General Notes

Unknown relationship to Alexander Allan and Agnes Webster.  She is in their household in the 1841 census, but she is also the second Janet Allan in that household.  Presumably the first one is their daughter (since the age is right), which makes it likely that this Janet Allan is a niece (she's too old to be a granddaughter).  It is remotely possible that this Janet Allan is their daughter (perhaps the first Janet Allan in the household is a sister or niece and this second one is another daughter bearing the name Janet after an infant death of first daughter Janet...), but this second scenario seems less likely.  For the time being, I am attaching her to Alexander Allan and Agnes Webster.  Dec 2009, kmh.

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  Recorded Events in Her Life

• She appeared on the 1841 Census of Scotland on 6 June 1841 in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland. ²
  

Alexander Allan   40   Ayrshire, Scotland   Mason J
Agness Allan      40   Ayrshire, Scotland
Agness Allan      25   Ayrshire, Scotland
Janet Allan       20   Ayrshire, Scotland
Mathew Allan      15   Ayrshire, Scotland
Robert Allan      13   Ayrshire, Scotland
Janet Allan       11   Ayrshire, Scotland
Margret Allan      7   Ayrshire, Scotland
Elisebeth Allan    4   Ayrshire, Scotland
Alexander Allan    1   Ayrshire, Scotland
Robert Wallace    13   Scotland

Note:  The 1841 census for this family is a bit problematic.  It is unfortunate that the 1851 census records are missing for the parish of Kilmarnock, otherwise that might have helped to clarify some of these issues.  There are church records for only 4 children born to this couple:  Janet (b. 1820), Agnes (b. 1823), Matthew (b. 1825), and Robert (b. 1827).  The 1861 census shows that Elizabeth is also a daughter (b. abt 1837), and that there is another son named Robert A. Allan (b. abt 1842).  Presumably the first son Robert died before 1842 and a subsequent son took that name.  Alexander, b. abt 1839, is listed as a grandson in the 1861 census.

The ages for Janet (20), Matthew (15), and Robert (13) are spot on for the birth records for the children of Alexander and Agnes.  The age for Agness Allan (25) is off —   however, since the 1841 census didn't try to list exact ages for adults, it's hard to know how much weight to give this inaccurate age. (In the 1841 census an age is assigned based on a birthyear within a particular 5-year-range.)  So is Agness Allan (25) another relative —   perhaps a niece, or maybe even Alexander's younger sister (with an age that's off by 5 years)?  Perhaps Alexander is Agnes' son, and that's why she's listed before her older sister Janet?  Then there's the question of the second Janet Allan in the census.  If the first Janet is their daughter, then who is this second Janet?  Another relative?  She seems to be a bit too old to be a granddaughter.  Presumably Margaret is another daughter (as is Elizabeth), but she could also be another niece or relative from the same family as the second Janet.