Archives West Finding Aid

The collection consists of typescript copies of letters written by Mary J. Allen; her husband, U.S. Army officer H. A. Allen; and her stepsons Anson G. Allen and Carleton B. Allen. The copies were most likely made by Carleton B. Allen's daughter Zoe Allen Evans. Mary J. Allen's letters, most of which were written to her sister Carrie, describe life at Camp Steele on San Juan Island, Washington; at Fort Canby, Washington; and in Sitka, Alaska. Most of Anson G. Allen's letters in the collection were written to his brother Carleton when Carleton B. Allen was going to school in New York. Other documents transcribed in the collection include a letter of introduction for H. A. Allen and the menu for a dinner that the officers of Camp Steele hosted for British officers stationed on San Juan Island. The letters are prefaced by a dedication to Carleton B. Allen's grandson Allen Villiers Cellars, a biographical sketch of H. A. Allen, and a historical note about the joint occupation of San Juan Island by U.S. and British forces.