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Hi Pat, after what I feel was a life time searching, I came to the conclusion that I had the parents wrong, I've No idea how I came to William Fraser and Christian Robertson, I didn't have a paper trail to take me back to it being them, but after a break through I got back on the right track and found out the real parents of my John Fraser. This side of the family is my Ross and Cromarty side,

I have two Fraser lines, a Fraser married a Fraser in 1870, one line takes me back to Inverness and the other takes me back to Ross and Cromarty, the McGruer side is my Inverness side.

It's possible you and I are related with the surnames and locations you have, My DNA results came in just 3 days ago on Ancestry, I do have close matches to my Inverness line, but no one with a common ancestor. I'm still exploring and pretty new to this DNA stuff, but I will go and have a look and see what matches I have in my Trulines.

You've just said something that's hit me like a wet fish, on John's marriage to Elizabeth Matheson in 1831, the witness was a Robert Fraser, the Only Robert Fraser I found at that time who was a tailor, was who I had suspected of being John's Uncle. The other witness being Alexander Morrison, living in Forres, I did find a 50 year old Alexander Morrison in the 1841 Census residing at Mundale, in Forres,

I didn't think to look at the marriage between John and Margaret, One look at John's parents name on there had me wavering, 1 witness was William Maver, which was the head of the farm that John and Margaret was working in 1861, the other witness being an Archibald Gill.

Johns daughter, Christina married an Archibald Gill in 1859 at that time they were in Inveravon, and in 1861 Archibald and Christina were living at 53 High Street in Forres, there were only 2 Archibald Gill's in 1861, the other being in Paisley.

I've noticed in the past, generations of family names being passed down, but from what I've found, John Fraser didn't have a son named Roderick, or he did (who could have died between censuses), and like John's daughter Elizabeth who is my direct line, didn't have a baptism. John did have a daughter named Janet that had changed to Jessie in the 1861 Census. Their first born daughter was Margaret, I presume to be named after Elizabeth's mother.

However, this leads me to a brick wall once more as I can't find any birth of children to a Roderick Fraser and Jessie (McKenzie) in Kinloss, I don't recall any Rodericks in my line. I guess now, I need to find a Roderick. I found one in the 1841 Census in Forres, aged 65, it states he was born outside county census, and a marriage I found between Roderick and Jannet McKenzie was in Urquhart and Logie Wester, in 1795, so maybe a little more hammering will get the puzzle to fit,

Sorry this is a long post, most of it is Census listings, I’ve found myself sudden stumped as to whether I’ve been following the right family, that is the parents of my 3X G Grandfather, John Frase. Or whether the John Fraser I found in the 1861/1871census is my John Fraser, who possibly married again?

His age in the census is pretty consistent, so I can put his date of birth being around 1813/1814. I guess, I can’t start with his birth certificate, as I’m not too sure if I have the right parents now.

However, what I do know, is that he married Elizabeth in August 1831 (there were no parents name given on the marriage cert), but they married in Forres, a shotgun wedding as his first child was born 4 weeks later and their residence given as Balnaferry, in Forres. One thing on his Marriage certificate was that a witness to the marriage was a Robert Fraser, Tailor (this I am 99% certain, is the brother of William Fraser, and believing William to be John's father). Robert Fraser was living at 159 High Street in Forres in 1851, so I have several people who I believed to be the same family, living within 5 doors of the other around the same time. I have Christian/Christina (nee Robertson) having died at Tolbooth Street, Forres in 1866, which is just around the corner, Christian is who I'd believed John's mother to be. (I really hope I'm not being too confusing)

From the birth of the 2nd child they were living in Rafford, 1834, so from here aside from the birth of their children, I have the following census listings.

1841 in Rafford (no address, just Rafford in the place the address should be)
Address: Rafford
    FRASER   John   M   30   Ag Lab    Morayshire       
    FRASER   Elisabeth   F   25       Morayshire       
    FRASER   Mary   F   6       Morayshire       
    FRASER   Jessie   F   4       Morayshire       
    FRASER   George   M   2       Morayshire

1851 in Forres
Address: 353 High Street
    FRASER   John   Head   M   M   38   Agricultural Labourer    Morayshire - Kinloss       
    FRASER   Elizabeth   Wife   M   F   36   -    Morayshire - Forres       
    FRASER   Mary   Dau   U   F   16   -    Morayshire - Rafford       
    FRASER   Christina   Dau   U   F   9   Scholar    Morayshire - Rafford       
    FRASER   Alexander   Son   U   M   7   -    Morayshire - Rafford       
    FRASER   Sophia   Dau   U   F   5   -    Morayshire - Forres       
    FRASER   John   Son   U   M   2   -    Morayshire - Forres       
    FRASER   Hellen   Dau   U   F   2m   -    Morayshire - Forres       
    FRASER   Elisabeth   Dau   U   F   2m   -    Morayshire - Forres


John Fraser’s Wife, Betsy Matheson died in 1860, at 149 High Street, Forres. I think overall the family where poor, all laboured, even the children as they seemed to disappear from the following census at around the age of 12, I found a majority of the children in various census’s that followed, the girls eventually lost if they married or died, John’s wife died of Typhus, so it says something of their poor living conditions?

in the 1861 Census, 3 young children of John and Betsy (8 and under) were living with the eldest known daughter of John and Elizabeth, at 124 High Street, Here, things kind of got confusing for me as to what happened to John, I found a John Fraser back in Rafford in 1861/1871. Though in 1861 it had his place of birth as Dyke, whereas the 1871, his place of birth is Kinloss again, as it was in the 1841/1851 Census

1861 in Rafford
Address: Cluny
    MAVER   William   Farmer   U   M   18   Farmer's Son Farm 230 Acres    Rafford       
    FRASER   John   Servnt   W   M   48   Ploughman    Morayshire - Dyke       
    CRUICKSHANK   John   Servnt   U   M   44   Ploughman    Morayshire - Dallas       
    MELLIS   David   Servnt   U   M   40   Ploughman    Morayshire - Rafford       
    MURDOCH   John   Servnt   U   M   17   Cattleman    Morayshire - Dallas       
    MCKENZIE   Ann   Servnt   U   F   30   Housekeeper    Morayshire - Rafford       
    MCDONALD   Margaret   Servnt   U   F   23   General Servant    Morayshire - Rafford    


1871 in Rafford
Address: Tore
    FRASER   John   Head   M   M   58   Farm Servant    Morayshire - Kinloss    2 rooms   
    FRASER   Margaret   Wife   M   F   33   Farm Servant's Wife    Morayshire - Rafford       
    FRASER   Elspeth   Dau   -   F   9   Scholar    Morayshire - Rafford       
    FRASER   William   Son   -   M   6       Morayshire – Rafford

In the 1871 Census, it shows this John as married, when I did a search for a marriage of John Fraser to a Margaret, I came up with a John marrying a Margaret McDonald in July 1861, who as it seems, was at the same residence as John Fraser in the 1861 Census? The ages match up, as does the age of John give or take a year in the 1841 and 1851 Census.

I already wondered if that was a possibility and I got that birth certificate and the marriage of that couple a while ago, it shows on the birth that Alex Jr was born in Drummond (which is my area I'm looking around) the marriage was Meikle?? Kirkhill, but neither have the occupation of the father. So it's in the I have no idea file.

I did get the certificate (whilst I was writing the above post) sadly, once more there is nothing on it to match them up, just their names and place they were living, I've yet to decipher.

EDIT HERE ops, I just reread, and saw you put death cert, I got the marriage cert, and mulling over the death cert still

The crazy thing is, as I still hunt, in the 1841 Census, I did find and Alexander Fraser living with his Daughter Janet,

1841
Address: Balnafroige
FRASER   Alexander   M   65   Common Labourer    Inverness-shire       
FRASER   Janet   F   25       Inverness-shire

same place in 1851
Address: Balnafroig
FRASER   Alexander   Head   W   M   76   Pauper    Inverness-shire - Dores       
FRASER   Janet   Dau   U   F   36   Field Labourer    Inverness-shire - Dores 

Which fits in with my line concerning his age, and his daughters age

As does this for his wife, Janet (Nee McKenzie)

1841
Address: Ballaggan
FRASER   Janet   F   60   Cotter    Inverness-shire       
FRASER   Mary   F   18       Inverness-shire 

1851
Address: -
    MCDONALD   James   Head   M   M   37   Crofter    Inverness-shire - Urquhart       
    MCDONALD   Mary   Wife   M   F   26       Inverness-shire - Dores       
    MCDONALD   Mary   Daur   -   F   1m       Inverness-shire - Urquhart    age under 1m   
    FRASER   Janet   Visitr   W   F   66   Formerly Shepherd's Wife    Inverness-shire - Dores

Maybe they separated, but then it has Janet Fraser as a Widow, and Alexander as a Widow in 1851

What I know from the Address Alexander Sr is living at in 1841 and 1851, it's a stone throw away from where his Daughter in law (Catherine McGruer) was born, in Knockchoilum in 1808, which is when Alexander was supposedly born, maybe the family were neighbours, maybe I'm putting 2 and 2 together and way off target as it doesn't make sense.

I've yet to find out where Ness Castle is exactly, which is where Alex jr was living at his time of marriage in 1830, I know it's in Dores, I think it close to the Address Alexander Sr is living in the Census, as in the Scotland Places for Balnafroig I found this description for it..

"A one storey farmhouse with suitable offices attached, all in good repair, Lord Saltoun proprietor. Ness Castle."