Archie Charles Allen was born in Holtville, Alabama. He married Mary Elizabeth Richardson, and they had two children together: Archie Clayton Allen, and Leonard Sewell "Monk" Allen (1923-1997). Archie Charles Allen worked at the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company depot in Speigener (Speigner), Alabama. Mary Elizabeth Richardson's father, WJ Richardson, owned WJ Richardson Yellow Pine Lumber, a sawmill in Holtville, Alabama.

Archie Clayton Allen Sr. (often referred to as A.C. Allen Jr.) was born May 8, 1918, in Holtville, Alabama. He was a graduate of Holtville High School and Auburn University where he received a Master's Degree in Public School Administration. After graduating from Auburn, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he received flight training. He was commissioned in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Second Lieutenant during World War II. He served as a flight instructor at the Pensacola Naval Station for eighteen months, was stationed in the Phillipines, and received several awards for his service. Allen also taught Vocational Education before becoming Principal of Holtville High School.

Archie Clayton Allen Jr. was born in Pensacola, Florida. He attended grade school in Holtville, Alabama, and graduated from Holtville School in 1963. He was an active member of First United Methodist Church in Dothan and of the Dothan Rose Society. He also volunteered at the Dothan Botanical Gardens.