published in Woman's Who's Who of America 1914-1915 New York: American Commonwealth Company, 1915
1. Text
ALLEN, Wellesca Pollock (Mrs. Wilfred P.
Allen), 804 B St., S.W., Washington, D.C.
Disciple and teacher of Bahaism; b. Weston,
Mass., Feb. 12, 1871; dau. George Henry and
Louise (Plessner) Pollock; ed. Washington (D.C.)
public schools, Washington Normal Kindergarten
Inst, and Froebel Inst., Washington; m. Richmond, Va., Sept. 5, 1906, Wilfred P. Allen; children: Wilfred Pollock, b. Dec. 29, 1908; Harrison
Dyar, Dec. 24, 1911. Taught kindergarten In the
public schools of Washington before marriage,
pioneering the kindergarten idea in that city.
Before kindergarten could be introduced into the
public schools of Washington it was necessary to
have a corps of trained colored teachers, and she
and her mother trained a class of 22 for that
purpose, and they also conducted a correspondence kindergarten course. Since 1901 interested
in the Bahai Revelation and has been engaged in
disseminating its principles. In 1907 went to
Acca, Syria, and visited Abdul Baha Abbas, the
leader of this movement, then a prisoner of the
Turkish Government because of his religious
views. Made compilations of extracts from the
teachings of Abdul Baha Abbas, two in English
and one in Persian: Selections from the Tablets
of Abdul Baha to Aseyeh, also Letters of Abdul
Baha to the Children, and in Persian, Pearls of
the Kingdom.