Hello!

Welcome to The Allen Gazette!

II am Susannah Allen

My Grandmother, Sarah Balentine shared with me that when she was growing up, her mother would recount family history stories. Sarah listened politely but admitted she didnt really care. Neither did her sister Eunice or anyone else.

Because noone embraced the information, little was passed to the next generation. The next generation of children showed no interest at all. By the time grandchildren came along, no one even knew that there was family history to know.

Both Eunice and Sarah learned how quickly the information dissipates into the air, never to be retrieved again. At their elderly ages, a reality set in. All the stories their mother had shared, were to be lost forever.

Thus, they recruited me.

I don’t remember actually being asked. I dont remember actually agreeing. But they were strong women with a purpose and suddenly there I was, seated with them, surounded by verbal narratives. They shared beloved papers and documents. And even more fun, I was taken on field trips to libraries, town halls and homes that remained through generations. I was taught how to request document and search books. There was no one else to carrry this torch. So, I listened, I learned and I promised them.

They had envisioned that I would write a book with our completed family history. That idea predated the invention of computers and the internet. A book is so definitive, you finish and publish. Geneology is not a defined path. Is there a place at which you conclude your journey?

We have blogs now. I can share information and later correct and add to it. I can add newly discovered photos. And in my heart, I know my grandmothers are happy with this as I am building something beyond what they envisioned. They wanted, more then anything for the information to be shared. The blog suits their request perfectly.

So, to Grammy Sarah, Aunt Eunice, Great, Grammy Inez Kohler and Great Aunt Ruth, this blog is for you. Your voices, your stories and your history live on, here on my blog.

Aunt Eunice said to me once, “Whenever I miss my Mother, (Inez Kohler), I know where she is and that she is happy. She’s in the back of your car with her sister Ruth and they are riding along with you to the Mayflower Society library and reading along with all your research.”

That touched my heart and I swear I do feel them with me sometimes. This blog is for them.

The name The Allen Gazette comes from their ancestors who use to write a hilarious family newspaper each month. I have a number of copies for reading on this blog. It seemed appropriate to give this blog the name of that family paper.

I press onward, missing their presence.