Origins of John Allen

[dairymaid]

I am trying to find the origins of John Allen who was apparently from Wales.

He was recorded as a miner on my Gt Grandmother's marriage certificate and as being her father.  She grew up believing she had been born in South Wales. 

I have the marriage certificate of John Allen to my 2x Gt Grandmother which took place in Pembury, Lancashire on 24th January 1880.  On it John's surname was spelt as Hallam and his wife, who was actually Frances Casley, was down as Fanny Cassley.  John's age was stated as 31, he was a bachelor, a collier and his father was down as Thomas Hallam, farm labourer. 

My Gt Grandmother was actually born in Pemberton.  However, there were two subsequent children, William John Allen and Mary Frances Allen both recorded on the 1891 and 1901 census as having been born in South Wales or Wales.

William John Allen was born about 1881 and Mary Frances Allen about 1886.

I have been unable to trace the family on the 1881 census.

The only other information I can give is that on Free BMD there is a birth of a William John Allen in Dec qtr 1880 in LLanelly and the birth of a Mary Frances Allen in Dec qtr 1885 in Merthyr Tydfil.

By 1891, Frances was a widow and living back in her native Cornwall.

Can anybody help by finding a baptism for either William John Allen or his sister Mary Frances Allen or a burial for their father between 1885 and 1891 or a census entry for 1881 for the family?

[z]

Hi Dairymaid

I have tried to find the family in 1881 but so far I have drawn a blank

I can find Frances Casley in earlier census but there doesn't seem to be anything obvious for John Allen/Hallam so just a thought  .................

Was there an address for John and Frances on the marriage certificate?

How about the witnesses could they be family members?

And just one other question was Frances known by any other name - as in 1891 she appears to be Margaret - or am I looking at the wrong family

All the best

Z

[dairymaid]

Thank you Z for taking an interest in this query.

The address on the marriage certificate is Queen St, Pemberton.  The witnesses were Richard Cassley (Frances had a brother called Richard and I think this may be him) and a William Webster (although I am not 100% on the surname here).

Frances, who was always known as Fanny was wrongly down in the cesus as Margaret.  You have the correct family.  Margaret was Frances's sister.  As far as I am aware Frances was not known by any other name than Fanny.

Dairymaid

[z]

Hi Dairymaid

Sorry but I have searched and searched and I cannot find this family anywhere in 1881

If the birth for William John Allen Dec 1880 in Lllanelly is correct I was hoping that they might have turned up in Wales -  but no it couldn't be that easy could it

Although, I did find Richard Ca(r)sley and family in 1881 RG11 3779 84 2 still living in Pemberton, so it looks as though he was in the area to be a witness at the wedding.

I note the marriage for John Allen and Fanny Cassley can be found on Lancs opc and they have the surname as Hallan?

I wish I had more news but they just don't want to be found

All the very best

Z




 

[dairymaid]

Thank you so much for trying Z.

I have had another look at the marriage certificate and the surname of John Allen could well be down as Hallan and not Hallam as I previously thought.  That having been said, according to my Gt Grandmother, he was definately called John Allen, so it looks as if there was a problem with accents here. 

Thank you again for your efforts
Dairymaid