Nancy Ester Allen biography

Nancy Ester Allen Black

15 December 1861 - 8 August 1931

History arranged by Nora Lund, DUP Historian

Nancy Ester Allen was born 15 December 1861 in Savannah, Andrew County, Missouri. Her father, Lewis Allen, son of Rial Allen was born in 1813 in Kentucky. Her mother was Elizabeth Alexander, daughter of Jonathan Alexander who was a pioneer to Washington County, Utah in 1862.

Nancy's parents were married in Jackson County, Missouri in 1836. They had the following children: Tabitha Jane, Beulah Ann, William who died in infancy, Rial, Jonathan Alexander, Samuel who died infancy, James Bird, Sarah Melissa, Andrew Jackson, Martha Permelia, Nancy Ester, and Mary Ellen

Mary Ellen was the 13th child and was born in Washington, Washington County, Utah 11 April 1866.

Lewis and Elizabeth were faithful members of the Mormon Church and were planning and working for the time when they could bring their large family across the plains to Utah.

According to the book - "Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah", p. 714, Lewis Allen came to Utah in 1862, traveling with an independent ox ¬team company. It is supposed that Elizabeth's parents, the Alexanders came with them and that both families were called soon after to go south some 300 miles to the Dixie Cotton Mission. About this time, because of the Civil War, the Church was experimenting with the raising of cotton in Southern Utah. President Brigham Young was calling men who had lived in the Southern United States and knew how to raise cotton and sorghum cane, to take part in this Dixie Cotton Mission. (Under Dixie Sun)


Hence, Nancy's early childhood years were spent in Washington which was hot and unhealthy because of malaria. Food was very scarce and she was hungry most of the time. Times were very hard.

Soon after the birth of Nancy's little sister, Mary, in 1866, her parents were ca11ed to go to the "Muddy Mission" which was about 100 miles south and west of Washington. President Young was pushing his colonization right through to the West Coast by establishing towns along the way. It was also hoped that the Colorado River could be navigated for a cheaper route from the Pacific Ocean into Utah.

One need only to read the first part of the book, "One Hundred Years on The Muddy" to know the hardships the Saints of the Muddy Mission went through. There were heat, drought, floods, flies, snakes and mud. But the most troublesome were the near-naked, starving, thiev¬ing Indians whom the Mormons were supposed to tolerate and help.

There were four settlements located on the unpredictable Rio Virgin River. These were St. Thomas, St. Joseph, Overton and West Point.

It was at West Point that the Allen family were trying to make a living. It was at West Point, also, on 23 March 1869 that the mother, Elizabeth Allen was taken by death. This was a most sad day for little Nancy, Mary Ellen, their father and the rest of the family when their mother died.

These Muddy Mission Saints struggled along until 1870 and 1871, paying land taxes to Arizona in which state they thought they lived.

In 1870, the Nevada State officials ran a survey line which put the Mormon colonies in Nevada. Being Mormon-haters, they demanded outrageous back taxes. Of course the people could not pay them, so President Young abandoned the Mission and released the Saints to return to Utah and to settle wherever they chose.

According to the Kane County Book, about 350 people wished to settle together in some new locality. President Young told them about Long Valley in Kane County. The families waited anxiously until the advanced scouts returned early in 1871 with the good report that Long Valley would be suitable. So it was that the nucleus of the three towns, Mt. Carmel, Orderville and Glendale were Muddy Mission refugees.

Nancy was 10 years old when she took up her pioneer life in Orderville. When she was 13 (1874) President Young asked the people to organize the United Order and live as one big family. This set up in Orderville was so well organized and so unselfishly operated that the people did not want to dissolve the program when they were authorized to do so in 1884.

Nancy's teenage years were happy ones with the other young people of the "order" She did her share of the tasks she was assigned to do. Her father, Lewis Allen, drove the mi1k wagon from the Order dairies which supplied milk, butter and cheese for the "Big Table". On hot days the milk would get "blinky" before it reached the supper table.

Besides range lands for cattle and sheep, the Order owned valuable ranches. The Moccasin Ranch was about 30 miles southwest of Orderville in Mohave County, Arizona. This ranch was owned by Lewis Allen when he joined the Order. Then it was turned in as part of the common property of the community.

Nancy loved the Moccasin Ranch, especially when the young people came in a group to work. The climate was productive for the finest fruits such as peaches, plums and grapes. Melons grew abundantly. Grain and hay were also grown, as well as large amounts of sugar cane from which molasses was made for the "Order" Broom corn was raised to supply the brooms for the housewives.

Moccasin was a favorite place for the Church Authorities to stop on their visits to and from Kanab and St. George.

A popular young man of Orderville was Isaac Edwin Black, the son of William Morley and Margaret Ruth Banks Black. He was born 29 December 1858 in Nephi, Juab County, Utah. His parents had come to Utah in 1849 with Ezra T. Benson's company. After helping with the settlements of Juab and Sanpete Counties, they were called to Long Valley where William was needed as a miller. .

After a very pleasant courtship, Nancy and Isaac traveled in a covered wagon to the St. George Temple where they were married and sealed for time and eternity 22 February 1879. Nancy was 17 and Isaac was 20.

Nancy knew the joy of motherhood on 11 March 1880 James Edwin was born. He was followed by Elizabeth on 16 November 1881. Both children were born in Orderville. Margaret was born in Glendale on 11 April l884.

After the "order" was broken up in 1884, some of the men of Orderville and Glendale felt the need of finding a new location where they could expand their livestock herds and promote other industries. A few men from Long Valley went scouting around and found the Huntington Valley in Emery County which laid in the shape of a horseshoe and was almost surrounded by high mountains. It had a wonderful climate, there was plenty of land and water, with only a few families living on the bank of the mountain stream. The men took up homesteads on the vacant land and built three log houses, then returned to Long Valley for their families. (Taken from Thomas Stolworthy.)

Isaac Black was interested in moving to this new place because of the excellent possibilities of having a grist mill of his own.

From the group sheet in possession of Velva Cox Simper, we would say that her grandfather and grandmother, Isaac and Nancy, with their three children moved to Huntington in the late fall of 1885. It was here on Christmas Day, 1885, that Nancy gave birth to Allen. However, he died on 5 January 1887. Alvin was born 2 October 1887, Clarence on 10 January 1890 and Elmer on 25 September 1893. On 12 November 1894, Nancy knew deep sorrow when her oldest daughter, Elizabeth, 13 years old, was taken by death. On 16 May 1895 another girl came to gladden their hearts. She was called May.

About 1896, there was an opportunity for Isaac to operate the mill in Glendale. Although Huntington had been Nancy's home for some eleven years, she welcomed the idea of being with her old friends and neighbors in Glendale. So it was that her ninth child, Rial, was born in Glendale on 24 December 1897. Nellie was born 22 August 1899 and Permelia on 29 August 1901.

Just before Isaac and Nancy moved to Huntington, she was called upon to share her husband in plural marriage which was the vogue in those days. He married Elvina Hansina Olsen, 10 October 1885 in the St. George Temple. She bore 14 children, but most of them died young. (Pioneers and Prominent Men.)

Nancy had three different homes after she moved back to Glendale. One was across the creek by the mill, one on the south end of town and the third was in the central part of town. Wherever she lived, she made her home a comfortable and happy place to be. It was a place where her children could bring their friends and they were always welcome. She was a good neighbor and gave service wherever she could. She was very honest herself, and taught her children to be likewise. She was thrifty, never throwing anything away that could be used. She was never idle, if she sat down to rest a few minutes, or in the evening, she had knitting, patching, or crocheting close at hand.

She was a devoted and faithful member of the Church all her days and taught her children to live close to the Church and to let the gospel teachings be a guide for right living. She supported her husband in his Church affiliations - as a member of the 31st Quorum of Seventies and as a High Priest, a Ward Teacher and when he went on a mission to Denver in 1907. Isaac E. Black served for a number of years as 1st Counselor to Bishop Joseph Hopkins, Glendale, Utah, Kanab Stake.

Nancy served as 1st Counselor in Relief Society to Franty Cutler. She also served as 1st Counselor to Harriet Jones of Glendale, Utah, Glendale Ward for many years.

She was happy with the worthy companions her children chose: James Edwin married Sarah Lavinia Foot 1901, Margaret married William Edgar Cox; Alvin married Sarah Elizabeth Cox; Clarence married Sarah Matilda Biddlecome; Elmer married Iva Brinkerhoff; May married Alfred Bradley Randall, Rial married Kathleen Isom; Nellie married Walter S. Carpenter. She died and Permelia married Walter.

This noble pioneer daughter, wife, mother and grandmother was nearing her 70th birthday when she died in Glendale, Kane County, Utah on 8 August 1931. She was lovingly laid to rest in the Glendale Cemetery. Her pleasant personality, her wise and timely council and her generous ways were greatly missed by her large posterity.

Her husband, Isaac Edwin Black, only lived a short time after this he died 25 October 1931 at the age of 71 & 10 months.

History filed at the DUP Library by Velva C. Simper, a daughter of Margaret, and a granddaughter of Nancy Allen Black. March, 1972.