The Jonas Allen family is one of the oldest families in south Logan County.
With continued residency from 1829 to present, the Allens are among the few remaining original settling families.
In a small quiet community on the Kentucky Tennessee border, Jonas Allen appears in 1829. He becomes a farmer, a brick mason, and a father of eight. Little does Jonas know that he will be the beginning of one of the longest continuous families of Logan County. Jonas lives his life of 56 years without a record of his birth, without owning any land, without a record of his marriage, and without a record of his death or the cause, and without a tombstone. The search for our family’s patriarch has been long and frustrating for the many that have tried. Fast forward to the 1940s, when a distant relative begins the search for Jonas’ ancestry. By writing letters to state archives, county clerk offices, and genealogy magazines, a skeleton outline is formed.
Fast forward again to the 225th birthday of Logan County and a man's wish to belong to the "First Families of Logan County.” Jonas' descendant, Ray Allen, only needs to prove that his ancestors were in Logan County, KY by 1820. Ray knows his family, paternal and maternal, have lived within the same 15 miles for generations. To further confuse all, family lore says the Allens originated in Logan County, KY with Beverly Anthony Allen - ex-Methodist preacher/murderer fugitive/teacher/physician/land baron. However, after an exhaustive search, a wall is hit with Jonas Allen and no concrete connection with Beverly Anthony Allen.
The search continues for beyond Jonas…
In 2024, yDNA connected my dad to Archibald Allen of Virginia. The majority of Archibald’s descendants did move to Kentucky (Nelson/Washington/Hardin counties) but moved on to Illinois (one did move to Tennessee). One descendant, Uriah R. Allen, was in Logan County about the same time as Jonas. However, no connection can be made between the two men.
This website is dedicated to my daddy, Robert Ray Allen.
Notes for website:
Bold = people in Ray Allen's direct line
Italics = family tradition or inferred information but no documents to support
Blue underlined = click for a link of further information
CONTACT ME!
kerry.holloman@gmail.com