George S Ballantyne adopted according to 1881 census

[Fellwalker]

My grand father George S Ballantyne bc 1875 was the son of John Ballantyne & Mary Sinclair.

On one census only--1881, he was described as son-adopted. On other census returns he was just son.I have been unable to find his birth record on Scotland's People

The family lived in the Thornliebank area of Glasgow but George, according to the 1881 census form was born in Partick

I understand that at that time, adoptions weren't recorded and were very often an informal arrangement.

Can anybody confirm this please? or suggest anywhere I could possibly look for a record .
Thank you
,

[pipsqueak]

You are correct. People often took in children of deceased relatives or even friends or acquaintances, and no formal record was kept. If you are the descendant of the adopted child, tracing the family he lived with might help answer some questions. Church records might also give some indication of his parentage. Does he have his adopted family's surname?

My great-great-grandparents adopted a boy - in one census he has his real name, and subsequently his surname was changed to become his first name, and my family name became his surname. I know little about where he came from or where he went after his adoptive parents died.

[Fellwalker]

Thank you for your reply confirming what I thought about informal adoptions at that time

Yes--I am the direct descendant of George Ballantyne--I didn't know him as he died when I was young, but I have quite a lot of information about the Ballantyne family back to 1726.The adopted family was named Ballantyne and he is on all census returns as Ballantyne
I have tried to find a baptism record without success so far

I was trying to find out more about his adopted mother's family --Mary Sinclair--as he may have belonged to her family but so far have had no success.
I possibly need to try & find out more about his father's siblings whose names I do have to see if there are possibilities there of a death in child birth among any if their wives.

[Liverpool Tonks]

Hi Fellwalker,

Probably no connection but I am intrigued, I have a George Balentyne born abt 1831 prob Scotland. We picked him up Glasgow 1851 when he married Catherine McKenzie (from Bridgetoon). We have had conflicting ideas about where he came from but theorise that he was a coachman from Leith area, (before that I had a notion that he had come from Rutherglen). I would have to look at my old notes but I think we found he had a brother Robert. He was later a Mariner and a watchman and then came to Liverpool where we have been able to keep an eye on him.
I found your message because I am just looking into one of his sons, John b. Oct 1860 who seems to have dipped below the radar but who I have just had some information on recently that he may have been a soldier in 1891 with a 5 year old son but just remarried (widower).
It would be interesting if there was a connection to Ballantynes pre 1851. If you know of any please contact me. Thanks.

[Lesley Robertson]

My grand father George S Ballantyne bc 1875 was the son of John Ballantyne & Mary Sinclair.

On one census only--1881, he was described as son-adopted. On other census returns he was just son.I have been unable to find his birth record on Scotland's People

The family lived in the Thornliebank area of Glasgow but George, according to the 1881 census form was born in Partick

I understand that at that time, adoptions weren't recorded and were very often an informal arrangement.

Can anybody confirm this please? or suggest anywhere I could possibly look for a record .
Thank you
,

Who did he give as his parents when he married?
And what's his middle name?

In your place, I would first check on the siblings of the parents, and then look for births of children called George to them. Also check when the siblings died....

Lesley

[jane.harrison.9]

Do you have a copy of his death cert.
If he died in Scotland this may give his parents names.
Jane.