Frances Catherine Heron

Daughter of Alexander Heron, a Jamaican planter and Anna Maria Woodburn née Smith, and wife of Alexander Woodburn, a Scottish West India merchant (all q.v.).

1. Born 27/11/1802 and baptised 21/12/1802 in St James, Jamaica, her parents were Alexander Heron of Wigton, Jamaica, and Anna Maria nee Smith. She registered ownership of 1 enslaved person, Hanna, in Manchester in 1826.

2. Frances Catherine Heron married Alexander Woodburn, a West India merchant, at St Paul’s Episcopal Chapel in Edinburgh, 20/12/1838 and had at least two children with him: Alexander Heron born in Barony, Lanark, Scotland, in 1841 and Jane Maria born in Barony in 1845.

3. In 1851 she was living at 26 Wellington Square, Ayr, age 59, with her husband Alex. Woodburn age 59, “Retired Merchant”, her children Alexr H. age 10 and Jane M. age 6, her brother Alexr. W. Heron and 2 female servants. By 1861 she was at 14 Alloway Place, Ayr, this time given as age 45, with her husband age 66, her daughter age 15 and 2 female servants.

4. Died at 14 Allaway Place, Ayr, 03/02/1871.

1. Copy of the St James baptism register available at http://jamaicaheron.com/tree/individual.php?pid=I416&ged=William%20Heron.ged&tab=0 [accessed 17/07/2012]. T71/68 p. 202.

2. General Register Office for Scotland OPR Marriages 685/01 0660 0039: their marriage record has an unusual amount of detail: “Alexander Woodburn, Esquire, Merchant, residing in the Barony Parish of Glasgow, and Miss Frances Catherine Heron, residing No. 49 Great King Street, St Stephen’s Parish, daughter of the late Alexander Heron Esquire, Planter in Jamaica, have been three times Proclaimed in order to Marriage in the Parish Church of Saint Stephen’s and no objections have been offered.” Births and baptisms of children at www.familysearch.org batch nos. C11966-7 and C11966-9.

3. 1851 census online (as Fanny C. Woodburn) and 1861 census online (as Fanny Woodburn).

4. General Register Office for Scotland 1871 578 050. Her death certificate gives her age at death as 55 (according to the record of her birth it should be 68) but the names of her late husband and parents all match and the informant was her son A.H. Woodburn.