10/19/2026
Eastham Allen: Lone Jack Confederate Veteran, Farmer, and Respected Justice of the Peace
Eastham Allen was born on March 11, 1825, near Lancaster in Garrard County, Kentucky, the son of Erasmus and Lucy Allen, both natives of Kentucky. Raised on a farm in the rolling countryside of central Kentucky, he developed the independence, honesty, morality, and strong respect for law and order that would characterize his life. He received his education in Kentucky and remained there into adulthood, becoming known as a hardworking and capable young farmer.
On September 16, 1852, Eastham married Margaret Jane Arnold, daughter of Isaac and Jane Arnold, also of Garrard County. Margaret was born on January 1, 1827. Their marriage began a long and devoted partnership built on hard work, faith, and family. Four children were born to them: Isaac, on October 7, 1853; Erasmus C., on June 18, 1855; John L., on January 26, 1858; and Lucy Jane, on November 24, 1861. In later years, their family grew to include twelve grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
In 1856, Eastham moved his young family to Missouri, settling initially near Pleasant Hill, where he purchased property and continued farming. Three years later, in 1859, he relocated to Van Buren Township in Jackson County, near Hicks City. There he became a close friend of Judge Russell Hicks and assisted in laying out the town of Hicks City during a period of optimism when the L. L. & G. Railroad was expected to pass through the area. Allen established himself as a successful farmer and stock raiser, eventually developing a comfortable, well-improved farm known for its fertile land and fine livestock.
Before the Civil War, Allen had accumulated considerable property and established a promising life for his family. Like many Missourians, however, he would suffer substantial financial losses during the conflict. The war disrupted communities, destroyed property, and unsettled the agricultural economy on which families such as his depended. Despite these hardships, Allen persevered and eventually rebuilt his fortunes.
When the Civil War began, Allen entered Confederate service in August 1861, enlisting in Colonel Upton Hays’ regiment serving under General Sterling Price. He reportedly served as an orderly sergeant and remained with the Confederate cause throughout the war. His military experience brought him into the midst of the bitter conflict that divided Missouri, where neighbors and former acquaintances sometimes found themselves on opposing sides.
According to a historical account of his life, Allen’s first battle was the Confederate capture of Independence, Missouri, during the fighting there in August 1862. During that engagement, he served for a time under the command of William Clarke Quantrill after Colonel John T. Hughes was killed early in the action. The fighting at Independence formed part of the Confederate effort to challenge Union control in western Missouri and obtain military supplies, horses, and weapons.
Allen’s next major engagement was the Battle of Lone Jack, fought on August 16, 1862, in Jackson County, Missouri. The battle was one of the significant clashes of the Civil War in western Missouri, involving Confederate forces seeking to attack and capture supplies from a Union force under Major Emory S. Foster. The fighting was intense, with both sides suffering substantial losses. For Allen, the engagement brought him into one of the defining military confrontations of the region's early Civil War years.
At Lone Jack, Allen served under Captain David Shanks. A local recollection preserved an account of the danger he faced during the fighting. As Allen and Captain Shanks rode into r***e range, a picket fired at them. The bullet passed so close that both men reportedly felt the wind stirred by its passage. The incident offers a vivid glimpse of the personal dangers Confederate cavalrymen faced during the battle, when a single shot could mean the difference between survival and death.
Allen continued in Confederate service through the remainder of the war. His years in the army exposed him to the uncertainty and hardships experienced by Missouri soldiers fighting in a conflict that repeatedly brought military operations into their home region. By the close of the war, he had spent nearly four years in Confederate service. He ultimately surrendered at Shreveport, Louisiana, where Confederate forces in the Trans-Mississippi region laid down their arms. Following his surrender, Allen briefly rejoined his family in Kentucky before returning to Missouri in the fall of 1865 to begin rebuilding his life.
The war had cost Allen financially, but he returned with the determination that had sustained him before the conflict. He resumed farming and stock raising in Van Buren Township and gradually restored his position in the community. His experiences during the war did not prevent him from becoming a leading advocate for order, education, and responsible citizenship in the years that followed.
In the postwar years, Allen became one of the most respected public figures in Van Buren Township. Known affectionately as “Squire” Allen, he served the public in numerous official capacities, including postmaster, assessor, school officer, notary public, and justice of the peace. He strongly advocated good schools and a liberal education, believing that education was essential to good citizenship and the prosperity of the community.
His greatest public reputation came through his long service as justice of the peace, a position he held for nearly thirty years, interrupted only by a few brief periods out of office. His stern devotion to law and order made him both respected and feared by those who disturbed the peace. Residents credited him more than any other man with establishing the peaceful reputation of Van Buren Township. Allen imposed substantial fines on offenders and maintained strict standards of public conduct. He took pride in declaring that Van Buren was the most law-abiding township in Jackson County. Court records reportedly showed periods of sixteen months without a single civil or criminal case before the township courts.
Despite his firmness in office, Allen was widely admired for his integrity, honesty, and fidelity to duty. Those who knew him described him as intolerant of deceit, trickery, and insincerity, yet deeply devoted to his family, neighbors, and community. He and Margaret were active and consistent members of the Christian Church and were regarded as people of refinement, morality, and public spirit.
In 1883, Allen sold his farm near Hicks City and moved to Lone Jack. The following year, he purchased the home in which he would spend the remainder of his life. His son, John L. Allen, and daughter-in-law, Miranda Jane Bailey, later assisted in managing the family farm and household.
Margaret Jane Allen died on May 7, 1902, marking the loss of his lifelong companion. Eastham survived her for nearly twenty-three years, although declining health eventually limited his activities. In 1903, he was forced to decline renomination as justice of the peace, bringing to an end one of the longest and most respected public careers in the township’s history. Even near the end of his life, he remained faithful to his official responsibilities. His final act as a notary public was placing his certificate and seal upon the bond and oath of rural mail clerk G. M. Spainhour on December 24, 1903.
Eastham Allen died on January 2, 1927. His long life spanned the settlement and growth of western Missouri, the divisions and hardships of the Civil War, and the rebuilding of communities during the decades that followed. Remembered as a devoted husband, a caring father, a good neighbor, and a steadfast public servant, he left a legacy of integrity, civic leadership, and dedication to his community.
Margaret and Eastham Allen are buried in the Jackson family burial ground attached to the south end of the Lone Jack Battle Soldiers Cemetery. Their final resting place connects their family story to the broader history of Lone Jack, a community forever marked by the Civil War and the men and women who lived through its consequences.
