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**Woody** · 14-02-12, 18:36

My first thought would be to try to find the correct John Sinclair and hope that he died in Scotland after 1855. If he died in 1855 or after 1860 then his wife/widow details would be on the DC. That way we could then find the correct marriage and potential parents. If he died before 1855 then there may be a MI entry that will give us further information.
The ones on IGI are fine as far as they go. The only problem is that there may be more.
Not all families could afford to, or bothered to, record events.
The OPRs are only Ch of Scotland so if the family were RC or otherwise then there won't be an OPR.
The other problem is that the registers might not have survived.

What about the children? Sometimes there will be a name that gets used every generation that could be a clue. Even a couple of generations later there may appear a middle name that might be relevant.

As far as the Inverness records go, possibly the best bet is to see if there's a John Sinclair who is a contractor in a trade's register. If so, then maybe there will be a rates record.
There are Horse Tax records as well, though I'm not sure how detailed the Inverness ones are. I've seen some for Caithness but they really just record the amount of tax from each village, whereas the North East ones give the names of the owners as well.
The PR records make harrowing reading but I really doubt if they're relevant here. In order to get into the poor house in Inverness you really did have to be on your uppers with no relatives, so don't think that applies to John Sinclair.

Sinclair isn't really an Inverness name though, so maybe he wasn't from here at all. What a pity Alexander didn't stay up here for at least one census!!

**Woody** · 14-02-12, 18:38

The other thing that I do is - if I can't prove someone, then I disprove them. Have you found any of these people on a census or on SP?

I've not used these boards for research. What are the rules regarding census posting? Is it allowed or do you transcribe? I'd just like to make certain that it's the same Alexander that I'm looking at!
I've pm'd the 1871 just to check if it's the right one. If so, then there are no clues re the children!

**greyingrey** · 14-02-12, 18:43

Liz, I'm not good enough to help you with this, but I have a friend who is very good & who was a Sinclair before marriage (obviously of Scottish origin). I have absolutely no idea whereabouts her Sinclairs came from etc, but I'll email her details just in case there's a tie-up (unlikely, but you never know...)

**herky** · 14-02-12, 19:00

Just on a general note - Sinclair is a Caithness name.

**Elaine ..Spain** · 14-02-12, 19:12

Originally posted by Woody View Post

I've not used these boards for research. What are the rules regarding census posting? Is it allowed or do you transcribe?

Transcriptions please Woody.

**Liz from Lancs** · 14-02-12, 19:23

Thanks everyone for looking at this. Here are Alexander & Louise's children:

Alexander and Louisa’s children:

1. Elizabeth BMD Birth : 7/1841 Cardiff
BMD Marriage to William Yates 1858 Oct q Cardiff. (He was an engine stoker)

2. James BMD Birth: 9/1844 Bridgwater, Somerset. (Engine Driver/fitter/engineer)
Marriage: to Urina Matilda Thomas 1864 Oct q Cardiff

3. Alexander BMD Birth: 9/1846 Bridgwater (Engine Driver)
Marriage Index: to Harriett Blackmore 12/1873 Cardiff

4. Kezia BMD Birth: 3/1849 Bridgwater. Married William Bryant. [This is my gt grandmother]

5. Uriah BMD Death reg: 12/1851 Bridgwater.
Nat Burial Index: burial: aged 9 months:18/12/1851 Bridgwater, St. John the Baptist.

6. John BMD Birth: 3/1853 Bridgwater. (Labourer)
Death: b1855 death reg: 6/1883 Cardiff. Can’t find in 1881 census.

7. Louisa BMD Birth: 12/1856 Cardiff. Can’t find in marriage/death index or later
census records than 1871. Not on IGI.

A lot of these names come from Louisa's family of origin, apart from Alexander and John...

I have researched all the children so don't need help with that generation.

Once Alexander moved to Cardiff and Somerset, he did not return to Scotland. No Scottish relatives are with him or his children in census records.

**Liz from Lancs** · 14-02-12, 19:29

Originally posted by Woody View Post

The other thing that I do is - if I can't prove someone, then I disprove them. Have you found any of these people on a census or on SP?

I've not used these boards for research. What are the rules regarding census posting? Is it allowed or do you transcribe? I'd just like to make certain that it's the same Alexander that I'm looking at!
I've pm'd the 1871 just to check if it's the right one. If so, then there are no clues re the children!

Woody - my subs have run out now with Ancestry and Find My Past. So, can't eliminate any of them that way. Can't afford to waste too much on credits on ScotlandsPeople if their entries are just the same as IGI for marriages and baps.

I too wondered about trying to find the only person we know for sure, which is Alexander's father, John, a contractor. Alexander worked for the Railways, as did some of his sons.

ADDED: The indications are they were Church of England, Scotland, Wales. They married in Llandaff Cathedral (not as grand as sounds).

ADDED: From the marriage cert in 1839 (first post above), Alexander's father, John, is not described as deceased. Could someone check him out in 1841 census in Scotland for me please?

**Liz from Lancs** · 14-02-12, 19:33

GENUKI - Scottish Naming system: Scots often named children by following a simple set of rules. There were variations:

• 1st son named after father's father
• 2nd son named after mother's father
• 3rd son named after father
• 1st daughter named after mother's mother
• 2nd daughter named after father's mother
• 3rd daughter named after mother

**Liz from Lancs** · 14-02-12, 19:35

This was the full list of Christenings in name of Sinclair in Inverness when I did it some time ago on Family Search IGI:

Christenings:

Kaherine Sinklar 12/12/1763

Isable Sinclar 27/3/1764

Cleapand Sinclar 13/1/1766

Elizabeth Sinclair 29/6/1766

Duncan Sinclair 28/7/1766

Hector Sinclar 20/4/1770

Catharine Sinclair 26/8/1770

Hugh Sinclair 26/8/1770

Duncan Sinclar 4/8/1773

Jannet Sinclair 18/4/1775

John Sinclar 16/9/1775

Jean Sinclar 4/1/1776

James Sinclair 12/10/1779

Arthur Sinclair 31/7/1781

Arthur Sinclar 14/5/1782

Jean Stuart Sinclair 4/2/1783

William Sincklar 17/7/1783

Duncan Sinclair 5/11/1784

Thos. Sinclair Birth: 25/1/1785

Duncan Sinclair 30/8/1787

George Sinclair 4/8/1790

Sarah Forbes Sinclair 20/3/1794

Robert Sinclair 3/6/1796

Margaret 16/1/1799

Robert Sincler 22/10/1801

Margrat Sinclar 29/8/1803

Margrat Sinkler 14/1/1804

Isoble Sinkler 14/1/1804

David Sinclair 23/3/1812

Janet Sinclair 4/10/1818

**Woody** · 14-02-12, 19:36

Thanks Elaine. That's what I thought but better to make sure. They yielded no clues, anyway!

Herky is right. Sinclairs are from Caithness or Orkney as a rule.
There are an AWFUL lot of John Sinclairs b. around 1770/90 but not a lot died in Inverness. I checked the most obvious one but he was a farmer. His parents were a John Sinclair and Christian Forbes.

**Woody** · 14-02-12, 19:43

You've been busy, thanks Liz! The children's names really yield nothing either.

**Darksecretz** · 14-02-12, 19:44

Originally posted by Elaine ..Spain View Post

Transcriptions please Woody.

or, as we tend to do, a hyperlink to the actual ref/census transcription (if Ancestry/LDS etc) and then the census ref added to the thread, so that those not using ancestry can look, say, on FMP so they can see what we are talking about...

example:

1891: http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin...=try&h=4546576

Source Citation: Class: RG12; Piece: 2758; Folio: 7; Page: 7; GSU roll: 6097868.

**Darksecretz** · 14-02-12, 19:46

though, obviously not much help if the people in question don't have subs though.. (i'll go back in my corner..) :smilee:

**Liz from Lancs** · 14-02-12, 19:49

Originally posted by Darksecretz View Post

though, obviously not much help if the people in question don't have subs though.. (i'll go back in my corner..) :smilee:

I can always ask for the image of the census or record to be sent to me Julie by e mail...as you know, I am not shy in asking for that.

**Liz from Lancs** · 14-02-12, 19:52

Originally posted by Woody View Post

You've been busy, thanks Liz! The children's names really yield nothing either.

At least if anyone googles any of this lot in the future, this thread will come up and you never know, someone might be able to benefit from (or add) to it.

**Liz from Lancs** · 14-02-12, 19:54

Woody - Perhaps Alexander's father, John, moved to Cardiff as well. There are so many permutations, aren't there.

**Uncle John** · 14-02-12, 19:59

Originally posted by Liz from Lancs View Post

ADDED: The indications are they were Church of England, Scotland, Wales. They married in Llandaff Cathedral (not as grand as sounds).

Those of a sensitive disposition (not me, I would add) might take issue with your generalisation, Liz. The (established) Church of Scotland is a separate entity which does not have Bishops. There are many flavours of the church in Scotland, which have changed over many centuries by schisms and unions and continue to do so.

**Liz from Lancs** · 14-02-12, 20:09

Oh Uncle John, I didn't mean to indicate they were the same...just as a shorthand list. I am obviously going to get in hot water here, despite having just done a lot of reading on the history of Scotland.

**Woody** · 14-02-12, 20:12

Too complicated, Julie - I'll join you in that corner!! Transcriptions are good and my preferred method, but not necesary as it turns out in this case as Liz has the family forwards anyway.
One of the things that used to make me cringe on gr was the regular c/p from Ancestry!

Anyway, I digress. Liz, I think there could be a very strong possibility that the whole family went south. There's a John Sinclair (b1816) on the Welsh 1851 with a wife Mary Anne but nothing that would link him to your Alex.

I'm planning a visit to Highland Archives on Thursday so will ask to see the trade directories to see if I can get a John Sinclair in Inverness around 1814-18. Long shot but worth a try.

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ALEXANDER SINCLAIR bap 1815 Inverness - how to prove his tree.

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