My father, Robert Anderson was born in Bangor, North Wales, and could speak Welsh, although I knew his family were from Kirkcudbrightshire in Scotland. His father was Lewis Martin Anderson, born in 1866 in Balmaghie, Kirkcudbrightshire, and his wife, Jeannie Roberts, who was the only grandparent I knew, was Welsh. (It later emerged that Jeannie was not in fact my grandmother, but my step-grandmother.) His first wife was Jane Thomas, and she also was Welsh. I had initially assumed that he had moved from Scotland to Wales, married there and later moved to Liverpool. However, it turned out that both his marriages took place in Liverpool, so he appears to have moved first to Liverpool, married there, then settled in Bangor. After the early death of his first wife, he and his three sons moved back to Liverpool, where he re-married. I have recently found out that Lewis's younger sister, Annie Mary, also moved to Liverpool, marrying Ellis William Weston there in 1899. Whether any other Scottish family members also moved to Liverpool remains to be seen. (See below.) My father married and settled in Liverpool, younger brother Lewis Martin married in Liverpool, but later returned to Bangor and youngest brother Tom remained in Liverpool, but didn't marry.
Lewis's father was David Anderson, who was born in Colvend, Kirkcudbrightshire in 1839. He too turned out to be more mobile than I expected. Although he married Eliza Martin in Scotland, his marriage certificate shows his address to have been in Liverpool. Their first child, too, was born in Liverpool, but all those following were born in Kirkcudbrightshire, but in several different parishes. These latter movements were initially assumed to be linked to his occupation in the police force, and this has now been confirmed. When his second child, Lewis, was born in Balmaghie in 1866, David's occupation was given as Police Constable. Similarly, when Sarah Helen was born in New Galloway in 1871, again David was a Police Constable. The registration of the birth in Castle Douglas of the last child, David, who sadly didn't survive, shows the father to be a Sergeant of Police. For a long time, the latest record of David I could find was the 1881 census, when he and his children were in Castle Douglas. He was not recorded in Scotland in the 1891 census, neither could any death registration there be traced. Finally, I found an 1896 death registration of a David of the correct age in Liverpool. (The death certificate later showed the death to have been registered by widow M. Anderson, and this and her address tie in with 1891 and 1901 census entries so I am now certain it is my great-grandfather.) A more intensive search of records in Liverpool has located him in the Everton district in the 1891 census. It also showed that he had remarried, to a Scottish girl, Matilda, that he had two more children from that marriage and that daughter Eliza from his first marriage was living with them. It also indicated his occupation was now 'porter', explaining a puzzle which first arose from the certificate of son Lewis Martin's marriage in 1887. This too described him as a porter rather than the expected police sergeant. Further searches located three more daughters, two in Liverpool and one in Birkenhead. Then his second marriage was traced to December, 1881 in Scotland, to Matilda McCredie. It may never be known why he left the police force, but it appears that the move to Liverpool may have occurred soon after his second marriage, and that he came to Liverpool with four daughters and his son, so possibly he felt there would be better prospects for his children even at the cost of his own career. Eldest daughter Isabella appears to have remained in Scotland, marrying there in 1892. He was buried in Toxteth Park Cemetery.
David's father was Robert Anderson, who was a surgeon, Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons Scotland, in general practise for many years in Colvend, Kirkcudbrightshire. The RCSE were unfortunately unable to trace any additional information in their records. In the 1851 census, he reports his birth to have been in Sanquhar, Dumfriesshire, in about 1795. The problem area is the identity of his father. According to his eldest son on registering his father's death, his name also was Robert, and he was a farm overseer. The Parish Registers for Sanquhar in 1795 do show a Robert, baptised on 1st July, but the father's name is William. If this is the correct family, it could link him to a well-known local family that operated three farms in that area, which could tie in with his 'farm overseer' occupation, but this has yet to be proved. (See next paragraph.) The baptism of his wife, Isabella Dobie, also is missing, but her parents have now been identified. Robert and Isabella's marriage is unrecorded in the Parish Register. However, I am pleased to have been contacted recently by descendants of my grandfather's sister, Annie Mary Anderson. She also seems to have migrated to Liverpool. This family is in possession of Robert and Isabella's family bible. The bible includes the date of their marriage and the births of their children, and I am now very pleased to have received scans from it (see photographs).
A considerable amount of information has been received, almost simultaneously, from two descendants of the Sanquhar Andersons, clarifying family origins, emigrations to the United States and identifying a family member living in the Philippines and also some still in Scotland. In spite of all this, sadly, my link to this family is still unconfirmed. However, it does raise my hope that confirmation may still come to hand!