Alexander Somerville

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Alexander Somerville, a wine merchant, lived at No. 9 between 1821 and 1837.1 He was born at Govan on 16 March 1785, son of Neil Somerville, a merchant trading with the West Indies, and his wife Eleanora Scott.2 Before moving to the newly built No. 9, Alexander Somerville lived in Raeburn Place.3 During his time at No. 9 he was also described as an agent for the True Sun newspaper with premises at 17 Clyde Street.4 He moved from Malta Terrace to Henderson Row5 and by 1841 was living at Springhill Place, Glasgow.6 Around 1848 he moved to Abbeygreen, Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire where he died on 9 March 1855.7

Alexander Somerville married Elizabeth Munro at Edinburgh on 14 March 1812.8 She was daughter of the late Major John Munro who worked for the East India Company.9 Elizabeth Munro died on 11 November 1847, aged 53 and was buried St Cuthberts.10 They had eight children,11 including three born when the family lived at No. 9.

Their first child would have been eight years old when the family took up residence at No. 9. This was Rev. Alexander Neil Somerville who was born in Edinburgh on 30 January 1813.12 Educated at the High School and University of Edinburgh, he was licensed by the presbytery of Jedburgh at the end of 1835 and ordained at Anderston two years later. In 1843 he joined the Free Church and served as Moderator of the Free Church in 1886-87.13 He travelled widely on evangelical tours, such that “No man in modern times probably ever had so many converts.”14 He died in Glasgow on 18 September 1889.15 He married Isabella Mirrlees Ewing in Glasgow on 06 June 1841.16 They had five children.17

John Scott Somerville, second son, born about 1814, died at sea on 28 October 1833 during a passage from India.18

Neil Somerville died aged 2 years on 30 January 1819,19 before the family lived at No. 9.

Eleanora Scott Somerville was born in 1817. She married William Cumming, M.D., on 29 May 184520 and died at Ainslie Place, Edinburgh on 17 June 1880.21

Francis Hamilton Somerville, born in 1818, died of a fever at Malta Terrace on 21 February 1829.22

Mary Munro Somerville was born about 1823. Aged 38, she married widower James Playfair, a merchant trading with north America, aged 69, on 28 September 1860.23 In 1861 they were living at 4 Queens Crescent, Glasgow.24 She was widowed in January 186625 and died at Ainslie Place, Edinburgh on 18 January 1884.26

Colin Campbell Somerville was born at No. 9 on 22 April 1826.27 He lived in Savannah, Missouri, USA from 1852 and died there on 28 June 1903. He returned to Scotland for a year in 1863, before moving to Canada until 1876.28 He married Mary Ann Woodcock on 23 July 1854, at Savannah, Missouri, USA.29

Elizabeth Dick Somerville was born at No. 9 on 24 February 183130 and died there, aged four years, on 31 May 1835.31

References

  1. PO Directories 1821-22 to 1836-37.
  2. Baptisms index (OPR) Scotland. Govan, Glasgow. 16 March 1785. SOMERVAIL, Alexander. 646/ 20/ 128. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 18 September 2023.
  3. PO Directory 1820-21.
  4. PO Directories 1829-30 to 1834-45.
  5. PO Directory 1837-38.
  6. Census records. Scotland. Glasgow. 06 June 1841. SOMERVILLE, Alexander (Head). 644/1 10/ 5. Ancestry collection ‘1841 Scotland Census.’ https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 04 October 2023.
  7. Deaths (SR) Scotland. Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire. 17 March 1855. SOMERVILLE, Alexander. 649/ 31. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 20 June 2021.
  8. Marriages index (OPR) Scotland. Edinburgh. 14 March 1812. SOMERVILLE, Alexander and MUNRO, Elizabeth. 685/1 540 27. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 20 June 2021.
  9. The Scots Magazine and Edinburgh Literary Miscellany LXXIV (1812). p. 316. https://www.google.co.uk/books/: accessed 20 June 2021.
  10. Burials. Cemetery registers. Scotland. St Cuthbert’s, Edinburgh. 17 November 1847. MONRO, Elizabeth. BR0001. City of Edinburgh Archives. Ancestry collection ‘Edinburgh, Scotland, Cemetery Registers, 1771-1935.’ https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 03 October 2023.
  11. Deaths (SR) Scotland. Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire. 17 March 1855. SOMERVILLE, Alexander. 649/ 31. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 20 June 2021.
  12. Baptisms index (OPR) Scotland. Edinburgh. 29 January 1813. SOMERVILLE, Alexander Neil. 685/1 410/ 293. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 19 October 2024.
  13. Scott, Hew. (1920) Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae. New Edition. vol. 3, p. 390. https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc03scot/page/390/mode/2up?view=theater: accessed 03 October 2023.
  14. Stephen, Leslie. Editor. (1921-22) Dictionary of National Biography. vol. 18, p. 657. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Ancestry collection ‘Dictionary of National Biography, Volumes 1-22.’ https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 05 October 2023.
  15. Ibid.
  16. Marriages (OPR) Scotland. Barony, Glasgow. 06 June 1841. SOMERVILLE, Alexander and EWING, Isabella Mirrlees. 622/ 180/ 149. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 05 October 2023.
  17. Scott, Hew (1920). Op. cit.
  18. Death announcements. Caledonian Mercury. 26 January 1834. SOMERVILLE, John. p. 3, col. 6. https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk: accessed 04 October 2023.
  19. Burial registers. Scotland. St Cuthbert’s Edinburgh. 30 January 1819. SOMERVILLE, Neil. BR0001. Edinburgh City Archives. Ancestry collection ‘Edinburgh, Scotland, Cemetery Registers, 1771-1935.’ https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 04 October 2023.
  20. Marriages index (OPR) Scotland. Edinburgh. 29 May 1845. CUMMING, William and SOMERVILLE, Eleanora Scott. 685/1 670/ 510. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 03 October 2023.
  21. Deaths (SR) Scotland. St George, Edinburgh. 18 June 1880. CUMMING, Eleanora Scott. 685/1 665. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 07 April 2021.
  22. Burials (OPR) Scotland. St Cuthbert’s, Edinburgh. 21 February 1829. SOMERVELL, Francis Hamilton. 685/2 490/ 345. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 04 October 2023.
  23. Marriages (SR) Scotland. St George, Edinburgh. 29 September 1860. PLAYFAIR, James and SOMERVILLE, Mary. 685/1 221. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 03 October 2023.
  24. Census records. Scotland. Barony, Glasgow. 07 April 1861. PLAYFAIR, James (Head). 644/7 34/ 9. Ancestry collection ‘1861 Scotland Census.’ https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 04 October 2023.
  25. Death announcements. Greenock Advertiser. 16 January 1866. PLAYFAIR, James. p. 3, col. 1. https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk: accessed 04 October 2023.
  26. Deaths (SR) Scotland. St George, Edinburgh. 21 January 1884. PLAYFAIR, Mary. 685/1 58. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 03 October 2023.
  27. Birth announcements. Perthshire Courier. 27 April 1826. SOMERVELL. p. 2, col. 4. https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk: accessed 04 October 2023.
  28. Edinburgh Academical Club. (1914) The Edinburgh Academy Register. SOMERVILLE, Colin Campbell. p. 90. https://archive.org/details/edinburghacademy00edinuoft/page/90/mode/2up?q=Somerville: accessed 03 October 2023.
  29. Marriages (CR) USA. Andrew County, Missouri. 24 July 1854. SOMERVILLE, C. C. and WOODCOCK, Mary Anne. Missouri State Archives. Ancestry collection ‘Missouri, U.S., Marriage Records, 1805-2002.’ https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 03 October 2023.
  30. Birth announcements. The Scotsman. 26 February 1831. SOMERVELL. http://archive.scotsman.com: 05 March 2011.
  31. Death announcements. The Scotsman. 06 June 1835. SOMERVELL, Elizabeth Dick. p. 3, col. 3. http://archive.scotsman.com: 05 March 2011.

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