Allan as a diminutive

morgano · Post by **morgano** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 4:30 am

Hello, again.
Is the forename Allan ever used as a diminutive form of Alexander, please?
Thanks,

Morgano

Bervonian · Post by **Bervonian** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 9:23 am

To the best of my knowledge the only diminutives of Alexander are Alec(k), Alex, Alick, Eck, Ecky, Sanders, Sandy, or (as an Englishman's nickname for a Scotsman) Sawnie.

smiddykilry · Post by **smiddykilry** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 2:31 pm

Hi
I have a branch where Allan (with Stewart as a middle name) was the name given to a Daughter for 3 generations that I know about, a bit further back in that line there was a grandfather named Allen Stewart.

Smid

morgano · Post by **morgano** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 5:47 am

Thanks for your replies. This Allan is definitely a man, but somehow seems to become Alexander over time.

I think it may be an interesting example of how potentially flawed the evidence of the statutory records can be. When Catherine Maxwell (nee McKenzie) died in Dundee in 1880, her death was registered by her granddaughter, Susan Walker (nee Maxwell). The registration document records that Catherine Maxwell was the widow of Henry Maxwell, a watchmaker, that she was 70 and that her parents were Alexander McKenzie (a tailor) and Margaret Kelly.

The 1871 census adds the information that Catherine Maxwell was from Edinburgh and was actually 69 in 1871.

A surviving OPR from 1825 documents in some detail the proclamation of the banns of Henry Maxwell, a watch-maker in Edinburgh, and Catherine Mackenzie, daughter of Allan Mackenzie, a printer.

An OPR from 1801 describes, rather more succinctly, the marriage of

"Allan McKenzie Printer College Church Parish and Margaret Kello same Parish Daughter of John Kello Farmer in the Parish of Contine Ross Shire."

I am fairly confident that this is the same Catherine Maxwell throughout and that the OPR documents, rather than the statutory one, contain the accurate information about her parents' names and her father's business, while the 1871 census seems more likely to be correct about her age.

Catherine Maxwell's link to Dundee was through her son, also Henry, born 1826 in Edinburgh, who lived in or near Dundee at least as early as 1845. He was definitely still alive in 1861, but was deceased by 1872, when his widow (so described) also died, but there seems to be no statutory registration of Henry's death (I have searched beyond 1872 in Scotland and have looked for English records, too). I don't see him in the 1871 census, either, where his wife, Isabella, is described as the head of the household, but also as married, not widowed.

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 8:34 am

Hi Morgano

When Catherine Maxwell (nee McKenzie) died in Dundee in 1880, her death was registered by her granddaughter, Susan Walker (nee Maxwell). The registration document records that Catherine Maxwell was the widow of Henry Maxwell, a watchmaker, that she was 70 and that her parents were Alexander McKenzie (a tailor) and Margaret Kelly.

Death entries can be the least reliable of the SR sources, as you are entirely dependant on the knowledge of the informant. In this case, given that it is Catherine's granddaughter who is the informant, it seems very likely that she would not have known her great grandparents, and therefore may not be able to give their names accurately. I think she did pretty well....

Best wishes
Lesley

morgano · Post by **morgano** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 9:56 am

I assume that the idea of asking for the names of the parents arose from the sad fact that there was very high infant mortality; many of those registered had only too recently been registered as newly born. For those registering the deaths of elderly relatives, possibly from quite another part of Scotland, to be asked about the names and trades of the deceased's parents must have seemed rather bizarre.

Post by **AnneM** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:13 am

Bizarre but truly wonderful for us who are researching our ancestry! You only have to be doing English research to realise what a boon it is. I always get roped in to doing the registrations for the older members of my family as I can be guaranteed to know the right answers.

Anne

PS I think it may also be a throwback to those communities where everyone know everyone and who their father was. Even now in some of the Islands someone who figures on the records as John McLeod may be known in his community as Iain son of Alistair son of Iain (all in Gaelic of course.)

morgano · Post by **morgano** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 1:12 pm

Oh, I do still have English ancestry to do, along with lots and lots of Welsh... It should keep me busy for a while.

Post by **AnneM** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:39 pm

I must say that I've greatly enjoyed the English research I've done however frustrating it sometimes is. Is that heresy on TS?? Part of the fun I found was actually going to the area the ancestor (in my case my husband's ancestors) came from and going through the records in the record office and searching for gravestones. SP is great but English research can feel more 'hands on' at times, not that I have not searched through various Scottish graveyards with mixed success!

Anne