Finding John R: 1. Check the Census

Not only do we not know much about John R, the Search Sisters are new at this genealogy game. We find that we don't know much about how to find him.

First step: write down everything you know.  Check.

 Dad wrote what he knew about his Allison kin.

Second step:  Do a basic search. We look him up on original American People Finder: 
the US Census. Uh oh. Problem. Too many John Allisons. 

Limit search: John R. Allison, Texas. 
Yes.

We find a John R Allison in Hawkins, Wood county Texas, the census of 1880.  The 1880 US census confirms John R's birthplace as Pennsylvania. That uncertain comment about him being from Pennsylvania is right, just as Lewis remembered. John R tells the census taker that his father was also born in Pennsylvania as well.

OK. John R. Allison from Pennsylvania.

Source: Ancestry.com