New York native Charles Henry Allyn (1842-1918) came to Texas in 1868 after serving as a captain in the Union army during the Civil War. He arrived in Corsicana with his wife, Angela (Aldrich), in 1871 and became a businessman who helped organize the First National Bank, local savings and loan companies, and the cotton mill. He served on the city council and was mayor of Corsicana from 1888 to 1890, and he was also active in civic, educational, and church activities.