Information for this life story provided by John Allen’s Great Grandson, Ken Crompton.

John Allen was born in Galbally, County Limerick, on 2 April 1838. His Protestant parents were William Allen, a farmer, and Catherine Cushen. According to family belief, Allen came to Australia to escape the troubles of Ireland. His brother Edmund remained in Ireland as a farmer and was later murdered: he was shot five times in the back and stabbed, reportedly ‘to be sure’. Two Catholics were charged with the murder but were acquitted. Another brother, James, migrated to Australia in 1877. He initially worked for a drapery business in Maryborough before moving north to the mines and goldfields south-west of Cairns. James later settled at Gordonvale where he had a small property running cattle, which led him to packing meat for the gold prospectors.

John Allen arrived in Sydney in 1862 and shortly thereafter, he must have moved to Rockhampton where he was employed in the store of John Palmer in Fitzroy Street, Rockhampton. Allen then moved to Mackay in February 1863 where he opened a general store. In May 1865 he married Jemima Crowther (nee Cooke) in Mackay and they had four children, all born in Mackay.

After Jemima died on 17 June 1878, John, aged 42 married Sarah Ann Nash, aged 22 (born 13 April 1858), on 20 November 1880. Sarah became the stepmother of John and Jemima’s children and then had 10 of her own children by John, one of whom Alice, died at a young age.

Citation: Ken Crompton and Lee Butterworth, ‘John Allen (1838-1902), Harry Gentle Resource Centre Dictionary of Biography, Griffith University, 2026, https://app.harrygentle.griffith.edu.au/biography/9664, accessed [insert date].