Alexander Heron

Slave-owner and attorney in Jamaica, with estate ownership in Hanover and Manchester. Born Stoneykirk, Wigtonshire Scotland, most probably the son of William Heron and Agnes Dalziel. Brother of Robert Heron (q.v.) and William Heron, a bookkeeper in Jamaica. Travelled to Jamaica in the late 18th century, where the family had established connections. It is likely an uncle, Robert Heron, deeded him land in St Elizabeth. The deed read:

'given and granted by these presents for us our heirs and successors do give and grant unto the said Alexander Heron his heirs and assigns all that three hundred acres of land situate lying and being in the Parish of Saint Elizabeth in our said island consisting of two parcels that is to say the first parcel containing fifty acres being near the Devils Race butting and bounding northerly on the old Spanish road and unpossessed steep rocks Easterly on the road to the mountains east and Jonathan Harrison deceased and south-westerly on terribly rocky land the other parcel containing two hundred and fifty acres being at Alligator pond mountain and butting and bounding east on John Mendes and unpossessed land north on lands surveyed at the same time by Captain Cross west-southerly on unpossessed lands and the lands of Captain Stores and south on the lands of Joseph Cremer of which said lands and premises Jonathan Harrison did seized in his demesne as of fee and without heirs together with all edifices trees woods underwoods ways water watercourses rents profits commodities emoluments advantages easements and hereditament whatsoever growing or being in or upon the premises or any part of them together with all mines and minerals whatsoever being upon the premises or any part thereof (mines of gold and silver only excepted) to have and to hold the said parcel of land meadow pasture or woodland and all and singular premises hereby granted and every of their appurtenances unto the said Alexander Heron his heirs and assigns for ever.'

This could have been the land that formed the estate named Carpenters Mountain, named as jointly owned with his brother in the latter's will of 1809, or else Wigton estate, which Alexander owned and passed onto his son in the 1820s.

He married Anna Maria Smith of Bossue, Manchester, Jamaica (1778-1848). The couple had 10 children, five of whom survived infancy: Alexander Woodburn Heron, Jane Heron (b. 1799), Elizabeth McCatty Heron (b. 1801), Sarah Ann Heron (b. 1813) and George Robert Heron (b. 1817). Upon his death he left Wigton to his eldest son and was buried on the estate.

Land Patent for Alexander Heron, transcribed by Richard Mitchell: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~heron1/HERON_Alexander_1756/scrapbook.htm

Will of Robert Heron, transcribed by Richard Mitchell: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~heron1/HERON_Robert_1766/scrapbook.htm

Alexander Heron genealogy page. Sources not always specified but information appears broadly reliable: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~heron1/fam1407.html

Richard Mitchell, A Heron Family Forest Grew in Manchester (Privately published, 2007).

We are grateful to Cynthia Gentles for her help compiling this entry.