The question

Establish the Scottish (or Scots-Irish) origin parish/town of the Lithgow line in the Dominican Republic. Direct ancestor in scope: Federico William Lithgow Alonzo (b. 23 Dec 1876 Puerto Plata, DR; death date unrecorded). Per family tradition the surname Lithgow is Scottish (Lothian area). Confirm: (a) which Lithgow emigrant arrived in DR / Puerto Plata; (b) when; (c) from where (parish + county) in Scotland; (d) via what route (direct UK → DR, or US transit).

Hypotheses

Direct Lothian / West Lothian origin (the toponym 'Lithgow' = old form of Linlithgow, royal burgh in West Lothian; surname concentrates there). 19th-c. emigrant arrives Puerto Plata before 1876.

Scots-Irish via Ulster transit. Ulster Plantation Lithgows (PRONI records) → 18th-c. emigration to North America → re-emigration south to Caribbean.

Mercantile-route via Scottish merchant houses in Caribbean (Glasgow tobacco/sugar trade) — emigrant ancestor was a clerk or factor placed in DR by a Scottish trading firm.

Searches · including negative results

— no searches logged yet

New evidence

Surname concentration analysis (Lithgow) — strong Scottish/Lothian peak, secondary peaks in Ulster (Antrim/Down) and North American colonial-era records (Pennsylvania, Maryland). DR/Caribbean concentration starts ~late 19th c.
Mom Annie reports Aunt Irene (Annie's elder sister Irene Pezzotti Lithgow) accumulated Lithgow/Scotland research notes over decades — those notes are the highest-yield uncovered evidence. Annie tasked with retrieving.

Next steps · 7

Recover Aunt Irene's Lithgow/Scotland research notes via Annie (open task — see _active.md)
ScotlandsPeople — search Lithgow births/marriages 1840s–1870s in West Lothian/Linlithgow/Bo'ness parishes for a candidate emigrant
PRONI — Lithgow surname search Antrim/Down/Armagh 18th–19th c. (Ulster hypothesis H2)
AGN immigration — search Puerto Plata port records 1860s–1876 for Lithgow arrivals
British Newspaper Archive — Glasgow Herald / Caledonian Mercury 1860s–1870s for Caribbean trade announcements naming Lithgow
FamilySearch — search Scotland Lithgow surname tree for documented emigrants to West Indies
Marcano (S-001) does not name Federico W Lithgow Alonzo's parents beyond what's in S-004 GEDCOM (Julián William Lithgow Pelegrín × Ana Luisa Alonzo Villalobo, both Puerto Plata); the Scotland link must be one or two generations earlier

Persons cross-referenced

Federico William Lithgow Alonzo 1876–—

Federico William Lithgow Ceara 1902–1977

Ana Luisa Lithgow Ceara 1913–2010

Places

Puerto Plata

Sources

[S-001] Marcano, José. "Lithgow Ceara, Federico …

[S-004] Ancestry tree GEDCOM export, "ancestry-i…

Lithgow Scotland origin

Research Question

Establish the Scottish (or Scots-Irish) parish-level origin of the Lithgow line in DR. Anchor: Federico William Lithgow Alonzo (b. 23 Dec 1876 Puerto Plata). His father, Julián William Lithgow Pelegrín (b. 24 March 1847 Puerto Plata, per S-004), was already Puerto Plata-born — so the Scotland-to-DR emigration happened at least one or two generations earlier than him. The first-generation immigrant ancestor is unidentified.

Why this matters

The Lithgow surname is the single most distinctive marker of British-isles ancestry on the user's maternal line. The Scottish-origin claim is family lore that has not been documented.
Aunt Irene Pezzotti Lithgow (Annie's elder sister) has spent decades accumulating Lithgow research notes; these notes are the highest-yield starting point and need to be retrieved through Mom.
Federico William Lithgow Ceara (1902–1977), the photographer/mountaineer grand-uncle, may have left papers naming the original Scottish parish. His sons (Freddy + César) may have inherited these.

What is known

Federico William Lithgow Alonzo b. 23 Dec 1876 Puerto Plata (S-004, unverified)
His father: Julián William Lithgow Pelegrín (b. 24 March 1847 Puerto Plata, per S-004) — so the immigrant ancestor is Julián's father or earlier
The surname Lithgow is most heavily concentrated in West Lothian (Scotland), specifically the Linlithgow / Bo'ness / Borrowstounness parishes — the surname is essentially toponymic
Secondary Lithgow concentrations: Ulster (Plantation-era Scots), and 18th–19th c. North American colonial records

Status: open, awaiting Aunt Irene's notes

This research log is structural — no document searches yet performed. Priority lifts to P1 once Aunt Irene's notes arrive (see _active.md question #2).