The "brick wall" for descendants researching Alexander Love is his birth. Who were his parents? Where was he born? On what date? What about the "5 Love brothers"? Other researchers have provided speculation or specific answers, but no solid evidence.
His parents? Looking at on-line family tree submissions to Ancestry and Family Search (LDS), James Love and Margaret Miller are the most popular. James, born in either county Tyrone or Antrim, Ireland in 1670, 1678 or 1684 and dying in Antrim or Lancaster, PA in 1721, 1751 or 1753. Margaret, all agree, was born in county Antrim in either 1688 or 1689 and died in Antrim in 1715, 1719 or 1751. 1715 is the most popular date of death which makes it pretty unlikely that she gave birth to Alexander in 1718. This just points out how error ridden most of the trees are and that the errors multiply as people add them to their own trees without doing any research of their own. On Ancestry these submissions become "proof" for the information. Serious genealogists beware!
The discussions I have seen suggest James, John or Robert as the name of his father. One Robert often mentioned was born about 1679 possibly in County Antrim, IRE. He came to America about 1700 and died in PA in 1741. His will named the children of his 3rd wife, but it is assumed he had children by his 2 earlier wives. It has been suggested that Alexander is one of these. If so, Alexander's birthplace would be Pennsylvania. We submitted DNA to the Love family project. While they were processing the DNA, I received a letter giving names of direct descendants of this Robert to look for as a close match. Unfortunately, we discovered our DNA was not a close match.
There is a John who arrived in PA in 1682 receiving a grant from William Penn. I believe this John was a merchant from, Bristol England. If Alexander is Scots Irish as we have assumed, then this John would not be his father. Also Alexander does not name a son John which would be very atypical for that time.*
I lean toward Alexander's father being a James. He names his second son James.* Traditionally Alexander is thought to be the brother of James, "the weaver" who was born in Antrim about 1704, the eldest son of five. The direct descendant of this James is a close DNA match (at least a lot closer than the above Robert). Also, traditionally, the other brothers were John, born about 1705/6 who died in PA, William, born about 1710 who died in SC in 1780 as a direct result of his Loyalist sympathies and Robert, born 1716 who died in 1787 in SC. There is no proof, as yet, of this relationship.
Where was Alexander born? Some say Antrim, others PA. There is a DAR application which states PA and gives the date of 15 Jan 1718. We hope to see documentation in the application that proves it. The only real evidence we have of the year of birth is from Alexander's grave marker.
So, how do we solve this mystery? I assume that most or all of the obvious records have already been gone over by other researchers (that rare serious family historian plus a few descendants trying to fill out their DAR and SAR applications). It's always possible something was overlooked or some new papers have been discovered since the original research.
Since our Alexander hasn't shown up on a passenger list as far as we know, I would try searching any Philadelphia or New Castle, DE newspapers. They often had shipping news about arriving ships. It might mean getting a list of arriving ships and then checking the departures from Ireland for any records on that end (Road Trip!!).
Another possibility would be the Presbyterian church records, if they exist, from that time and place. There were a few congregations in PA, one of which was Fagg's Manor on the Brandywine River. John Love (1705/06) and James (1704) were deacons. Robert Love (1716 - 1787) was married on the "banks of the Brandywine". If these are Alexander's brothers, there is definitely a connection with Fagg's Manor, although Alexander moved west and was in York County by 1750. Any old Presbyterian records are likely at Swarthmore College (Road Trip!). Establishing when Alexander arrived in America would go a long way to answering the unknowns. Locating any early church records of baptisms and deaths would be a treasure. I guess the answer is: Road Trip!
* Information on naming patterns will be addressed in a future post.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Thursday, December 12, 2013
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: JOHN VERNON CAIRNS
When he was living in Florida with J and J, I asked Grandpa-the-Great to tell me about his youth. This transcription is from a letter I received on 21 Feb 1989.
1
"You asked me to jot down about my life on the farm and the red roadster We sold hickory nuts for 4.00, bushel, the ones cracked in qt jar for 4.00 also. In Oct 1919 Mom, Dad, Alfred & me left for Cal. Dad made me plant potatoe which I sold before we left, so I wold have some spending money We stopped at River Falls to see Dr. Rolla Cairns & also at Big Timber, Montana to see my uncle Carl & aunt Lena Schumann then on to Portland Oregon. We went on the St Paul railroad, it was electrified for going over the Mts. From Portland we took the Union Pacific to Alhambra Cal. Stayed until next summer & returned to Wis. We arrived there (CA) in Nov, 1919. Bought a Ford Touring car, pd 275.00 for it used I think it was a 1916 model When we left Cal sold it for more then we had for it. I drove it must of the time. Dad didn't care to drive in the city The reason we went Cal. was acct of mothers health. She had T.B. Drs thought the warm weather mite help her. They didn't know how to take of it then, as they do now. Dad got me a permit to drive as I was only 17 While there I got a job at a lumber yard, & drove truck. Excuse my writting and spelling, but I 86 yrs young
2
One weekend we drove up Mt Wilson about 1 mile high. the brakes on the model T wore out, road was very winding and if you went off the road a drop of a half mile, the model T had brakes different than they do now day. There were 3 bands that went around a transmission, which ran in oil. One band for low speed, one for reverse and one for brake. I used the reverse as a brake to get down the mt. It worked real good. While in Cal I met a girl friend, we went to shows, & picnics on week end her mane was Peggy Thompson & her mother was spanish & her father a Norskie. We corresponed when we came back. She had quit a crush on me. I thought a lot of her too. You will see her picture in the big album. The fall of 1920 I stared my senior year in High School. I had go only 2 months the year before, wanted to gruiduate with on old class, talked the Principal in to taking extra courses and going to Whitewater normal, the next summer so I could gruiduate my old class. make High school in 3 years with extra study. In our class play I had the leading part, "All on acct of Polly", I gave the book, I think. Class of 1921. In 1922 I met Mildred and courted her with the little Red Roadster. Mother died in 1923. More next time.
Grandpa Cairns
Hope this is what you wanted"
There wasn't "more next time" quite likely because I neglected to prompt him for more. I have seen the booklet (playbill?) of "All on Account of Polly" he speaks of, but not recently. I am not sure I have it. He had several photos of Peggy Thompson as well as letters from her. Grandma-the-Great didn't seem to mind having these momentos of "Jack's old girlfriend."
When transcribing there is always the urge to correct mistakes in grammar, spelling and punctuation but then it wouldn't be "in their own words", would it?. I have put this down exactly as he wrote it although I think age, as he pointed out, was a factor in many of the errors. A younger J V would have had better spelling and punctuation, I think.
1
"You asked me to jot down about my life on the farm and the red roadster We sold hickory nuts for 4.00, bushel, the ones cracked in qt jar for 4.00 also. In Oct 1919 Mom, Dad, Alfred & me left for Cal. Dad made me plant potatoe which I sold before we left, so I wold have some spending money We stopped at River Falls to see Dr. Rolla Cairns & also at Big Timber, Montana to see my uncle Carl & aunt Lena Schumann then on to Portland Oregon. We went on the St Paul railroad, it was electrified for going over the Mts. From Portland we took the Union Pacific to Alhambra Cal. Stayed until next summer & returned to Wis. We arrived there (CA) in Nov, 1919. Bought a Ford Touring car, pd 275.00 for it used I think it was a 1916 model When we left Cal sold it for more then we had for it. I drove it must of the time. Dad didn't care to drive in the city The reason we went Cal. was acct of mothers health. She had T.B. Drs thought the warm weather mite help her. They didn't know how to take of it then, as they do now. Dad got me a permit to drive as I was only 17 While there I got a job at a lumber yard, & drove truck. Excuse my writting and spelling, but I 86 yrs young
2
One weekend we drove up Mt Wilson about 1 mile high. the brakes on the model T wore out, road was very winding and if you went off the road a drop of a half mile, the model T had brakes different than they do now day. There were 3 bands that went around a transmission, which ran in oil. One band for low speed, one for reverse and one for brake. I used the reverse as a brake to get down the mt. It worked real good. While in Cal I met a girl friend, we went to shows, & picnics on week end her mane was Peggy Thompson & her mother was spanish & her father a Norskie. We corresponed when we came back. She had quit a crush on me. I thought a lot of her too. You will see her picture in the big album. The fall of 1920 I stared my senior year in High School. I had go only 2 months the year before, wanted to gruiduate with on old class, talked the Principal in to taking extra courses and going to Whitewater normal, the next summer so I could gruiduate my old class. make High school in 3 years with extra study. In our class play I had the leading part, "All on acct of Polly", I gave the book, I think. Class of 1921. In 1922 I met Mildred and courted her with the little Red Roadster. Mother died in 1923. More next time.
Grandpa Cairns
Hope this is what you wanted"
There wasn't "more next time" quite likely because I neglected to prompt him for more. I have seen the booklet (playbill?) of "All on Account of Polly" he speaks of, but not recently. I am not sure I have it. He had several photos of Peggy Thompson as well as letters from her. Grandma-the-Great didn't seem to mind having these momentos of "Jack's old girlfriend."
When transcribing there is always the urge to correct mistakes in grammar, spelling and punctuation but then it wouldn't be "in their own words", would it?. I have put this down exactly as he wrote it although I think age, as he pointed out, was a factor in many of the errors. A younger J V would have had better spelling and punctuation, I think.
 |
| John Vernon Cairns Graduation Photo Mazomanie High School June 3, 1921 |
 |
| "Canonball" "The Little Red Roadster" JVC taken April 6, 1924 MEC unk date (possibly the same day) |
 |
| Courting Jack Cairns and Mildred Rasmussen Cairns Home in Mazomanie, WI Saturday, Jan. 26, 1924 |
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