Call Number:

Ms. Coll. 1107

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

0.4 linear feet (1 box)

Preferred Citation:

George Allen notes and lectures, 1821-1876, Ms. Coll. 1107, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

1821-1876 (inclusive)

Creator:

Allen, George

Form:

Clippings (information artifacts), Correspondence, Lectures, Notes, and Manuscripts, American -- 19th century

Abstract:

George Allen (1808-1876) was an educator, Episcopal clergy, and author. This small collection is comprised of both manuscript and printed material written or collected by George Allen. The material includes correspondence, notes, transcriptions, and syllabi pertaining to the study of French, Italian, Greek, and Latin literature, and English literature and drama. Also included is a bound manuscript titled "Lectures on Athenian Drama." Material related to the University of Pennsylvania includes correspondence, newspaper clippings, and offprints. The collection also includes printed material, such as educational exercises and exams.

George Allen (1808-1876) was an educator, Episcopal clergy, and author. He was born in Milton, Vermont to parents Sarah Prentiss Allen and Herman Allen, a respected lawyer and member of Congress. At age 16, George Allen was sent to Canada to study French in the home of Father Cosigny. He graduated from the University of Vermont in 1827 where he studied classical literature as well as English and German romantics. He spent two years teaching languages at an academy in Georgia, Vermont (1828-1830) while also studying law on his own. He was admitted to the Vermont bar in 1831.

In 1832, Allen was confirmed in the Episcopal church and began the study of Hebrew and theology. He taught classics at the Vermont Episcopal Institute in 1832. In 1834, he was ordained a minister and served as a rector at St. Alban's Church for three years. Leaving the priesthood, Allen returned to academia and served as professor of Ancient Languages at Delaware College from 1837 to 1845, followed by his appointment as Professor of Latin and Greek at the University of Pennsylvania from 1845 to 1876. In 1847, he left the Episcopal church and converted to Catholicism. He served as the counsel in Philadelphia for Pope Pius IX. He was awarded an honorary LL.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1868.

Allen's published works include Remains of William S. Graham (1849), The Life of Philidor, Musician and Chess-Player (1863), and The History of the Automaton Chess Player in America (1859). He also wrote articles for the United States Service Magazine, and his earlier writings on theology were published in the New York Review and Churchman. Though he dedicated much of his life to teaching classics and was well-respected in the field, he published nothing on that topic.

In addition to his specialties in classics and theology, Allen was also interested in music, military science, and chess. His collection of over 1,000 books on chess was purchased by the Library Company of Philadelphia. He was a member of the Shakespeare Society of Philadelphia. He married Mary Hancock Withington (1799-1879), a descendent of John Hancock, in 1831. They had four children.

(Sources: Internal; Who Was Who in America: Historical Volume, 1607-1896; Dictionary of Literary Biography: American Literary Critics and Scholars, 1800-1850. Vol. 59 (1987); University of Pennsylvania Archives: Penn Biographies).

This small collection is comprised of both manuscript and printed material written or collected by George Allen. The material includes correspondence, notes, transcriptions, and syllabi pertaining to the study of French, Italian, Greek, and Latin literature, and English literature and drama. Also included is a bound manuscript titled "Lectures on Athenian Drama." Material related to the University of Pennsylvania includes correspondence, newspaper clippings, and offprints. The collection also includes printed material, such as educational exercises and exams. Most items are undated. Existing folder titles and order have been maintained.