Need help deciphering & interpreting this 1739 Urquart & Logie Wester birth

[Gadget]

Hi Col

To me 'natural son' means that the parents weren't married - i.e. he was illegitimate. Also suggests that John Fraser, also known as/alias Miller, was likely to have acknowledged parenthood.

Gadget

[Gadget]

Further to my last post ~  it would be interesting to see if the Kirk Session minutes have any record of this. 

I'm not sure if they are available online or if you are able to get to either Edinburgh or Glasgow or any of the larger local archives in Scotland to see them.

https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/church-court-records-online

Gadget

Added - just noticed that you are in Hunter Valley where the wine comes from, so unlikely to be able to get to Scotland without a long journey 

[ColDownUnder]

Thanks for your suggestions Gadget.
Illegitimacy does explain the "natural son" start of the birth record but I still don't understand the "John Fraser alias Miller" part of the record. This phrasing seems to bear no connection to the illegitimate son.
 I will do the long haul to Scotland again in 2022 all being well.
Cheers,
Col 

[Skoosh]

There's no logic when it comes to an alias. Fraser's being 10 a penny therraboots many families would have had an alias (still have!) to differentiate them from families of the same name.  Could be a place-name, a grannie's name, an occupation or whatever.
 Have you tried a search on Rootschat for these family names Col?

Skoosh. 

[ColDownUnder]

Hi & thanks Skoosh. Didn't know that about aliases but it makes sense as you point out with all the Frasers around that area.
With the non capitalised "miller" of the record that could have been his occupation.
I will do a name search on Rootschat for Miller. I've done one previously for Fraser.
Cheers,
Col 

[Skoosh]

@ Col, just watched a Gaelic prog'"Trusaidh!" on nicknames currently used throughout the north of Scotland. Some places nearly everybody has a personal nickname also a family name, plus the ability to recite their patronymic! 

Skoosh.

[Gadget]

They certainly did in the community where I lived. They were mostly McLeods so some form of distinguishing the Jimmys , Donalds, Alastairs, etc.* was required.

* and the Anns and Margarets, etc.

[ColDownUnder]

I wish they'd written it all down somewhere. I'm finding it harder & harder to locate records in the 1700s. When I do find them it's often hard to locate births even when marriage certs & children can be found. Death certs also seem to be difficult.
Oh well, keeps me on my toes. All the best.
Cheers,
Col 

[Skoosh]

Folks. in that prog' in the case of Barra the emigrants who went to Cape Breton took their genealogy with them & the present islanders are indebted to their descendants who sent the info' back to Barra where folk who formerly traced their ancestry to the 18th cent' can now go back another 200 years! 

Skoosh.