Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 3, 1992 TAG: 9201030172
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: JUDITH SCHWAB CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
MONTGOMERY BIRTHDAY EXPERT'S 100
People come to Miss Emily Allen's door looking for help with their genealogy studies because they know Miss Emily knows history.Unfortunately, Miss Emily, who turns 100 years old today, is no longer in the history business. In fact, her own history has been misplaced. Miss Emily's memory is failing and even her relatives can provide only the pieces of her life that they shared with her.
Those relatives will gather today to celebrate her becoming a centenarian.
Miss Emily was considered the area's genealogist and the town's historian, said her niece, Jane Brown - whose father, Judge Charles Crush, wrote a history of Montgomery County.
Brown said her aunt has had several strokes and with them, "all that information is gone."
Florence Allen, Miss Emily's 84-year-old baby sister, lives with and cares for her. Florence, known in the family as Pete, came to Christiansburg 10 years ago to take care of her sister.
The retired nurse thought she would stay a while and get Emily back on her feet and go home to Lee County. It didn't turn out that way.
The entire Allen family - Miss Emily, her parents, and her seven brothers and sisters - moved to Christiansburg from Bland County in 1909. Florence left Christiansburg after high school and was gone until 10 years ago.
Her own history includes a stint in Patton's Army as a nurse, private nursing and public health work. She is necessarily sketchy about what her sister was up to during those years.
One thing everyone knows is that Miss Emily knew the history of this area and helped others find their histories in public records.
"She knew Southwest Virginia like the back of your hand," Florence said. When Florence moved into her sister's house she found more records than she has known what to do with. There are letters Emily wrote on behalf of Civil War widows seeking pensions. There are photographs of old houses from a project that Florence thinks Emily worked on during World War II.
The house the Allen sisters share has pieces of their own family history. A Civil War sword found on their grandfather's farm hangs from a door frame with the powder horn that belonged to their great-great grandfather - "at least two greats," Florence said, as she counted off grandfathers - "Madison, John, Matthew." Ruby Roberts has known Miss Emily for at least 75 years. In fact, Miss Emily's sister, Mary Allen, was Roberts' teacher in the fifth grade and was principal at the school when Roberts' daughter attended.
Roberts said she remembered celebrating the Armistice at the end of World War I by getting out of class to march around the playground. "I remember back to the ark," Roberts said with a laugh, adding that Miss Emily is "a legend in her own time."
A portrait of Miss Emily, done by her grand niece, hangs in the Montgomery County Museum.
At home, Miss Emily spends her days watching television. "She likes mysteries and action," Florence said. When asked about her work, Miss Emily said she couldn't remember those days.
Of the eight Allen children, only one had a child of her own, and that child, Jane Brown of Christiansburg, supplied four grand nieces and nephews. Those children continued to multiply and it is those families who will gather from New York, Washington and Christiansburg to wish Miss Emily a happy 100th birthday.
In the mail waiting to be opened is an envelope shaped suspiciously like a birthday card with a brief return address: The White House, Washington.
Florence is saving the letter for Miss Emily to open on her birthday when the family has assembled in her honor. Miss Emily said she is looking forward to her birthday party. There will probably be 30 people gathering to cut the cake today and honor the woman whose mind is filled with inaccessible history.