Frederick Cairns was the son of William Cairns (1777-1836) and Elizabeth Walker (1783-1859). They were married in Stratford, CT on March 28, 1802, but he is mentioned as being of New York. William Cairns was a merchant and was a member of the St. Andrew's Society of NYC in 1806. He became a member of the 5th Ave. Presbyterian Church on Mar 12, 1818. William Cairns and Elizabeth Walker had 3 other sons, Dr. Robert Walker Cairnes (1804-1861), Rev. William Douglas Cairns (1803-1850), and Edward Henry Cairns (1806-1828).

William Cairns was the son of Douglas Cairns (1740-1816). Elizabeth Walker was the daughter of Robert Walker (1746-1810) and Margaret Brazier (1753-1819). Robert Walker was the son of Robert Walker who was a Capt. in the Am. Rev. The Walker family appears to have been in Stratford, CT by the early 1700s if not before.

There was a Cairns family in Virginia in the 1700s. It is not clear to me if Douglas Cairns is connected to this Cairns family.

Frederick Cairns attended school in his early years in Stratford, CT.