Family Letters Notes

NOTES: In the two letters from Harry ALEXANDER to Alexander LEITH we learn the following:

1) Harry says "my countryman" which seems to imply that he was born in Scotland. Further evidence of that is when he states spending many days with Mr. LEITH, apparently in their youth
2) Harry refers to Scotland by its old name, Calladonia [Caledonia]
3) Harry mentions buying his “Paternal Estate” from LEITH, and it seems that the estate was called “Jackstone”. If not, then the “Lands of Jackstone” were property owned by the ALEXANDER’s at some point before 1752. There is a Jackstown in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
4) Harry mentions his brothers:
John ALEXANDER (who sold the Lands of Jackstone, so he might have been the oldest. He might have died before 1752, probably in Scotland.)
Alexander ALEXANDER (who in early 1752 was a mariner on a slave ship going to the coast of Guinea. He might have had the nickname of “Sandy”. He died sometime between June 1752 and December 1753.)
James ALEXANDER (who was a mariner on His Majesty’s Ship/Man of War “Sunderland”. He had died six years before the letter was written, which would have been 1746.)
Sandy ALEXANDER (this appears to have been a nickname for Alexander ALEXANDER, but might have been another brother).
5) Harry mentions a possible cousin by the name of or from INVERENAN, however, this could be my poor reading of the letter. It is difficult to tell if this refers to a person or not.
6) Harry mentions his father’s will, which I am assuming was likely filed in the Aberdeen area. It appears that his father’s estate is still not settled in 1752
7) Harry mentions a Mr. James LUMSDEN twice, first, as the minister at Towey (which I believe is the present-day Towie, near Aberdeen)….Mr. James LUMSDEN is mentioned a second time as “my brother in law” but I cannot tell if they are the same person. It would seem that these James LUMSDEN's are two different people.
8) Harry mentions several other people named GORDON, JACKSTONE and others, who appear to be only friends. Maybe the Jackstone person was the owner of the “Lands of Jackstone” at some time before the ALEXANDER’s.
9) Harry mentions “my friend and relation” William FORBES. Is he is a more distant cousin than LEITH?
10) Harry mentions that Alexander LEITH’s brother Walter LEITH has not returned his correspondence.
11) Harry mentions “my friend” Charles ALEXANDER, perhaps he too is a cousin, or maybe an uncle? Note that Harry’s first born son is named Charles.
12) Harry mentions that “Mrs. ALEXANDER…happily delivered of a daughter” on June 13, which gives the birthdate for daughter Jane ALEXANDER of June 13, 1752. Note: This birth has to be Jane’s since Harry mentions in a December 1753 letter that he has two children, Charles & Jane, and while the letters are 16 months apart, he does not mention losing a child, so it must indeed be Jane.
13) Harry mentions “my cousin Mr. McSWEEN” of this place, which I assume means Antigua.
14) Harry mentions in the 1753 letter that he is “now left the only surviving son of a large family”. Since he mentions the deaths of his brothers ALEXANDER and JAMES, I am assuming that his brother JOHN was already dead by the time of the 1752 letter.