Mabel E. Laufer

   Other names for Mabel were Mabel E. Laufer and Mable Laufer.

  General Notes:

Mabel Lawfer was the keeper of the Lawfer Family bible, from which much of the information regarding this family line is derived. At the time of this writing, the family bible resides with April K. Van Cleve, Mabel Lawfer's great grand daughter.

Mabel Lawfer was a strong woman, who raised her two young daughters by herself following the death of her husband, Frederick Allanson, in 1924. Mabel Lawfer Allanson would have been about 49 years old at the time of Frederick's death. Her daughter, Ruth, was age 14, and Ruth's younger sister, Mary, was age 6, at his death. As a young woman, Mabel was a school teacher, with students from rural areas in her one- room Illinois classroom, many of whom were as old as she was. It is said that Mabel began teaching school at age 16. As a married woman, she was well-to-do. She and her husband Fred had a 300-acre dairy farm near Stockton, Illinois, as well as a house in town, in Mt. Carroll, Illinois, where the girls were raised.

Mabel Lauffer Allanson's daughter, Mary Allanson, remembers her father's business travel to the Chicago stockyards several times a year. She and her sister, Ruth were always delighted when he would bring them each a silver dollar from the trip. Mary's coins have remained in the family, having been split between Mary's four children (by drawing straws) following her death. The oldest of these coins dates from 1798 and is with Nicholas Scott Hill.

Mabel E. Allanson, age 53, appeared in the 1930 United States Federal Census for Salem Township, Mount Carroll City, Carroll County, Illinois. She is listed as a widow at that time, living at #603 S. Jackson Street in Mt. Carroll, Illinois, with her two daughters, Ruth A. Allanson, age 19, and Mary L. Allanson, age 11. The value of their real estate is listed as $6000. The age of Mabel E. Allanson's first marriage is listed as 21. Both girls are listed as having attended school in the past year and all members of the household are listed as being able to read and write and as being English- speaking persons.

Mabel married Frederick Allanson, son of Richard Allanson and Sally Dadswell, on 20 Jan 1896 in Illinois. (Frederick Allanson was born on 12 Feb 1870 in Stockton, Jo Daviess County, Illinois and died on 5 Apr 1924.)

  Marriage Notes:

When Mabel Lawfer was married to Fred Allanson, her father, Freeman Lawfer, gave her a cow as a wedding gift. Freeman was a farmer and also a county supervisor. Mabel Lawfer had not asked for a cow; she had asked for a very fine set of Haviland Limoges china. Needless to say, she was not thrilled by the bovine. So she promptly sold her cow and took that money to buy herself the china that she wanted. She then used this very fine imported French china for everyday meals. It was probably the only china that she owned. A very few pieces of the china survive. Two such pieces (a tea cup and a dessert/ salad plate) are today in the hands of Mabel Lawfer's great grand daughter, April Knight Van Cleve, who received the gift and the story from her aunt Suzanne Lawrence Hill (Saucer), who had in turn received the china and the story from her mother, Mary Allanson, Mabel Lawfer's daughter.