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John George Alleman
John George Alleman (December 3, 1804 – July 14, 1865) was a missionary Catholic priest who served in the states of Ohio, Iowa and Illinois. He served as a priest in the Dominican Order from 1834 to 1840, after which time he was expelled from the order. He then served as a secular priest in the Diocese of Dubuque from 1840 to 1851, and in the Diocese of Chicago from 1851 to 1863. During his hospitalization in St. Louis, Missouri, (1863–1865) he was accepted back into the Dominican Order.
Details of Alleman's early life are sketchy. It is known that he was born at Attenschwiller, Alsace, France, on December 3, 1804. He immigrated with his family to Ohio as a child. In his formative years he became fluent in his native German, French, and then English. Little is known of his early education, but in 1832 he was studying for the priesthood at St. Rose Priory in Kentucky. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop John Baptist Purcell of Cincinnati on June 11, 1834.
Alleman is described as a large man who possessed great physical strength and a gregarious personality. The Midwest was being settled predominantly by German and Irish immigrants, while the Catholic clergy were predominantly French. As Alleman could speak German, French and English, he was able to speak to these different ethnic groups fluently. His goals were simple, "I am a poor Dominican Friar. I made a vow of poverty, and another to establish missions; with God's grace I will keep them both." His missionary work was all encompassing, and poverty was his without his seeking it. However, he constantly found himself in trouble with his superiors.
The date of Alleman's profession as a Dominican is not listed in any sources. The first mention of him in the community is in 1832 at St. Rose Priory, and then his ordination in 1834. As a Dominican, Alleman served parishes in Canton, Zanesville, and Somerset, Ohio. He was recalled to St. Rose so that his superiors could supervise him better. The reason for his recall is unknown, and his placement at St. Rose did not have the desired effect. He was expelled from the community in 1840 for unspecified reasons. His superior, the Rev. Nicholas Young, OP, does refer to his being "crazy" at times.
Bishop Mathias Loras, the first bishop of Dubuque, was in need of priests who were fluent in German. Up to this point the few priests he had in the diocese were French, and one was Italian. His vicar general was a Dominican priest by the name of Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli, who may have been influential in bringing Alleman to Dubuque. It seems unlikely that Loras would have accepted a priest into the diocese, knowing the rigors that were required, who was expelled from his religious community and unfit for ministry. Mazzuchelli had his own run-in with Young, and was not living in community himself. In 1840 Alleman traveled down the Ohio River and up the Mississippi River to Dubuque, Iowa, where he spent a years time. He was assigned by Loras to serve the German Catholics of the Diocese and he made Fort Madison, Iowa, his base of operation. Until 1850 the Diocese of Dubuque included all of present-day Iowa, most of the state of Minnesota, and both North Dakota and South Dakota east of the Missouri River. Most of the German settlers were in the small towns in Iowa near the Mississippi River.
Fort Madison was a town in its formative years. It sat in an area that had been open to white settlers for only eight years. It contained a few brick buildings with most of the buildings described as wooden shanties. The Iowa Territorial Prison was on the eastern edge of town. The streets, which were impassable after a storm, were littered with livestock, both alive and dead. Drunkenness was rampant and violence was not uncommon. So why did he choose Fort Madison? Rev. John Larmer, a contemporary of Alleman's, said: "After looking over northeastern Missouri, and the adjacent portions of Illinois and Iowa, Father Alleman resolved to establish his permanent mission at Fort Madison, a beautiful site above the first rapids on the Upper Mississippi. His object in settling, so to speak, at this point, was to have a permanent 'shanty' in a central location, whence he could more effectively perform the great work, which his former experience as a missionary, told him lay before him."
In 1840 Alleman established St. Joseph Church with the assistance of the few Catholic residents of the city. He resided in the basement of the small church building. He took his meals in homes of parishioners or at a local boarding house. He started a school in the church building, where he would teach the children whenever he was in town. By 1847 the small church was replaced by a larger structure. He also planned to build a rectory and a school building, but they were never built in his time there. Alleman continued to live in the basement of the new church. It was not all work for the priest; he also enjoyed gardening. He raised flowers, fruits and vegetables in his garden. He was credited with breeding the "Alleman Rose".
Fort Madison was only his home base, however. During his years there he served missions in Sugar Creek (now known as St. Paul), West Point, Montrose, Burlington, Iowa City, St. Vincent's Church in a rural area west of Riverside, Keokuk, Augusta, Dodgeville, Bakers' Point, Farmington, Primrose, and Franklin, all in Iowa, and Nauvoo, Illinois. His name also appears in the baptismal registers of parishes in Sherrill and New Vienna, both of which are near Dubuque. At times, some of these parishes would have their own priest who would stay for a while and then leave, and Alleman would have to take over administration of the parish again. By 1851, however, Alleman was reduced to serving only Fort Madison with the other parishes being served by other priests.
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John George Alleman
John George Alleman (December 3, 1804 – July 14, 1865) was a missionary Catholic priest who served in the states of Ohio, Iowa and Illinois. He served as a priest in the Dominican Order from 1834 to 1840, after which time he was expelled from the order. He then served as a secular priest in the Diocese of Dubuque from 1840 to 1851, and in the Diocese of Chicago from 1851 to 1863. During his hospitalization in St. Louis, Missouri, (1863–1865) he was accepted back into the Dominican Order.
Details of Alleman's early life are sketchy. It is known that he was born at Attenschwiller, Alsace, France, on December 3, 1804. He immigrated with his family to Ohio as a child. In his formative years he became fluent in his native German, French, and then English. Little is known of his early education, but in 1832 he was studying for the priesthood at St. Rose Priory in Kentucky. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop John Baptist Purcell of Cincinnati on June 11, 1834.
Alleman is described as a large man who possessed great physical strength and a gregarious personality. The Midwest was being settled predominantly by German and Irish immigrants, while the Catholic clergy were predominantly French. As Alleman could speak German, French and English, he was able to speak to these different ethnic groups fluently. His goals were simple, "I am a poor Dominican Friar. I made a vow of poverty, and another to establish missions; with God's grace I will keep them both." His missionary work was all encompassing, and poverty was his without his seeking it. However, he constantly found himself in trouble with his superiors.
The date of Alleman's profession as a Dominican is not listed in any sources. The first mention of him in the community is in 1832 at St. Rose Priory, and then his ordination in 1834. As a Dominican, Alleman served parishes in Canton, Zanesville, and Somerset, Ohio. He was recalled to St. Rose so that his superiors could supervise him better. The reason for his recall is unknown, and his placement at St. Rose did not have the desired effect. He was expelled from the community in 1840 for unspecified reasons. His superior, the Rev. Nicholas Young, OP, does refer to his being "crazy" at times.
Bishop Mathias Loras, the first bishop of Dubuque, was in need of priests who were fluent in German. Up to this point the few priests he had in the diocese were French, and one was Italian. His vicar general was a Dominican priest by the name of Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli, who may have been influential in bringing Alleman to Dubuque. It seems unlikely that Loras would have accepted a priest into the diocese, knowing the rigors that were required, who was expelled from his religious community and unfit for ministry. Mazzuchelli had his own run-in with Young, and was not living in community himself. In 1840 Alleman traveled down the Ohio River and up the Mississippi River to Dubuque, Iowa, where he spent a years time. He was assigned by Loras to serve the German Catholics of the Diocese and he made Fort Madison, Iowa, his base of operation. Until 1850 the Diocese of Dubuque included all of present-day Iowa, most of the state of Minnesota, and both North Dakota and South Dakota east of the Missouri River. Most of the German settlers were in the small towns in Iowa near the Mississippi River.
Fort Madison was a town in its formative years. It sat in an area that had been open to white settlers for only eight years. It contained a few brick buildings with most of the buildings described as wooden shanties. The Iowa Territorial Prison was on the eastern edge of town. The streets, which were impassable after a storm, were littered with livestock, both alive and dead. Drunkenness was rampant and violence was not uncommon. So why did he choose Fort Madison? Rev. John Larmer, a contemporary of Alleman's, said: "After looking over northeastern Missouri, and the adjacent portions of Illinois and Iowa, Father Alleman resolved to establish his permanent mission at Fort Madison, a beautiful site above the first rapids on the Upper Mississippi. His object in settling, so to speak, at this point, was to have a permanent 'shanty' in a central location, whence he could more effectively perform the great work, which his former experience as a missionary, told him lay before him."
In 1840 Alleman established St. Joseph Church with the assistance of the few Catholic residents of the city. He resided in the basement of the small church building. He took his meals in homes of parishioners or at a local boarding house. He started a school in the church building, where he would teach the children whenever he was in town. By 1847 the small church was replaced by a larger structure. He also planned to build a rectory and a school building, but they were never built in his time there. Alleman continued to live in the basement of the new church. It was not all work for the priest; he also enjoyed gardening. He raised flowers, fruits and vegetables in his garden. He was credited with breeding the "Alleman Rose".
Fort Madison was only his home base, however. During his years there he served missions in Sugar Creek (now known as St. Paul), West Point, Montrose, Burlington, Iowa City, St. Vincent's Church in a rural area west of Riverside, Keokuk, Augusta, Dodgeville, Bakers' Point, Farmington, Primrose, and Franklin, all in Iowa, and Nauvoo, Illinois. His name also appears in the baptismal registers of parishes in Sherrill and New Vienna, both of which are near Dubuque. At times, some of these parishes would have their own priest who would stay for a while and then leave, and Alleman would have to take over administration of the parish again. By 1851, however, Alleman was reduced to serving only Fort Madison with the other parishes being served by other priests.