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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Allen (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Allen. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Allen is located in Mecklenburg County.

To see how the shape of North Carolina's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Mecklenburg County: Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Union, Lancaster (SC) & York (SC).

Below are the counties that are near Allen. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Allen:

  • Mecklenburg County     (The home county of Allen)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Allen, with the one closest to Allen listed first.
    • Mint Hill
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Newell
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Newell is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newell
    • Matthews
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Belmont
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Belmont is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
    • Chantilly
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Providence ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Providence is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
    • Charlotte
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Greenville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Greenville is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenville
    • Biddleville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Biddleville is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biddleville
    • Croft
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Wilmore
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Weddington
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Spring Lake
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Spring Lake is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Lake
  • Anson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Allen, with the one closest to Allen listed first.
    • Burnsville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Roper ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Roper is located in Anson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roper
    • Peachland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Polkton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Sugar Town
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Sugar Town is located in Anson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Town
    • Mineral Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Ansonville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Ansonville is located in Anson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ansonville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 586 people
  • Cabarrus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Allen, with the one closest to Allen listed first.
    • Midland
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Harrisburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Bosts Mill ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Bosts Mill is located in Cabarrus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bosts Mill
    • Georgeville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Concord
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Poplar Tent
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Poplar Tent is located in Cabarrus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Tent
    • Mount Pleasant
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Cannon Crossroads
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Tulin ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Tulin is located in Cabarrus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulin
    • Fisher Town
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Fisher Town is located in Cabarrus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisher Town
    • Rimer
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
  • Gaston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Allen, with the one closest to Allen listed first.
    • Belmont
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Brown Town
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Brown Town is located in Gaston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brown Town
    • Mount Holly
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Lucia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Catawba ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Catawba is located in Gaston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catawba
    • Cramerton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Woodland ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Woodland is located in Gaston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
    • McAdenville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Lowell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Begonia ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Begonia is located in Gaston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Begonia
    • Spencer Mountain
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Spencer Mountain is located in Gaston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer Mountain
      • Estimated population in 2016: 36 people
    • Stanley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Ranlo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Iredell County
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Allen, with the one closest to Allen listed first.
    • Lowesville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Lowesville is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowesville
    • Westport
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Triangle ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Triangle is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Triangle
    • Machpelah
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Rowan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Allen, with the one closest to Allen listed first.
    • Kannapolis
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • North Kannapolis
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • North Kannapolis is located in Rowan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Kannapolis
    • Enochville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Landis
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • China Grove
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Corriher Heights
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Corriher Heights is located in Rowan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corriher Heights
    • Five Points
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Five Points is located in Rowan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
    • Shupings Mill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Shupings Mill is located in Rowan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shupings Mill
    • Five Forks
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Five Forks is located in Rowan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Forks
    • Harts ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Harts is located in Rowan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harts
    • Harris Chapel
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Garfield ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Garfield is located in Rowan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
    • Gold Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Stanly County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Allen, with the one closest to Allen listed first.
    • Locust
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Stanfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Red Cross
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Red Cross is located in Stanly County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Cross
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 769 people
    • Oakboro
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Lambert
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Bloomington
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Millingport
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Plyer
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cedar Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Cedar Village is located in Stanly County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Village
    • Albemarle
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Misenheimer
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Misenheimer is located in Stanly County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Misenheimer
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 742 people
    • New London
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Richfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Allen, with the one closest to Allen listed first.
    • Fairview
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Fairview is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,984 people
    • Hemby Bridge
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Stallings
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Lake Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Indian Trail
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Unionville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Unionville is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,344 people
    • Monroe
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • White Oak
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • White Oak is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
    • Wesley Chapel
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Fairfield
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Carmel Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Carmel Village is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmel Village
    • Wingate
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Marvin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Marvin is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marvin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,920 people
  • Lancaster County (SC)
  • York County (SC)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Allen, see our County-by-County Page for Allen.

Cemeteries Near Allen ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Allen.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Allen - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Allen covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Allen, with the one closest to Allen listed first.

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>

While we didn't find Allen in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Allen.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Allen, with the one closest to Allen listed first.

  • Burdett ‑ Historic
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Burdett is located in Mecklenburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burdett
  • Pioneer Mills
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Pioneer Mills is located in Cabarrus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pioneer Mills
  • Mint Hill
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Kingwood ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Kingwood is located in Mecklenburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingwood
  • Hoods ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Hoods is located in Mecklenburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoods
  • Harrisburg
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Furrs ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Furrs is located in Cabarrus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furrs
  • Newell
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Newell is located in Mecklenburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newell
  • Monteith ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Monteith is located in Mecklenburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monteith
  • Eastfield
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Eastfield is located in Mecklenburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastfield
  • Matthews
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Indian Trail
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Bosts Mill ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Bosts Mill is located in Cabarrus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bosts Mill
    • Georgeville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Sardis
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Sardis is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardis

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Allen. See our List of 1890's Communities around Allen.

Newspapers Published in Allen ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 1 newspapers that have been published in the area around Allen.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Allen, there are papers which were published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Allen.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Allen:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<3>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Allen, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Allen) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.