Alexander George, rancher/horse trader South Dakota.

[doddie]

I am looking for details about Alexander George. As far as I know he was born in Scotland.He may have been born in the Rothes area of Morayshire. He travelled to America at some point and in 1887/1888 was living or working in South Dakota. He may have been a rancher or horse trader because during the years mentioned above he took receipt of a Clydesdale horse that had been sent over from Scotland by his father. It seems that Alexnader was in business with a man with the surname Rice. I am hoping somone can provide some information so I can trace his family in Scotland. I know the information provided is a bit vague but it is all I have just at the moment.

Regards

Doddie

[Moray_Lass]

Hi Doddie

There are 15 Alexander George's listed at http://libindx.moray.gov.uk/mainmenu.asp
which might help once you have more information. This isn't a comprehensive list of everyone in Moray but I always use it to cross-refernce anything else I find.

I am sure someone else will suggest the 1881 or earlier census to try and identify his birth place. Maybe passanger lists on Ancestry?

Hope that gives you a few more things to follow up.

[paddyscar]

There is only one George Alexander from Scotland on the passenger lists at Alexander George on Castle Garden Castle Garden at age 1.

A search on EllisIsland.org doesn't provide anything before 1906.

Frances

[speleobat2]

Hi all,

Went to print this one out so I could try working on it and the printing came out so miniscule that I almost can't read it! Even the headings are about half the normal size.

It's only this one post. I tried printing three of the other current postings and they are fine.

Any idea what's happening with this one?

Carol

[AndrewP]

Went to print this one out so I could try working on it and the printing came out so miniscule that I almost can't read it! Even the headings are about half the normal size.

It's only this one post. I tried printing three of the other current postings and they are fine.

Any idea what's happening with this one?

Hi Carol,

See if it prints better now. I've modified the long link in Frances's post above.

All the best,

AndrewP

[SarahND]

Hello Doddie,
I haven't been able to take Alexander back to Scotland, but I think I may possibly have found his son:

In the magical Iowa 1925 census there is an Alexander George, born in South Dakota about 1885 (actually more like 1888 or 1889 I think, from other records). His father is A.J. George, born Scotland about 1864. His mother is Emma Theibeau (Thibeau), born in Minnesota. A J and Emma were married in South Dakota.

Alexander and his sister Mary are living with their maternal grandparents in Winona, Minnesota in both 1900 and 1910. Perhaps A.J. and Emma both died before then?
As I said, he is in Iowa in 1925
By 1930 he is a newspaper correspondent in Washington, D.C.

From the WWI records we see that Alexander Richard George was born 10 Jan 1889 in Flandreau, Brown county, South Dakota.

This is as close as I can come tonight to finding out where "A J" George was living when he received the horse (if I have the right family!)

All the best,
Sarah

[speleobat2]

Thanks Andrew! That worked! Now I can put away the magnifying glass.

Re: Alexander George If you Google South Dakota genealogy, several sites come up. The South Dakota Genforum site turns up some land office records, but getting it to do a search for the name Alexander George and not the two names separately doesn't seem to work, at least not for me, so I saw all the entries for Alexander and George!

You might be able to find a marriage certificate on one of the South Dakota sites. Looks like Sarah has some very solid leads in Iowa and Minnesota too!


Carol

[Currie]

Doddie,

The Alexander R. George mentioned by Sarah was a newsfeature writer in the Washington bureau of the Associated Press. Many articles published 1931 to 1951, mainly in the Washington Post. Wife Louise died 1949 and there’s a detailed WP obit for her. Please let me know if you’re interested and I’ll post the full text.

Alan

[SarahND]

Hello again,
Alexander's younger sister Mary was born in 1894 in Flandreau. This record confirms it was in Moody county, not Brown county as I said before. The birth record confirms that the father, "A J" is actually named "Alex". I'm sure Emma's last name is supposed to be "Thiebeau".

Name: Mary Aloysius George
Birth Date: 18 Jan 1894
Gender: Female
County: Moody
Father's Name: Alex George
Mother's Name: Emma Phiebeau
File Date: 30 Sep 1943


I can't seem to access the Moody County GenWeb site at the moment, but you might try:
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~sdmoody/

In the Biographical Index of the Archives of South Dakota, there are two entries for a "J A George." Could this be A.J. George, the father of Alexander?

http://history.sd.gov/Archives/Data/bioindex/g.aspx

The references appear to be:

History of Dakota Territory, and South Dakota:  its history and its people, v.4, page 250

Supplement to the History of Dakota Territory, and South Dakota: its history and its people, page 265

You can order copies of the pages from the Archives

Or, depending on where you are located, you can possibly find a copy in a library. Put your location into worldcat.org and see if the book is anywhere near you.

All the best,
Sarah

[SarahND]

Here's some more info:

This chap in the 1871 Scotland census looks interesting, since it would correspond to the "A.J." George found in the U.S.

1871
Earlsmount, Keith, Banffshire
Alexander J George, 56, Head, born Keith, Banffshire, Flour Manufacturer & Farmer Employing 23 Men (Other censuses give him the middle initial "S"-- see IGI below)
Mary Ann Christall, 33, Wife, born Burghead, Morayshire
James George, 13, Son, born Keith, Banffshire
Elizabeth F George, 11, Daughter, born Keith, Banffshire, Scholar
Peter C George, 9, Son, born Keith, Banffshire, Scholar
Alexander J George, 8, Son, born Keith Banffshire, Scholar
Jane L George, 6, Daughter, born Keith, Banffshire, Scholar
Charles George, 5, Son, born Keith, Banffshire, Scholar
Mary Isa George, 4, Daughter, born Keith, Banffshire
Helen M George, 3, Daughter, born Keith, Banffshire
Agnes George, 1, Daughter, born Keith, Banffshire
Elizabeth Pearcy, 25, Niece, born Elgin, Morayshire, Farmer
Margaret Ronnyinan, 41, Servant, born Rathven, Banffshire, Cook
Mary Smith, 24, Servant, born Keith, Banffshire, Housemaid
Ann Moggach, 21, Servant, born Keith, Banffshire, Nurse
Mary Wallace, 17, Servant, born Keith, Banffshire, Nurse

In 1881 the family is still in Keith, with FIVE more children born since 1871 But young Alexander is not with them.

I now notice that there is an Alexander George, born June 1862 in Scotland, widowed, who is a Govt Clerk in Washington, D.C. in 1900. He says he came to the U.S. in 1880.

From the IGI:
Alexander John George
Birth: 25 Jun 1862 Keith, Banff
Father: Alexander Struthers George
Mother: Mary Ann Christall

This may be him, remarried, in Spring Green, Sauk, Wisconsin in 1920:

George, Alexander, Head, 58, came to U.S. in 1882, naturalized in 1884, born Scotland, Cashier in Bank
George, Jane, Wife, 46, born Wisconsin

In 1930 they are still in Spring Green, living with Jane's 84 yr old father, Owen King. This time he is "Alex J" and says he emigrated in 1881.

And here are the cemetery records for Owen King, Jane (King) George and Alexander J George:

Saint John Cemetery, Spring Green, Sauk County, Wisconsin
King, Owen, b. 1845, d. 1932, father, s/w Alexander J. George, Clarence T. Pollard, George H. Puder, Row 7SW
George, Alexander J., b. 1862, d. 1947, s/w Owen King, Row 7SW

George, Jane, b. 1873, d. 1971, s/w Owen King, Row 7SW

There is a very faded passenger list entry for the Circassia, arriving in New York from Glasgow on 27 Sep 1880. On it is Alex Jno George, age 21. Since he said in 1900 that he came over in 1880, I think it is him. He just added on a few years to be "of age" (he would have been only 18.) This explains why he is not to be found in Scotland in 1881 (nor in the U.S. in 1880-- he cleverly missed both census dates!)

So, I think I have tied in the Alexander John George born in Keith, Banff with the one who was in South Dakota, Washington D.C. and Wisconsin. The remaining question is: Is this the one who was a horse trader and rancher?

Regards,
Sarah