Family background
Albert Allen was born on 5 October 1835 at Bromley in Kent, England, the son of George Allen and Ruth née Isard. He married Caroline Cooper in Sydney in 1859 and the pair had seven children together. The family lived in Redfern before relocating to Druitt Town, later known as Strathfield South. He died at his Druitt Town residence, ‘Bromley’, on 6 July 1919, aged 84, and was buried at St Thomas’ Anglican Church and Cemetery at Enfield.
Occupation & interests
Albert Allen was a grocer and operated four stores on Pitt Street, Redfern, from about 1860. He was also listed in street directories of the 1860s as occupying the post office on Pitt Street, and from 1870 he was listed as both a grocer and draper at the store. From the late 1870s, he was a storekeeper and postmaster of the post office in Druitt Town (later Strathfield South), located on the corner of Homebush and Liverpool roads. Allen also operated a brickworks and had a two-storey general store and other premises near Burwood railway station, which contained a dining room, kitchen, washhouse, and which he advertised for sale in 1882.
Community activity
As an alderman in the early 1870s, Allen supported the activities of the Redfern Choral Society, including their 1874 New Year’s Day Picnic to Mossman’s [Mosman] Bay. He was secretary of the Ancient Order of Foresters, a friendly society which provided social and financial benefits to its members during times of hardship.
Local government service
Allen was elected as an alderman for the Belmore Ward of Redfern Council in September 1868. He was re-elected, without opposition, in 1871 and again in 1874. In March 1875 he resigned from the council. In August 1885, he was elected an alderman of Municipality of Strathfield. He served as aldermen from 1885 to 1913 and was mayor in 1889, 1891 and 1893-94. He was one of the longest serving aldermen on Strathfield Council.
References
‘Advertising’, Sydney Morning Herald, 9 July 1861, p. 8, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13068907
‘Advertising’, Sydney Morning Herald, 1 April 1862, p. 1, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/28623096
‘Advertising’, Sydney Morning Herald, 13 November 1862, p. 1, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13237038
‘Advertising’, Sydney Morning Herald, 25 November 1862, p. 8, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13069920
‘Advertising’, Sydney Morning Herald, 11 December 1863, p. 1, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13086184
‘Borough of Redfern’, New South Wales Government Gazette, 15 September 1868 (No.230), p. 3234, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/225578220
‘Municipal Nominations’, Sydney Morning Herald, 9 February 1871, p. 5, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13209255
‘Advertising’, Sydney Morning Herald, 31 December 1873, p. 10, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/28411032
‘Borough of Redfern’, New South Wales Government Gazette, 10 February 1874 (No.31), p. 426 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/223692437
‘Borough of Redfern’, New South Wales Government Gazette, 6 April 1875 (No.72), p. 991, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/223655631
‘Advertising, Sydney Morning Herald, 27 August 1870, p. 7, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13215318
Albert Allen, Strathfield Heritage, Strathfield Homebush District Historical Society, Inc, https://strathfieldheritage.com/local-government/council/mayors-of-strathfield-council/albert-allen/