Alexander Lawrie

Born: c. 1776, Auchtermuchty, Fife, Scotland
Died: 11 Oct 1847, Galston, Ayrshire, Scotland
Occupation: Farmer

Family

Relation	Name
Self	Alexander Lawrie (1776–1847)
1st Wife	Janet Porter (m. c. 1808 — had 1 son)
2nd Wife	Jean Dunlop (m. July 1809, Peel, Riccarton, County Ayr)
3rd Wife	Unknown (webtrees reports 18 children across three marriages) — Note: Jean Dunlop may have died c. 1834, after which Alexander married a third time. No marriage record or name found for third wife.
Son (1st marriage)	Alexander Lawrie (~1809–1847) — half-brother to the 8 full siblings

Children of Alexander Lawrie & Jean Dunlop (in birth order, sourced from probate record):

John Lawrie (10 Apr 1810–30 Aug 1888) — farmer, emigrated to SA 1853, Pinery

Nicol Lawrie (c. 1812–bef. 1860) — deceased by 1860

Robert Lawrie (c. 1815–1895) — emigrated to SA 1839, Henley Beach

David Lawrie (c. 1818–?) — remained in Kilmarnock, County Ayr

Marion Lawrie (c. 1820–1898) — married Archibald Greenshields, emigrated to SA, Nantawarra

Jean Lawrie (c. 1822–?) — married Ivis Graham of Ochiltree, County Ayr

Alexander Dunlop "Sandy" Lawrie (19 Mar 1832–2 Dec 1876) — younger son, emigrated, Alma Plains SA

James Lawrie (c. 1811–10 Jun 1848) — youngest child; emigrated to SA 1839, died at Tonyunga, unmarried

Life Summary

Very little is known of Alexander's early life in Scotland. His birth is speculated as Auchtermuchty, Fife (the ancestral home of the Lawrie family), though no baptism record has been found. He was a farmer at Galston, Ayrshire.

Alexander married three times and fathered approximately 18 children. His second wife, Jean Dunlop of Lanfine, Galston, bore him at least eight children (all living to adulthood). He died intestate on 11 Oct 1847, leaving his estate to his eldest surviving son, John Lawrie (1810–1888), who had emigrated to South Australia.

Marriage of Alexander & Jean: July 1809 at Peel, Riccarton, County Ayr (GRO probate records).

Property (from SA GRO Records)

Alexander never emigrated to Australia, but his sons John, James, Robert, and Alexander Dunlop did. The SA General Registry Office maintained records of the land disputes in the family as John Lawrie inherited from his father and brother James.

• Section 580, District D — sold by John Lawrie to brother Robert
• James Lawrie's land at Tonyunga (80-acre land grant, 31 Jan 1845) — inherited by John Lawrie after James died intestate

Sources

• Webtrees — Alexander Lawrie (I0001): https://web.archive.org/web/20171011030155/http://lawriefamily.info/genealogy/individual.php?pid=I0001&ged=trevorlawrie — accessed 29 Jul 2026; father's profile with full family set, includes notes on 18 children across three marriages
• GRO — SA General Registry Office (Reg Butler transcripts): LAWRIE entries from LocalWiki Adelaide Hills — https://localwiki.org/adelaide-hills/GRO_Merge_%27La%27_-_%27Lev%27 — accessed 29 Jul 2026; probate record Application 1490 lists all eight children of Jean Dunlop, confirms John as first-born son (10 Apr 1810), gives marriage date of July 1809 at Peel, Riccarton
• FindAGrave — Alexander Dunlop Lawrie (Jr): https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/114242969/alexander-lawrie — confirms Alexander Dunlop Lawrie died 2 Dec 1876 at Alma Plains, son of Alexander and Jean
• Ozburials — Alma South Cemetery: http://www.ozburials.com/CemsSA/almasouth.htm — accessed 29 Jul 2026