Richard C. Allen, Sr.

WB Richard Clayton Allen, Sr. - 1897, 1911

Meet WB Richard Clayton Allen, Sr., who presided over our Lodge during the years of 1897 and 1911. 

WB Allen was born on February 17, 1853 to Mr. Churchill and Martha E. Cleveland Allen. According to records in the History of Franklin County, Georgia, WB Allen's nickname was "Kudge," but little else is known about his early life.

In 1877, WB Allen married Miss Elmina Jane Tribble. They lived in  Lavonia and had nine children (see photos).

He later married Miss Florence Cobb, and had two more children.

Also according to the History of Franklin County, WB Allen served as "Clerk" in 1906, and his name is memorialized as such on the Masonic Cornerstone of the Franklin County Courthouse.

In a February 23, 1934 article in the Lavonia Times and Gauge about the Lavonia Masonic Lodge, WB Allen is listed as one of the early Masters of the Lodge and as having contributed to the information in the article. He is furthermore listed as "not only the oldest active member of this Lodge, but is probably the oldest Mason in Franklin County."

WB Allen laid down his working tools on May 28, 1942, at the age of 89, and was buried in the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church Cemetery in Lavonia, beside his first wife.

He is referenced in a biographical sketch for his son, Grady Allen, who was a Judge in Stephens County, Georgia.