The Courier Electronic Edition

Just Ask: Township named after general


Q: Who is the Allen of Allen Township?A: It was Ethan Allen, but, no, not the furniture maker.

Revolutionary War Gen. Ethan Allen (1738-1789) commanded Vermont's "Green Mountain Boys" militia, best known for taking Fort Ticonderoga, N.Y., from the British on May 10, 1775.

Allen Township, formed in June 1850, was the last township organized in Hancock County.

It had 869 people when it was carved out of 15,360 acres, or 12 sections each from Cass and Portage townships, according to the "History of Hancock County, Ohio," 1886.

"When the first settlers built their cabins in this portion of the county, the original forest was unbroken by a single clearing, unless the almost impenetrable track called 'Wildcat Thicket' could be so named.

"This was a strip of fallen timber extending across the township from west to east, and covered with a dense undergrowth, where wild animals of every sort took refuge. The forest had evidently been blown down by a hurricane from the west long prior to the coming of the whites," according to the book.

By the way, there are also Allen townships in Darke, Union and Ottawa counties, Ohio. And who could forget Allen County? -- Peter Mattiace.

Q: How are NFL players paid? Do they just get regular paychecks during the football season, or is their pay spread throughout the year? Do they get paid separately for preseason activities, training camps and postseason play, or is that all included in their overall salary? What if they have incentive clauses in their contracts; is that money paid as it is earned, or in a lump sum at the end of the season? -- Tom Jeffs, Edison, N.J.

A: Typically, a player gets paid his whole annual salary during the 17 weeks that make up the regular season, according to the NFL. That doesn't cover what they do with the team before and after the season. They get separate compensation for those activities.

As for signing and other bonuses: They can be paid as a lump sum or spread out over multiple weeks, depending on the terms of a player's contract. And if an athlete earns incentive payments -- say, by playing a certain number of games or achieving other goals specified in his contract -- he usually has to wait until the season ends to cash in. -- Barry Wilner, AP, New York.

Q: There are 1.4 million people in the active-duty, all-volunteer Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force. But what about the Coast Guard? Isn't it also one of the armed services? -- Lowell Gibbs, Albuquerque, N.M.

A: The Coast Guard has 42,000 active-duty volunteers, agency spokesman Tony Russell says. That number has gone up slightly each year over the past few years, he says.

The Coast Guard, while a military service, is part of the Homeland Security Department. In times of war, the Coast Guard may be transferred to the Department of the Navy. -- Eileen Sullivan, AP, Washington.

If your kind of curiosity leads to these kinds of questions, Just Ask will answer them on Mondays. Just ask by e-mail to justask@thecourier.com, or write to: Just Ask, The Courier, P.O. Box 609, Findlay, OH 45839.