Alen/Allen

Dear Melissa

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

Unfortunately, it may be difficult to find information without a more specific place of origin. Most Irish record sources- church records, land records, census records- are based on specific locations. Until you know a specific location within Ireland, preferably a parish or placename, it may be difficult to do anything more with these records.

Do you have any documentation pertaining to the family that mentions any place names at all? This can include wills, marriage/death records, census records, letters, diary entries etc. Have you tried searching Ancestry.com for any mention of your ancestor?s name in member family trees or messages? Ancestry is also hosting ?webinars? on their site. The latest focuses on how to use Irish records when you do not know where your ancestor is from.

There are some places where you can search online, however these websites do not have complete collections and many do not cover the period after 1900:

www.familysearch.org has a huge database of genealogical records including some church records for Ireland.

www.rootsireland.ie have a large collection of Irish Church records, however you have to pay to use this site.

http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/ have begun a project to upload Irish church records to their site free of charge. However, so far only Counties Dublin, Kerry, Carlow and parts of Cork have been covered.

Other important sources include the Tithe Applotment Books and Griffith?s Valuation. Even though these sources only record the head of the household, the information is very important and can be valuable:

Tithe Applotment Books (1823-1837): http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/index.jsp

Griffith?s Valuation (1847-1864): http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/

The National Archives of Ireland: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/  you can search the 1901/1911 Census on the National Archives page too, for instances of the family name at that time

Remember to post any new information that you find here. The more information you post, the more likely it is that one of our volunteers will be able to advise or assist you. Also include information concerning which sources you may have already used so others may further your search.

Best of luck with your search

Clare Doyle

Genealogy Support  

Hi Melissa,

Just saw your enquiry regarding the Alen family from Kildare.  I've been researching this family as well.  Please email me at thomas.j.allen1@gmail.com.

Thanks, Tom Allen

I am interested in the surname Allen in Ireland, please see the below information and reply if you or someone you know would have interest in participating.

The ALLEN y-DNA Project & The ALLEN Guild of One Name Studies

The Allen DNA Project is partnering with the Allen Guild of One Name Studies in an exciting new Research Endeavor. The Allen DNA Project is a USA based group, but is very interested in expanding our membership to a world-wide audience by actively seeking out Allens from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Mainland Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or anywhere else on the planet. Additionally, any spelling variation of the Allen surname is welcome: Allan, Allyn, Allin, etc.

To this point, FREE yDNA 12 marker tests will be made available to any males carrying the Allen surname and residing outside the United States who are willing to join the project and participate in the testing. This involves no blood or needles, only a cotton swab rubbed on the inner cheek.

The only requirement for a free yDNA test is a known Allen/Allan (any spelling) lineage to at least the participant’s Great Grandfather Allen/Allan (any spelling) in any country. Additionally, The Allen DNA Project is setting aside a specific Sub-group within the Project with a full commitment of assistance from Allen Project Co-Administrator Dr. Eric Allen who will be overseeing this specific International Sub-group.

Guild of One Name Studies:  http://one-name.org/name_profile/allen/  

Allen DNA Project: https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/allan/about/background 

Direct Contacts:  

Mr. Chris Allen: cdpallen@gmail.com 

Dr. Eric Allen: doughertyallen1759@gmail.com

Regards,

Eric Allen