Commencing with my father who was the first of our line born in England, through birth records, census and marriage records obtained through Scotland's People I traced my ancestors back to a John Brown and Joannot Meikle who married in the parish of Galston in 1721. The record showed that John Brown was from the parish of Sorn and that Joannot Meikle was from a farm called Tilloch. They had two sons amongst others my ancestor William who took over Loanhead of Tilloch and a John Brown who took over  Loanfoot of Tilloch. Through the OPR's of Sorn marriage and birth records I found that John Brown's father was an Alexander Brown and estimate he was born about 1655. The family had been living at a farm in the parish of Sorn called the Hill of Auchmannoch since 1572. I found out all about the family again through Sorn OPR's but also sassine records called the 'Writs of Auchmannoch' kept by a Campbell family living close by at Auchmannoch Mains. My Alexander was the first of that name in our Brown family and as they were a Covananter family, and Auchmannoch is just to the south of the farm that Alexander Peden was born I thought that is why he may have been named Alexander. The Hill of Auchmannoch was purchased by my ancestor James Brown from his father -in-law in 1572.