http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.alanson/mb.ashx 9 Feb 2006 2:51:37 GMT http://c.ancestry.com/s/0/p/0/i/logo.gif http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.alanson/mb.ashx 175 38 http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.alanson/1/mb.ashx Who was William Alanson that so many Americans named children after him? (The man I am researching was born in 1820.) He had to have been a "household name". I have found references to a ship captain hung in Scotland for religious reasons, a merchant from 1666 in England, and a feudal land baron in England.<br><br>Thanks for any clues. 9 Feb 2006 2:51:37 GMT MarilynHamill http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.alanson/1/mb.ashx http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.alanson/1/mb.ashx 0