Charles Hodge Allen, publisher, was born November 11, 1879, at Gainesville, Alabama, the son of Charles Horace and Sibell “Belle” Auralia (Stewart) Allen, of Gainesville, Alabama. Charles Horace Allen was “not only one of the best-known editors of his day, but he was an attorney and a member of the Alabama State Bar Association.
Charles Hodge was the grandson of Evan and Mary Allen, the former a native of Connecticut, later of Gainesville and Mobile, and Wiley W. and Elizabeth Stewart, of Gainesville who later removing to Coahoma County, Mississippi. Wiley W. Stewart was, before the Civil War, a leading planter in North Sumter County. Mr. Alex Stewart, a prominent merchant, and planter of Gainesville, Alabama was an uncle of Charles Hodge Allen.
He was the great-grandson of Amasa Allen, a native of near Donaldsonville, Conn. The Allens are descended from Samuel Allen, who came to this country from Bridgewater, England, and are related to the same family as Ethan Allen, of Revolutionary fame.
Charles H. Allen received his education in the public schools of Livingston, and at the early age of twelve entered as a printer and reporter the office of his father’s newspaper, the “Sumter County Sun,” at Livingston. At the age of eighteen he was owner and editor of the “Demopolis Dispatch,” a weekly newspaper, and two years later joined the staff of the “Birmingham Age-Herald.”
He then accepted the position of advertising manager of the “Mobile Herald,” later accepting the same position with the “Mobile Register” and finally became the general manager of the latter paper. “For five years Mr. Allen was in charge of the business department of the Register. He was at this time one of the largest stockholders in the Register.”
On December 1, 1914, he moved to Montgomery as advertising manager of the “Montgomery Advertiser.” He and Captain Sheehan bought the entire interest of Frank P. Glass, at which time he became its vice-president, publisher and general manager.
He was a Rotarian; member Southern newspaper publishers association, and the Admen’s club of the world. Charles married November 25, 1903, in Mobile, to Letitia Rundle Shearer, daughter of John F. and Lou Alma (Sossaman) Shearer, of Mobile; and fifth great-granddaughter of Richard Clark, who landed on the Mayflower in 1620. She was also a descendant of the Fisher, Grasty, Lightfoot, and Clark families.
Their known children were:
Charles S Allen.
John S. Allen
Letitia Allen
In 1925, Charles and his family were living at 841 S. Ct. St. in Montgomery, Alabama.. Charles Hodge Allen and his family were living in Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi in the 1930 census, They moved to 3107 Tularosa, El Paso, Texas by 1941 and lived there at least through 1943 but in 1945, Charles and his Letitia were again living in Montgomery, Alabama at 841 S. Ct. St. according to the City Directory of Montgomery, Alabama.
Further research indicates that he may have married 2nd Bertha Watts, resided in Camden, Wilcox County, Alabama, died September 11, 1966, in Wilcox County, Alabama and is buried Shiloh Baptist Cemetery, Selma, Dallas County, Alabama.
SOURCES
History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume 3 By Thomas McAdory Owen, Marie Bankhead Owen
