Alexander Allan (bef. 1764 - abt. 1842)

Born before 2 Jun 1764 in Nigg, Kincardineshire, Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Margaret Elizabeth Foular — married 19 Jun 1790 in Nigg, Kincardineshire, Scotland

Descendants

Died about 5 Mar 1842 after about age 77 in Nigg, Kincardineshire, Scotland, United Kingdom [uncertain]

Biography

Native of Kincardineshire, Scotland

Birth and early life

Alexander Allan was born in the Parish of Nigg in 1764. He was the son of Alexander Allan and Isobel Forbes

He was baptised in Nigg on 11 June 1764. Unlike his father and siblings his surname was entered in the baptismal register as Allen rather than Allan.^[1] He was given the same forename of Alexander as his father and his father’s father.

Life in Torry

Nigg consisted of two villages, Cove and Torry. It is likely that Alexander grew up in Torry and followed the family’s traditional occupation of fishing. A survey by the Church of Scotland in 1834 recorded two men named Alexander Allan in Torry in 1834, one being a labourer and the other a white fisher ^[2]

Marriage and family

Alexander married Margaret Elizabeth Foular on 19 June 1790. ^[3]
Although Margaret’s surname was entered in the Parish Register as Foular on marriage, it is written as Fowler on all the childrens’ baptisms. It is worth observing that Alexander’s sister Elspet had married Margaret’s brother Alexander a few years earlier in 1786.
Alexander and Margaret had several children baptised in the parish. As they had two daughters named Jean it is likely that the elder one died in infancy and the name was used again for the next daughter born.
The childrens’ baptisms were as follows.

Alexander Allan baptised 22 May 1791 ^[4]

Isobel Allan baptised 16 May 1793 ^[5]

Jean Allan baptised 6 July 1794 ^[6]

William Allan baptised 12 August 1795 ^[7]

Jean Allan baptised 11 May 1799 ^[8]

Andrew Allan baptised 1 September 1801 ^[9]

George Allan baptised 25 July 1803 ^[10]

The family appeared to have been law abiding and well behaved. None of them are mentioned in the Kirk Session records of Nigg of the period.

Later Life and Death

Alexander's wife Margaret died in 1826 and her death was recorded in the Parish records of Nigg.^[11] Alexander was in the household of his son Andrew in nearby Footdee, Aberdeenshire at the time of the 1841 census and his occupation was given as white fisher^[12]
Footdee was on the opposite side of the River Dee to Torry but easily reached by ferry.
Alexander was probably the Alexander who died or was buried on 05 Mar 1842 in Nigg, Kincardineshire, Scotland so it is likely that he was only in his son's house as a visitor at the time of the 1841 census. He was 78 at time of death though the parish records recorded him as being 80. He was the only person of this name in Nigg Parish who would have been about this age in 1842 based on searching baptisms of the 1760s. ^[13]

Research Notes

Aberdeen council have put together a brochure on the history of Torry. Much of it covers the period after Alexander’s life but it mentions that there were 36 men from Torry, fishing in 6 boats in the 1790s^[14] However the brochure does not cite its sources so have left it out of main biography

Margaret's profile has her as dying in Footdee ^[11] Half brother shown George Allan-3897 is not a real person. His biography says William not George, in other words Alexander’s son William. Can Wikitree profiles be deleted?

Sources

1. ↑ "Old Parish Registers Births and Baptisms" database, National Records of Scotland, ScotlandsPeople (accessed 15 Sep 2023), ALLEN,ALEXANDER, parents ALEXANDER ALLAN/ISABEL FORBES,M,11 Jun 1764;citing Ref No: 10/304, Parish: Nigg.
2. ↑ https://www.oldscottish.com/nigg-kincardineshire.html#HoFs
3. ↑ "Old Parish Registers Banns and Marriages" database, National Records of Scotland, ScotlandsPeople (accessed 15 Sep 2023), ALLAN,ALEXANDER/FOWLER,MARGARET, 19 Jun 1790 citing Ref No: 30/251,Parish:Nigg .
4. ↑ "Old Parish Registers Births and Baptisms" database, National Records of Scotland, ScotlandsPeople (accessed 15 Sep 2023), ALLEN,ALEXANDER, parents ALEXANDER ALLAN/MARGARET FOWLER,M,22 May 1791;citing Ref No: 10/412, Parish: Nigg.
5. ↑ "Old Parish Registers Births and Baptisms" database, National Records of Scotland, ScotlandsPeople (accessed 15 Sep 2023), ALLEN,ISOBEL, parents ALEXANDER ALLAN/MARGARET FOWLER,F,16 May 1793;citing Ref No: 20/326 Parish: Nigg.
6. ↑ "Old Parish Registers Births and Baptisms" database, National Records of Scotland, ScotlandsPeople (accessed 22 Sep 2023), ALLEN,JEAN, parents ALEXANDER ALLAN/MARGARET FOWLER,F,06 Jul 1794;citing Ref No: 20/330 Parish: Nigg.
7. ↑ "Old Parish Registers Births and Baptisms" database, National Records of Scotland, ScotlandsPeople (accessed 22 Sep 2023), ALLEN,WILLIAM, parents ALEXANDER ALLAN/MARGARET FOWLER,M,12 Aug 1795;citing Ref No: 20/330 Parish: Nigg.
8. ↑ "Old Parish Registers Births and Baptisms" database, National Records of Scotland, ScotlandsPeople (accessed 22 Sep 2023), ALLEN,JEAN, parents ALEXANDER ALLAN/MARGARET FOWLER,F,11 May 1799;citing Ref No: 20/348 Parish: Nigg.
9. ↑ "Old Parish Registers Births and Baptisms" database, National Records of Scotland, ScotlandsPeople (accessed 22 Sep 2023), ALLEN,ANDREW, parents ALEXANDER ALLAN/MARGARET FOWLER,M,01 Sep 1801;citing Ref No: 20/355 Parish: Nigg.
10. ↑ "Old Parish Registers Births and Baptisms" database, National Records of Scotland, ScotlandsPeople (accessed 22 Sep 2023), ALLEN,GEORGE, parents ALEXANDER ALLAN/MARGARET FOWLER,M,25 Jul 1803;citing Ref No: 20/366 Parish: Nigg.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Church of Scotland: Old Parish Registers - Deaths and Burials", database, National Records of Scotland, (ScotlandsPeople : accessed 6 Oct 2023), Margaret Allan, death or burial on 29 Dec 1826 in Nigg, Kincardineshire, Scotland; citing Parish Number 266/ , Ref 40 460.
12. ↑ "Scottish General Register Office: 1841 Census Returns database, FreeCEN (https://www.freecen.org.uk/search_records/5a1404bef4040b9d6ee95c7a : viewed 5 Oct 2023), Alexander ALLEN in household of Andrew ALLEN, Footdee, South Square, Aberdeenshire, Scotland; from 1841 "England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images; citing The National Archives HO 107/168, Folio 1, Page 17, Schedule , The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.
13. ↑ Church of Scotland: Old Parish Registers - Deaths and Burials", database, National Records of Scotland, (ScotlandsPeople : accessed 6 Oct 2023), Alexander Allan, death or burial on 3 Mar 1842 in Nigg, Kincardineshire, Scotland; citing Parish Number 266/ , Ref 40 526.
14. ↑ https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/AAGM/local-history/heritage-trails