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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.

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 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

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

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/

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

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.

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

Name James Anderson
Spouse's Name Jean Spence
Event Date 17 Oct 1829
Event Place Dysart,Fife,Scotland

Thomas's birth pre-dates civil registration

Name Thomas Anderson Skein
Gender Male
Birth Date 20 Jun 1864
Birthplace DUNFERMLINE,FIFE,SCOTLAND
Father's Name Alexander Anderson Skein
Mother's Name Christina Paton



Name Henry Anderson Skene
Gender Male
Birth Date 15 May 1869
Birthplace DUNFERMLINE,FIFE,SCOTLAND
Father's Name Alexander Anderson Skene
Mother's Name Christina Paton

I'm not seeing corresponding births in Fife for David, John or Thomas even although they were born after Statutory registration began. Either they were born elsewhere in Scotland or their births were registered using a different surname.

Interesting name combination................and born before the marriage

Name Alexr. Skene Anderson
Gender Male
Birth Date 01 Dec 1851
Birthplace AUCHTERDERRAN,FIFE,SCOTLAND
Father's Name Alexr. Anderson
Mother's Name Christian Paton

Either of these births will give you the date and place of the parents marriage


Surname Forename Gender Year Ref RD Name Image View
SKENE
CHRISTOPHER
M
1866
424/2 173
Dunfermline Landward

SKENE
HENRY ANDERSON
M
1869
424/2 140
Dunfermline Landward

For ref.

1870 US Census Transcription

Alexander Skene Male 40 1830 Scotland
Christina Skene Female 41 1829 Scotland
Alexander Skene Male 18 1852 Scotland
James Skene Male 16 1854 Scotland
David Skene Male 14 1856 Scotland
John Skene Male 12 1858 Scotland
Thomas Skene Male 6 1864 Scotland
Christopher Skene Male 4 1866 Scotland
Henry Skene Male 1 1869 Scotland

1851 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
Launcher Head, Auchterderran, Kirkaldy, Fife, Scotland

First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Sex Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
James Paton Head Married Male 45 1806 Collier's Pauper Fife, Scotland Transcription
Ann Paton Wife Married Female 42 1809 - Lochgelly, Fife, Scotland Transcription
Christina Paton Daughter - Female 20 1831 Labourer On Coal Work Lochgelly, Fife, Scotland Transcription
Isabella Paton Daughter Unmarried Female 18 1833 Labourer On Coal Work Lochgelly, Fife, Scotland Transcription
Maria Paton Daughter - Female 15 1836 Agricultural Labourer Lochgelly, Fife, Scotland Transcription
Janet Paton Daughter - Female 13 1838 Agricultural Labourer Lochgelly, Fife, Scotland Transcription
Rachel Paton Daughter - Female 10 1841 Scholar Lochgelly, Fife, Scotland Transcription
Ann Paton Daughter - Female 8 1843 Scholar Lochgelly, Fife, Scotland Transcription
Betsy Paton Daughter - Female 4 1847 Scholar Lochgelly, Fife, Scotland Transcription

Statutory registration did not begin in Scotland until 1855. The best you can hope to find for births prior to 1855 would be a christening record.

Scottish births recorded after statutory registration began will give the date and place of the parents marriage.

Is it possible that Alexander's mother married / remarried hence Alexander had been known by two surnames?


Who did Alexander name as his parents and who were the witnesses when he married Mary please?

Name Christopher Skene
Gender Male
Birth Date 04 Aug 1866
Birthplace DUNFERMLINE,FIFE,SCOTLAND
Father's Name Alexander Anderson Skene
Mother's Name Christina Paton

It does rather look as though Alexander added 'Skene' to his name - although, for what reason, I can't imagine............unless he had a criminal conviction at some stage

Hi Erika
Thank you so much for your help.
With regard to the 1881 census, I believe that information to be correct. Alexander Skene and Mary Skene (nee Wilson) were definitely a coal-mining family and we have lots of information about them, so we know that is correct.
I believe the 1861 census information to be correct, although I don't think I've found that before. I think it fits though.
However, it says "Alexander Sken" was born 1831 in Dysart, and I just can't find any record of this person, especially not marrying "Christian". Can you find this Alexander Sken (Skene) birth record? And why do you think some of their children had Anderson as a middle name.
Here are the children of Alexander (Anderson) Skene and Christian Paton as I understand them:
Alexander Skene (b 1851) James Skene (b1853) David Skene (b1856) John Skene (b 1857) William Skene (b 1860) Christopher Skene (b 1866) Thomas Anderson Skene (b 1866) Christina Skene (b 1868) and Henry Anderson Skene (b 1869). What a tribe!

1861 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
Brewery, Auchterderran, Fife, Scotland

First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Sex Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
Alexander Sken Head Married Male 30 1831 Coal Miner Dysart, Fife, Scotland Transcription
Christian Sken Wife Married Female 31 1830 - Auchterderran, Fife, Scotland Transcription
Alexander Sken Son - Male 11 1850 Coal Miner Auchterderran, Fife, Scotland Transcription
James Sken Son - Male 9 1852 Scholar Auchterderran, Fife, Scotland Transcription
David Sken Son - Male 7 1854 Scholar Fife, Scotland Transcription
John Sken Son - Male 4 1857 - Fife, Scotland Transcription
Ann Fisher Niece - Female 0 1861 - Fife, Scotland

Working from earliest to latest, my Alexander Skene was born 1 Dec 1851 in Auchterderran. As far as I know, he was always called Alexander Skene but I have this record:
Name: Alexr. Skene Anderson gender: Male birth date: 01 Dec 1851 birthplace: AUCHTERDERRAN,FIFE,SCOTLAND father's name: Alexr. Anderson mother's name: Christian Paton indexing project (batch) number: C11405-5 system origin: Scotland-ODM
Alexander Skene (b 1851) married Mary Wilson.

I think his father was Alexander Anderson who married Christina Paton (born Dysart, Fifeshire) but then why was he called Alexander Skene.

I think it is perhaps not a co-incidence that in the 1851 listed above, Alexander Anderson aged 6 is living with 2 members of the Paton family - perhaps they were related to his future wife Christina Paton.

I cannot find any record of Alexander Skene marrying Christina Paton. I have the married certificate of Alexander Anderson and Christina Paton from 1851.

Alexander Skene (?? aka Alexander Anderson) and Christina Paton emigrated to the USA. Christina died in 1881 and Alexander Skene died in 1914 (Indiana, USA). Quite a few of their children had Anderson as a middle name eg Thomas Anderson Skene born 1866 Halbeath, Scotland and Henry Anderson Skene born 1869 Halbeath, Scotland.

Thanks for your help