Nelson Allen - January 1969

Nelson Allen Celebrates 8Oth Birthday With Large Family Gathering

IRON BRIDGE — Mr. Nelson Allen celebrated his 80th birthday on January 17 with a family dinner at a local restaurant.

Mr. Allen is the third youngest and the only living member of a family of fifteen children, son of the late William and Rebecca Allen, born on a farm in Gladstone Township, and has lived here all his life.

Mr. Allen received his education in a log school house on the farm of his father, and as a young man bought the farm across the road from his fathers, and still has an 8 acre farm garden and a flock of from 200 to 300 hens.

In 1924 he married Irene Mason of Bracebridge, they had two sons and one daughter. Leonard teaches school in the Sault and Harvey farms. (Evelyn) Mrs. Ray Walker lives at Elliot Lake.

His family was all home for the occasion and 6 of his 8 grandchildren were present to help him blow out the 80 candles that decorated his cake.

Mr. Allen's first wife died in 1961 and he later married Miss Violet Tapp. They do team work one of the best gardens on the North Shore.

Mr. Allen has an Irish sense of humour which he inherited from his Irish-born parents and he also has a capacity of remembering" the pleasant things of life rather than the hard times these pioneers experienced.

He enjoys music and is an avid reader. His home library has well over 200 books in it. His favourite authors are James Oliver Ceerewood and Zane Grey. His favourite sports are hockey, ball and horseshoes.

He is one of the three living members of the Beemer Hunt Club. Hammond Cocks of Toronto and Milton Hopper of the Sault are the others.

Mr. Allen has served on the school board, he drove school bus for several years, is active in the United Church and a member of the board of sessions. He enjoys travel, has crossed the Rockies five times, spent a vacation in Florida last year and frequently visits in Eastern Ontario.

We wish him many more years of good health.