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Thomas's birth post dates Statutory registration. Different spelling of surname which didn't show using name variant


Surname Forename Gender Year Ref RD Name Image View
SKEIN
THOMAS ANDERSON
M
1864
424/2 139
Dunfermline Landward

Do you mind letting me know where you found this? I'm a beginner at this, and I was just wondering what you are looking up? Many thanks.

My mistake - got my wires crossed, thinking that statutory registration came into force in 1865, when it was, of course, 1855.

The baptisms I posted are from familysearch and will also be on Scotland's people
The statutory records are only on Scotland's people

https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk


https://www.familysearch.org/

I think this is the family of Alexander (Anderson) Skene and Christina Paton very soon after they left Scotland for America. No sign of the "Anderson" though.
Alexander Shene
[Alexander Skene]
Age in 1870: 40
Birth Year: abt 1830
Birthplace: Scotland
Dwelling Number: 7
Home in 1870: Hickory, Mercer, Pennsylvania
Race: White
Gender: Male
Occupation: Coal Miner
Father of Foreign Birth: Y
Mother of Foreign Birth: Y
Denied Voting Rights: Y
Inferred Spouse: Christina Shene
Inferred Children: Alexander Shene
James Shene
David Shene
John Shene
Thomas Shene
Christopher Shene
Henry Shene
Household Members:
Name Age
Alexander Shene 40
Christina Shene 41
Alexander Shene 18
James Shene 16
David Shene 14
John Shene 12
Thomas Shene 6
Christopher Shene 4
Henry Shene 1

Thanks for that Erika. FamilySearch is interesting because I have found a family tree of Alexander Skene and a different one with Alexander Anderson. How reliable are the family trees on Family Search do you think? I'm not sure these are right.

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/pedigree/landscape/9SMN-521

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/pedigree/landscape/278F-Z4W

No problem ErikaH. Easy to get mixed up as different years for England, Scotland and Ireland :-)

I have to go out now but will look back later.

We might not find the family on the 1851 census as I think, from memory, that some of the 1851 census was lost in a watery grave while being transported from Fife across the Forth to Edinburgh.

Thanks so much for your help. It's late at night here now, and I need to head off to bed. Will check in in the morning again.
Thanks again.

Trees on Familysearch are submitted, so are other people's research and not always accurate. Best to double check and where possible, access primary sources for yourself.

TabithaQueensland, can you tell us please

(1). Do you have a copy of Alexander and Mary's marriage registration?

(2). If so, who does he name as his parents?

(3). Do you have a copy of the birth registration in Scotland for one of the children on the 1880 census?

(3) if so, when and where did the parents marry?


If the Alexander who married Mary was born before statutory registration began, you can only hope to find a christening record (that's what the Old Parish Records are on Scotlandspeople). Not all children were christened so unless you find him on an earlier census, he may not "appear" on any official records prior to his marriage.

Good morning! I'll have a look for those things now. Will post soon.

Still trying to dig out Alexander Skene & Mary Wilson marriage certificate, but I think I have found the oldest boys:
Alexander Skene Anderson born 1/12/1851 to Alexr & Christian Paton (Auchterderran)
James Anderson born 25/12/1853 to Alexander Anderson & Christian Paton
David Anderson born 8/3/1856 to Alexander Anderson & Christian Paton
John Anderson born 24/4/1858 to Alexander Anderson & Christian Paton (Dunfermline)
William Anderson born 20/6/1860 to Alexander Anderson & Christian Paton (Auchterderran).
It's like the eldest 5 children were called Anderson and the younger children were called Skene.

The marriage certificate says,
Alex Skene (coal miner), Bachelor, married Mary Wilson (domestic servant), spinster on 31/12/1875. The grooms parents were Alexander Skene (coal miner) and Christina Skene M.S. Paton.

From the information gathered, the Alexander who married Mary seems to have emigrated to America with his parents and siblings around 1869 (although no record found). He must have returned to Scotland to marry Mary although his parents and siblings remained in America. Haven't seen a record of his return but the surname Skene is open to so many mistransciptions. Of course, he may have been using the surname Anderson.

With regard to his father Alexander, he married using the surname Anderson. Usually a reason for a change of surname would be illegitimacy or the father dying young and the mother remarrying and the child taking a stepfather's name. Neither seem to fit your Alexander who married Christian.

Not that it helps.........


1880 US Census Transcription

Alex Skene Self Married Male 45 1835 Scotland
Christine P. Skene Wife Married Female 45 1835 Scotland
Thomas Skene Son - Male 15 1865 Scotland
Christopher Skene Son - Male 14 1866 Scotland
Henry Skene Son Single Male 10 1870 Scotland

Maybe it will remain a mystery. I'm very grateful for your help. At least I am pretty sure now that the Andersons / Skenes here are the same family. I'll keep searching for a skene somewhere in there.

Do you think I am right in thinking Jean Spence and James Anderson are the correct ancestors?

Thanks again

I'm not really convinced of that but then I like a paper trail lol. The Alexander on the 1841 census seems too young to me to have fathered the Alexander who married Mary. The Alexander on the 1841 census is born about 1835. Of course it is possible that he married in 1851 and did father young Alexander. Now, the Alexander who married Christine Paton gives his birth year as 1830 on the American 1870 census. That would seem more likely. So I am not sure that he is the same Alexander as the one with James and Jean in 1841 as I think they wouldn't mistake their 10 / 11 year old son for a 6 year old.

Now, this may be a complete red herring so let's not get too excited before we follow it up.

I looked at Christopher's birth registration on Scotlandspeople and his father's occupation was an Engine keeper.

Could this be your Alexander Anderson? Age more likely to be the husband of Christina.


1851 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
Moor, 92, Auchterderran, Kirkaldy, Fife, Scotland

Helen Anderson Wife Married Female 39 1812 Wife Of Alex Anderson Dysart, Fife, Scotland
Alexander Anderson Son Unmarried Male 19 1832 Engineman Dysart, Fife, Scotland
Euphemia Anderson Daughter - Female 15 1836 Servant Dysart, Fife, Scotland
David Anderson Son - Male 14 1837 Scholar & To Coal Miner Dysart, Fife, Scotland
James Anderson Son - Male 8 1843 Scholar Dysart, Fife, Scotland
Helen Anderson Daughter - Female 6 1845 Scholar Dysart, Fife, Scotland
John Anderson Son - Male 4 1847 - Auchterderran, Fife, Scotland
Christina Anderson Daughter - Female 0 1851 - Auchterderran, Fife, Scotland
David Dryburgh Lodger - Male 12 1839 Coal Miner Wemyss, Fife, Scotland

Same family in 1841


1841 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
Balbiggie Coal Hill, Dysart, Fife, Scotland

Alexander Anderson Male 31 1810 Fife, Scotland
Helen Anderson Female 29 1812 Fife, Scotland
Alexander Anderson Male 9 1832 Fife, Scotland
Margaret Anderson Female 7 1834 Fife, Scotland
Euphemia Anderson Female 5 1836 Fife, Scotland
David Anderson Male 3 1838 Fife, Scotland
Agness Anderson Female 2 1839 Fife, Scotland
James Anderson Male 0 1841 Fife, Scotland
Thomas Davidson Male 10 1831 Fife, Scotland
Jean Davidson Female 1 1840 Fife, Scotland

1861 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
Halbeath, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

Alexander Anderson Head Married Male 51 1810 Coal Centractor Markinch, Fife, Scotland
Helen Anderson Wife Married Female 49 1812 - Fife, Scotland
Helen Anderson Daughter Unmarried Female 17 1844 Fansy Knitter Dysart, Fife, Scotland
Thomas Anderson Son Unmarried Male 7 1854 Scholar Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland
Henry Anderson Son Unmarried Male 5 1856 Scholar Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland