John Kirby Allen - Founders Memorial Cemetery - Houston, TX - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

"Co-founder of the city of Houston, John Kirby Allen was born in Orrville, New York, in 1810. His first job was as a callboy in a hotel at the age of seven; at the age of ten he worked as a store clerk. At sixteen he went into partnership in a hat store at Chittenango, New York, where his brother Augustus was professor of mathematics. In 1827 John Allen sold his interest in the hat store and followed his brother to New York City, where they were stockholders until 1832, when they moved to Texas. At the beginning of the Texas Revolution, the Allen brothers did not enlist in the militia but instead worked on supplying and arming the troops, often at their own expense or at cost. After the Battle of San Jacinto and Texas had successfully won its independence, John Allen was elected a representative from Nacogdoches to the Texas Congress. While he was serving, he and his brother ran advertisements in Texas newspapers proposing a new townsite called Houston, a name that Augustus' wife Charlotte had come up with in order to capitalize on the popularity of Sam Houston. John Allen continued with his businesses as well as city planning, running a partnership in a shipping business with future first governor of Texas James Pinckney Henderson. Dedicating his short life to building the city he and his brother built from nothing, Allen never married. He died of congestive fever on August 15, 1838, and was buried in Founders Memorial Park, Houston, at the age of 28."

Source: "Find A Grave" -- (visit link)

Description: See Narrative above... Also, per additional information on a related marker: "John K. Allen was a member of the first Congress of the Republic (1836-1837) from Nacogdoches County. He and his brother, Augustus C. Allen, on August 25, 1836 purchased a league of land from Mrs. T. F. L. Parrott for five thousand dollars, on which on August 29, 1836 they founded the town of Houston named in honor of the hero of San Jacinto." Several Houston Texas landmarks, including Allen Parkway, Allen Center as well as Allen's Landing Park, immortalize the name of the city's founders. Date of birth: 01/01/1810 Date of death: 08/15/1838 Area of notoriety: Politics Marker Type: Headstone Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: park closes at night... open dawn to dusk, 7days/wk Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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