Talk:Alexander Y. Malcomson
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[edit] A couple notes
In writing this article, I came across a couple things that could be confusing.
[edit] Malcomson's name
I've seen Malcomson's name written a number of different ways:
- His first can be either "Alex" or "Alexander," which is clearly ust a variant.
- His middle initial is given as either "T" or "Y". The "Y" is much more common, so I suspect the "T" is a transcription error. Marquis, contemporaneously, lists him as "Alexander Y. Malcomson," so that seems like a slam-dunk.
- More problematicaly, his last name is given as either "Malcomson" or "Malcolmson," with near even frequency. Marquis, again, lists him as "Malcomson," so that seems more probable. More certainly this site (written by the Ford scholar Ford R. Ryan) contains a picture of Malcomson's coal yard, prominently displaying the sign, "Alex Y. Malcomson," so that should be definitive. Malcamson is clearly an error.
[edit] Malcomson's birth place
Some web sites {such as this one) list Malcomson's birthplace as Orkney. However, other places (such as here) plausibly dispute that as a fact, citing a mixup with another Malcomson who was from Orkney. I see nothing that is conclusive; however, this contemporaneous history of Detroit lists John S. Gray, Malcomson's uncle, as being born in Edinburgh. I suspect Malcomson was born in the same place, and although there' not enough evidence to say so for certain, it seems unlikely that the Orkney connection is correct. Andrew Jameson (talk) 16:47, 13 December 2007 (UTC)
