The family of Alexander McGlashon

Parents and Family

Thank you to Valerie Gardner for providing the following details:

Parents

Alexander's parents, who married in 1808 were:

- James McGlashan born 17 December 1784

- Grace Seton born 21 April 1785

Alexander was born in Edinburgh in 1815.

He married Maryanne Smellie in 1834.

Alexander's son, John Seton McGlashan, was born in 1848

John Seton McGlashan

He married Sarah Andrew in 1874 in Glasgow

Val is also investigating other members of her family: McGlashon, Elder, Drummond and Smellie. (I don't know whether or not this is the same family as the early Edinburgh photographer, D Hermiston Smellie.)

Val wrote:

Other Members of the Family

Interestingly, I'm finding that almost all of my family in Edinburgh from the 1850s onwards were:

- Copperplate Printers

- Lithographers

- Printers or

- Photographers.

I was a Photographic Assistant.

My husband is a Photographer/Photocompositor.

Acknowledgements

With acknowledgement for the family details above to Valerie Gardner g-g-g-g-grand-daughter of Alexander McGlashan and g-g-g-granddaughter of John Seton McGlashan, for providing the details above, together with a copy of the Marriage Certificate for the marriage of John Seton McGlashan and Sarah Andrew on 20 February 1874.

Thank you, also to Donna McGlashon, Collingwood, Ontario, Canada who wrote on September 24, 2006:

"I noticed you mentioned a Valerie whose gggg grandfather was Alexander. I have quite a bit of family history documented as well.

Alexanders father James was my ggggg grandfather as well through William McGlashon. James had 13 children."

Alexander McGlashon's children

Thank you to Alister Huth, Box Hill, Victoria, Australia, for providing the following details, taken from his family bible:

1836	child, born Covent Garden, London [Old Parish Registry File]
1837	child, born Covent Garden, London [Old Parish Registry File]
1839-45	4 children born Edinburgh parishes [Old Parish Registry File]
8 Oct 1846	Daughter: Margaret Seton [Edinburgh Birth Registry: 31 Dec 1854]
11 Jun 1848	John Seton [Edinburgh Birth Registry: 31 Dec 1854]

Alexander McGlashon was recorded as McGlashan for the first six births below, and as McGlashon for the last two:

With acknowledgement to Alister Huth, g-grandson of Margaret Seton McGlashon

and g-g-grandson of Alexander McGlashon

Censuses

1841 - at Clyde Street, Edinburgh

Alexander McGlashon	Age 30	Born England
Mary Ann McGlashon	Age 25	Born Edinburgh
Mary McGlashon	Age 4	Born England
Elizabeth McGlashon	Age 2	Born Edinburgh

1851 - at 26 and 33 Clyde Street, Edinburgh

Family not listed

1861 - at 26 and 33 Clyde Street, Edinburgh

Family not listed

1861 - what address?

Alexander McGlashan

Age 49

Copperplate printer employing 5 men and 3 boys

1871 - at 2 Sciennes Place, Edinburgh

Alexander McGlashon, Widower

Age 59

Born England

Copper plate printer

Margaret Seton

Age 23

Born Edinburgh

With acknowledgement to:

- Constantia Nicolaides for 1861 census (2nd entry above) and 1871 census (occupation)

- Alister Huth, g-grandson of Margaret Seton McGlashon, and g-g-grandson of Alexander McGlashon (all other census details above).

Death of Alexander McGlashon

Question

The death of Alexander McGlashon is recorded at 2 Sciennes Place.

On what date did he die?

Answer

Thank you to Val Gardner, Enfield, Middlesex, England, g-g-g-g-grand-daughter of Alexander McGlashan. Val has not only told me the date of death, 2 Dec 1877, but also provided me with a copy of Alexander McGlashon's Death Certificate.

Val has also been examining Alexander McGlashan's will and reports that "he died with a moderate sum of money which he left to John, so he must have done quite well in his profession."

With acknowledgement to Alister Huth, g-grandson of Margaret Seton McGlashon
and g-g-grandson of Alexander McGlashon

Reply

Alex Sinclair

Dunblane, Stirlingshire, Scotland

Thank you to Alex Sinclair who wrote:

Our Research

"My wife and I have been doing some research into Alexander McGlashan. My wife is his great great grand daughter. Hence our interest."

Alexander McGlashan

"Here is what we have discovered. There are a few areas where our research differs from or adds to what is on the EdinPhoto site.

1. Alexander McGlashan was born in Gosport in Hampshire. His father, who was from Nairn, was a soldier in the Inverness militia and presumably was stationed in Gosport at the time of Alexander's birth.

2. In 1846 Alexander's address, 26 Clyde Street, Edinburgh, is shown on the parish record for the birth of his daughter, Margaret Seton.

In 1848, the same address appears on the parish record of his son, John Seton.

Incidentally, Margaret Seton is buried in the grounds of Cockpen and Carrington parish church where the grave stone records the McGlashon spelling of her name. She is my wife's great grandmother.

3. You have Alexander listed as 'missing' in 1851. In fact he is to be found visiting the Holdgate family at 27 Paradise Terrace in Islington London.

The head of the family was Richard Holdgate, copperplate printer. I presume that this is a business associate. The rest of his family then were living at 1 Powburn, Edinburgh.

4. In 1861 Alexander's home address was 32 Cumberland Street, Edinburgh.

5. You mention that there is a collection of his stereographs in the National Portrait Gallery. My wife arranged a viewing of the archive and it turned out that there was only one stereograph.

There were a further 19 items which were all large portraits of various Edinburgh Victorian notables (including Octavius Hill); my wife also noticed that there was a royal warrant on one of the prints."

More Research

"We are continuing to research into Alexander McGlashan, so hopefully we can build up a more complete picture. He was an interesting individual who took some very impressive photographs."

Alex Sinclair, Dunblane, Stirlingshire, Scotland: May 18, 2012