Alfred Weaver Allen (1870 - 1925)

Born 18 Jun 1870 in South Melbourne, Victoria

Ancestors

Husband of Bridget Mary (Dunn) Allen — married 2 Sep 1897 in Carlton, Victoria, Australia

Died 5 Oct 1925 at age 55 in Brighton, Victoria, Australia

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Biography

Alfred Allen is Notable.

Alfred Weaver Allen was born on the 18th June 1870, at Emerald Hill, Victoria, Australia, the seventh and youngest child, fifth son of Joseph Weaver Allen and Rebecca Martha Cox.^[1]

The family moved to Dunedin, New Zealand for a number of years, where his father, Joseph, had a photographic business. (His grandfather, Thomas Allen, was also resident in Dunedin, and was also a photographer.) They were back and forth a few times, as his sister: Sarah Rebecca, died in New Zealand, aged just 18 years, a brother: William Meluish, was born and died there (aged 2 years), and his grandfather: Thomas, also died there. The family returned to Victoria for good in the mid 1880s, where Alf found employment with the MacRobertson's confectionery company. He left Macpherson Robertson's employ about 1891, and struck out on his own, beginning business behind his Fitzroy confectionery shop. By the time he married, and within the next couple of years after that event, Alf had expanded his business, taking over the premises of two North Melbourne confectionery manufacturers.

Alfred was a Confectioner, and owner of the third largest such business in Victoria, Australia by 1900.

Alf married dressmaker Bridget Mary Dunn on the 2nd September 1897, in Carlton. ^[2] They were to have three daughters: Amelia Mary "Millie" (1898–1991 (Tate))​​; Myrtle (1900–?)​​; and Nellie Rebecca (1902–1980). There is mention that a son was stillborn, but no documentary evidence has thus far been found.

Allen's Sweets became the third largest confectionery business in Melbourne, after those of MacRobertson's and Hoadley's, but Alf did not stop at that. He took on a partner, and made several trips overseas looking to upgrade, or modernise the processes and equipment used, on one occasion bringing back machinery that was designed for milk-chocolate making. Having amalgamated with a number of other confectionery companies (and a dentist!) in 1917 as A. W. Allen Pty Ltd, in 1922 Alf took the company public. Also in 1922, Alf took a trip to the United States of America, inspecting factories and ordering new machinery, and another in 1924, which also took in a visit to Europe, accompanied by his wife and daughters.

When young, Alf had also been a keen cyclist, and was one of the early members of the Automobile Club.

Alfred Weaver Allen passed away on the 5th October 1925, in St Andrew's Private Hospital, Brighton, after surgery for acute appendicitis,^[3] and was afterwards interred in the Brighton General Cemetery, Caulfield South.^[4] Alf was survived by his wife (now widow) and their three daughters, who inherited an estate valued for probate at £41,142.

Sources

1. ↑ Government of Victoria. Victoria Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages (accessed 30 Mar 2022). Birth Index. Index entry for Alfred William ALLEN. Mother's name: Rebecca Martha; Mother's family name at birth: COX; Father's name: Joseph Weaver; Place of birth: EMER; Reg. year: 1870; Reg. number: 15641/1870
2. ↑ Government of Victoria. Victoria Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages (accessed 30 Mar 2022). Marriage Index. Index entry for Alf Weaver ALLEN. Spouse's name: DUNN, Bridt Mary; Reg. year: 1897; Reg. number: 4206/1897
3. ↑ 1925 'Family Notices', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), 6 October, p. 1. , viewed 30 Mar 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2148154
4. ↑ Burial : Find a Grave, database and images (www.findagrave.com/memorial/215550870/alfred-weaver-allen : accessed 05 April 2022), memorial page for Alfred Weaver Allen (1870–6 Oct 1925), Find A Grave: Memorial #215550870, citing Brighton General Cemetery, Caulfield South, Glen Eira City, Victoria, Australia ; Maintained by woowoo (contributor 49949980).

• Australian Dictionary of Biography. Accessed 30 Mar 2022. Alfred Weaver Allen

• John Lack, 'Allen, Alfred Weaver (Alf) (1870–1925)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/allen-alfred-weaver-alf-12771/text23039, published first in hardcopy 2005, accessed online 31 March 2022.

• Wikipedia contributors, "Allen's," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Allen%27s&oldid=1068284484 (accessed March 31, 2022).

• "MR. A. W. ALLEN'S FUNERAL" The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954) 6 October 1925: 5. Web. 5 Apr 2022 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article243715374>.

See also:

• Wikidata: Item Q21535451