ALLISON FAMILY OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

1809 TO PRESENT

Origins of Our Allison Family

THE ALLISON FAMILY CAME TO THE AMERICAS AROUND 1750 or 1760.THEY WERE SCOTS WHO MAY HAVE LIVED IN IRELAND OR

WALES PRIOR TO DEPARTING FOR THE AMERICAS. THEY WERE STRICT BAPTISTS FROM THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND WHO FELL IN

WITH THE BAPTISTS IN THE AMERICAS. THEY POSSIBLY CAME IN TO THE AMERICAS THROUGH PHILIDELPHIA OR AMBOY OR NEW YORK

CITY AROUND 1750 OR 1760. SAMUEL AND JONATHAN ALLISON WERE PROBABLY BORN IN AMERICA SOON THEREAFTER. (THEY MAY HAVE

BEEN BORN IN WARM SPRINGS, VIRGINIA AS PER THE BIOGRAPHY OF JOHN W.ALLISON, GRANDSON OF SAMUEL ALLISON, SR.

however I don't think this is correct though)., MAKING SAMUEL AROUND 50 YEARS OLD WHEN HE LIVED IN MASON COUNTY,

KENTUCKY AND 68 YEARS OLD WHEN HE DIED IN LAWRENCE COUNTY, ILLINOIS.THERE ARE CONFLICTING STORIES AS TO WHERE

SAMUEL V.ALLISON, SR.WAS BORN.ACCORDING TO THE OBITUARY OF JOSEPH PERRY ALLISON, A GRANDSON OF SAMUEL

ALLISON, SAMUEL ALLISON WAS RAISED IN NEW JERSEY.A HISTORICAL MAP OF NEW JERSEY SHOWS THAT THE SCOTCH-IRISH

SETTLED NORTH OF TRENTON.THE BAPTIST CHURCH LATER BROKE WITH A GROUP CALLED THE PRIMITIVE BAPTIST CHURCH A/K/A THE

OLD SCHOOL BAPTISTS.THE BAPTISTS HAD A CHURCH WHICH WAS NORTH OF TRENTON IN HOPEWELL, NEW JERSEY IN MERCER COUNTY,

NEW JERSEY (2ND OLDEST PRIMITIVE BAPTIST CHURCH IN AMERICA).PERHAPS THIS IS WHERE SAMUEL AND JONATHAN

ALLISON WERE BORN AND RAISED.HOPEWELL WAS A CENTER FOR BAPTIST MISSIONARIES TO LEARN THEIR TRADE. THE OLDEST

PRIMITIVE BAPTIST CHURCH IN AMERICA IS THE WELSH TRACT CHURCH. IT IS TWO MILES FROM NEWARK, DELAWARE, IN NEW

CASTLE COUNTY, DELAWARE (THIS IS ABOUT 35 MILES SOUTHWEST OF PHILADELPHIA).MAYBE THEY WERE RAISED THERE.(THERE IS

FAMILY TRADITION THAT THEY CAME FROM WALES, PERHAPS IN ACTUALITY THE ALLISONS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THE WELSH

TRACT CHURCH, RATHER THAN WALES.) WE KNOW THAT AFTER THE REV.WAR (1783) THEY MOVED.

POSSIBLY THE ALLISONS COULD HAVE BEEN IN OR NEAR LAURENS COUNTY OR SPARTANSBURG COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE THE

MOODYS WERE FROM THE AREA NEAR COWPENS (THE BATTLE OF COWPENS), WHICH WAS JUST TO THE NORTH OF THIS IN SOUTH

CAROLINA.THE MOODYS MARRIED INTO THE ALLISON FAMILY WHEN REBECCA MOODY MARRIED FREDERICK ALLISON, SAMUEL ALLISON'S

SON.THE HEADS OF FAMILY CENSUS IN SOUTH CAROLINA FOR 1790 FOR LAURENS COUNTY, DISTRICT 96, SHOWS A SAMUEL

ALLISON WITH WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN THE CORRECT NUMBER OF CHILDREN FOR THAT TIME IF FOUR OF THEIR SONS WERE BORN ON

OR AFTER 1790.HOWEVER THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY RON HERD ABOUT THE SAMUEL ALLISON FAMILY FROM LAURENS COUNTY

FOR THIS TIME PERIOD WOULD INDICATE THAT THIS WAS NOT OUR SAMUEL ALLISON WHO LIVED IN LAURENS COUNTY WHO WAS

MENTIONED IN THE 1790 CENSUS. 

BASED UPON THE INFORMATION OF JOHN W.ALLISON, GRANDSON OF SAMUEL VEALE ALLISON, SR., RICHARD S.ALLISON,

SAMUEL'S SON, WAS BORN IN WARM SPRINGS, VIRGINIA IN 1798. PERHAPS SAMUEL ALLISON, SR., AFTER LEAVING NEW

JERSEY/PENNSYLVANIA AFTER 1783, ENDED UP IN WARM SPRINGS IN 1798 AND THEN IN MASON COUNTY KENTUCKY IN 1800 (AS PER

THE MASON COUNTY, KENTUCKY TAX ROLLS). IN 1806 THE INDIAN LANDS ACROSS FROM VINCENNES WERE PLACED UNDER A TREATY

WITH THE PINKASHAW TRIBES.THE ALLISONS MOVED INTO THE AREA IN 1809. THIS WAS ABOUT THE TIME THAT THE ILLINOIS

TERRITORY WAS MADE A TERRITORY.THAT IS PROBABLY WHY THEY SETTLED ON THE ILLINOIS SIDE OF THE RIVER. ILLINOIS DID

NOT BECOME A STATE UNTIL 1818 SO DEEDS WERE NOT FILED UNTIL MUCH LATER, ALTHOUGH SOME LAWRENCE COUNTY/CRAWFORD

COUNTY DEEDS WERE FILED AROUND 1814 TO 1816 BY THE ALLISONS. THE ALLISONS LIVED ALONG THE BORDER OF THE

LAWRENCE COUNTY/CRAWFORD COUNTY LINE. AT ONE TIME THEY WERE IN CRAWFORD COUNTY. THE BOUNDARIES WERE SUBSEQUENTLY

CHANGED TO PLACE SOME OF THE ALLISONS IN LAWRENCE COUNTY, ILLINOIS. BY A FAMILY TRADITION, AS STATED BY RON HERD,

SAMUEL ALLISON AND JONATHAN ALLISON MAY HAVE HAD A BROTHER NAMED JOSEPH ALLISON. ACCORDING TO RON HERD, FAMILY

TRADITION HAS IT THAT JOSEPH ALLISON'S FATHER WAS ALSO NAMED JOSEPH ALLISON. IT IS A POSSIBILITY THAT JOSEPH

ALLISON MAY HAVE HAD 5 SONS. ONE WHO COULD HAVE BEEN NAMED EDWARD ALLISON AND ONE WHO COULD HAVE BEEEN NAMED SAMUEL

H. ALLISON. BOTH OF THESE NAMES APPEAR OF RECORD IN LAWRENCE COUNTY, AS DOES A DANIEL ALLISON (WHICH COULD BE

EITHER SAMUEL V.ALLISON, SR.'S SON OR JOSEPH ALLISON'S SON). IT IS SAID THAT JOSEPH CAME FROM KENTUCKY AFTER 1820

AND CAME TO LIVE WITH HIS SON.COULD THIS SON BE SAMUEL H.ALLISON? IS IT EDWARD ALLISON?JOSEPH SEEMED TO

TRANSACT BUSINESS WITH EDWARD ALLISON (IN THE 1820S) AND NOT SAMUEL H.ALLISON.THERE WAS A JOSEPH ALLISON ON THE

MASON COUNTY, KENTUCKY TAX ROLLS IN 1800 AND 1810 SO THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT JOSEPH COULD HAVE COME TO ILLINOIS

IN THE 1820S. JOSEPH WAS STILL IN THE 1810 CENSUS OF MASON COUNTY, KENTUCKY AFTER SAMUEL LEFT FOR ILLINOIS.

POSSIBLE ROUTE OF SAMUEL VEALE ALLISON, SR.


THE PHILADELPHIA WAGON ROAD RUNS SOUTHWEST FROM PHILADELPHIA, AND TURNS INTO THE GREAT WAGON ROAD THAT

WENT SOUTHWEST INTO WHAT IS NOW AUGUSTA COUNTY, VIRGINIA. AT STAUTON, VIRGINIA. THIS ROAD CROSSES WITH THE PAMUNKEY

NEW RIVER ROAD WHICH GOES WEST NORTHWEST THROUGH PRESENT DAY BATH COUNTY, VIRGINIA, WHICH IS THE LOCATION OF

WARM SPRINGS , VIRGINIA.THE NEW RIVER ROAD WAS THE FAMOUS JAMES RIVER TURNPIKE WHICH RAN TO KANAWHA

COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA (PRESENT DAY CHARLESTON) AND THEN SPLIT ONE BRANCH FOLLOWING THE MOUTH OF THE

KANAWHA RIVER AT PT.PLEASANT, MASON COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA, ACROSS THE OHIO RIVER FROM GALLIPOLIS, OHIO

IN GALIA COUNTY AND INDIAN TERRITORY IN 1780.(NOTE: THE OTHER BRANCH WENT OVERLAND THROUGH TEAYS VALLEY

AND JOINED THE OHIO RIVER AT THE MOUTH OF THE GUYANDOTTE RIVER, PRESENT DAY CABELL COUNTY)

AT GALIAPOLIS THE ROAD CROSSES THE OHIO RIVER. GALIAPOLIS IS IN GALIA COUNTY, OHIO.JUST A SHORT BOAT

RIDE WEST OF GALIAPOLIS, DOWN THE OHIO RIVER TO MAYSVILLE, KENTUCKY, WHICH IS NEAR WASHINGTON, MASON COUNTY,

KENTUCKY, IS WHERE THE ALLISONS WERE IN 1800.UPON LEAVING THE WASHINGTON AREA, GOING THROUGH MAYSVILLE,

KENTUCKY AND CONTINUING SOUTHWEST DOWN THE OHIO RIVER, THE ALLISONS COULD HAVE COME UPON LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY. AT

LOUISVILLE, THE BUFFALO TRACE ROAD (AN OLD BUFFALO PATH) IS PICKED UP WHICH LEADS ALL THE WAY INTO VINCENNES,

INDIANA AND OVER INTO LAWRENCE COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
 
 

LINKS TO ALLISON FAMILY MATERIALS

 Allison Family Pedigree Chart - Genealogy.com

 

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