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History · Allen

Allen dates to 1812, and 74% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1960 on and the census since 1960.

1812founded
0on the National Register
74%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Allen began

When was Allen founded?

1812

Allen dates its founding to 1812 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1960.

First census: 325 in 19602020 census: 201214 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1830.The full story ↓

What stands out about Allen’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Allen are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Allen’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 385 in 1970; 201 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsEstablished in 1812: 214 years of Allen.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Allen’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Allen’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Allen came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Allen.

Read it all →

The community was first settled by War of 1812 veteran Captain Moses Allen and his family in 1827. A post office under the name Sylvanus opened on July 13, 1830. It closed briefly from September 5, 1834, to September 9, 1835. The name of the office was changed to Allen in honor of Moses Allen on August 17, 1868. The community was thriving and was platted that same year, and Allen received a railway depot along the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway. In 1950, Allen incorporated as a village.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

People over time

Allen, census by census

01002003004001960198020002020Peak: 385

Peaked at 385 in 1970; 201 people lived here in 2020.

7 censuses, 1960–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Allen’s Wikipedia page.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Allen in 1883

Passages that mention Allen, cut from the printed page as they were published.

There was a John Allen named as overseer of the pooi in the first charter of the borough of Elizabethtown, Feb. 8, 1739-40 (legal year 1739, calendar year 1740). — [Hatfield. J Jonathan Allen is named among Associates, 1729; he is also named as one to aid in settling western bounds of Elizabethtown…
Genealogical sketches of Roger Alling1883 · page 24Read the page →
Read the text

There was a John Allen named as overseer of the pooi in the first charter of the borough of Elizabethtown, Feb. 8, 1739-40 (legal year 1739, calendar year 1740). — [Hatfield. J Jonathan Allen is named among Associates, 1729; he is also named as one to aid in settling western bounds of Elizabethtown purchase. — [Hatfield.] Jonathan and Joseph Allen are named among first settlers at New Providence, to which settlers' went from Elizabethtown, 173G- 8. Joseph was one of the founders of the Presbyterian church at New Providence.— [Hatfield.] The above Jonathan and Joseph may be the ones named

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In examining these different genealogies, none seem to give a clue to the ancestry of Jonathan and Job Allen, of New Jersey, 1730, except the ones relating to the line of Roger Ailing, of New Haven, 1639. From circumstantial evidence hereafter given it seems probable that Jonathan and Job Allen wer…
Genealogical sketches of Roger Alling1883 · page 21Read the page →
Read the text

In examining these different genealogies, none seem to give a clue to the ancestry of Jonathan and Job Allen, of New Jersey, 1730, except the ones relating to the line of Roger Ailing, of New Haven, 1639. From circumstantial evidence hereafter given it seems probable that Jonathan and Job Allen were cousins of the first Samuel Ailing of Newark and descendants of Roger Ailing, whose immediate descendants are herewith given.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Allen, 1812 to 1970

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1812
    FoundingAllen is established
  3. 1840Born hereWilliam G. Whitney is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1932Born hereEd Donnelly is born here
  6. 1960On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 385
By decade

Allen, decade by decade

Today18 recent
Untitled photo2019Untitled photoUntitled photo2019Untitled photoUntitled photo2019Untitled photoTown 19-07-19 0652019Town 19-07-19 065Town 19-07-19 0552019Town 19-07-19 055Hist Society 19-07-19 0692019Hist Society 19-07-19 069East Building 19-07-19 0522019East Building 19-07-19 052East Bldg window 19-07-19 0532019East Bldg window 19-07-19 053Dr Clobridge Hse 19-07-19 0732019Dr Clobridge Hse 19-07-19 073Cong Medal of Honor 19-07-19 0752019Cong Medal of Honor 19-07-19 075Cong Medal of Honor 19-07-19 0742019Cong Medal of Honor 19-07-19 074Capt Allen 19-07-19 0722019Capt Allen 19-07-19 072Capt Allen 19-07-19 0712019Capt Allen 19-07-19 071Capt Allen 19-07-19 0702019Capt Allen 19-07-19 070Baptist Church 19-07-19 0662019Baptist Church 19-07-19 066Allen 19-07-19 0682019Allen 19-07-19 068Allen 19-07-19 0672019Allen 19-07-19 067Allen 19-07-19 0572019Allen 19-07-19 057
On the map

Allen on the map in 1960

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Allen.

Allen on the 1960 USGS map1960Allen sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Allen.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Allen

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

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E
Ed DonnellyBaseball player · b. 1932
William G. WhitneyAmerican Union Army Medal of Honor recipient · b. 1840

Questions about Allen’s history

What year was Allen founded?

In 1812, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Allen’s post office opened in 1830, and the census of 1960 counted 325 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (18), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.