Monroe Morning World, November 18, 1934, Page 6.
Ben Allen was born enslaved in Alabama. According to his death certificate, he was the son of Fed Allen and Willie A. Rushing and died in Monroe at the age of 95.
According to the book, “Contributors of Ouachita Parish: A History of Blacks To Commemorate the Bicentennial of the United States of America”, after the Civil War and freedom, Ben and his mother came to Ouachita parish from Alabama. He helped develop the West Monroe community of College Point and was a founder and builder of St. Joseph Baptist Church in West Monroe. He helped organize one of the first African American schools in West Monroe. It was called the Ben Allen School in his honor.
Mr. Allen worked as a steamboatman on the Ouachita river and then as a porter for the Union Oil Mill for 65 years, never receiving a promotion. He was first married to Susan Booker and they were the parents of Leslye and Gertrude. His second wife was Alice Johnson and they were the parents of Plummer, Ben, Jr., Joe and Bell. Tragedy struck on March 5, 1915 when little Ben, Jr. accidentally shot and killed his mother with a shotgun.
According to a 1927 Ouachita Citizen interview, he helped build the railroad bridge across the Ouachita. Mr. Allen passed away February 21, 1951 and is buried in an unmarked grave at Hasley Cemetery.
You may have heard of Mr. Allen’s daughter Gertrude, who married into the Ammon family. She was also a noted educator, who was appointed “Jeanes supervisor of Negro schools in Ouachita parish”. She was only the second black female supervisor in the area.
Ouachita Parish History Tidbits 