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Thanks in advance for your help. I am trying to track the ancestors of this man. Here is what I know so far:
Alexander Anderson married Helen Thomson on 8 January 1831 in Dysart. The marriage record says Alexander was the son of "David Anderson in Borland" and that Helen was the daughter of James Thomson (I have tracked Helen's ancestors so I'm not needing help with her). The marriage certificate says Alexander was a weaver.
Alexander Anderson died 10 October 1875. The death certificate says he was widower of Helen Thomson, and parents were David Anderson and Helen Witherhead. It says he was 66, so he was born in around 1809. He died in Dunfermline

I am struggling to find his birth record, and his parents David Anderson of Borland & Helen Witherhead.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I'm presuming "David Anderson in Borland" refers to this hamlet in Dysart, referred to here in 1857:
"Besides the burgh of Dysart, there are also the villages of Pathhead, Sinclairton and Gallowtown and the hamlets of Hackleymoor and the Borland." from 'A Descriptive & historic gazeteer of the counties of Fife, Kinross & Clackmannan', M Barbieri, published 1857.

There won't be a birth record as bmds in Scotlands didn't start til 1855

The best you can hope for is a baptism or even the parish record of his parents

Have you tried Family Search site

Sorry if I'm stating the obvious but have you tried variations of the surname Witherhead? When you look on Scotlandspeople there aren't many Witherheads but many more Weatherheads for example.

For our ref.


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


Who were the parents of the Davidson children with Alexander and Helen in 1841?

It's a bit unusual that he had 3 daughters by 1841 and hadn't named any of them for his mother. Could it be that whoever was the informant on his death registration didn't know his mother's Christian name?

Is this the connection - the Anderson children and Davidson children are cousins with their Mothers being sisters? It's late, this is as far as I've got.

Surname Forename Spouse Name Date Parish Number Ref Parish
ANDERSON ALEXANDER HELEN THOMSON/ 08/01/1831 426/70 53 Dysart

THOMSON AGNES ALEXANDER DAVIDSON/ 20/03/1830 426/70 47 Dysart

============================================================

Surname Forename Parents/ Other Details Gender Date Parish Number Ref Parish
DAVIDSON THOMAS ALEXANDER DAVIDSON/AGNES THOMSON M 18/07/1830 426/ 60 92
Dysart

DAVIDSON JANE ALEXANDER DAVIDSON/AGNES THOMSON F 24/07/1840 426/ 60 192
Dysart

-----------------------------------------------------
ANDERSON MARGARET ALEXANDER ANDERSON/HELEN THOMSON F 21/06/1833 426/60 122
Dysart

Thanks, sorry I had to go to bed and missed the messages.

It's strange that Margaret Anderson is the only child we can find of Alexander Anderson & Helen Thomson and yet there are many children listed in the 1841 census listed by rootgatherer (I agree rootgatherer that this is the right family).

I had noticed too, that the family names are not the usual pattern of naming children for the parents & grandparents.

Definitely something I'm missing here.

Helen Thomson did have a sister called Agnes Thomson, born 1810.

I've tried every variation of Helen Witherhead that I can I think of. It seems very strange I can't find a record of any David Anderson marred to Helen Witherhead, even though the documentation seems pretty certain these are the parents.

Not that it helps with your initial request but if this is daughter Euphemia's marriage, it will give the date and place of her birth. As the marriage took place in the first year of statutory registration it has more information. It might hep a little as christening records haven't been found for all the children on the 1841 census.


Euphemia
Last name Anderson
Marriage year 1855
Marriage date 15 Jan 1855
Marriage place Dunfermline,Fife,Scotland
Spouse's first name(s) William
Spouse's last name Campbell
Place Dunfermline
County Fife
Country Scotland
Record set Scotland Marriages 1561-1910
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Parish Marriages
Collections from Scotland, Great Britain
Index (c) IRI. Used by permission of FamilySearch Intl

Did Alexander's death certificate give an occupation for his father David please?

1851 for the family? Alexander was an Engine Drawer in 1841.


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


First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Sex Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
Helen Anderson Wife Married Female 39 1812 Wife Of Alex Anderson Dysart, Fife, Scotland
Transcription
>>Alexander Anderson Son Unmarried Male 19 1832 Engineman Dysart, Fife, Scotland
Transcription
>>Euphemia Anderson Daughter - Female 15 1836 Servant Dysart, Fife, Scotland
Transcription
>>David Anderson Son - Male 14 1837 Scholar & To Coal Miner Dysart, Fife, Scotland
Transcription
James Anderson Son - Male 8 1843 Scholar Dysart, Fife, Scotland
Transcription
Helen Anderson Daughter - Female 6 1845 Scholar Dysart, Fife, Scotland
Transcription
John Anderson Son - Male 4 1847 - Auchterderran, Fife, Scotland
Transcription
Christina Anderson Daughter - Female 0 1851 - Auchterderran, Fife, Scotland
Transcription
David Dryburgh Lodger - Male 12 1839 Coal Miner Wemyss, Fife, Scotland

EDIT Have added


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

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Household Members
First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Sex Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
Alexander Anderson Head Married Male 51 1810 Coal Centractor Markinch, Fife, Scotland
Transcription
Helen Anderson Wife Married Female 49 1812 - Fife, Scotland
Transcription
Helen Anderson Daughter Unmarried Female 17 1844 Fansy Knitter Dysart, Fife, Scotland
Transcription
Thomas Anderson Son Unmarried Male 7 1854 Scholar Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland
Transcription
Henry Anderson Son Unmarried Male 5 1856 Scholar Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

DYSART ST DENIS LAIR REGISTERS, 1795-1861.

Burial of the first son James, b 1841?

ANDERSON, JAMES: son of Alexander Anderson, engine-man at

Dysart Colliery; 25 Sep 1841



and daughter, Agnes.


ANDERSON, AGNES: dau of Alexander Anderson, engine-man at

Dysart Colliery; 6 Sep 1843


Do you know the occupation of Alexander's father, David?

??? These appear to be the children in the 1851 census I posted?


First name(s) Christian
Last name Anderson
Gender Female
Birth year 1851
Birth place -
Baptism year 1851
Baptism date 23 Mar 1851
Baptism place KIRKCALDY,FIFE,SCOTLAND
Father's first name(s) Alexander
Father's last name Anderson
Mother's first name(s) Helen
Mother's last name Hepburn
Place Kirkcaldy


Helen
Last name Anderson
Gender Female
Birth year 1844
Birth place Dysart,Fife,Scotland
Baptism year -
Baptism date -
Baptism place -
Father's first name(s) Alexander
Father's last name Anderson
Mother's first name(s) Helen
Mother's last name Hepburn
Place Dysart
County Fife


and the marriage of the parents?

Helen
Last name Hepburn
Marriage year 1828
Marriage date 01 Jun 1828
Marriage place Abbotshall,Fife,Scotland
Spouse's first name(s) Alexander
Spouse's last name Anderson
Place Abbotshall
County Fife

Just reread your opening post. You say Alexander was a weaver? The one in the 1841 and 1851 worked in the coalmines so this possibly is not the correct family? What was his occupation on his death certificate please? He could possibly have gone into mining as weaving did not pay much.

Possible burial for a child of your Alexander.

8 Nov 1834

ANDERSON: still-born child of Alexr Anderson, weaver in Dysart;

Right, this appears to be the 1841 for Helen Hepburn/ Anderson so a different person altogether. Her husband was a mariner.

1841 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
Mid Street, Dysart, Fife, Scotland

- Anderson Female 35 1806 Fife, Scotland

Janet Anderson Female 11 1830 Fife, Scotland

Betty Anderson Female 9 1832 Fife, Scotland

William Anderson Male 4 1837 Fife, Scotland

Alexander Anderson Male 2 1839 Fife, Scotland

Nk Anderson Female 0 1841 Fife, Scotland

David Anderson was a 'school master'. I'll have to check which document I have seen that on, but I'm pretty sure it said his name was David L. Anderson from Borland (which is a Hamlet in Fife).
I'm pretty sure the Helen Hepburn / Alex Anderson is a different family, which makes it confusing.

Here is it, Alexander Anderson's death Certificate says
"Alexander Anderson, Colliery Engine Keeper, widower of Helen Thomson,died 10 October 1875 at Dunfermline. Son of David Anderson (deceased), school master, and Helen Anderson nee Witherhead (deceased). Witness was John Anderson (son)

The marriage certificate says
"8 January 1831 Alexander Anderson (weaver) of this parish (Dysart) son of David A. in Borland and Helen Thomson of this parish daughter of James Thomson in Gallowton were contracted and after this married.

So I feel pretty sure he was a weaver in 1831 but changed to a miner. Confusing because there seem to be 3 Alexander Anderson's in this region at this time - 1 who married Helen Thomson, another married Helen Hepburn and another married Anne Leighton.

Helen Thomson's death certificate says
"4 August 1872, Helen Anderson, wife of Alexander Anderson, Engineman died in Dunfermline, aged 60, daughter of James Thomson (farmer) and Margaret Thomson nee Pratt

So this looks like Helen and siblings ( I know you say you've traced her family)

Surname Forename Parents/ Other Details Gender Date Parish Number Ref Parish Image View
THOMSON
HELEN
JAMES THOMSON/MARGARET PRATT FR310 (FR310)
F
07/03/1812
419/
10 468
Cults


THOMSON
ISABEL
JAMES THOMSON/MARGARET PRATT FR314 (FR314)
F
22/05/1814
419/
10 472
Cults


THOMSON
MARGARET
JAMES THOMSON/MARGARET PRATT FR300 (FR300)
F
06/12/1807
419/
10 458
Cults


THOMSON
AGNES
JAMES THOMSON/MARGARET PRATT FR306 (FR306)
F
25/02/1810
419/
10 464
Cults


THOMSON
THOMAS
JAMES THOMSON/MARGARET PRATT FR318 (FR318)
M
02/08/1816
419/
10 476
Cults

Thanks.