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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Inverness => Topic started by: tomk23 on Tuesday 17 November 09 06:01 GMT (UK)
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Duncan Grant born 1880
Donald Grant born 1884
Alexander born 1888.
Father Alexander Grant mother Jessie Calder Grant married 1879
any relatives or anybody who knows this family please get in touch.
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Hi, I wonder if you've managed to find any more information about your Alexander Grant. Do you know who his parents were? I'm looking for some Grants and Alexander is one name I'm researching. Would you know anything about his birth place or family?
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This Alex Grant was born in Duthil, got more info but will need to look it up , will get back to you.
Tom
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thanks Tom, I've got his father as Allan and mother Jane McDonald I think it is.....with siblings Annie, Margaret and Mary.
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hello, yes that is what i have got for him , its his son Duncan that i am trying to trace ,got him up to 1910-11 after that he has cmpletely disappeared.
Many thanks , regards Tom
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where is he 1010-11 ?
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In 1910 he is in Dumfries , in trouble with a bankruptcy case , after that no trace of him .
thanks , regards Tom.
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Hi tomk23 and Maggiemck,
I know that it's been a little while since you posted on this thread and I wondered if you were still interested in this family ?
I have been researching Alexander Grant (b. 1887 at Inverallan) the son of Alexander and Jessie Grant (nee Calder).
I would very much like to compare notes if you are still interested in this family.
Simon
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hello yes, still interested but it's been so long since I looked at this I am not clear about where he fits into my picture......what's your connection with the family?
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My connection with the family is that Alexander Grant (b. 1887, Inverallan), the third son of Alexander and Jessie Grant (nee Calder), appears to be the man refered to in a number of local reports relating to WW1 Casualties.
This might be a little surprising, given that I am writing this from Hertfordshire, but all my research to date suggests this Alexander to be our local casualty (d. 23 August 1918).
I have been able to collect a certain amount of information relating to his military service but am now looking to better understand his family life before he enlisted in Hertford in 1914. He appears to be mentioned on the Grantown On Spey War Memorial under the "Herts Regiment" as Corporal A Grant.
I know that he appears in a book (written in the 1920's) called the "Morayshire Roll Of Honour" and this gives his links between Moray and Hertfordshire.
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Re Alexander Grant , i have no information on him , it is his older brother Duncan that i am trying to find out about , he was married to my grandmothers sister , about 1910 he seems to have disappeared where to i cant find out .
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Maybe he and Alexander moved down to Bedfordshire / Hertfordshire together - although that would be a complete guess based simply upon the fact that one brother (Alexander) had moved there by 1914.
Do you have records of where any of the family were in 1911 ?
Simon
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Hello Gooders , that is a thought , Duncan was married in 1908 , i dont know anyting much about the family , just that their father was a farm manager on farms in the Grantown area , it was usual for farm famlies to work on farms ,but of course that would be in their early lives , i know that area very well and i have seen Alex name on the war memorial , but never connected it as it was Duncan i was trying to trace , 1900, Duncan was working in Inverness in a grocers shop then he moved to Dumfries , got married and started up in a grocers shop . Went bankrupt and after that nothing , thats all i know about the family . I am pleased to hear from you , what was the circumstances of Alex going to Hertford , will need to try and get the book you mentioned .
regards Tom ,
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Tom,
This is just a few "bits and bobs" I have been able to discover so far on Alexander and his family ...
Absent Voters List 1918 (England) Grant Alexander Beechwood, Dunstable 266273 Cpl 1st Beds
British Commonwealth War Graves Register 1914 – 18
Grant Cpl A 266273 1st Bn Bedfordshire Regt 23rd August 1918
Adanac Military Cemetery, Miraumont and Pys, III H 18
Sat 5th October 1918 (Hemel Hempstead Gazette)
"The deaths of three soldiers of the district have recently been notified : Fred Kitchener, Leslie Grant and Alec Grant. The two former have been “missing” and are now reported killed. Fred Kitchener is the second son of Mrs Kitchener to make the supreme sacrifice."
He is commemorated on the Nethybridge War Memorial and the Inverallan section of the Grantown On Spey War Memorial (listed on both under Herts Regiment)
”Grant, Alexander. No.266273. Cpl; 1st Hertfordshire Regt; born at Heathfield, Grantown-on-Spey August 12th 1887; joined at Hertford, Dec 14th 1914; served in France and Italy; killed in action at Achiet-le-Petit, August 23rd 1918. Son of Alexander and Jessie Grant, Pityoulish, Aviemore. Occupation, chaffeur.”
taken from "Morayshire Roll Of Honour," Page 149
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Hello Gooders , Many thanks for the info , it gives me more to go on , i knew they stayed at Heathfield cottages , but couldnt find where they went from there , s the address in Aviemore is very helpfull . Finding Grants in this area is no problem it is getting the right ones , this is the home of the clan Grant museum .
Do you know if Alex was married ? he must have had some reason for going to Dunstable .
Thanks again , will keep u updated on any info i find out.
regards tom .
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Tom,
I have found the following additional reference in a book called "Poppies From The Heart Of Strathspey", written by Peter Anderson.
“Alexander Grant was born in Grantown on Spey 23rd August 1887. The youngest son of Alex and Jessie Grant of Pityoulish, Aviemore and husband of Lizzie Simpson. They lived in Dunstable and at Croftnahaven in Boat of Garten. Alexander worked as a chauffeur. He enlisted in Hertford on the 14th December 1914, Alexander first arrived in France on the 10th July 1915. He was killed in action on the 23rd August 1918.”
Dunstable to Croftnahaven must have been some commute ....
Unfortunately, all of my on line information sources (Find My Past, Ancestry etc.) don't appear to cover Scotland post 1900 so I can't corroborate any of the marriage details etc or have any idea where Alexander and Lizzie were in 1911.
Simon
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thanks again Simon , thats great , wondering now if they had any children , will check censuses etc and see what comes up ,
tom
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Hi Tom,
I'm pleased to hear the information is of interest and I hope that it is a stepping stone on your way to finding out more about the "missing" Duncan.
If you would like to see a brief overview of the research I have been doing (including Alexander Grant) then please click on the following ....
http://flamsteadpc.btck.co.uk/Documents/FlamsteadWarMemorial
I would certainly be interested to hear if you do manage to discover anything further on this family.
Simon
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You have been a great help Simon , i now have a much better chance , was very impressed with your research work you are doing a fantastic job , will let you know how i get on , best wishes and thanks again .
Tom
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Hello Simon , Alex Grant married Elizabeth Barbara Simpson 21. 9 . 1918 at forres moray , Alex ad given as , driver 3¬5 Bedfords , Crowbury camp Essex ,
This is only 7 months before he died , must have been on leave ,i find this unusal if he was on active service , ur views on this Simon .
Elizabeth Barbara Grant widow of Alexander Grant driver died on the 6.12. 1961 at the Jubilee hosp Huntly , age 74 . It would look like she never remarried , no mention of any family, sugnature on death certificate unreadable
tom
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Hi Tom,
I'm sorry for the delay in replying to your latest post - to be honest I haven't been on the site for a while and your post was a welcome surprise when I logged on again.
The extra information you sent is very welcome and thanks for sharing it with me.
I thought you might like to know a little more about the 3/5th Bedfords - so I have set out below a link to a wonderful website created and maintained by a contact of mine, Steve Fuller.
http://www.bedfordregiment.org.uk/5thbn/5thbattalion.html
Can I just check with you the date that Alex married Elizabeth - your message says it was the 21st September 1918, but i show him as having died on the 23rd August 1918 (you can see the question forming in my head :))
I'm starting to think that Alex may have been wounded or sent back to the UK to help the 3/5th Battalion in it's goals of recruiting and training new soldiers for "the front".
Simon
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Hello Simon, Nice to hear from you , ON the date of Alex and Elizabeth mariage i must have made a mistake as the correct date was 29 1 1918 in Forres Morayshire , sorry . Elizabeth died in 16 12 1961 , aged 74 , in the Jubilee hospital Huntly Abdn shire , she died as the widow of Alex Grant so had not remarried , no family .
regards Tom
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Hi Tom,
That's great - many thanks for checking that Wedding date.
How sad that they only had seven months married before Alex was killed.
Simon