Allen Joseph Stout

Wife:
Amanda Melvina Fisk

Children:
14 children, including
David Fisk Stout

Father: Joseph A. Stout
Mother: Anna Smith
Show Pedigree Allen Joseph Stout, was from Kentucky, raised by strict Quakers. Allen was born December 5, 1815, into a family that had just experienced extreme hardships. He was the tenth child, born in the American frontier of Danville, Kentucky. When Allen's mother died of consumption (tuberculosis), on July 28, 1824, Allen and his brother Hosea were passed from home to home as hired help. Her loss to the family was well described by Hosea: "By her death I lost the only unwavering friend that I had and our family was now left like a ship without a rudder to be the sport of misfortune, and I sure felt and realized her loss, and now when deprived of her could begin to see my own ingratitude and disobedience to her." Allen made the comment: "I was a very weakly child; this man (a Martin Myers) used to abuse me by whipping me for things which I could not help." Hosea took his brother Allen to live with his cousin Ephraim Stout, Jr., to attend Jesse Stout's school for a time. Allen says he was the meanest man he ever saw. It was in the year of 1837 that Allen's sister, Anna married Benjamin Jones, a Mormon. At first Hosea wanted to disprove the new religion but soon became convinced of its truthfulness. Hosea remained at the Jones's home several days during which time he met his old friend Charles C. Rich, who was now a Mormon Elder.

Hosea states, "It is not necessary to mention our investigation which resulted in all cases in the loss of my position, while he always sustained his on the fairest possible terms. The perplexity which this threw me into can only be realized by those who have been through the same thing with the same anticipations before them that I had. I saw plainly that my position was wrong, and did also verily believe Mormonism to be correct." Though Hosea did not have courage at first to be baptized, he returned to Stout grove to teach the new doctrine to his astonished relatives. In 1834 Hyrum Smith and Lyman Wight passed through Stout Grove. He states, "The effect of their preaching was powerful upon us".... but Hosea still did not join.

During these years of Mormon proselyting, Hosea's brother Allen and father returned from their six year scout trip in Missouri and Arkansas. On their arrival father Joseph and son Allen investigated Mormonism with vigor. Allen writes: "I read the book: Doctrine and Covenants. I could not get hold of a Book of Mormon. I went to a number of Sunday prayer meetings, but still the most satisfaction I could get was what Hosea would tell me, for he was as well acquainted with the Gospel as he is now, but had not obeyed it yet. Soon after we got here (Illinois) Lyman Wight and Charles C. Rich came on from Missouri and held a meeting, so we all went to hear, and I was well pleased, and so was father, but to my great astonishment, some were very mad and said they did not teach the scriptures, but I knew better for I was well acquainted with the Bible."

After two months of study, Allen was convinced to gather with the Saints and be baptized. Their father went with them to Far West, Caldwell County, Missouri. August 6, 1837 they arrived but in poor health. Allen was out of money and had no choice but to stay. At first it seemed he had to return to the South after being rejected on a loan. Hosea came to his rescue by buying land and providing Allen with employment and shelter. Besides suffering physically he also suffered mentally for "I had become satisfied of the truth of the gospel and wished to embrace it, but still lingered back and had not courage to go forward and be baptized until the 22nd of April, 1838." His sister Lydia was baptized the previous day which may have helped him. His father Joseph never joined the church but seemed favorably impressed with Mormonism. Hosea finally was baptized August 24, 1838. Allen was a young man of 22 years at this time.

At the time of Allen's baptism he was a sick man. Allen writes that after Charles C. Rich baptized him "It seemed to me that I could almost rise and fly. As soon as I was immersed I felt relieved of a seemingly great weight, and as I went home I felt as though I could almost walk and not touch the ground. I had the Elders anoint me and I was healed of both my breast complaint and fever sores after the bone had been nacked all winter on my leg." After his baptism, he proved true to the tribulation that came to the church from the anti-Mormon mobocracy.

It was Allen who gave Orson Hyde a trip back on his wagon after Orson had betrayed the Saints. "I also divided my morsel of bread with him, but I was not much in love with apostates, . . . but I saw that Brother Hyde was on the stool of repentance and he did repent good."

At the young age of 24, Allen was called on a mission. He was set apart by Hyrum Smith April 20, 1840. He left Nauvoo on foot to go south. His intention was "to try to preach the Gospel, young and unlearned as I was, but I had never spoke in public in my life ...I did call on the Lord for strength and wisdom to enable me to perform my duty with an eye single to his glory." A letter was written to Allen from Hosea reporting the sad news that the prophet Joseph Smith was in danger in Missouri. Allen hastened back to Nauvoo. He worked as a carpenter, a fisherman, and received a commission as Third Lieutenant in the Nauvoo Legion October 20, 1842. At the age of 27 years and working as a teamster for Miles Anderson, he fell in love with Elizabeth Anderson and was married by Charles C. Rich on July 17, 1843.

On July 8, 1843, Allen was promoted to Captain, First Company, Nauvoo Legion. Hosea and Allen were determined to protect the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith. In Martha Cox's journal, page 78, she relates the following story: While Allen was serving as a bodyguard to the Prophet, they (Allen and the Prophet) saw a man coming toward them. When he was near, the Prophet said to Allen: "Wait here while I speak with this man." Allen waited for sometime a short distance away while Joseph Smith spoke with the stranger. When the Prophet returned to where Allen was, Allen was very upset for being so negligent as his bodyguard. The Prophet said: "That man wouldn't hurt me, he was John the Revealer."

Allen writes that after Joseph and Hyrum were taken to Carthage and jailed, the Prophet wrote an official order to Jonathan Dunham to bring the Nauvoo Legion to Carthage to save "him from being killed, but Dunham did not let a single man or mortal know that he had received such orders, and we (the Legion) were kept in the city under arms not knowing but all was well, "till the mob came and forced the prison and slew Joseph and Hyrum Smith".

Allen relates that the dead bodies were brought to Nauvoo. There he "saw their beloved forms reposing in the arms of death, which gave me such feelings as I am not able to describe." After the martyrdom of the prophet, Allen joined the Nauvoo Police Department. His salary was one dollar per day in "city script." In January, 1845, when the Illinois legislature repealed the Nauvoo City Charter even this pay ended. This act also ended the existence of the Nauvoo Legion. Brigham Young explained that they no longer could be paid, but if they would render their service, the Lord would provide for them. He was soon offered a job which gave him income. In 1845, Brigham Young asked him to be his own personal body guard. He served in that capacity until the following fall when he became Heber C. Kimball's personal guard. At the Kimball home, Elizabeth and Allen were sealed for all time and eternity. It wasn't until December 20, 1845 that the Nauvoo Temple was completed and Allen received his endowments.

During the winter months of 1845-46 Allen writes that they could not remain "in Nauvoo any longer, without fighting all the time." The Stouts were preparing for their journey to the West. The journey was very challenging due to his rheumatism attacks and the difficult weather. On February 10 the Stouts crossed the Mississippi. The severity of the weather forced the family to camp at Sugar Creek for several weeks. It was a difficult day when Allen lost his wife after she gave birth to their third child, Martha Ann. Elizabeth died January 30, 1848. Since 1846, they had remained in Council Bluffs.

Allen was left in "a benighted condition without a wife, with three little helpless babies and a journey of 1100 miles to perform without an animal to help me, and what to do I did not know. So I continued to pour out my soul in prayer to God day and night for him to open up some way for me to support my little ones and get them to the Valleys of the Mountains."

He sent his three children to live with his sister Anna. He hired a girl named Amanda Melvina Fisk to look after his children. She began work April 8, 1848. On April 30, Brigham Young performed the marriage ceremony for Allen and Amanda for all time and eternity. They moved to Pigeon Creek, Iowa where they rented land and planted a garden. He taught masonry and guarded cattle at night. All money was saved for the great trip west. Amanda gave birth to her first child April 16, 1849: Lydia Mariah Fisk Stout. Though illness came their way and financial trials were their lot, they were able to leave for the Rockies in July, 1851. March 9, 1851, their first boy arrived: Alfred Fisk Stout. In late June 1851 Allen bought a wagon and hired three yoke of oxen from the "Perpetual Emigration Fund," and was ready to make the trek to the land of religious freedom by July 4, 1851. It was a difficult journey but to their great joy and relief they arrived at the Salt Lake Valley October 2, 1851 at Hosea's home. Amanda was so sick she had to be carried into the house.