Thanks for digging in to research our John R. There are some interesting bits here. To answer your question, he wasn't in the 1890 civil war vet's census because he deserted in 1863. I bet Conie Shamburger Allison was disappointed when she applied. Can you tell me how to access her application for benefits? I would love to find a death date for John R.

Also the oldest son of John R. Allison was Harry Craig Allison (not included in the 1900 census). And we too have wondered about the significance of the given names of those sons. Searching for John R and his parents in Pennsylvania has been really challenging. There are soooooo many Allisons in PA. We are hoping we can turn up some documents, death certificate, a will, something which might just give us the names of his parents.

Thanks a bunch for your work and, please, let us know if you have any other thoughts.
gratefully,
Stella Allison, Oakland, CA