Aunt Helen's and Marjorie's notebooks tell us something about the family members who stayed in Ireland:
"When distributing the estate of Richard Allen (1843-1872) in Illinois, John, Catherine, and Edward were listed as living at Summer Hill, County Meath, Ireland. Edward later came to U.S. in 1880."
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| Edward Allen, younger brother of Hugh Allen |
" Edward Allen, a citizen of English Township, is a native of Ireland, and was born in 1849, his parents being Richard and Margaret (Sweeney) Allen, both of whom were also natives of the Emerald Isle. His parents both died in their native country. Edward immigrated to this country in 1880. He took passage at Liverpool, England, and sailed to Castle Garden, New York.,thence he came to Jerseyville and located in English Township. Here he made his home for about two years, then went to Gage and Johnson counties, and for a time there followed farming. He then returned to his homestead in this county, which has since been his home. He was married May 12, 1885 to Mary Ryan. They are both members of the catholic church in Jerseyville. He cultivates about 30 acres of land."
I was able to connect with Mary Dillard, a descendant of Edward Allen, who shared his story with me. After coming to the U.S. in 1880, Edward lived for a time in Jerseyville and married Mary Bryan there on May 12, 1885.
You can see that the name spellings got mixed about some. The marriage license below is for Edward Allen and Mary Bryan. The information on the right shows her as Mary Bryne, and her parents as James Brien and Catherine Riley.
Edward would have known Mary in Ireland; her parents, James Brien and Catherine Reilly had a farm in nearby Ballinrig. James Allen and Rose Allen, likely relatives of Edward Allen, were their neighbors. The Brien family attended the Summerhill Parish church in Dangan. James and Catherine were married there on June 19, 1845, and Mary was baptized there on September 30, 1853. Edward Allen, born in 1844, was likely friends with Mary's older brothers. Mary's parents remained in Ireland and show on the 1901 census in Ballinrig; James was 84 and Catherine 75.
Sources:
Year: 1880; Census Place: English, Jersey, Illinois; Roll: 216; Page: 12A; Enumeration District: 093
Ancestry.com. Illinois, County Marriage Records, 1800-1940 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA:
Ancestry.com. Ireland, Select Catholic Birth and Baptism Registers, 1763-1917 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.
General Valuation of Ireland. Dublin, Ireland: Irish Microforms Ltd., 1978. National Archives, Dublin and Public Record Office, Belfast.
Census of Ireland 1901/1911. The National Archives of Ireland. http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/: accessed 31 May 2013.