Sam Allen, Willy Allen & Mamie Clements
ALLEN/USA & CANADA
Samuel John Allen (my grandfather), his brother William Allen married to Mamie Clements & sister Mary Allen, married to James Colville.
(Their 3 aunts, Sarah, Jane & Eliza emigrated to New Jersey/Delaware in the 1880’s and an Uncle, William John Allen to Westchester, New York in 1897...See separate page)
After further research, end of August 2014, I have got some more info relating to my Grandfather Sam, his brother William and sister Mary.
Sam sailed on the SS Cameronia, departing Londonderry 25 September 1923 arriving 4 October 1923, with GBP 10. Age given as 24 and butcher as trade. There were 28 passengers on board.
“Name and complete address of nearest relative or friend in country whence the alien came” is Mrs Violet Allen (my Grandmother) Ballymully, Moneymore.
Final destination to be Dobbs Ferry, New York state and a friends’ name stated as Annie Kerr.
Who is Annie Kerr and what was her role in Granda’s destination and work etc? When did he return to NIreland?
Rumour passed on by my Dad was that Granda got a job working with a group of Polish men, with whom he didn’t get on. He then returned to Ireland within the year.
NOTE : I assume, because of the movement of Allen’s across the Atlantic…his aunts in the 1880’s, his uncle 1897….that he was planning to pave the way for him and Granny Violet to settle in America as well!!?
WILLIAM ALLEN
Granda’s brother William tried Canada, with different results!!
William (Bill, Willy) sailed from Belfast, 9 May 1925 on the SS Metagama, arriving in Quebec 17 May 1925. He was 21 years old and had the grand sum of GBP 10.
According to the Canadian Government Return, Sheet 11 he travelled 3rd Class and paid the trip by himself. He listed “farming” as his trade and that he intended to follow this trade in Canada.
As destination he gives his cousin Mrs G McGarrey, 76 Wroxeter Ave, Toronto, Ontario.
Furthermore he gives Mr S Allen (my Grandfather), Coltrim, Moneymore, Co Derry as his next of kin, “in the country from whence he came”.
MAMIE CLEMENTS.
I then turned my attention to finding his wife Mamie Clements….checking to see if they had travelled together, as was rumoured in the Irish family when I started doing family research some 7 years ago.
I found that Mamie Clements had emigrated 2 years previously. Departure date 26 January 1923, on SS Montcalm, third class. Departure port not given. Arrival date is written as February 1923, at St Johns, New Brunswick. She had GBP30 and had paid the trip herself. She was 17 years of age.
Occupation is quoted as Domestic and that she intended to continue with same. Her object for coming to Canada was to settle.
Destination was to a friend, (text here difficult to read, could be “McCrea”, Bradley is clear as is the address!) 1125 Gerrard St, Toronto, Ontario (Found via Google maps that this address still exists!!)
Nearest relative in homeland is given as Samuel Clements, Killymuck, Ballinderry, Moneymore.
Mamie Clements signed the passenger document with clear and legible hand writing.
MARRIAGE : WILLIAM JAMES ALLEN TO MARY JANE CLEMENTS
Under the title Ontario, Canada, Marriages 1901-1928 I discovered that William had James as his second name and that a wedding took place in the City of Toronto, in the County of York in the Province of Ontario on 30 June 1927, at Cooke’s Presbyterian Church, Toronto. Both signatures on the Marriage Certificate are clearly legible.
Witnessed by Kenneth Young and Elizabeth Wright. Address for both was given as 1130 Gerrard St, Toronto….just 5 numbers from the destination address at his arrival to Canada 2 years earlier!
For William his fathers’ name is given as Samuel Allen and his mother as Susanna Ross. For Mamie (May Jane), father’s name Samuel Clements and mother Minnie Davis.
No immediate info on the years immediately afterwards, but we know there was a marriage to Mamie…..cannot as yet locate records for the marriage. Children were born, Raymond 1928 (-2007), James 1935( -2010) and adopted Wayne, for whom I have no details.
James became a very good FaceBook friend of mine, in the last years of his life. James’ had offspring, the 5 x K’s & Leone. Ray’s offspring, Gord in BC Canada, Lorne and Patricia Louise.
We met Gord and his wife Linda, who visited us in Sweden 3 years ago, autumn/fall of 2011!
MARY COLVILLE (NEE ALLEN)
Mary sailed from Belfast on the SS Letitia, arriving in Quebec 29 April 1928 on a 3rd Class ticket, paid for by the “ESA” ?? Birth place given as Moneymore.
Her trade was quoted as Domestic and that was what she planned to work with in Canada. Destination was Canadian Woman’s Hostel, Toronto.
“Name, relationship and address of nearest relative in the country from which you came” was brother, Mr Sam Allen (my Grandfather).
The only other records I have found is that a baby was born to Mary and James Colville in 1935, but died soon after birth or perhaps was stillborn. Cause of death not recorded.
I have no records re marriage date to James Colville, nor confirmed death dates. This after a lot of searching (My guess is that the marriage date is somewhere between 1930 and 1935). However previous research has given 2 sons born…. Allen Colville in 1935 and David Ross Colville in 1942 (Ross obviously for his grandmother Susanna Ross, married to Mary’s father Samuel)
Researching the name Colville I observe that it was a popular Scottish surname and I did discover that a James Colville 39 with wife Robina 38 and children Minnie 16, James 10 and infant Rubina sailed from Glasgow on the SS Hesperian, arriving in Quebec 6 May 1912.
There is NO confirmation that this James 10 years old in 1912, 26 years old when Mary arrived in 1928 when she was 25, is the James that Mary eventually married.
Assumptions are made many times during family research. These then must be confirmed one way or another by persisting with different sources of information. So if a confirmation can be had telling me that Mary’s James Colville had Scottish connections then my assumption is well on the way!!!
We have still more to do with the ALLEN connection America/Canada!
Des Allen 25 August 2014