The death record (1868) for my 2xgreat grandmother Helen Johnston (ms McALPINE) gives her parents as Robert McALPINE (coalminer, deceased) and Margaret McALPINE (ms COWAN, also deceased). I have not been able to find a marriage record for Robert and Margaret, however Helen's oldest daughter was named Barbara Cowan Johnston and there is a Family Search record of a marriage between a Robert McALPINE and a Barbara COWAN in St Ninians in 1821, so my first question is could Helen's death record be wrong and her mother's name was actually Barbara? I'm not aware of Helen having any siblings whose records could be checked.
Family Search also has an entry for the christening of a Barbara COWAN in St Ninians in 1794 (Parents James COWAN and Margaret CAMPBELL), which might mean Margaret COWAN was Helen's grandmother. This Barbara appears to have a sister Helen COWAN (b 1799), whom Helen McALPINE might have been named after. I'd be interested if anyone has come across any other records which might back up these possible links.
Probable census records for Helen McALPINE before her marriage have her in service with no other family members present. I've found no census records for her mother, but there are census records for a Robert McALPINE of about the right age working as a coalminer in 1841 and a labourer at Bannockburn colliery in 1851. This Robert McALPINE is married to an Ann JOHNSTON (proclamation 1835 in St Ninians, no connection to Helen's husband's family) and there are a number of children from this marriage. I'm speculating that this could be Helen's father and that he re-married after the death of Barbara (or Margaret?). This Robert appears to have died before statutory records came in, so there is nothing to support my speculation and I'd be interested if anyone had come across anything to support or disprove this.
Thanks
Sandy
