John Alexander Brock

Son of James Brock, owner of Industry plantation in St Ann, Jamaica, and his housekeeper Margaret Gibb, a 'free woman of colour'. Baptised with four of his siblings in Jamaica, 06/09/1829: Elizabeth Gibb Brock, Margaret Jane Brock, John Alexander Brock, James Robert Brock and Sidney Henderson Brock. James Brock died in 1829 and after his death Margaret Gibb moved with their 7 surviving children to Denny in Stirlingshire, Scotland, James's birthplace. James bequeathed Industry plantation and a house in Scotland to Margaret Gibb and her children.

In 1840, an inventory of James Brock’s estate was carried out and documented in the Court of Session, possibly after the death of Margaret Gibb. At this time, three of his children were minors and living with various family members in the Denny area, one son had died in 1837, and the other three were now adults. The Court of Session document states that James Brock’s remaining assets, including £3500 that James Brock had invested in “three per cent consols,” and the assets of the Industry plantation in Jamaica were now divided 6 ways. The sum of £1300 was reported to have been already remitted to Scotland from proceeds from the plantation but the “state and condition thereof being unknown the amount or value thereof cannot be condescended on”. Proceeds from the estate may have continued to be paid to the six Brock children and their families for many years after this inventory.

John Alexander Brock has not been traced in Scotland. He may be the John Brock, age 30, mason, living at Camelon Park in Falkirk in 1841 with Mary age 25, John age 7, Janet age 5, James age 1 and Thomas age 2 months. The subsequent entry in this census is for his sister Mary Gibb Napier nee Brock, but John and his family are all listed as being born in Stirlingshire in this entry. Alternatively, he may have returned to Jamaica and had a family there (although he is described as having died without issue in a memorandum of 1925). Four boys, James Brock (born 07/04/1841), John Alexander Brock (03/11/1842), George Brock (08/04/1845) and William Gibb Brock (16/12/1846), were baptised in Trelawney, Jamaica, 07/05/1847 with their abode given as Industry but no parents' names given. John Alexander is referred to as Alexander in the will of James Brock (written 1829 and copy made in 1857) so he may appear as Alexander in the Scottish records.

Familysearch.org batch no. I03817-7.

Copy of last will and Settlement of James Brock, Jamaica, 21/02/1829 (copy is dated 1857) supplied by Claire Callender.

1841 census online. Familysearch.org, Jamaica Church of England Parish Register Transcripts, 1664-1880 [database online].

We are grateful to Claire Callender for her assistance with compiling this entry.