In the year 1822, a child named Morgan Allen was born to Caila Berkins and her slave master, Page Allen. Although he was the son of the master, Morgan was born into slavery. Despite these cruel circumstances, Morgan's life was defined by resilience and love. He later married Margaret Sheppard, a striking woman believed to be of Black and Native American

descent, born in Georgia in 1824.

 

Together, Morgan and Margaret Allen built a strong foundation for generations to come. They were blessed with five children:

​

•  Elizabeth

•  William

•  Olivia

•  Liza

•  Ophelia

​

Their eldest son, William, married Nancy Ballard. They had 10 children: Leala, Charlie, Janie, Kate, George, Hattie, Jessie, Johnny, Dora, and one child whose name has been lost to time.

​

Olivia married Buddy Willis. Their union produced 8 children: Morgan, Tommy, Amanda, Gertrude, Rosie, Carter, Babe, and Ola.

​

Liza married Essex Broaden, and they had 4 children: Sally Mae, Essex Jr., George, and Tommy.

​

Ophelia married Ed Mills, and their family included 5 children: Georgia, Pearl, Sally Fannie, Lesie, and Gussie.

 

On the Terrell side, the earliest known ancestor is Moses Terrell, born in 1815 in Virginia. He later made his way to South Carolina and eventually walked—yes, walked—to Madison County, Georgia in pursuit of a new life.

 

Around 1860, Moses met and fell in love with a young, enslaved woman named Millie Mirges. Their union bore six children: Annie, James, Liza, Pinky, Robert, and Elizabeth.

 

• Annie married Thomas Sims; they had 7 children: Nannie, Sammie, Sims, Robert, Lillian, Walter, and Arthur.

 

• Liza married Tom Petite; they had 6 children: Mary, Mattie, Okay, TB, Leonard, and Tommy Jr.

 

• Pinky married Edward Jackson; no children are known from this union.

 

• Elizabeth married Robert Bolden; they had 13 children: Ethel, Buddy, Tommy, Mary, Raymond, Albert, Fannie, Lula, Joe, Eula, Jim, L.T., and Elma.

 

Their son James (Moses and Millie’s eldest son) had two sons, James Jr. and Willie (Buddy), from a previous marriage (wife's name unknown). He later married Elizabeth Allen, the daughter of Morgan and Margaret Allen—thus merging the Allen and Terrell family lines in a bond rooted in both strength and legacy.

​

James and Elizabeth had 10 children together: Maggie, Lena, Corrine, Ossie, Ada, Richard, Eva, Maude, Johnnie Mae, and William

​

The Allen-Terrell Union: A Legacy of Love

​

The marriage of James Terrell and   is where the Allen and Terrell families became one. Through the hardships of slavery, the trials of Reconstruction, and the many seasons since, their descendants have carried forward a powerful legacy of Family, Faith, and Love.

 

Whether we call it the Terrell-Allen Reunion or the Allen-Terrell Reunion, we are forever connected. Bound not only by blood, but by shared resilience, deep heritage, and the unwavering commitment to honor those who came before us.

​

We are one family. We are one legacy. We are Allen-Terrell.