Author Topic: Trying to trace an Alasdair Bhan from Scotland  (Read 2639 times)

Offline Whitean

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Trying to trace an Alasdair Bhan from Scotland
« on: Saturday 12 September 15 18:30 BST (UK) »
I am trying to trace an Alasdair Bhan from Scotland who would have been born circa 1920.......

Offline Rosinish

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Re: Trying to trace an Alasdair Bhan from Scotland
« Reply #1 on: Saturday 12 September 15 19:18 BST (UK) »
Hi,

Is it possible you could expand on the name please.

Bhan is usually a gaelic word meaning fair (e.g. fair haired)

Do you have any other info. to relate this person with such as any family background & a possible area in Scotland.

Can you tell us where you found his name (which country & what circumstances) as the info. is very little to go on  ???

Annie
South Uist, Inverness-shire, Scotland:- Bowie, Campbell, Cumming, Currie

Ireland:- Cullen, Flannigan (Derry), Donahoe/Donaghue (variants) (Cork), McCrate (Tipperary), Mellon, Tol(l)and (Donegal & Tyrone)

Newcastle-on-Tyne/Durham (Northumberland):- Harrison, Jude, Kemp, Lunn, Mellon, Robson, Stirling

Kettering, Northampton:- MacKinnon

Canada:- Callaghan, Cumming, MacPhee

"OLD GENEALOGISTS NEVER DIE - THEY JUST LOSE THEIR CENSUS"

Offline Whitean

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Re: Trying to trace an Alasdair Bhan from Scotland
« Reply #2 on: Saturday 12 September 15 19:37 BST (UK) »
Hello , what little information I have is as follows ;
1.Possibly from North Lanarkshire/ Midlothian ,around Airdrie  maybe but that may not be definite.

2.The name has appeared in some of my  family papers, which relate  to 1950 or thereabouts.

 Sorry to be vague , but all I really have is this name and a date   around  March or July 1950.

 Thank you for your interest

Offline Rosinish

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Re: Trying to trace an Alasdair Bhan from Scotland
« Reply #3 on: Saturday 12 September 15 20:03 BST (UK) »
I would say his surname is not Bhan but referred to as Alasdair Bhan.

Alasdair is also gaelic for Alexander.

With Alasdair & Bhan, I would say he was of Highland descent.

Would he possibly be a relative as looking for him would be a no go.

What were your relatives surname & descent.

There is no-one on SP with that surname around that period from 1855 onward although there are 2 Bhan's between 1974 & 2014....I didn't check where.

Annie

South Uist, Inverness-shire, Scotland:- Bowie, Campbell, Cumming, Currie

Ireland:- Cullen, Flannigan (Derry), Donahoe/Donaghue (variants) (Cork), McCrate (Tipperary), Mellon, Tol(l)and (Donegal & Tyrone)

Newcastle-on-Tyne/Durham (Northumberland):- Harrison, Jude, Kemp, Lunn, Mellon, Robson, Stirling

Kettering, Northampton:- MacKinnon

Canada:- Callaghan, Cumming, MacPhee

"OLD GENEALOGISTS NEVER DIE - THEY JUST LOSE THEIR CENSUS"


Offline Whitean

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Re: Trying to trace an Alasdair Bhan from Scotland
« Reply #4 on: Saturday 12 September 15 20:48 BST (UK) »
He is not a relative. I understand the reasons for not following up if he was.

The name  is clearly written as  Alasdair Bhan although you could be  right that this was not the real surname.
 The link with the Highlands could be correct although the name appears in an autograph book which belonged to a person in Airdrie. There is what appears to be a date in Roman numerals after the signature --  111-V11- L or possibly C ---   not sure of the last letter as it is with quite a flourish. This could translate into either 3rd July 1950 or 7th March 1950..

 Thanks


 

Offline Rosinish

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Re: Trying to trace an Alasdair Bhan from Scotland
« Reply #5 on: Saturday 12 September 15 21:18 BST (UK) »
I agree with the date in relation to the roman numerals.

Peopled moved from the highlands for work (my own grandmother did) from the Outer Hebrides.

There are no births anywhere in Scotland for Bhan from 1855 - 1974.

The person in Airdrie may have been related.

Maybe if you post a few surnames with who he was linked to.....might help to establish his connections but I would definitely say Bhan was to distinguish him from a relative of the same name of Alasdair who possibly was dark haired.

Annie


South Uist, Inverness-shire, Scotland:- Bowie, Campbell, Cumming, Currie

Ireland:- Cullen, Flannigan (Derry), Donahoe/Donaghue (variants) (Cork), McCrate (Tipperary), Mellon, Tol(l)and (Donegal & Tyrone)

Newcastle-on-Tyne/Durham (Northumberland):- Harrison, Jude, Kemp, Lunn, Mellon, Robson, Stirling

Kettering, Northampton:- MacKinnon

Canada:- Callaghan, Cumming, MacPhee

"OLD GENEALOGISTS NEVER DIE - THEY JUST LOSE THEIR CENSUS"

Offline GR2

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Re: Trying to trace an Alasdair Bhan from Scotland
« Reply #6 on: Saturday 12 September 15 21:35 BST (UK) »
If he was signing his name, there would be no h in it. It would be Ban. This suggests he is not a native speaker, but someone with a loose knowledge or someone having a bit of fun. His name might actually have been Alexander Bain or  even Alexander White.

Offline argyllshiregirl

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Re: Trying to trace an Alasdair Bhan from Scotland
« Reply #7 on: Saturday 12 September 15 22:32 BST (UK) »
That is a tough one! Lots of Highlanders went to the central part of Scotland for work, my father and grandfather included. I can imagine that a fair haired fellow named Alexander might get nicknamed Alasdair Ban by a Highland co-worker, pal or school mate. This Alexander might then sign an autograph book that way, but not spelled correctly if he himself was not a Highlander or familiar with Gaelic words. Highlanders loved to give everyone nicknames. You were lucky if your main feature was blond hair, hence Ban, and not someone with a stutter, a limp or a drinking problem!

In days gone by, nicknames were almost necessary. With the traditional naming pattern, a man named Alexander would in theory have one son named Alexander and each of his sons would name their eldest son Alexander too. You can imagine that there might be several men with the exact same name in one area and so the nickname sorted that out - Big Alec, Young Sandy, Red Alasdair etc., all in Gaelic of course. Trouble is none of that was written down on records. My father, at 6 ft. 2 in. tall, was known as Innes Mór or Big Angus, in his youth.

Mary

Fletcher of Glen Orchy, Argyll, McGregor of Argyll and Balquhidder, Perth, Mathison, Laidlaw, Forsyth of Dumfriesshire, McMillan, Johnston, Galbraith, Nicholson of Argyll, McPhail, McArthur, McKinnon, McLean, Paterson from Isle of Mull

Offline Rosinish

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Re: Trying to trace an Alasdair Bhan from Scotland
« Reply #8 on: Sunday 13 September 15 09:38 BST (UK) »
Found this;

http://www.scottish-places.info/glossw.html

Under "B"....."Ban (Bhan, Bhain, Baine, Bana) fair, white [Gaelic]"

Keep digging until you find something with his surname & more details or it's a "needle in a haystack"  ;) 

GR2...........good theory;

His name might actually have been Alexander Bain or even Alexander White.

Annie

South Uist, Inverness-shire, Scotland:- Bowie, Campbell, Cumming, Currie

Ireland:- Cullen, Flannigan (Derry), Donahoe/Donaghue (variants) (Cork), McCrate (Tipperary), Mellon, Tol(l)and (Donegal & Tyrone)

Newcastle-on-Tyne/Durham (Northumberland):- Harrison, Jude, Kemp, Lunn, Mellon, Robson, Stirling

Kettering, Northampton:- MacKinnon

Canada:- Callaghan, Cumming, MacPhee

"OLD GENEALOGISTS NEVER DIE - THEY JUST LOSE THEIR CENSUS"