Hanson-Allen Family
George Allen, Architect, and his wife, Maria Day
The reverse of the photo on the left says: "George Allen - my father." The other is 99.99% certain to be Maria Allen, nee Day, wife of George Allen. Her photo was removed by their son George Frederic Allen, from its (named) page in the family photo album, and - it appears - glued into the front in a position of far greater prominence - but not renamed. The painting (the location of which is unknown) of George Allen was photographed by Geo James, Photographer, Church St., Hackney. The photos are from the Allen-Hanson family album now belonging to Aroha Allen, Foxton.
George Frederic Allen wrote on the back of George Allen's photo, that: "My father, George Allen, was the second son of a private gentleman of Brentford, Middlesex. His elder brother was named Charles. His younger brother was named William. There was a sister. My father was articled to Mr Sames, architect, and succeeded to his business at 69 Tooley Street, London Bridge. He was District Surveyor of Rotherhithe and Halcham; and Surveyor to the United Parishes of St. Olave, St. Thomas and St. John; and Surveyor to the Hon. Company of Haberdashers. Born 1798, died June 28, 1847."
Research on George and Maria Allen is in its early stages, however, based on some known details - assisted by www.familysearch.org - it has been possible to learn that Georgge Allen and Maria Day married at St. Mary's Church, Newington, Surrey, England, on 1 July 1835. George Frederic Allen, their first child, was born in London (said to be at 69 Tooley Street, London Bridge) on 15 February 1837. He was christened at St. Olave's Church, Bermondsay, (alternatively called Southwark, Surrey), London, on 15 March 1837.
In his 1856 diary, George Frederic recorded the full names of his siblings and their ages at that time, This information has meant that their christening records could also be located via the same aforementioned website. Therefore we can learn that Charles William was christened on 22 April 1840, Emma Louisa on 28 April 1841, Julia on 15 December 1843, Alfred Henry on 20 February 1846, and Emily Georgina Drew on 23 July 1847 - all at St. Olave's
In daughter Julia's obituary, George Allen is described as a well known architect and as having designed the classic approaches to the famous London Bridge. This bridge is now in Arizona.
More details on this couple to follow
Their children:
While this topic is not researched in great depth, details known or suspected of being applicable are as follows:
1. George Frederic Allen (15/2/1837, London, England - 19/2/1929, Masterton, New Zealand). Married his English fiancée Caroline Frances Hanson in Auckland on 21 October 1863, a few days after she arrived from England.
2. Charles William Allen (1840, London - late 1924, 'between Victoria and Vancouver', Canada, however, confirmation has proven elusive.). Charlie emigrated to Canada, and between 1881 and 1884 was a Civil Servant in the Department of the Interior.
He was then a journalist with Winnipeg newspapers for a year or two before moving to Halifax. His name appears on the 1884 Civil Service lists and in the Canadian Press Assn.'s A History of Canadian Journalism, Vol. 1 (Toronto, 1908), p. 190.
He wrote two books as Captain C.W. Allen. The first, at which time he was living at Winnipeg, was published in 1881. It was entitled the Land Prospector's Manual & Field-book, for the use of Immigrants and Capitalists taking up lands in Manitoba and the North-West Territories of Canada.
The second book was Volunteer Land Grants, Scrip, and Pensions: with suggestions shewing (sic) how a grantee may realize to best advantage. This 15 cent book was published by the Toronto News Co. and the Montreal News Co.
His very brief biography (most of the above) was published in Bruce Bade Peel's A Bibliography of the Prairie Provinces to 1953 (Canada, date not available).
Perhaps he is the same Charles William Allen who married Mary Ann Trim at Walton on Thames, Surrey, England, on 27 April 1875. [Ref: IGI Records]. The photo below, from the Allen-Hanson album, shows Charles in 1870.
3. Emma Louisa Allen (1841, London - unknown). Possibly she is the same Emma Louisa Allen who married Henry Davis at Birmingham, Warwick, or Worcester, in England, in "about 1862." [Ref: IGI Records]
However, she is likely to be 'Mrs Arthur Dudley', of Port Elizabeth, Algoa Bay, South Africa, who on 7 November 1864 wrote to her sister, Julia Allen, to wish her a happy twenty-first birthday. The letter finally reached Julia forty-five years later.
Nothing more is known about her. The photo below, from the Allen-Hanson album, shows Emma photographed in September 1867, aged 26.
4. Julia Allen (7/11/1843, London - 29/11/1934, Fort Myers, Florida, USA). Julia married William Hanson, a childhood friend of the Allen family, and the brother of Caroline Hanson, who had married Julia's brother George Frederic. Dr William Hanson became a noted physician.
At first the couple lived in Presteign, South Wales, before moving to the United States in 1880, at first to Paris, Texas. They subsequently moved to Florida, where they transferred from Key West to Fort Myers in 1884. From the start, the couple became very active in the town's development, and this continued throughout their lives.
The couple had three children, Newton who died in December 1911, and Bernard and Stanley. The photo below, from the Allen-Hanson album, show Julia photographed on 25 December 1868, aged 25.
5. Alfred Henry Allen (late 1845 or early 1846, London - unknown). Possibly he is the same Alfred Henry Allen who married Mary Emily Sykes at the Cathedral, Manchester, Lancashire, England, on 31 October 1871. [Ref: IGI Records]
In the obituary of his sister Julia, he was described as Dr. Alfred H. Allen, one of the famous chemists and doctors in England, and as having published many authoritative papers. The photo below is an undated picture of Alfred from the Allen-Hanson album.
6. Emily Georgina Drew Allen (1847, London - unknown). Married William Macdonald Miler MacDonald at the Cathedral, Manchester, Lancashire, England, on 4 September 1871. [Ref: IGI Records]
As a young child she appears to have been known as "Mem" according to her brother's (GFA's) 1856 diary. The photo below (from the Allen-Hanson album) is an undated photo of Emily probably from the 1860s.
