Alexander Alchersone Alsherson

[Echidna]

Hello to all my long lost relatives in Caithness and the many far flung places globally. I am am new to this forum and have long been a genealogy tragic.

I live in the great southern land Australia with my paternal line from Keiss, my 3X great grandparents David Alexander and Elisabeth Bremner are buried in the Keiss Kirkyard, their son Andrew Bremner Alexander moving to Sydney via a brief stay in NZ around 1882. He married a lass from Ayrshire called Elizabeth McWhirter who it seems he met in Edinburgh, and they decided to emigrate. Their son David who was called Dede (pronounced Deed) married into an old Sydney family that had been here since arriving in 1790.

We are now called Alexanders, but research indicates that the name was changed from Alchersone and its many variations. I would be interested to hear from anyone researching this name, and from any cousins still living in the Keiss, Freswick, Thurso and Wick areas who might have done some research. Other names of interest include JACK, BREMNER, SWANSON.

I have many other Scottish forbears on my maternal line including the Jacobite Laird Whitburgh from Peebles, and Robbies and Mitchells from Forfar and Angus.

thanks in advance

Echidna

[Angela]

Hello Echidna,

Welcome to the forum - I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about your family. :)

This is just a long shot re the Alexanders...

My gt aunt Barbara Mowat m. Robert Innes Gunn Alexander, Keiss, 1897.

His parents were Donald Alexander, farmer, & Margaret Bain (Margaret's parents - John Bain & Margaret Gunn).

Robert & Barbara lived at Quintfall, Lyth, Keiss, and had 2 children that I know of, Donald b. 1904 and Margaret b.1906, but there may well have been others. Haven't looked into the Alexander family all that far as yet.

Robert died 1929, Barbara 1940.

Quite a few Alexanders in Keiss, don't know if there might be any connection between these ones and yours.

I do have some Swansons as well -again they are related by marriage.

Please just PM me if you think there might be a connection or if you'd like to share Swanson info.

Good luck! :D
Angela

[caroline]

I have all the names you mentioned Jack, Bremner and Swanson the later by marriage. My Alchersone is from Canisbay which is near Feswick not a lot of info on her. Interesting the change of name to Alexander would explain why I cannot find it after a certain period. Please p.m. me about your Jack's and Bremner's.

[Mamie_2]

Hej Echidna
I have ties through marriage to the Bremner family Elizabeth was from.

Her sister Catherine married my 1st cousin 4X removed Matthew Matheson. Catherine and Matthew were also cousins as their mothers were sisters.

Her nephew Andrew Bremner 1871 married Helen Innes Simpson my 2nd cousin 2X removed.

I do have more information on this Bremner family as well. No Alexanders etc in my direct line though lol.

Do you have more information available on David? Always trying to extend my database.

Maryann
Alberta, Canada

[Echidna]

:)G'day all orgers, long lost cousins, and guests...

you little beauty...after many a patient year of research, I was blown away when my 3rd cousin's (once removed) wife contacted me through the Org. asking about the possibility of a common ancestor.

The descendants of David Alexander and Elizabeth Bremner of Keiss are many more in Australia than I could ever have conceived.

Their son Andrew Bremner Alexander emmigrated to NSW in 1881, it now turns out that his younger brothers, Alexander Alexander and Simon Bremner Alexander also have Aussie links.

Andrew Bremner Alexander originally transferred his Caithness honed shipbuilding skills into house carpentry, and later in life owned a grocer's store in Evans Rd Balmain.

It is Alexander's family that have made contact with me, and a photo sharing confirmed the theory. After a stint in Western Australia this line is now in Victoria. Alexander did not emmigrate, he visited several times and had business interests in Perth WA, but his son David J. Alexander and daughters did.

Simon Bremner Alexander appears to have emmigrated to Sydney either with Andrew Bremner Alexander or soon thereafter and after taking up building in Sydney moved west for the 1897 gold rush at Kalgoorlie. SB Alexander is reknown in Perth for his building accomplishments including the Fremantle railway Station (1907) and the Police law Courts of Perth. All built with stone from his Donnybrook quarries. The Genealogy Wing of the State Library of WA is named the Alexander Wing in his honour, and the suburb of Alexander Heights (named in 1989) commemorates his lifelong service to the public good.

I would be interested to hear from any other Aussie and Scots descendants of David Alexander and Elizabeth Bremner so we can put the whole story together....

go the Org, you good thing