Alexander Anderson b. 1840 Selkirk

[lv426]

Hi all, i am trying to find the whereabouts of a relative.

Alexander Anderson Born 07 Jul 1840  Selkirk

Parents George Anderson and Sarah (Emond)

I can find him in the 1841 census (6m)
and the 1851 (10 scolar)

but in 1855 the Family went to Australia and he didn't seem to be with them??

ANDERSON    SARAH    48    FEB    1855    MARCHIONESS OF SALISBURY    12    27
ANDERSON    GEORGE    47    FEB    1855    MARCHIONESS OF SALISBURY    12    27
ANDERSON    DAVID    24    FEB    1855    MARCHIONESS OF SALISBURY    12    29
ANDERSON    ELIZH    21    FEB    1855    MARCHIONESS OF SALISBURY    12    30
ANDERSON    ROBERT    19    FEB    1855    MARCHIONESS OF SALISBURY    12    29
ANDERSON    ANN            18    FEB   1855    MARCHIONESS OF SALISBURY    12    30
ANDERSON    JOHN    15    FEB    1855    MARCHIONESS OF SALISBURY    12    29
ANDERSON    MARY    11    FEB    1855    MARCHIONESS OF SALISBURY    12    27
ANDERSON    WALTER    8    FEB    1855    MARCHIONESS OF SALISBURY    12    27
ANDERSON    JANE    4    FEB    1855    MARCHIONESS OF SALISBURY    12    27
ANDERSON    HENRY    3    FEB    1855    MARCHIONESS OF SALISBURY


At the age of 15 he seems young in todays standards to be left behind? I know people worked in coal mines at 9 but shouldn't he still turn up in the 1861 census if he stayed behind?

Unless he died?

Any help or information would be great.

[lv426]

Would anyone be able to look up the death of Alexander please?

[JMStrachan]

Death registration in Scotland only began in 1855, so if he died between 1851 and 1854 your only hope is to find a burial record in the parish register, if such a record survived. Parish burial records for Scotland are notoriously thin on the ground.

Death certificates from 1855 onwards are available from the pay to view site ScotlandsPeople.

[lv426]

Ok JM, i will try there, i am not sure he died young (pre 1855) just thought that he would have gone to Australia with his family if he was 15.
Maybe he had an apprenticeship or job?

thanks for the input!

[lv426]

Hi again Jm, i managed to find him!

Unfortunately he died  1854 (1 year before the family left to go to Australia) aged 12 

I am not sure how he died though it doesn't say on the opr deaths i looked up for him.

Would there be a way to find out his cause of death? Did they do many autopsies back then?

Are there different cemeteries in Selkirk?

thanks

[JMStrachan]

Congratulations on finding the burial in the OPR: many aren't recorded so you've struck lucky!

Unfortunately the OPRs tend not to give much detail as the kirks weren't recording the death, only the burial. There is unlikely to be any other record, and unfortunately childhood deaths were all too common back then. Autopsy was very rare indeed.

He'd have been buried in the kirkyard of the kirk whose OPR recorded the burial, but there probably isn't a headstone as poorer families couldn't afford them - most dating from back then have been erected well after the events recorded on them by a descendent, and as his family migrated soon after this is unlikely to have happened.

[lv426]

Thanks again JM, on the earlier census he was listed as a scholar at age 10 but the next 2 oldest children are listed as piecer woolen from what i can see from another site means "Someone who worked in a spinning mill, employed to piece together any threads which broke (usually a child or woman) ".

I also read somewhere else that part of this job involved the children going inside the working machinery / looms and that quite a few children got crushed to death in the process. 

Maybe it was an industrial accident that was his cause of death, but i am just guessing here without any evidence.

[lv426]

I might post another thread askign if anyone can do a MI lookup for his death and if there is grave/gravestone.
 

Question to ADMIN...should i request this thread to be marked completed or leave it open in case anyone else has further info?


Thanks

[JMStrachan]

You might find this site useful http://www.bordersfhs.org.uk/selkirk.asp  They could help you find out if there was a memorial inscription.