Francis Charles Bannister Allis and his mother Emma

Francis Charles Bannister Allis 

Francis was born at Wisbech, Cambs in 1872 (Qtr-Sep, Wisbeach, vol 3b page 615) and died during 1912 in Shropshire where he was a publican. He seemed a bit out on his own with no obvious links to other Allis families, so where did he come from?

The records

He has an army record as he joined the 4^th Hussars in 1889 and was discharged as a sergeant in 1902. His army record shows his mother to be Emma Johnson living in Bath Street, Abingdon, Berks. He is also shown to have a brother Robert.

Francis married Alice Gregory, a widow, nee Bevan at St Saviour’s, Manchester on 14 November 1905 giving his father’s name as Robert (deceased).

An Emma Allis married George Frederick Johnson in 1880 Qtr-Mar, vol 2c, 431 and in the 1881 census Emma Johnson’s birthplace is shown to be Wragby, Lincs in 1851 (actually she has taken a few years off her age). A link to the Lincolnshire Allis family was made!

Francis’ birth certificate and Emma’s marriage certificate were ordered and it was seen that no father was given for his birth, however his middle name of Bannister may be something to work with.

Emma’s marriage certificate shows her father as William Mawer, a farmer and she was a widow. William was shown as her father at the time of her first marriage to George Allis in 1865 at Hull, as reported in a newspaper announcement.

Conclusion

Emma Allis marrying George Johnson is clearly the Emma Mawer that married George Allis (1844- ) in 1865 at Hull, although both were from Wragby, Lincolnshire. They did not appear to have had a happy marriage. In 1871 she was alone, living and working at Langtoft, Lincolnshire and her first son, Robert Willie (1866-1940), was living with the in-laws back at Panton (near Wragby). 

In August 1872 she gave birth to Francis by an unknown father at Wisbech (Leverington).

In 1875 George Allis was charged by his father for breaking some windows at the family home at Panton and sentenced to 14 days hard labour, after which nothing more is known about him. By 1880 Emma has moved to Abingdon, Berkshire and was said to be a widow when marrying for a second time.

It is interesting that on his marriage to Alice, Francis gave his father's name as Robert Allis. When his brother Robert married he also gave his father's name as Robert which was actually his grandfather's name. Robert Willie Allis moved to Coventry, so he and Francis did not live that far apart.

Thus the origins of Francis Allis have been tied back into the Lincolnshire Allis family.