.

In September of 1889, Heber took over a general store in Cardston. The population in the area grew rapidly and the store prospered. Heber was appointed postmaster of Cardston in July of 1892 and opened up a post office in the store. He was probably the first Mormon to hold a Civil Service position in Canada. He held the office for several years. Heber often sold goods to Indians living in the area and made friends with many of them. One of his Indian friends gave him a name, which was considered to be a great gift. The name was AAs-tuin-icks-at-skimn, meaning Bull Horn and signified power and strength.

Heber Allen taught 16- to 17-year-old boys in Sunday School from 1890 to about 1897. He had a difficult time controlling the class at first, but didn't give up. Years later one of his students told him: I owe [my Church activity] to you and your efforts in the Cardston Sunday School class. The inspiration and testimony of the gospel that I received from you started me on the right road. Heber later served as Stake Sunday School Superintendent and was then called as Stake President of the Alberta Stake September 5, 1902 and was sustained two days later at a stake Priesthood meeting. The stake was divided in August of the next year and President Allen became leader of the new Taylor Stake. He would serve as Stake President for the next 33 years and would journey to General Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah 61 times, traveling over 50,000 miles. The president was required to move to the town of Raymond, where the Taylor Stake headquarters were located, which was about thirty miles from Cardston. His mercantile business was carried on in Cardston under the name of H. S. Allen and Company. He also served as trustee of several businesses in the area. He was president of the Knight Academy, a school which was erected by the LDS Church at Raymond. He served on the town councils of both Cardston and Raymond.

President Allen was released as president of the Taylor Stake in 1936. In his farewell address, he said, "My first loyalty has always been to my church and the building up of the Kingdom of God. I have enjoyed the confidence of hundreds of my fellow Canadians, many of them non-members of the church, and I have lived to see much of the prejudice and misunderstanding that has existed in the past, removed."

President Allen passed away at the age of 79 on September 15, 1944 after a long period of failing health. He died in his home in Raymond in the presence of his family. His funeral was conducted in the Taylor Stake Tabernacle in Raymond. About eight hundred persons came to honor Heber Allen's memory. He is buried in the Raymond Temple Hill Cemetery.

One descendant of Heber Allen has said: Those who knew him best loved him most. Many of his good works were unknown to the public; he would be the last to make them known.

Testimony of Heber Simeon Allen

My parents were among the early settlers of Hyrum, Cache County, Utah, they having come overland to the West as pioneers. As I have mentioned mother was only nine when she came to America with her parents, who had embraced, in their native Norway, the Gospel as preached by the early missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

When we were children our parents were opposed to the old custom of hanging up our stockings at Christmas time. They preferred that we set a plate on the table to receive what presents were to be given us. One Christmas, when I was about twelve or thirteen years of age, father put a Book of Mormon on my plate. He wrote on the fly leaf of the book: Read and remember. And be kind to all people. It was, I think, the first book I ever owned except my school books and I prized it greatly. . . . Soon after receiving the Book of Mormon from my father I read it carefully. I knew very little of its contents before reading this sacred record but when I read to the words of Moroni and his promise as contained in Moroni: 10:4-5 I received a strong testimony of the truthfulness of the book and the inspiration of it. My whole being was thrilled with a heavenly influence. I also received a testimony of the Divine mission of the prophet Joseph Smith and this fervent testimony I bore to my mother, who was in the room with me when I read this chapter in the record. This testimony is as bright today as it was at the time I received it in my mother's living room.

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