Ward Allen
Ward Allen | |
|---|---|
| File:Ward Allen.jpg Allen, photographed circa 1920 | |
| Born | Robert Ward Allen August 8, 1856 Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | August 23, 1931 (aged 75) Savannah River, Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Resting place | Magnolia Cemetery, Augusta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | game hunter, merchant |
| Spouse | Lucy T. Stubbs (1895–1931; his death) |
Robert Ward Allen (August 8, 1856 – August 23, 1931) was an American naturalist, merchant, and duck hunter. He gained recognition as the main figure in John Eugene Cay Jr.'s 1958 factual account Ward Allen: Savannah River Market Hunter. This book later inspired the 2013 film Savannah.
Early life and career
Born in 1856 in Savannah, Georgia, Allen was the eldest son of Robert E. Allen and Georgia Ward. His father, a practicing attorney and owner of the Allen's Station plantation near Savannah, passed away when Ward was only ten years old.
Allen pursued studies at the University of Oxford, but upon returning to America, he chose not to follow a legal profession like his father. Instead, he established a duck-hunting enterprise within Savannah's marshland alongside Christmas Moultrie, a former slave born on December 25, 1857, at Mulberry Grove Plantation. Their business involved supplying ducks to local eateries such as the restaurant at The DeSoto hotel as well as to families residing in Savannah.
On October 23, 1895, Allen wed Lucy T. Stubbs at Savannah's St. John's Church. Stubbs hailed from a wealthy Savannah family and was more than twenty years younger than Allen. The couple took residence in a spacious home located on Oglethorpe Avenue in downtown Savannah.
The Allens suffered the tragedy of a stillborn child, which led to Lucy developing severe and prolonged postpartum depression. In 1920, she was admitted to the Georgia State Sanitarium in Baldwin, Georgia, where she remained until her passing in 1934.
In 1927, regulations were introduced by the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge that imposed limits on the number of ducks hunters could take per outing and established a defined hunting season. These new rules impacted Allen’s means of income; he attempted to circumvent these laws but faced multiple arrests as a result. Deeply worried about the future of Savannah's marshlands amid growing industrialization in the city, he frequently expressed his concerns through local newspaper articles and petitioned the Georgia State Legislature, though without success.
Eventually, Allen relocated with his two Chesapeake Bay Retriever dogs from downtown Savannah to a modest cabin along the Savannah River and adopted a more solitary lifestyle. The death of Kenno, his favored dog among the two, was a significant emotional blow for him.
Death
Allen passed away in 1931 at the age of 75. His body was discovered drifting in the Savannah River. He was laid to rest in Magnolia Cemetery located in Augusta, Georgia, beside his parents.
Allen's recognition increased following the 2013 release of the film Savannah, which drew inspiration from John Eugene Cay Jr.'s 1958 nonfiction work Ward Allen: Savannah River Market Hunter. In this cinematic portrayal, Jim Caviezel took on the role of Allen. In 2019, Allen’s assortment of duck decoys and shotguns was entrusted to the Georgia Historical Society.
Christmas Moultrie died on April 23, 1956, at 98 years old. He is buried in the Cherokee Hill Baptist Churchyard in Port Wentworth, Georgia. The Moultrie Interchange on Interstate 95 bears his name in honor of his legacy.