Alexander Symon 1861-1871

[Moray_Lass]

Yeah me too

[nelmit]

Was there an address on Margaret's birth entry?

Regards,
Annette

[Moray_Lass]

Hi Annette

Unfortunately Mary Thomson came home to her mum in Bellie to have her daughter - she was working as a domestic servant in Deskford in 1861 census - which is why that Kirk Session raised it. They probably met there. I did trying and track down the Margaret Watt mother of this Alexander Symon, in case she was still in Deskford and he was visiting her - but no luck. And that puts any comments in the lost Deskford Kirk Session Minutes again...

Just can't think what other angle to take at this brick wall...

[Moray_Lass]

Got him. Unfortunately (for me) it is my ghost farm labourer from above. The 'lost' Deskford Kirk Session Minutes have been found and digitized - they were written on blue paper... So I can fill things out a bit -

ALEXANDER SYMON/Simon
Born Deskford
Christening: 20 Dec 1828 Grange, Banff
1841 Rothiemay, Ag Lab
1851 Marnoch, Farm Labourer, Born Deskford
1861 ?
1863 cMar - Farm Servant at Nether Blairock, Deskford, with Mary Thomson
1863 2 Nov - case put before Deskford Kirk Session, Alex at Newmills, near Keith, no corresponding Keith entry
1863 26 Dec - Margaret Thomson (later Symon) born in Bellie
1865 4 Apr - Alexander acknowledged paternity in Deskford Minutes
1865 21 May - Bellie Kirk Session closed case
1871 ? (not Monquhitter, that is miss-indexed)
1881 ?
Married ?
Died ?

So no ongoing argument to trace him by, only two entries in the Deskford Minutes. I used the FMP time but can't see him there.

If anyone has any suggestions where else I can look, I'd be very grateful.

[SarahND]

Congrats on the progress, Maggie! =D>
Does that mean that other supposedly non-existent kirk session minutes may also come to light? [-o<

I'm afraid I can't see him anywhere At least not in the UK, Canada or the US. I think he must have fled somewhere-- Australia?

Best of luck,
Sarah

[speleobat2]

Did you ever find a death cert. for his daughter Margaret? Was Alexander shown as deceased on that?

Also, have you contacted ANESFHS and asked them to research Alexander? Seems to me that they have quite a bit of information relating to Banffshire. I thought that we used to be able to search the unpublished MI's for Banffshire, but when I just checked their website, the MI search has been reworked and the unpublished ones aren't there that I could find.

Couple more straws to grasp anyway!

Carol

[Moray_Lass]

Hi Sarah
Fingers crossed that more Minutes with appear, but the blue ink/blue paper is hard to read, I admit - easier on the screen in NAS than on the printout. I tried immigration records last time I was signed up to Ancestry and I can't see him going anywhere. Unless I am not doing it right.

Hi Carol
Unfortunately Alexander doesn't even get a mention when Margaret dies, just a blank, I assume my Granda didn't know his name, possibly his mother didn't! Which was why my first trip to NAS was so good - I knew it was a Symon because of the name change but not a first name. No I haven't tried contacting ANESFHS, that is certainly something worth trying since I am so firmly stuck. I seriously doubt there will be an MI, most of mine ended up in pauper's graves, I think I have four gravestones in my tree going back to 1768 and none in my direct line.

I've been grasping at straws and trying deaths ??mon with no first name between 1865-1928 in case he was known by another name later (my great aunts first child was Alexander but known as Sam, and my Grandfather was indexed as Tymon which is why I couldn't find his birth for so long). He is just very good a hiding from census takers and undertakers!

[speleobat2]

Maggie,

Just did a quick search of Immigration and Travel on Ancestry and this one popped up:

Victoria, Australia, Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, 1839–1923 Victoria, Australia, Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, 1839–1923
Name: Alexr Symon
Estimated birth year: abt 1827
Age: 41
Arrival Date: 12 Feb 1868
Arrival Port: Melbourne, Australia
Departure Port: Liverpool
Ship: Great Britain
Nationality: English


It does say that his nationality was English, but you know how that goes!

Carol

[trish1]

Those in charge down under in the early days had the bad habit of equating British = English so I wouldn't discount this one - as the age seems close. The Vic records can be searched free of charge here
http://proarchives.imagineering.com.au/ ... earchid=23 I'm not even sure where ancestry get the "English" - they may be also equating British with English. On the index at PROV the ship is described as B (from a British Port)
SYMON ALEXR 41 FEB 1868 GREAT BRITAIN B 272 003

The fiche are available at PROV or various libraries in Australia but for unassisted immigrants they rarely show any more detail other than class of travel (cabin or steerage). If you paid your own fare no further detail seemed to be required. He seems to have been on the ship alone - so no wife or children at that stage.

I can see no sign of a marriage or death in Victoria - I've checked Symon Simon and Symonds as the surname ( death index to 1985) He could have moved to another state of Australia

Looking at the PROV records of departures it seems this person may have travelled to England, before coming back to Australia but could well be 2 different people.

SYMON A 41 GREAT BRITAIN AUG 1867 LIVERPOOL AUG 1867 006 - passenger on the same ship heading to Liverpool.
http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/indexes/inde ... earchid=42

Trish

[grannysrock]

Hi Maggie

Sorry I just deleted my post because I had posted something irrelevant about a man that could not possibly be your ancestor as he was in Chicago in the 1860's. Apologogies to anyone who read it !
Sally not fully awake !