Alexander

[Grace01]

Hi all thanks for replying.
they are on the 1901/11 census with grandparents glensman.
just curious as i can't find any actual birth record for Francis.
have sarah birth and marriage records from the groni site.

[glensman]

This is a long shot, but family search has the birth of "Hugh Frances Alexander" in the quarter July-Sept 1897 registered in Ballycastle.  Frances is presumably a mis-spelling for Francis.  When you look on GRONI for this you see the birth of Hugh Alexander on 2 July 1897. Unfortunately the mother's maiden name is not given. The GRONI site only ever has one given name.  Ballycastle is close to Stranocum.

Failing all else this may be worthy of further investigation.

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FBNV-JYD

[TheWhuttle]

I know of FRANCES as a surname in Scotland.
It is a Scottish tradition to name individuals with the maternal surname as second given name.

It is quite common for individuals to be "known by" their second given name.

So, maybe not such a long shot?!

[glensman]

Very interesting TheWhuttle.  I had been thinking of it solely as a first name with Frances the female version and Francis for a male.

[aghadowey]

Frances as a surname isn't one likely to be found in Ballymoney area according to census and vital records.

[Grace01]

Many thanks i will look into it

[TheWhuttle]

The maps and Scottish census records for 1841 on Ancestry show the highest concentration of the FRANCES surname in Lanarkshire (which includes the conurbation of Glasgow), with many listed as having been born in Ireland.
http://www.ancestry.co.uk/name-origin?surname=frances

Folks would cross the water during the summer looking for seasonal work, and maybe to sell their craft wares  (especially shoes) made during the winter months.  This might occur for a number of years, before the family finally emigrated to Scotland - though sometimes coming back after a few generations.

Addendum: Why look at the 1840s?  Second names sometimes derive from (particularly paternal) grandmothers' maiden surnames, so you need to be looking back 40-60 years from a child's birth for evidence of their births.

[sally harris]

Francis Alexander is the son of Thomas Alexander and his cousin Margaret alexander. I had a Groni search for his Birth certificate but they couldn't find one. Perhaps it just didn't get registered. His father Thomas died in 1897 aged 22 from scarlet fever and his son would have been born after his death. Francis had a sister Sara married to Robert Kennedy. Sara and Francis were brought up by their maternal grandparents Robert and Nancy.They are listed in the census as children of Robert and Nancy when it should say grand children. In view of the trauma of Thomas's death it would be understandable if registration got forgotten.
My grandfather David Alexander was the elder brother of thomas