Contents |
Doug Allison was one of the first professional baseball players in the United States. He played the position of catcher. He was the first player to wear gloves to protect his hands during the game. He also is one of the first catchers to position himself directly behind the batter rather than the usual 20 feet back.
Douglass Allison was born in Manayunk, a suburb in the northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the eighth of nine children, only six of whom survived to adulthood. He was born 12 July 1946 to John Shaw Allison and his wife Elizabeth Clark. [1]
Doug died 19 December 1916 in Washington, D.C. [1] He was found on the sidewalk near his home as he walked to work. The official cause was acute cardiac dilatation. [1] He is buried in Rock Creek Cemetery, 201 Allison Street NW, Washington, District of Columbia, Plot: Section O, Lot 024. [1]
Douglass Allison was married in 1872 to Catherine Hoffman of Ohio. They had one daughter:
During the Civil War, Doug served as a private in Company L, 192nd Pennsylvania Infantry. [1][2] [3] He enlisted with his brother, Albert Clark Allison.
Douglass was a stone cutter in his hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before 1868.
Catcher: [1]
Manager: [1]
Douglass was a fireman in Washington, DC after his baseball career. [4] (1890, Washington DC)
After that he had an appointment to the Dead Letter Office of the United States Postal Service. [5] [6]
In 1870, Doug Allison was the first baseball player to wear protective gloves. Previously, catchers were just supposed to stop they ball any way they could so that it could quickly be brought back into play. Catchers wound up with hands that were broken in many places. This is why players rotated positions, but Doug was a catching specialist. Protecting his hands meant he would miss less games due to injury.
Doug Allison's hands |
More notes on baseball life:
The Cincinnati census of 1870, ward 5, showed Douglas Allison living in the same hotel as a couple teammates of the Cincinnati Red Stockings, ANDY LEONARD and CAL McVEY. The report has Douglas listed as a stone cutter, Andy as a hatter, and Calvert as a piano maker(see picture attached). Andrew Jackson "Andy" Leonard was born in Ireland, and would become a hero there due to his baseball career in the U.S.. The Cincinnati Red Stockings had been organized by HARRY WRIGHT in 1869, and the team went 65-0 that year.
When the Red Stockings broke up after 1870 due to financial issues, Douglas Allison and four of his teammates would go on to play for the Washington Olympics in 1871: Andy Leonard, ASA BRAINARD, CHARLIE SWEASY, and FRED WATERMAN.
In that year, Douglas and the four mates just mentioned were pictured in a now antique baseball card(see pic attached) known as a cabinet card. This showed the top 11 players for the Washington Olympics. Wikipedia has a page for the WASHINGTON OLYMPICS and more details on the team. Two of the teammates were DAVY FORCE and HENRY BERTHRONG of New York. Henry Berthrong had also served in the Civil War.
Sources are attached to DOUGLAS L. ALLISON's FamilySearch profile.
Wikipedia tells more of his time in baseball, showing he played for about a half dozen teams up to and including the 1883 Baltimore Orioles (see link below).See also:
Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.
Douglass is 26 degrees from Herbert Adair, 27 degrees from Richard Adams, 24 degrees from Mel Blanc, 30 degrees from Dick Bruna, 22 degrees from Bunny DeBarge, 34 degrees from Peter Dinklage, 21 degrees from Sam Edwards, 19 degrees from Ginnifer Goodwin, 25 degrees from Marty Krofft, 19 degrees from Junius Matthews, 17 degrees from Rachel Mellon and 22 degrees from Harold Warstler on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
A > Allison > Douglass L. Allison
Categories: Cincinnati Reds | Professional Baseball Players | Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, District of Columbia | 192nd Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry, United States Civil War | Baltimore Orioles | Pennsylvania, Notables | Notables