File:Harry Clayton Allgire (1864-1937).jpg

Summary

Research done by Dr. Wayne Allgaier:

Harry Clayton Allgire (1864-1937) Mayor of Brunswick 1930-1932

Harry Allgire’s great-great grandfather immigrated to America from Baden, Germany in the mid-1700’s, settling in Carroll County, Maryland, where the family resided for several generations. His genealogy can be found on FamilySearch.org. His ID number is LJ1F-R2B. Harry was born in 1864 to Amon and LucindaAllgire in Baltimore, although the family seems to have been living in Carroll County at the time. This is where they were living when the 1880 census was taken, in an area known as “Wollerys,” which is just a few miles southeast of Westminister. In 1892, Harry married Susie Williams (1871-1943). Their first child, Harry A. was born in Baltimore in 1898. In 1900, Harry and Susan were living with their one-year old child Harry A. in a boarding house on N. Carey Street in Baltimore. Harry was working as a traveling salesman. By 1910, they were living on Linden Ave (today’s upper 2nd Ave) with their four sons: Harry A. (11), Joseph P. (6), James V. (3), and Holmes W. (2).The census indicates that they had had a fifth child who had died. Harry was a flagman on the steam railroad. (In doing this research, I came across a 1913 City Directory for Baltimore. Under “Physicians” was listed a Harry C. Algire. How strange, I thought, that a flagman on the railroad would 3 years later be a physician! Further investigation showed this to be Harry Carnes Algire, who was 9 years younger than our Harry Clayton Allgire.) In 1920, the family was still living in Brunswick, but now on High Street (today’s West Potomac Street). Harry was now a conductor on the railroad. Their four sons were still at home, and the oldest Harry (21) was also working on the railroad, as a brakeman. Joseph died in 1928 at the age of 25 “when he fell from a freight car in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad yards, and several of the cars passed over him. The body was badly mangled.” He was buried in the Park Heights Cemetery. The 1930 census gives their street address as 321 West Potomac Street, which is likely where they had been living in 1920. Harry was now a trainman [conductor] on the railroad. Their three adult sons were still there, all single. Two of them were also employed by the railroad, Harry as a trainman like his father, and Holmes as a shopman. James was driving a truck. Harry served on the town council for 8 years andwas elected mayor of Brunswick in 1930, serving a 2-year term in that office. Apparently he had bid unsuccessfully for that office two years earlier. He was “actively identified with Democratic politics,” as was his wife. Harry’s obituary stated that he had retired from the railroad as a conductor “about 5 years” previously, which would have been 1932, the year he finished his term as mayor. Harry died at home in 1937 at the age of 72. He was buried in the Park Heights Cemetery next to his son. In 1940, Susie was living at the same address with sons Harry, Denton (James D.), and Holmes, all three of whom were brakemen on the railroad. Harry (41) and Holmes (32) were still single; Denton (33) was married. Susie died six years later at the age of 71, and is buried beside her husband and son.

Children: • Harry Amon Allgire (1898-1992) married Florence Louise Bell (1914-1992) in 1947. He was the last surviving member of the family. They are both buried in the family plot at PHC. • Joseph P. Allgire (1903-1928). Died of railroad injury. See above. Buried PHC. • James Denton Allgire (1906-1966). Married Violet Margueretta (b. 1912) prior to 1940. They were later divorced. In 1959, he married Frances Elizabeth “Betty” Thompson (1919-1997) from Elkins, WV. He listed his address as Brunswick at that time. According to his brother Holmes’s obituary, he was livingin Brunswick in 1963 as well, but apparently he eventually moved to Elkins, where he died. He is buried in Elkins, WV, beside his wife Frances E. Allgaier. • Holmes W. Allgire (1908-1963). No record of marriage. Buried PHC. • There was a 5th child who died in infancy, as noted above. No details available.