Susanna Allen, a paternal grand aunt, was the half-sister to my grandfather Charles Brown. When speaking to my aunts about Susanna, they referred to her as Aunt Anna. This was probably a nickname, rather than a middle name. The small number of documents I found listed her with either name, though more often with Susanna. These provided me with a glance into her life. Continue reading
Allen
Census Through the Years: Minnie Idella Allen Phillips
My aunts referred to her as Aunt Della; she was an older half-sister of my grandfather, Charles Brown. As I searched census records and a few other documents to sort out details about her life, I found her birthday listed as March 17. Coincidentally, this was the same day listed on most of my grandfather Charles’ documents, which means the two likely shared a birthday. I say likely, as there were a few times one or the other’s birth month was listed on a document as April. Continue reading
Census Through the Years: Martha Jane Allen
When I began researching my paternal line, I asked my aunts and uncles about Jane and got the typically reply that they “did not know much about her.” Jane was mentioned as a sibling to my grandfather Charles Brown, though it was uncertain whether she was his full sibling. Jane lived in North Central PA and a few times an aunt or uncle paid her a short visit while passing through, such as the time my Aunt Mazie went up to Lock Haven to get married. They did not see Aunt Jane much, so aside from the names of her children, my aunts and uncles gave little detail about Jane. One vague comment I recall was one of her houses had a dirt floor in the kitchen, which suggested Jane lived a simple life with modest means. With little information to start, I turned to the census and other documents to solve some of the ambiguity surrounding Jane. Continue reading
Census Through the Years: Mary Clara Allen Walter
When I first started exploring my paternal family history, my Aunt Silveretta told me what she knew about her aunts and uncles. Silveretta knew that her father’s parents, John and Margaret, had children from previous marriages, but she was uncertain who the parents were for each of her father’s siblings. She mentioned several names, such as Jane, Claire, George, Francis, Dell, but knew few details about these paternal aunts and uncles. Silveretta had met most of them only once or twice when she was young and had no memories of them. Continue reading
Census Through the Years: William H. Allen
My grandfather Charles Brown had several half siblings including William Henry Allen. William was the eldest son from the marriage of my great grandmother Margaret McGarvey and her first husband Valentine Allen. Family stories about my grand uncle William are not known, perhaps due to the age gap between the brothers or that they lived in different parts of the state. Nevertheless, I have had to speculate about his life from records like the census. Continue reading
Cemetery Citings: Stone Heap
When I was in college—before my passion for genealogy developed—my walks to town took a shortcut through a cemetery. However, I ended up lingering to read the inscriptions on the stones, identifying who was related and imagining what these people’s lives might have been like. I remember a row of markers from the 1860s for one family: a father, a mother and several of their infant children who died within a few years of each other. I considered the sorrow this family felt and wondered whether illness or accident caused the children’s deaths. Continue reading
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