Born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1833, Thomas Milton Allen was elected to represent Jasper County in 1868. Additionally, Allen testified about the actions of the Ku Klux Klan. He testified that two men came to his door right after he was expelled to intimidate him into voting for the Democrats of Jasper County at the next election. 

In his testimony, he shared that men gathered in his yard on October 16, 1868, and demanded that he give them a light. Unable to find anything, his brother-in-law, Emanuel, offered to go outside to give the group of men a light. Emanuel was shot twice and bled to death.

Allen also received a threatening letter from the Ku Klux Klan. The letter was threatening his life. While the letter was signed by the KKK, it said, “My word to you, Tom, is to stay home if you value your life, and not vote at all, and advise all of your race to do the same thing. You are marked and closely watched by K.K.K.

After these threats, his family decided to move permanently to Marietta, Georgia, where they had been spending some of their time. He was a founding member of Zion Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia. He was selected to be the church’s second pastor, where he served from 1869 to 1885. He helped organize other churches in the Marietta area. He founded the first association for Black churches, called the Kennesaw Circuit. He died in 1909 and is buried in the Marietta City Cemetery.

Allen was married to Priscilla. According to the 1880 Census, they raised at least eight children in Marietta, Georgia.