Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 4.djvu/28

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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

the civil war prevented his completing a college course. He continued to reside at "Rose Dale." When his father entered the military service he was placed in charge of affairs at home. After his father's return to take care of his business, which had been badly broken up by dishonest employees, the son entered the military service, serving from 1862 to 1865 in Bryan's Battery, Thir- teenth Battalion Virginia Artillery, in which he was successively gunner and sergeant. He participated in much fighting, and was within sight of the national capitol for about two days. The only engagement of his bat- tery in which he did not participate was that of Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864, when he was home on sick leave. Following the war ensued a condition of great distress and business depression through Virginia, and both Sergeant McAllister and his father were active in assisting the needy and in im- proving the roads and other conditions about them. Soon after the war Mr. Mc- Allister became a magistrate, and served until 1866, when the civil government was replaced by military rule. This lasted for about two years, and during this time Mr. McAllister resided at Maiden. In May, 1866, he returned to "Rose Dale" and soon after occupied "White Hall," which was con'structed for him by Mr. McAllister's father. In the spring of 1866, he pursued a business course at Bryant and Stratton's College in Cincinnati, and soon after took charge of the business aft'airs of the estate of his father. When the latter died in 1871, Sergeant McAllister was made manager of the estate by his father's will, and thus con- tmued for five years, paying oft' war debts of more than twenty thousand dollars. By the division of the estate, A. A. McAllister came into possession of a tract including the pres- ent pa])er mill, the Rose Dale tract, and lands lying on both sides of the creek. In 1884 he rented the mill property in partner- ship with John W. Bell, and for six years they o])erated it. after which it was sold. In 1 891 they purchased the mill from the new owners, and in 1909 the propertt}- passed into the hands of a corporation known as the Covington Roller Mills. In 1876 Mr. McxAlHster became a merchant in Covington, with a ])artner, and continued to be interested in it until 1902. In the mean- time he had purchased an estate of three hundred acres and another of forty-one

acres, on which the greater part of East Covington has been built. He also made extensive purchases of farming lands, and operated about six hundred acres east of and near Covington. His total holdings amounted to 2,282 acres, about the same as his father's holdings when he located in Virginia. He platted an addition to Coving- ton, on which were built attractive homes. He was instrumental in securing paper and pulp mills, the largest industry at Coving- ton, and one of the largest mills of the kind in the south. He sold the land for the mills and accompanying buildings at a very low figure, in order to secure the location of the industry here, and his public spirit has been rewarded by the appreciation of his own property, as well as that of his neighbors. He has also been instrumental in securing other industries for Covington, and will long be remembered as one of the chief benefactors of the town. He assisted in the organization of the Covington National I)ank, of which he was first vice-president, and the Citizens National Bank, of which he was vice-president from 1900 until he was made president in 1908, continuing thus to 1912.

He married, May 10, 1865, Julia Ellen Stratton, who was born in Maiden, Kana- wha county, Virginia, daughter of Joseph Dickinson and Mary Ann (Buster) Strat- ton. The Stratton ancestry has been traced to England through Edward (i) Stratton, of Bermuda Hundred, whose son Edward (2) Stratton, married Martha, daughter of Thomas Shippey. Their son, Edward (3) Stratton, married Ann, daughter of Henry Batte, and they were the parents of Thomas Stratton, who married Elizabeth Elam. Their son, Henry Stratton, was lieutenant in the naval service during the revolution, and married Sarah Hampton. They were the parents of Archibald Stratton, who mar- ried Edna Dickinson, and were the parents of Joseph Dickinson Stratton, who married, October 30, 1832, Mary Ann Buster. Their daughter, Julia Ellen, graduated with honor at the Virginia Female Institute at Staun- ton, Virginia, in 1857, being especially dis- tinguished in \ocal and instrumental music. She won a medal in 1855 for scholarship and deportment, and for music in 1856.

Addams Stratton McAllister, son of Abra- ham Addams and Julia Ellen (Stratton) McAllister, was born February 24, 1875, at