Alicia Beardsley

Alicia Beardsley
Biographical information
Full name	Alicia Beardsley
Born	December 1770 (age 9)
Also known as	Alicia Beardsley Brown
Physical information
Gender	Female
Affiliations
Nationality	US American
Family members
Parents and Siblings	Aaron Beardsley (punitive father)† Fanny Beardsley (mother) Unnamed Escaped Slave (father) Richard Brown (foster father) Meg Brown (foster mother)
Extended Family	Lionel Brown (foster uncle)† Alicia Brown (foster cousin) Unnamed (foster aunt) Thomasina Brown (foster aunt)
Book appearances
The Fiery Cross
The Fiery Cross

Alicia Beardsley is the daughter of Fanny Beardsley and, putatively, Aaron Beardsley. She was taken in by Richard Brown and his family to be raised.

Personal History

Following Aaron Beardsley's death, her mother Fanny gave birth to and abandoned her while traveling to Brownsville. Knowing the child was half-black, Fanny abandoned her newborn daughter, fearing the repercussions of her adultery.

By the time she was a few weeks old, Alicia's skin's pigmentation would have darkened, revealing her true heritage. Even though she was plainly not Beardsley's daughter, he was her legal father at the time of her birth, and thus she inherited his property and commercial goods.

Events of the Novels

The Fiery Cross

In December 1770, while traveling to Brownsville with Claire Fraser and Jamie Fraser, her mother gives birth to her in the dead of night, and leaves her nearby for the Frasers to find. After examining her, Claire determines that the father was probably of African, or possibly Indian descent, owing to the presence of a Mongolian spot on the child. Claire and Jamie care for her and give her goat's milk, keeping her warm as they bring her into Brownsville.

Once in Brownsville, they find a nursing mother to feed the child, and Richard Brown makes the executive decision to take her in and raise her as his. Given the sudden death of her father and disappearance of her mother, she becomes the heiress of the profitable Beardsley's Trading Post.

Written in My Own Heart's Blood

Alicia is referenced by Claire as being the eight-year-old owner of the Beardsley Trading Post.

Personality

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Physical Appearance

Though her skin's pigmentation was not apparent at birth, Alicia was born with a Mongolian spot, indicating a mixed parentage. Presumably, as she grew older, her skin darkened to that of a mulatto.

Name

• Alicia is the Latinized form of Alice, from the Old French name Aalis, a short form of Adelais, itself a short form of the Germanic name Adalheidis (see Adelaide) which was composed of the elements adal "noble" and heid "kind, sort, type".
• Beardsley is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a locational name from some minor, unrecorded or now "lost" place, believed to have been situated in Nottinghamshire or Leicestershire where the name is most popular.

Trivia

• Alicia was named for Alicia Brown after she ran away to elope and live in sin with Isaiah Morton, it's unclear if this was from sentiment or outrage.