[1] John Allen, the son of a wealthy farmer, was born in Augusta County, Virginia, on May 17, 1796.

Both Crawford and McCue had large inheritances, but historical records maintain that Allen left Virginia primarily to escape financial difficulties.

After choosing their site, they returned to Detroit on February 14 to register their claims at the federal land office.

He was directly involved in many of the civic duties and functions of Ann Arbor, and was largely responsible for its initial success.

He promoted Ann Arbor as a great place to live, establishing its first post office in 1825, and becoming its first postmaster.

Allen and Samuel Dexter established Western Emigrant, Ann Arbor's first newspaper, which they used to promote their anti-Mason views.