Alexander hunter 1834 Beith

[beckwar]

I'm trying to trace back my partners Hunter ancestry. We have got to his 3rd great grandfather Alexander Hunter born abt 1834. I can find him on the census returns from 1861 living in Renfrew. He first married in 1859 to Christine McVicar and they had three children (Alexander, Catherine and Isabella). Christina died in 1869. He then married Mary McInnes and stayed living with her in Renfrew. He died in 1897. I have his death cert and both marriage certs but information on them is conflicting! On both marriage cert's he says his father is James Hunter a labourer who is deceased. On the first cert he has his mother as Ann Mcneil (deceased) second cert he has his mother as Catherine Gillies (deceased)! I have put this down to error as the name of his first wife's mother on the marriage cert is Catherine Gillies, I have traced this line and the info confirms this was his firt wifes mother. His death was registered by his son in law and has that his father was an Alexander Hunter (sailor) and that his mother was a Mary Brown! I am sure it is the right death cert as both wives names are on it and the son in law is a William Gilmour and I have the evidence to show that's who his daughter Catherine married.

Can anyone shed light on why the info on his parents on his death cert could be so wrong? Did his son in law just make it up? I suppose I shouldn't rule out that the info on the death cert is correct and what he said on his marriage cert was wrong but I think it's unlikely. 

On all census returns Alexander Hunter says he was born in Beith 1834 but I can't find any sign of his family being there on the 1841 and 1851 census. I want to look at parish registers to see if I can find his birth. Where can I find the registers for Beith parish church?

Any help appreciated.

[Forfarian]

Can anyone shed light on why the info on his parents on his death cert could be so wrong? Did his son in law just make it up? I suppose I shouldn't rule out that the info on the death cert is correct and what he said on his marriage cert was wrong but I think it's unlikely. 

It's not unusual for a son-in-law registering a death to get some of the details wrong, and generally speaking if the information on a marriage certificate doesn't match the information on a death certificate, the marriage certificate is more likely to be correct, because it is supplied by the person who is getting married.

There are records of the baptisms of five children of James Hunter and Ann McNeill, all in South Knapdale
John, 23 January 1822
Lillias, 29 January 1824
James, 1 January 1826
Alexander, 20 July 1829
Margaret Mary A, 7 July 1837

I don't see any records of children to James Hunter and Catherine Gillies.

All the information from the surviving parish registers of the Church of Scotland, including Beith and South Knapdale, is online at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

[beckwar]

It's not unusual for a son-in-law registering a death to get some of the details wrong, and generally speaking if the information on a marriage certificate doesn't match the information on a death certificate, the marriage certificate is more likely to be correct, because it is supplied by the person who is getting married.

Thanks for replying. Yes I thought the same regarding a son-in-law filling out the death cert, wouldn't be surprising to get some details wrong but I find it odd that none of the info regarding parents was correct. It's like he just made it up to avoid leaving it blank.

There are records of the baptisms of five children of James Hunter and Ann McNeill, all in South Knapdale
John, 23 January 1822
Lillias, 29 January 1824
James, 1 January 1826
Alexander, 20 July 1829
Margaret Mary A, 7 July 1837

I found this family previously, the father James is a doctor, his son was an Alexander Campbell Hunter. They aren't the right family.

All the information from the surviving parish registers of the Church of Scotland, including Beith and South Knapdale, is online at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

I've searched the church records on scotlands people and can't find anything that looks likely to be him. Is there anywhere else I could look? Or is it likely that I won't be able to trace this any further back? I'd like to find Alexander on the 1841 and 1851 census, he must be somewhere!

[Forfarian]

Yes indeed, you'd think he had to be somewhere in 1841 and 1851.

If there's nothing else on SP then you probably have come to a dead end. There's a slim chance that there might be a baptism in a dissenting church not indexed on SP, or an episcopalian church, but the chances of finding it are small.

Could he have been illegitimate and listed in the census under another surname - McNeill or Gillies or whatever? Could his mother have married after he was born, and he listed with her husband's surname?

There are two Alexanders in the 1841 census in Beith who are either not with obvious parents, or with a possible parent named Ann
Alexander Goldie, aged 5, with Ann Goldie, 35; John Goldie, 15; and Robert Goldie, 10.
Alexander McGuineas, aged 6, in the household of John Walker.

[raonull4]

hi
   could he be the Alexander Hunter,
Born to John Hunter and Margaret Riddel 6/1/1833 Lochwinoch
and is in Lochwinoch 1841 and 51
Lochwinoch being very close to Beith