Henry Allgeyer, a rancher, who lived and owned a ranch east of El Monte, was born in Rhineland, Montgomery County, Missouri, March 25, 1875. the family is of German origin, and the grandfather, who was seven feet in height, served as a body-guard to Kaiser Wilhelm. The father, John B. Allgeyer, was born in Baden, Germany, where until 1868, he engaged in viticulture. In that year he immigrated to the United States and located in Missouri, there following a similar occupation, in addition to general farming. Coming to California in 1881, he spent four months in Napa, after which he returned to Missouri, and settled down to his old occupation. Subsequently he again came to the State and located in Anaheim, Orange County, engaging as a vineyardist. A year later he went to Norwalk, California, and after spending another year in the state, returned to his old home in Missouri. Two months later he concluded to located permanently in California, and accordingly sold his property and in the fall of 1885, he located east of El Monte, and purchased sixteen acres of new land, which he set out in walnuts and otherwise improved and cultivated until his retirement in 1903. His death occurred in this location, November 5, 1906. Ever since his location in the United States, he had been deeply interested in its public affairs, and was a staunch Republican. His wife, Martina Mair, was also born in Baden, Germany, and lived until the spring of 1908. They were the parents of fourteen children, of whom seven grew to years of maturity, all of whom are now deceased, including the subject of this sketch, whose death occurred in 1906.
The youngest of the children born to his parents, Henry Allgeyer, was reared in Missouri until attaining the age of ten years, when he was brought to California by his parents, and here completed his education in public schools. He remained at home and engaged in farming until 1900, when he purchased the home, from his father and continued its improvement and cultivation. He also purchased adjoining property until he owned twenty-eight acres, now situated on Pomona Boulevard, all in walnuts, and ten acres of peat land. He was successful in his work and at the same time, he took a deep interest in all movements calculated to advance the general welfare. Following the death of his sister Luisa’s husband, a Mr. Knott, Henry Allgeyer, for a number of years, was guardian of his sister’s four children, the sister, also having come to California in 1885. Mr. Knott was a butcher in El Monte for a number of years, being in partnership with a Mr. Crawford.
Like his father, Mr. Allgeyer supported the Republican Party. He was one of the charter members of the Mountain View Walnut Growers’ Association. In Anaheim, Mr. Allgeyer married Miss Emilie Martin, a native of Germany, and a daughter of Ludwig Martin, who died in Anaheim in 1904. Three children were born, Pearl, (Mrs. E.F. Hoeft) of El Monte; Albert, who makes his home with his mother in El Monte, and Clara, who died in infancy.
In 1930, Mrs. Allgeyer was married to Charles T. Ross, a native of Pennsylvania. They now reside in the old home, part of the land, which was subdivided and sold in recent years. Mrs. Allgeyer is a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, a Rebekah, and in religion, she belongs to the German Lutheran Church.
“The death of Mrs. Allgeyer on April 5 removed another pioneer resident from El Monte, she having lived in California since 1875, twenty years of which were spent here. Mrs. Allgeyer had been confined to her bed for three years and death came as a blessed relief from suffering. – The remains were interred Wednesday in Savannah Cemetery beside those of her husband and son.”
11 Apr. 1909
Los Angeles Time
Source: C. D. Mayon, F. Brow, L. Stoddard, and C. Mudd; El Monte from the Pioneer Days. WPA Project No. N-5740, 1936. In record 19-187072. (California Historical Landmark No. 765: El Monte). On file at the SCCIC, CSU Fullerton.