Seeking help for Dores in 1820s and 30s

[DFraser72]

This is a really great site. The help I see you providing folks is amazing and much admired. I come seeking guidance on how to proceed.

We have been blessed enough to trace my Fraser side back to one Duncan Fraser, born about 1830. He joined the 92nd of Foot April 25 1846 in Inverness and transferred to the Royal Artillery 1 Oct 1848 after 2 yr. 7 mo. duty in Jamaica where apparently Yellow Fever decimated the regiment and they were disbanded. His retirement papers dated 29 Apr 1867 from the Royal Artillery show Dores as his birth parish. We have found two of his marriage certificates indicating his father was one Alexander Fraser and indicated alternately that Alexander was a Farmer (1856) and a Labourer (1866).

We have been unable to connect Duncan and Alexander in the same dwelling in the 1841 census, though there are a couple interesting possibilities. I want to be certain, though. The ages do not seem to be quite correctand they are not in Dores. So without a 1841 census or other documentation I cannot find Duncan's mother or siblings either.

Duncan Fraser had three surviving sons, Charles Duncan Fraser is the eldest, followed by James Henry Fraser who is my direct great grandfather and Alfred Russell Fraser. The mother of all three was Sarah Jane Russell, who married with Duncan in 1856. There was apparently another James Henry who died at birth in 1857. All three of these boys immigrated to the US in the 1880s and 1890s. This all might be important because it has lately been tradition for the first son to name the first son after the grandfather. My father is James Henry after his grandfather and and his great uncle Charlie (CD Fraser) named his son Duncan. So, just maybe, Alexander had a James for a father, but at this point there is no way to tell.

I want to find my Alexander and Duncan's mother and any siblings. I am hoping to find a source for the Dores parish records, births, marriages. The family appears to be Presbyterian, based on James Henry's baptism record 19 May 1861 signed by James Porter officiating clergyman to the Presbyterian Troops Kilkenny.

Any recommended sources or direct information that can be supplied will be most appreciated.

[LesleyB]

Hi DfFraser72
And welcome to Talking Scot.
A few quesitons to get the ball rolling....

We have found two of his marriage certificates indicating his father was one Alexander Fraser and indicated alternately that Alexander was a Farmer (1856) and a Labourer (1866).

So without a 1841 census or other documentation I cannot find Duncan's mother or siblings either.

Is Alexander indicated as "deceased" on either of these entries?
Duncan's mother should be named on the marriage certificates - what is her name given as (including maiden suname?)
Where did the marriages take place?
Also, what age does he say he is at the time of these marriages?
Do you know where he was in 1851? (Scotland or abroad maybe?)

Best wishes
Lesley

[SarahND]

Hi Lesley,
I have been puzzling over this family for a bit now so can answer a few of the questions! Unfortunately, the marriages both took place in England, so no mother's name given. Luckily however, he was married in the London area both times so that one can see an actual image instead of just the index. Neither one has the father listed as deceased.
In both he is "of age"-- thanks for that!

On his pension document it says he enlisted on 25 April 1846 and was 18 years old.
On the date the pension was granted, i.e. 7th May 1867 he was 39. Who knows whether or not he told the truth when he enlisted, however.

In 1851 he, or someone like him, is in the Barracks in Westminster St Margaret and is 23
In 1861 he is in the Cavalry Barracks Hospital in Clewer, Berkshire, although maybe this is the wrong one as he is supposedly unmarried. He is 33.
In 1871 he is in Westoe, South Shields, Durham with the children and his second wife and is supposedly 41, although his wife is considerably younger, so he may have fibbed a bit.
The child who is 10 in that census was born in Ireland, so I think at least his wife and the children must have been there in 1861.

There are so many Frasers in Dores, Inverness!

I have all sorts of possible scenarios, but no proof for any of them, so I'm waiting for someone with a clearer head to come along

All the best,
Sarah

[LesleyB]

Oh silly me...just assumed he had been married in Scotland!!
Did he have any daughters?

I am hoping to find a source for the Dores parish records, births, marriages.

All of these can be found on the pay-per-view site http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk
96A. DORES
96A/1 B 1734-1819 M 1734-1819 D 1753-96
96A/2 B 1820-54 M 1820-54 D 1831 (one entry)
...but you may wish to try a few searches on the LDS site at http://www.familysearch.org first as many of these records have been transcribed.
Microfilms of the OPRs can also be ordered to view at any LDS family history centre - better if you wantt to browse through them.

Best wishes
Lesley

[SarahND]

Oh silly me...just assumed he had been married in Scotland!!
Did he have any daughters?

That would have been too simple!
Only the three boys are there with them in the 1871 census.

[nelmit]

Interesting that his death notice was published in Newcastle (which you would expect) but also in the York Herald.

Sarah and Lesley it looks like he also had a daughter - Marian born 1877.

DFraser72 - I've been having a look at your research at Ancestry and you really have put in a lot of work. It would be a pity if you couldn't go back further. Maybe York is a clue to family living there.

Regards,
Annette

[DFraser72]

Thank you all for jumping right in like this. It is thrilling for us to be getting so close to finding a next step with a good level of certainty. I will definitely go to the pay site. one of the better decisions was to contact a military specialist and contract him to pull Duncan's and James Henry's RA records.

The 1851 Barracks Duncan Could be Duncan as the timing appears right that he may just have returned from his tour first in Jamaica for 2 yr 7 mo. and the in Canada for 1 yr 8 mo.. Alexander does not show as Deceased on either of the two certificates of marriage. Duncan certainly does show as deceased on James Henry's marriage certificate.

We know he was married 4 times. It is sad knowing how hard and short the lives of child bearing women was then. Sarah Jane was a really strong lady to last as long as she did with at least 4 births. We do know about Marian born to his 4th wife Annie Harker. As far as we can tell she lived with mom and never married.

We have a note from my great uncle CD Fraser's wife Irene Valeria Fraser that seems to indicate Duncan may have had a sister, Mary, who at the time of the note was "quite old and much interested in you". We think she wrote this to my grandfather Douglas Russell and she refers to "your Fathers Aunt" Mrs Mary Johnston at 36 Leathearl Road, London, England. Irene traveled frequently to England and the Continent, at least yearly if not more often and met the Russells and apparently Mary Johnston. We just found this note as my elder brother keeps posting family archive items he collected from my parents things and manages to digitize them.

Thanks again to all. Don

[DFraser72]

Can anyone recommend any books that detail some of the highland families history in the 1700 and early 1800s?

We are having a lot of fun currently with Sarah Fraser's The Last Highlander

Kind regards,

Don Fraser

[Orlaith17]

I have just noticed this post regarding people in Dores. I live in the Highlands, and Dores is a favourite place of mine to visit at weekends with the dogs. There is a beautiful and quaint little cemetery a few miles further along from Dores, in Foyers, overlooking Loch Ness. I had noticed on visiting it that there ere MANY graves with the name Fraser on them. If you find death records for any of your relatives who lived in and around Dores, they would most likely be buried there. I would be happy to go and loacte the graves and send you photos if you have the name and date of death.

[DFraser72]

How can I be sure? Well, I went to ScotlandsPeople and bought all the records I could stomach from the Dores parish. And what do my wondering eyes perceive but a Baptism notice of July 17 1827 of a child named Duncan born to Alexander Fraser (farm servant Torbreck) and Janet McIntosh, baptized by Rev. Thomas Fraser and witnessed by Andrew McIntosh and William Clarke. Then I found a May 31, 1826 marriage notice of Alexander Fraser, farm servant with Torbreck and Janet McIntosh, servant of McColly Torbreck. This is the only record I have ever found of Alexander and Duncan together within Inverness parish and in a reasonable time frame. There are 3 other Duncans born to an Alexander in the same timeframe but this is the only one in Inverness, in which Dores is a parish. And then the clear link to Dores in the wedding notice makes it about as certain as I could hope for. The birth date would make him 18 at his April 25 1846 enlistment in the 92 Foot. That is also consistent with his Discharge. It seems as though he started to loose track or cut a few years off towards the end as his death notice shows him to be 48 years old in 1878.
So, my brothers Douglas and Duncan, all strong family names, encourage me to declare victory so =D> I am going to visit the Inverness area for a week in mid July and will try to spend some time in the family history library to see if there is more to learn.

Thank you all for your great advice, personal research, and for the great encouragement. So now I say I am Donald James Fraser, middle son of James Henry, only son of Douglas Russell Fraser, only son of James Henry Fraser, middle surviving son of Duncan Fraser, Son of Alexander Fraser and Janet McIntosh of Dores

Peace and wishes for a wonderful 2015 to all.

Donald Fraser
Orlando FL