Allan Family

If you came to this page because you are a relative of the Allans, perhaps exploring your genealogy, please help me develop this section of the book. I need pictures, letters from the past, documents, internet links, and I need your opinion and editing. You will also notice that I have sections with no comments or information associated- very often, for example, the Naturalization records category has no comments- I have not gotten around to this area of research. If you can help with the research for these sections, I would greatly appreciate your help. Join with me to make this tribute to the Allan family accurate and memorable. Thank you! Email me at baldwind@sisd.cc.

John Gardiner Allan, born in Michigan November 23, 1842. Married Marion Robb (first wife); 4 children. Married Elmira Hagan (2nd wife) and had 4 children.

The Allans lived next to the Andrew and Jane Mc Kay farm in the 1850 census. Nearby farms in 1850 included other Scottish families, the Hamiltons, Reeds, Downeys (William Walker, on their farm), and the Robb family. Other family names from the same census area that may have Scottish ancestry (but were not listed as such in the census) included the Dodge family, the Clarks, the Wilsons, and the Lees -who were from Ireland but may have been Scotch Irish.

In Scotland, John Allan was a victualler (A person who is licensed to sell food and drink to the public). In Michigan, he ran a trading business that required him to drive supply wagons that serviced the Huron, Sanilac, and St Clair County areas. The 1880 census gives his occupation as retail grocer.

Excerpts from a document created in 1822 at a family reunion: The Annual "Gathering" of the Descendants of the Allan-Gardiner and Robb-Milliken Clans, Almont, Michigan: September 3rd and 4th, 1922.

"John Allan and Elizabeth Stuart lived in Shettleston, a suburb of Glasgow, Scotland, and there their son, John Allan, was born February 7, 1814. There were also five daughters, Jessie, Elizabeth, Margaret, Marion and Jean, four of whom came to America with the brother John, the eldest, Jessie, coming later. The date of the death of the parents is not known except that it occurred previous to 1842.

"June 25, 1836, John Allan was united in marriage with Janet Gardiner, a winsome lassie of Shettleston. At that time he had a shop or store in Glasgow which he continued to operate until they migrated to America in 1842.

"Janet Gardiner was one of five children whose parents, William Gardiner and Janet Hart Gardiner, had established a home in Shettlestone where she was born April 12, 1816. Three brothers, John, William and Andrew, had preceded her and a sister Margaret was born later, the mother dying either at Margaret's birth or shortly after. The father subsequently married Ann McNab, and it was of this mother those who knew "Grandma Allan" heard much.

"Letters from the sister written after the coming of the Allans to America spoke much of this mother's love for Janet and of her sorrow at the parting. None of the pictures of the children sent back could quite compare with bonnie wee Jessie when she first saw her.

"It was in April, 1842, that these two, with their first born, Jessie, severed the ties of the homeland and set out to seek their fortunes in a new world. A six weeks' sea voyage during which the young wife scarcely sat up made a return trip an impossible thought to her and never again did she see any of her own people.

"The Hamiltons and other friends from Glasgow had settled in Berlin Township, St. Clair county, Michigan, the year previous, and there the young people came, homesteading what is now known as the John Wallace farm. Later they moved to the David Cochrane farm and still later to the Willie Anderson farm.

"This was then all new country, there were few villages. Bristol, now Almont, was a mere hamlet. The nearest trading point was Detroit, the settlers being served by supply wagons, one of which was later driven by John Allan, familiarly known as Uncle John Allan. Up and down, through Huron, Sanilac and St. Clair counties he went, his natural instinct for trade and barter having its outlet in this way. He held many offices in the township and it was said of him that his word was as good as a bond and that none sought aid of him in vain.

"In the course of the years there came to this house seven children , all except the youngest, a son, coming to maturity. All the trials and hardships of pioneer life were theirs. Accustomed to the city as they were, life in this unproven country must indeed have seemed strenuous. But they proved equal to the task.

"The young wife still found time with her large and ever increasing family to enter largely into community interests and made herself a real "Mother in Israel." She was one of the charter members of the New Church established there in those early years, her interest and influence expanding as time went on. It was to her a moment of great satisfaction when the summer school was established and she felt the work of this branch of the Swedenborgian church was made permanent. She always had time to extend a helping hand to any in need. Her story of learning the tailors' trade by taking her husbands wedding suit and ripping it, noting the manner in which it was made, and putting it back together again, in order that she might help a young man out of a difficulty, was an interesting tale.

"The distance from the doctors made it necessary for all to learn to care for the ill in their own families and Mrs. Allan was soon recognized as an expert and was constantly being called upon by those less competent.

"Indians and wolves were greatly feared at first but they soon learned that kindness conquered even there, though they were obliged to be a little stern with the Indian who insisted on taking the youngest sister Jean for his squaw. He had fallen in love with her long black braids and could not understand why he could not buy her.

"In 1866 the family moved to Lynn township, still in St. Clair county, where they had the postoffice and store and where they lived until 1880, when they moved onto the farm one-half mile south. Here they still operated both store and postoffice until the year 1890, when the farm was sold to James Sterling, and they spent their remaining years with their daughter, Mrs. M. A. Johnson (Johnston?), in Brockway township.

“Janet (Gardiner) Allan was born in Scotland, April 12, 1816, and died January 20, 1904; in 1836 she was married to John Allan, of Glasgow, where their first child Jessie, was born in 1840. In 1842 they came to America, and settled in the township of Berlin, St Clair County, Michigan.

"After marriage, Janet lived in Glasgow where her husband had a feed and provisions store. John Allan had a good friend living in the same building as he and Janet, a man named Hamilton. Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton belonged to the New Church, a Christian community that followed the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg. Janet Allan remembers seeing a book on a stand at the Hamilton’s. The book was called “Heaven and Its Wonders with a description of Hell, from things seen and heard”. Her first reaction was shock that anyone would dare write about such subjects. Over time, Janet Allan became more and more interested in the New Church and eventually she and John joined.

"Janet Allan “attended Mr. Goyder’s church (Reverend D. G. Goyder), and got books from him to read after that, till Mr. Hamilton and John Allan made up their minds to go to Australia, and had their passages all taken out to go by the next steamer; but Janet and Mrs. Hamilton felt so bad about going so far away, and Janet always had a fear of water, so one day while she was crying about it she said to John, “If it was only to America I would not say a word against it.” She had an uncle who had moved to Tennessee, but she never saw or heard from him again after coming over. So John asked Mr. Hamilton what he thought about coming to America, seeing the women were so against Australia. Mr. Hamilton said “I don’t know but we will look it up.” So after finding out what they could about it, they exchanged their passages to America,- Mr. Hamilton sailing at the appointed time, but, owing to some business needing to be looked after, John and Janet Allan did not come for a year after. They came direct to Detroit, and from there to Berlin, where Mr. Hamilton’s sons still own the old homestead. After arriving in Berlin Township, Janet Allan went to Detroit to be Baptized by the Reverend George Field of the New Church.

The known history of the Allan’s goes back to John Allan and Elizabeth Stuart of Glasgow, Scotland. Their son, John Allan (born 1818 near Glasgow) was the first of this ancestry to migrate to America along with his wife Janet Gardiner, their first child, Jesse, and five of his six sisters in April, 1842. The sixth sister followed them a few years later.

Janet Gardiner’s parents were William Gardiner and Janet Hart who also lived in Glasgow. Janet had three brothers and a sister in Glasgow, but there is no record of either of them or their parents ever leaving Scotland.

John and Janet settled in Berlin Township, Michigan in 1842 where he established a trading business that required him to drive supply wagons that serviced the Huron, Sanilac, and St Clair County areas. He was known to many as Uncle John Allan. He also held numerous political offices in Berlin Township and became an influential member of the community.

For their early years, the area was a wilderness with their nearest neighbor miles away. John Allan would be gone for several weeks on his supply delivery trips, leaving his wife and small children alone at home and there were some harrowing experiences with cold winters, wolves, and Indians survived by this young family.

In 1866, the family moved to nearby Lynn Township where they had the local store and post office and also ran a farm. Janet became an accomplished seamstress and became very involved in the Swedenborg New Church and the establishment of the New Church Summer School near Almont, Michigan. She became well known through her very active community involvements until her death in 1905 at age 8 (?).

Both John Allan and Janet Gardiner were born in Shettleston(e), Scotland, an eastern suburb of Glasgow. Both died in Brockway Township in Michigan. Their children intermarried with other Scottish Settlement families.

I found the work you have done on the history of Scottish settlement in southeast Michigan. My great grandfather, John Allan and his wife Janet Gardiner Allan immigrated from Shettlestone, Scotland (a suburb of Glasgow) to southeast Michigan in 1842. They first homesteaded what is now known as the John Wallace farm in Berlin Township, St. Clair County. Later they moved to the David Cochrane farm and still later to the Willie Anderson farm. They had 8 children, seven living to maturity.

Janet Allan was one of the charter members of the New Church established there in the early years. In 1866 the family moved to Lynn Township, St. Clair County where they ran the post office and store until 1890,when they sold the farm and moved to Brockway township, St. Clair County to live with their daughter, Mrs. M.A. Johnson. They are both buried in Lynn Township Cemetery. They have an elevated 4 sided tombstone. One side for John Allan, one for his wife Janet, and one for one of his sons, Andrew. I was able to get a death certificate for Janet who died in 1904. I have not been able to get an actual death certificate for John who died in 1892.

The Allans and Gardiners came from Shettlestone, a suburb of Glasgow. I found a map of it and it is still there. On the map there is a small cemetery near it. My father's mother was Robb and they came from Kilmarnock.

In 1921, the Allan, Gardiner, Robb and Milliken clans started having a reunion at the Summer School outside of Almont. In 1922 a Reunion booklet was published and given out. It is a small booklet of 9 pages, 81/2 by 4 inches printed with a cover. I have a copy and my cousin also has a copy. It gives the history of the Allan's and Gardiner's and Robb's and Milliken's. There is a picture of John Allan and his wife, Janet Gardiner Allan and a picture of Samuel Robb and his wife, Catherine Milliken Robb. The Robb's came to America and to Michigan in 1837,settled in Berlin Township, St. Clair County on a farm of 150 acres. John Allan and his wife and daughter Jessie and four of John's sisters came to America and to Michigan in 1842 and also settled in Berlin Township. One of the Robb's daughters, Jean married John Allan's son William. They had 14 children, the last being my father, William Robb Allan.

John ran a shop in Glasgow. I found a record dated June 4, 1837 stating that he was a victualler in Glasgow. Janet Gardiner Allan resided in Barony. John and Janet are buried in the Lynn Township (St. Clair County) cemetery (spelled Allen). In 1876, John Allan was listed as owning Sections 22,7,14,and 23 in Lynn Township where they did live at that time. We can't find a death certificate. There is a tall Stone Marker listing with John, Janet and their one son.

John Allan married Elizabeth Stuart June 12, 1802 in Scotland. They lived in a suburb of Glasgow called Shettleston. John and Elizabeth are the parents of Scottish Settlement pioneer John Allan who was born February 7, 1814 in Scotland. He died October 4, 1892 in Michigan, and is buried in the Lynn Township Cemetery, St. Clair County. John married Janet (Hart) Gardiner June 25, 1836 in Scotland; they also lived in Shettleston. When they came to America in April, 1842 they brought four of Allan's sisters with them. Marion Jean (Jessie) came to America later. These sisters married into other Scottish Settlement families.

The Allan surname spelled with an "a" is generally considered to be associated with Scottish clans, including Clan Donald, Clan Grant, Clan MacFarlane and Clan MacKay. Spelled with an "e," however, the Allen surname is generally considered to be English in origin.

Allan: Scottish and northern English variant spelling of Allen. This is the more common spelling of the name in Scotland and northern England; in Scotland it is often found as an English form of the Gaelic name McAllen (see McAllan).

Records mix up the surnames "Allan" and "Allen". In the 1850 federal census for example, the Allen family from Scotland is clearly the "Allan" family. Indeed, while doing the research for this book, I never came across a reference to any "Allan" family. The name was confused early on and never corrected.

Early records show a John Allen coming to the area in 1827, prior to the arrival of the Scottish family. We don't know if this earlier pioneer was related to the Berlin Township family or if he was English or Scottish. The 1827 Allen family were American pioneers; they came from the eastern United States.

Therefore, there may have been one or more English Allen families; pioneers who came from the New England colonies, moving westward. It would be important to know if the Allen family mentioned in Hamilton's records (below) was Scottish and related or not to the Allans featured in this section.

William B. Hamilton’s History of Almont: “The first trace we can find in the memory of the "oldest inhabitant," of the opening up of our beautiful township to the adventurous white man, takes us back to 1827. In that year William Allen, his son G.W. Allen and James Thorington, with Levi Washburn as hunter and guide, from the neighborhood of the township of Washington, with invading axes cut a road through northward, near the present main street of our village, to the pineries beyond.”

My Rutherford relations came from the boreders region of Scotland to Northumberland, Ontario Canada. They came with- or about the same time as the Johnstons. The Johnstons in the Scottish Settlement may therefore also have been from the borders region of Scotland and came to the Scottish Settlement via Canada. The Steele family is also related to the Rutherfords and so they may also have a Johnston connection.