D.C. Allen House of David Collection

D.C. Allen House of David Collection

The materials in this online repository form part of a larger D.C. Allen House of David Collection collection held by the Bentley Historical Library. For a more complete index to the materials, please consult the collection's online finding aid.

For questions or more information, please contact the Bentley Historical Library's Division of Reference and Access Services

Abstract:
D. C. Allen was a Three Oaks, Michigan book dealer and collector of material on the House of David, an adventist cult founded in England. The leader of this cult was Benjamin Purnell who made Benton Harbor his home and the site of his follower's business activities. The Allen collection (formerly housed at the Wyoming American Heritage Center) consists of most of the publications by and about the Israelite House of David, scattered manuscript materials mainly documenting the colony's business operations and court cases involving Purnell and the colony, and photographs and postcards depicting activities of the colony.