Hi Scotty,
No, you're not jumping at possibilities.  You bring up some points that 
I haven't considered.  I have often thought that the Charles and 
Gabriel found in Anson County (ANSON.DAT) were the children of Jacob 
Allen.  But at the same time I wondered why Gabriel, originally in Pitt 
and Edgecombe, then found in Anson, was back in Edgecombe in the census 
in 1790.  I never considered that this Gabriel could have been a nephew 
of Gabriel Allen (husband of Anne McKinney).  This is highly probable 
and makes more sense that my original thinking.

The trouble we have here is the number of Charles Allens found.  Are 
these all the same, different people, or did he move around a lot?  
Certainly we know there was more than one, but just how many, and which 
one is which?

Let's see, we have these:

Edgecombe County, NC, Dec 1761 - Mar 1762, Deed of sale Charles ALLEN 
to Shadrack ALLEN.

4 Mar 1770, Capt. Charles ALLEN was #23 of a group which met in a 
Council of War held at Col. William Bryan's house on the Neuse River in 
Johnston Co., NC.

7 Feb 1777, Edgecombe Co., NC, Charles ALLEN of Pitt Co., NC to Owen 
Cravey of Edgecombe  117 acres for 75 pounds on the south side of Tar 
River, Witnesses:  Pricilla JOHNSON, Gabriel ALLEN, Thomas BELCHER, and 
Drury STOKES...

Pitt Co  15 Oct 1778, H-7, Paul ALLEN to Charles ALLEN, 220 A., Adj. 
Thomas WALLACE.

Pitt Co, 21 Oct 1782, CB: Charles ALLEN

Pitt Co, 13 Oct 1783, David HINES Jr., CB: Charles ALLEN

Taxpayers:

Charles ALLEN (Bute) 1771
Charles S. Wm ALLEN (son of Wm. ALLEN) (FWV) 1771
Charles ALLEN (Warren) 1784
Charles ALLEN (Caswelle) 1784
Chas. ALLEN (Mont) 1782
Gabriel SUGGS (Mont) 1782

Taxpayers in Anson in 1763: George SUGGS, Rasha SUGGS, Robert SUGGS, 
Richard SUGGS.  I find no ALLENs [tax evaders, I suppose.  Or "very 
pore" as I saw one Jacob ALLEN referred to in Barbados]

Taxpayers in Montgomery in 1782: Charles ALLEN, Isaac ALLEN, Joseph 
ALLEN, Mark ALLEN, and Wm. ALLEN.  [I don't have information on that 
year for the Suggs.]

Also noting the dates and grants numbers, we find a few of these that 
arrived at about the same time.  Especially note:

John H. Suggs  #2664  11 Dec 1770  David's Creek
Chas. Allen    #2689  24 Dec 1770  ?

Reuben ALLEN I have not come across in my search.  As far as other 
Anson and
Montgomery resources I do not know.  I have not spend as much time in 
that area as I need to.   I did spend some time looking at Anson though 
since I found the Gabriel Allen there.  Will check closer, especially 
on Montgomery, next time I am at library.

It's almost two in the morning so I will shut this thing down.
Later Guys.
Bill