Allen-Allan Family re-union

Tracing the footsteps of our ancestors to Rarogan School - 10th May, 2009

South African native reunited with long-lost relatives at Ballygawley

MAY 10, 2009, will always remain a special date in the eyes of Tony Allan, from Hout Bay, South Africa, as it was the day he was officially reunited with his long-lost relatives at Ballygawley.

The grandson of Robert Allen, Tony Allan - this is how he spells it - had always wondered about his background. He knew that his ancestors on the paternal side came from the UK, but he wasn't sure where. 

In 2007, he and his wife, Dawn, were travelling through Ireland and continued on to Scotland, hoping perhaps that they might get some clue, as to where the Allan family (as they thought) came from. Nothing was learned from this trip, except that they enjoyed travelling throughout the various verdant landscapes of the British countryside.

Tony remembers motoring up through County Tyrone and passing by small towns and villages like Augher and Ballygawley, little realising that his great-grandparents were buried in a little Church of Ireland graveyard at Ballynasaggart, which was a couple of miles off the route he was travelling.

Then when he returned to home, he almost gave up hope of finding out more about his long lost relatives but just by chance, a holidaymaker called Tony Grimes from Enniskillen in  Northern Ireland made his acquaintance whilst holidaying in South Africa, and they got talking.

The conversation came round to the old country and Mr Grimes, who actually wasn't from the Ballygawley area, but knew of Allens who lived outside the town, and he mentioned this to Tony.

'Fascinating'

Relaying the fascinating story, one of Tony's long-lost relatives, Kenny Allen, Omagh, told the Tyrone Constitution newspaper reporter: "When he got home Mr Grimes emailed Tony a list of Allens that he found in the telephone directory. There were quite a few in the list, so Tony decided to write to all the Allens, rather than phone each one, because he wasn't still sure if there was a link.

He got one reply from one of my cousins, Russell Allen, 10 days afterwards and they exchanged email addresses. "Russell had one piece of evidence that established the link between South Africa and Ireland. Because Tony's grandfather. Robert born in 1854 emigrated to South Africa and returned to Ballygawley in 1894 to erect a headstone to Isaac and Eliza Allen in their memory at Ballynasaggart. The people in Ireland were still very poor and headstones were expensive.

"Russell included a picture of this headstone in his letter to Tony  the inscription included the wording "Erected by their son Robert of South Africa".

Robert, in fact, was Robert Allen, but for some reason when he or his son Gordon (Tony's father) was registered, the name was spelt Allan this being one of the reason that tracing relatives was difficult Robert Allen was born on February 7, 1854, in Ballygawley, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, died on October 15, 1921, in Durban Road, Wynberg, Cape Town, South Africa, aged 67, and was buried in St. John's Cemetery, Wynberg.

'Farming background'

"Like every boy of the time, he would have helped his father on the farm. There is a record that he and his brother James were witnesses at their sister Ann's wedding on July 11, 1872. When Robert paid a visit back to Errigal near Ballygawley in County Tyrone, it was to erect a tombstone over his mother and father's grave.    (I and my other Allen relatives often saw the headstone which he put up for his parents. Unfortunately the occasion would have been a family burial)

"During his visit he gave his nieces and nephews watches. This was reported to have taken place about 1894. No further contact was made between Robert and his heirs from South Africa until now and the family was forgotten about.

"Since then Tony has found details of his Irish family going back to the 1700s and found about 350 relatives (ranging from first cousins to third cousins removed etc). But what is even more amazing is that he is now in regular contact with some of them and they have become not just relatives but good friends. The nearest living relative to Tony now that we know of is Margaret Lavelle (neé Allen) who is my aunt and Tony's second cousin. Tony was my father's second cousin and his relationship to all my first cousins (of which there are many) is a second cousin, once removed. “Commenting on the long-awaited family Reunion on Sunday, Mr Allen, continued: "One of the events organised was to re-trace the walk down the derelict lane and fields that our relatives took when they went to school. Tony's grandfather, and in later years my father, attended Rarogan National School (open 1836-1928) and now derelict.

"One of my uncles Jim Allen, who later went to live in Belfast, went to this school for one day, the day before to closed in 1928 and then he and my father transferred to Garvaghy National School. "After the constant rain during the previous week, we were blessed with a glorious day on Sunday, when about 40 of the 60 or more cousins and relatives braved the mud and overgrown bushes to take part - I tested the viability of the route last November and it was over 45 years since I can remember being along it. Some of the cottages along the way were either in ruins or removed, many memories were revived of the old days on route.

"Tony has been visiting Ballygawley and other villages occupied by the Allen's of Errigal over this past week and is hoping to see as many relatives as he can during his stay."

Tony Allan, who will be returning to South Africa tomorrow (Friday), said he will be pleased to find any additional information on his family tree and can be contacted at tony@theateam.co.za

Tony Allan passed away on the 1st November, 2012. In an email from his loving wife Dawn, she said, "I am so very glad that he found and met his Irish family before passing on. It was so important to him.  We are having a memorial service for him on Tuesday morning at 10am at Christ Church Constantia – the church his grandfather Robert built."