1871 Census John Alexander

[KeiDun]

I was able to find John Alexander in the 1861 census as he lived in Daviot.  I cannot find a listing for him and his family anywhere on the 1871 census.  Starting in 1865 his children seemed to be born in Forglen, His wife was Barbara and there would have been seven children with an eighth born in 1871. In 1881 they had moved back to Aberdeeshire.  Any clues?

[CaroleW]

No birthyears or birthplaces given in your post and no names of any children to help in a search

Full 1861 details as follows - living in Daviot Aberdeenshire


John Alexander   26 b Rayne, Aberdeenshire
Barbra Gellan   28 b Meldrum, Aberdeenshire
William Alexander   5 Meldrum, Aberdeenshire
Alexander Alexander   4 b Meldrum, Aberdeenshire
Jane Alexander   2 b Daviot
Daviot ED 2 Page 7 Line 23

[CaroleW]

Children born after 1861 as follows - from 1881 entry


Barbara    19 b Daviot
Francis  18 b Daviot
Ellen  16 b Forglen Banffshire
George  13 b Forglen
Adam  10 b Marnoch
Robert  8 b Forglen
Robert  3 g/son b Marnoch
Aberdeen St Nicholas ED 62 Page 3 Line 15

[CaroleW]

I cannot find a listing for him and his family anywhere on the 1871 census

Living in Marnoch Banffshire - John is not with family but if you search for Barbara Alexander b 1834 you will find them    Marnoch ED 5 Page 23 Line 22

I just searched as follows:

Geo**
born 1868 +- 1yr 
Birthplace Forglen
living in Banffshire

[KeiDun]

Ahhh, thank you Carole, and for also supplying the missing data I should have posted.  Of course, now I have more questions than answers, I suppose, in trying to find out why he was not there. He is usually listed as a General Labourer (including this census were she is listed as "Ag Lab wife") but when he died in 1891 he was listed as a Master Cabinetmaker and operating John Alexander and Co. on Union Street in Aberdeen.  I believe this is the company that recently closed after being in business for 156 years (therefore started around 1858) but none of the early records for him support his involvement.  Such interesting research still to do.  Thanks, again!

[ruthhelen]

He is usually listed as a General Labourer (including this census were she is listed as "Ag Lab wife") but when he died in 1891 he was listed as a Master Cabinetmaker and operating John Alexander and Co. on Union Street in Aberdeen.  I believe this is the company that recently closed after being in business for 156 years (therefore started around 1858) but none of the early records for him support his involvement. 

That might be because the John Alexander, cabinet maker, who died in Aberdeen in 1891 isn't the same John Alexander who was married to Barbara Gellan. That John Alexander was the son of James Alexander and Elizabeth Shepherd, and was born in 1832 in Old Machar (although he gives Aberdeen as his place of birth in the 1881 and 1891 censuses) - he remained unmarried, his unmarried sister Elizabeth can be found with him as his housekeeper in Old Machar in 1871 and 1881.

Your John Alexander was born in Rayne in 1833 to John Alexander and Jane Robertson. He married Barbara Gellan in 1854 in Old Meldrum.

Ruth

[ruthhelen]

Your John Alexander was born in Rayne in 1833 to John Alexander and Jane Robertson. He married Barbara Gellan in 1854 in Old Meldrum.

Looks like he died in Aberdeen between 1881 and 1891 - the family are in Aberdeen St Nicholas in 1881, as Carole says, and then Barbara is in Old Machar in 1891 with two of her sons - Adam and Robert. There's a tree on Ancestry that suggests John died in 1884 and Barbara in 1892.

The same tree has a lot of confusion over *which* Barbara he was married to... seemingly having him married to two different Barbaras at the same time...    Which reminds us all - as if we needed reminding - that we should verify any data we find with the source documents on Scotland's People - here endeth today's lesson... 

Ruth

[KeiDun]

Thanks, Ruth, for your additional information.  And Amen to today's lesson! I use Scotland's People and have not seen the tree on Ancestry, so maybe that is for the good.  I did have the right information on the marriage to Barbara Gellan (and often spelled "Gillan" in what I had found) but got right off the tracks with thinking his parents were John/Elizabeth Shepherd.  Thanks, again.