Newspaper Obit in Williams County, OH - Allomong

By Pamela Pattison Lash

Those old newspapers are loaded with tidbits of life and death in Williams Co, OH.  It is always amazing to me how blunt some comments were back then.  I must admit when I read this example of “insensitivity” I felt sorry for the parents to have this published about their child. 

Bryan Democrat, 6 Mar 1884

John Allamong’s son Frank, known as the “fat boy” died Thursday.  He was 13 years old and weighed 280 pounds.

Here's a little bit of info on Frank's lineage:

Franklin C. Allomong (1872 Williams Co, OH – 28 Feb 1884 Florence Twp, Williams Co, OH @12Y 6M; burial in Leggetts Cem) Note the Florence Twp, Williams Co, OH Cemetery Records, WCGS, 1995 shows the death date as 28 Feb 1881; it’s very easy to mistake a 1 for a 4 or 7, especially on old tombstones.

Frank’s parents were:

John Allomong (Sept 1821 pos Armstrong Co, PA – 21 May 1905, Edon, Florence Twp, Williams Co, OH @83Y 6M 28D; burial in Leggetts Cem); son of John and Julianna Rarick Allomong.

Note an online source states that John was “a large man, over 6 feet tall and weighing well over 200 pounds.”

Bryan Democrat, 25 May 1905

John Alloway died at the home of his son Charles, Sunday.  He had been in poor health for several months and was one of the oldest farmers living near Edon.


Note the newspaper article misspelled his last name.

(second wife) Rachel King (1835 OH – 4 May 1898 Florence Twp, Williams Co, OH @63Y 10M 8D, burial in Leggetts Cem); dau of William and Catherine Kugler King, residents of Franklin Twp, DeKalb Co, IN c1850

John and Rachel were married on 29 May 1856 in DeKalb Co, IN.

1880 Florence, Williams, Ohio; Roll: 1077; Family History Film: 1255077; Page: 561B; Enumeration District: 8; Image: 0757.

h/h 151/160 Allomong, John 59 PA-PA-PA farmer

Caroline dau 19 OH-PA-OH

Rachael wife 47 OH-PA-PA

William son 16 OH-PA-OH

Charlies 14 OH-PA-OH

Frank 8 OH-PA-OH

Jacob 4 OH-PA-OH