Help Deciphering Illegible Text!

[Mike in Cumbria]

Alexander looks good to me.

[MacofMac]

Hmmm...just to throw a spanner in the works when we were agreeing on Robert Alexander Gardener .... !!! .... I have just come across an 1861 census record from the family Lyell when they lived in Dundee prior to building this property....they have listed with them a servant called Alexander aged 17, a journeyman tailor. Could this be our man? Only thing is, both ancestry.com and scotlands people have interpreted the surname as Burness - looks more like a Burough to me, would not think Burness ... could it possibly be that my original query says something like Servant Alexander Journeyman ?? I've attached the census record for interest.

Moderator comment , image cropped - copyright

[josey]

Whoever the 'handwritten' person was, I am pretty sure he would have to have been paying a separate rental [rather than part of the Lyell household] for him to appear on the Valuation Roll.

Who are living at the address on the 1871 Scottish census? Have you tried to find Alexander 'Burough' in 1871 to eliminate him from the address in Blairgowrie? I don't have any SP credits to look.

[MacofMac]

Tried looking for him through 1871 census record and he had moved on by then. The valuation roll record for 1872-1873 shows the converted part of the property as empty and he never shows up on the rolls after that. Tried looking at other census searches against variants of surname and even just Alexander with a birth date around 1844, also death record searches - Nothing matched up!   Seems a coincidence that it looks like the name Alexander on the 1871/72 valuation roll and there was an Alexander living with them in 1871 in Dundee. He may have moved with them into the converted part of the building and paid rent Annoying that I cannot verify the name on this 1871 census record either!  Oh well, think I'll put this one to rest for the time being. Thanks everyone for your help, much appreciated  

[Mike in Cumbria]

  Seems a coincidence that it looks like the name Alexander on the 1871/72 valuation roll and there was an Alexander living with them in 1871 in Dundee.

It's a very common name in Scotland though.

[josey]

Unless you can possibly track down the estate rental books or factor's file - looks like feuduty was paid to Brown of Marlee.

[MacofMac]

Hopefully all the Valuation Rolls will be on Scotlands People soon. They reckon they will be on by 2014 so once they get this one on I'll send a request to them to see if they can look at it and work out what it says! Either that or next time I'm in Edinburgh I'll ask to see the fiche copy. I know I'm not allowed access to the original book now that it is all digitalised (just not all on Scotlands People online yet!). Another thing to add to my queries folder for another day

[bleckie]

Hi

Looking at the image the last 2 letters of the surname look like the old way of writting a double "s" (I would agree with scotlandspeople Burness)

first one looks like a modern day "f" also aged 17 is rather young for a journeyman tailor as he would have had to have served his apprenticeship normally 6 years I believe but I could be wrong.

Could this be your man.
06/04/1845 BURNESS GEORGE ALEXANDE ALEXANDER BURNESS/ISABEL SHERIFFS M MONTROSE /ANGUS

Search criteria=  Surname  bur*ss  Forname alex*  date range 1843-1845  county Angus all parishes.


Yours Aye
BruceL