James Thomas Allan, 1831-1885 [RG3115.AM]

NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID



RG3115.AM:  James Thomas Allan, 1831-1885



Papers:  1878-1950

Bellevue, Sarpy County, Neb.:  Horticulturist; hotel proprietor

Size:  0.5 cu.ft.; 1 box



BACKGROUND NOTE



James T. Allan was born Sept. 30, 1831, in Pontiac, Michigan. He received a general education and was involved in a mercantile business in his native community. About 1855, he moved to Bellevue, Nebraska where he became the proprietor of the Bellevue House, the largest hotel in the Nebraska Territory. In 1858 or 1859, Allan moved to Omaha where he managed the Herndon House, one of Nebraska’s famous pioneer hotels. He later operated hotels and restaurants in Julesburg and Cheyenne but returned to Omaha in the late 1860s to become Chief Clerk of the post office.



One of Allan’s major interests was horticulture and forestry. He was president of the Nebraska State Horticultural Society, 1873-1875 and was the author of Forests and Orchards in Nebraska, A Handbook for Prairie Planting, 1884. At the time of his death in 1885, he was superintendent of tree-planting for the Union Pacific railroad. Along with J. Sterling Morton and Robert W. Furnas, Allan was regarded as one of Nebraska’s foremost promoters of tree-planting and agriculture.



James T. Allan married Elizabeth A. Buddington of Wyoming County, New York in June of 1852. They had seven children. Allan died in Omaha on November 20, 1885.



SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE



This collection consists of one box of manuscript material arranged in four series: (1) Correspondence, 1877-1958; (2) Scrapbook, 1860-1870; (3) Printed Matter, 1849-1950; and (4) Miscellany.



The bulk of this collection consists of printed matter relating to James T. Allan’s interest in and promotion of tree planting and agriculture in Nebraska. Also included are clippings and biographical data on the Allan and Bradley families and pamphlets and clippings about the history of Omaha and Bellevue, Nebraska. Correspondents include: Allan, James T., 1877; Furnas, Robert W., 1885; Metcalfe, Richard L., 1909.



DESCRIPTION



Series 1 – Correspondence, 1877-1958


Box 1

Folder/Item

    1. Correspondence, 1877-1958 (includes letters from Robert W. Furnas, 1885; and Richard L. Metcalfe, 1909)



Series 2 – Scrapbook, 1860-1870




    1. Scrapbook containing articles regarding tree-planting and agriculture, by J. T. Allan, mostly undated and unidentified



Series 3 – Printed Matter, 1849-1950




    1. Printed matter (includes clippings of the Herndon House Hotel Register, n.d.; Allan and Bradley family material; and obituary of James T. Allan, November 21, 1885)

    1. Bellevue, Larimer and St. Mary, Their History, Location, Description, and Advantages – reprint of an original publication by John Q. Goss, 1859

      Forests and Orchards in Nebraska, a Handbook for Prairie Planting, by J. T. Allan, Omaha, 1884.



Series 4 – Miscellany




    1. Miscellany (includes biographical sketch of J. T. Allan; and program of the Bellevue Historical Pageant; “La Bellevue Reads from her Diary”, October 1950.)



 


ADDED ENTRIES:

Allan, James Thomas, 1831-1885

Bellevue (Neb.) — History

Bellevue Press (Bellevue, Neb.)

Bradley, Grace Isabel (Allan), 1857-1909

Fontenelle Bank (Fontenelle, Neb.)

Herndon House (Omaha, Neb.)

Horticulture — Nebraska



 



ADDITIONAL RESOURCES



See RG3034.AM for records relating to Herndon House (Omaha, Neb.).



See the Nebraska History index for articles about James T. Allan and Herndon House.



See the NSHS Library for various publications by James T. Allan and about Herndon House.



 



JEP/ht   08-11-1973

01-11-2010   Revised TMM

Become a Member!

Our members make history happen.

Join Now

You May Also Enjoy

On This Day: Armistice Celebrated Early

On This Day: Armistice Celebrated Early

Siouan Archeology

Siouan Archeology

Nebraska Election Trivia

Nebraska Election Trivia

About NSHS

The Nebraska State Historical Society was founded in 1878 by citizens who recognized Nebraska was going through great changes and they sought to record the stories of both indigenous and immigrant peoples. It was designated a state institution and began receiving funds from the legislature in 1883. Legislation in 1994 changed NSHS from a state institution to a state agency. The division is headed by Interim Director Cindy Drake. They are assisted by an administrative staff responsible for financial and personnel functions, museum store services, security, and facilities maintenance for NSHS.

Explore Nebraska

Discover the real places and people of our past at these NSHS sites.

Upcoming Events

View our new and upcoming events to see how you can get involved.

Become a Member

The work we do to discover, preserve, and share Nebraska's history wouldn't be possible without the support of NSHS members.

NSHS Education

Learn more about the educational programs provided at our museums, sites, and online.

Education Digital Learning Resources

Find games, lists, and more to enhance your history education curriculum.

Latest Hall of Fame Inductee

The Nebraska Hall of Fame was established in 1961 to officially recognize prominent Nebraskans.

Listen to our Podcast

Listen to the articles and authors published in the Nebraska History Magazine with our new Nebraska History Podcast!

Nebraska Collections

NSHS's mission is to collect, preserve, and open our shared history to all Nebraskans.

Our YouTube Video Collection

Get a closer look at Nebraska's history through your own eyes, with our extensive video collections.

Additional Research Resources

NSHS's Research and Reference Services help connect you to the material we collect and preserve.

NSHS Services

Digital Resources

Find all of our digital resources, files, videos, and more, all in one easy-to-search page!

Support The Historical Society

Make a cash donation to help us acquire, preserve, and interpret Nebraska’s history. Gifts to the Nebraska State Historical Society help leave a legacy and may help your taxes, too! Support the work of NSHS.

Volunteers are the heroes of NSHS. So much history, so little time! Your work helps us share access to Nebraska’s stories at our museums and sites, the reference room, and online.