Family Gems: Finding Elizabeth, Alexander and a Shoe Fetish

Well that explains everything.  Now I know why I inherited such a shoe fetish.  Come to find out, there are two shoemakers in our family line, both named Alexander Buchanan.  I like to think of them as the entrepreneurial precursors to Jimmy Choo.  I can only imagine the closet full of tartan stilettos Elizabeth Buchanan had back in her day.  Afterall, it was her own father and father-in-law who were the shoemakers and the Alexanders.  Apparently, since she didn't have enough of those in her life (referring to the Alexanders not the shoes), she married an Alexander Buchanan.  And, to make things fashionably simple, her maiden name was Buchanan to boot.

If you think about it too long, it becomes impossible for you to heed the Scottish caution to "mind your head."

This is just one of the family gems discovered by the passionate volunteers at the Scottish Genealogical Society Family History Center in Edinburgh.  Dressed in their uniform cashmere sweaters, four of these white-haired wonders descended upon us as we entered their doors, providing service with a twinkle and a smile.  Though they each volunteer one day a week, their savvy search skills have been put to use for decades, decoding naming conventions and registrar interpretations. Together, they were a walking wealth of Scottish knowledge.

They were quite intrigued with Mom's given name, wondering everything about it's origins, which one would expect from name experts such as these.  They kept repeating "Momi" over and over, trying to get the vowel sound right, like a cacophonous herd of birds.  I suddenly found myself in the middle of a Monty Python skit.  Mid deep discussions, invariably one would turn to her and ask, "Moomi, is it?  Did I say it right?" 

There has been a surprisingly common response by any whom we've informed we are in Scotland for family history purposes, be it fellow traveler, taxi driver or waiter.  That response is, "The Mormons have done more than anyone to further family research, you should check with them."  Even these volunteers agree.  The indexing that's been performed by the youth and others of the church has been huge for these addicts of ancestry.  We confessed that we are the Mormons, and yet here we are seeking their help.  We can take no royal credit for all the legwork performed by our Christian Clan, thus our trip to them as our penance.

We spent enlightened hours with them, during which they constantly reminded us to solve one problem before smattering more.  With each problem/person we entrusted to them, they became enthralled with finding the answer, and even more enthralled at the thrill of debating with one another why the right answer had to be this over that.  As we had been forewarned, the Scots love a good debate.  It was like getting dinner and a show, the entertainment was so delicious.

From their debates we learned the following contextual clues:

• The Scottish naming convention:  The 1st son is named after the father's father, the 2nd son after the mother's father.  The 1st daughter is named after the mother's mother and 2nd daughter after the father's mother while the rest of the children are named after aunts, uncles, and other relatives.
• If a child dies, a subsequent child is given the exact same name as the deceased child. 
• Births and baptisms occurred only a few days apart due to infant mortality
• Alexander was a very popular name during the time it appears in our family history
• The names Daniel & Donald are interchangeable, as are Peter and Patrick.  This was due to the Reformation, when people who had departed from Catholicism had to use a Catholic name to hide this fact.  Though they believed as a Protestant, they couldn't reflect it in any way outwardly, including in their name.
• Indians transcribed most of the records while India was under British rule.
• Old Parish Records are considered official documentation.  Everything found in the OPR means they were of the Church of Scotland (Protestant/Presbytarian).  The Catholics didn't keep as good of records so their research is near impossible.
• If the same names show up on different OPRs with the same bann or marriage dates, the assumption is it's the same people because the bride and groom may be from different parishes/counties, in which case they register banns in both churches.

Thus, we see why tracking and finding the truth as it relates to a family member or family event becomes confused and complex.  Many family members have the same name, carry the name of the deceased or go by a disguised name, which may or may not be transcribed correctly.  Doing this work definitely makes it hard to mind one's head.

But nothing a brilliant brie fondue wouldn't easily solve. 

After wearing out our valiant volunteers, they closed up shop, graciously handing us documents worth their weight in gold.  Gratefully, the answers and documentation to our original query had been found.  They had verified Elizabeth's full name and marriage date to Alexander.

Although they handed us this and other pieces of family treasures, we were leaving with more questions than with which we arrived.  Now, the pandora's box was open wide.  Archibald McMurrin Buchanan (my great grandfather, Alexander & Elizabeth's grandson), had been weighing on my mind.  When did his family move from Doune to Glasgow?  What did he experience with that change during those days?  What was his profession?  With whom did he migrate to America?  What drove him to make the ultimate decision to leave security, family and country behind to immigrate to America?

As I spouted off the unanswered questions that came to mind while parting ways with our ancestry angels, Mr. Napier's response was no answer at all.  It was a question to keep me questioning, "Well, why do you think people immigrate?  It's not for the weather now, is it dear?"

Stay tuned as we take next steps to uncover treasures of truth, tartans...and fashionable family fetishes.

Genealogist Napier discovering a piece of the puzzle.  He reads from a printed copy of a microfiche pictured below.  This OPR officially documents the marriage of Alexander & Elizabeth Buchanan on December 16, 1823 in Kilmadock, Scotland.