ROBERTSON - GRANT connection Dunbarney

[Sonni63]

Hi all - have recently restarted a long lost passion(addiction lol) for discovering our family history 

My GGF JOHN GRANT has been a real bug bear to trace so i was delighted to finally "find" him a few weeks ago in the Scottish 1871 census.

As I am in Australia it has been a huge help having the census data online now.

Anyway this is the info that was listed:

Registration District - Dunbarney    Address  -  Ballendrick, Dunbarney         County - Perthshire

Piece 347     Foilio 4     Page 2    Civil Parish Dunbarney


James Robertson -        Overseer              Head           Married     Male       53      DOB 1818     Born Dunbarney, Perthshire

Janet Robertson -         Overseers wife     Wife            Married     F             57              1814              Forteviot, Perthshire

Margaret Robertson -   Dressmaker          Daughter       u/m        F             20               1851             Dunbarney

James Robertson -                                    Son                u/m        M             17              1854             Dunbarney

John Grant                                                Grandchild                    M              2               1869             Dunbarney




Given the ages of James and Janet - I am sure they had other older children that were not living at home, however I ran out of credits (lots of them) before managing to find them anywhere on the 1861, 1851 or 1881 censuses.

I am 99.9% certain this John Grant is the right one. The location is exact to what i already know and the name Robertson does run in the family (good old Scottish naming lol) I'm assuming he was the son of an older daughter who married a Grant or could poor little Margaret the dressmaker be his unmarried mother? If so why give him the name Grant?

There was a rumour gleaned from old John before he died to my grandmother  that he was perhaps an illegitimate child.

He married Elizabeth Ross in Dunfermline in 1892 and they emigrated to Australia in 1912 with their 4 children.

I have no idea if John Grant had any siblings - as far as i know he was an only child.

Would really love to hear from anyone else researching this particular line of Robertsons (yes i know its such a common name as are James and Janet lol)

Thankyou for reading

Cheers

Sonya

[ev]

Hi Sonya 

Wonder if this is your John ?

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FQ2L-BB3

ev

[ev]

1881 Ballendrick Cottage Dunbarney Perth(all showing born Dunbarney Perth)
James(not John  ) Robertson 70 land steward
Janet Robertson 68 wife
margaret Robertson 29 daug.
John G Robertson 12 son
(transcription)

ev 

[Sonni63]

Thankyou so much for your info ev !

Hmm well this makes things interesting doesnt it?

If Janet Robertson is listed as the mother on the birth certificate (she would've been 51 when she had him) and he is listed as being the grandchild in the 1871 census. (assuming he is the same person)

Seems strange that Margaret is still living at Ballendrick Cottage in 1881 with the now named John Grant Robertson. Their ages match up. She was 29 and still living at home presumably unmarried? I would hazard a guess she is the mother but of course all is unproven as yet.

On that 1881 census did it have relationship status ev? this time its John Robertson not James and a slight age difference - although  Janet seems to match tho.

My John Grant was apparently a well educated man and a Stone mason by trade. He always insisted he was born at/in Kilgraston (which i have since learned is a stonesthrow from Dunbarney and also a reknowned Grant residence)

I couldn't find James and Janet Robertson together on the 1861 census either but i think that would take forever and when i collect enough starting info i think its time to bite the bullet and join Scotlands People!! lol

Seems like name changes were a common thing back in those days (much to our dismay)

Thankyou again for your help ev and if anything else pops up would appreciate your posts

Cheers

Sonya

[ev]

It is James Robertson age 70 in 1881(amended)
I think the couple we are looking at are James Robertson and Janet Christie
They had a daughter Janet and it is more likely that she is the mother of John Grant/Robertson

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X1J4-7T5

ev

[ev]

1841 Balendrick Dunbarney Perth(all born Perthshire)
James Robertson 30 Ag. Lab.
Jannet Robertson 25
John Robertson 2
Jannet Robertson 3 months

No relationships are given on this Census

Looks like there are at least 4 children born to this couple

https://familysearch.org/search/records/index#count=20&query=%2Bsurname%3Arobertson~%20%2Bfather_givenname%3Ajames~%20%2Bfather_surname%3Arobertson~%20%2Bmother_givenname%3Ajanet~%20%2Bmother_surname%3Achristie~

ev

[Sonni63]

Thankyou once again for you help ev - much appreciated!

Now off to see if this daughter Janet married a Grant!! I still have a feeling that little Margaret may have something to do with it all seeing as she was still the only one on the census when John grant Robertson was 12 and at home with the grandparents

Cheers

Sonya

[nicnac2501]

Hello

Not sure if you're still checking on this but your post came up on a google search I did as I'm trying to research the history of my house. I live at Ballendrick in Bridge of Earn and am in the process of trying to establish which Ballendrick Cottage was ours as there were quite a few on the original estate and they were all listed under similar names on the Census records. However, the reason I thought I would try to contact you is because there is a John Grant listed in the title deeds to our house (full name is John Paterick Nisbet Hamilton Grant). The time period is out as it seems this one died in August 1953 but it could be a relative of the one you mention and as we are at Ballendrick it would be quite a big co-incidence?! I can also tell you that Kilgraston estate borders Ballendrick. It is literally right next door - I can see it when I look out my kitchen window. I think it's possible that at one time there might also have been some overlap or different boundaries as I had some difficulty trying to decipher which listings were from Kilgraston estate and which were Ballendrick. Anyway, I have various screen shots and photocopies of bits of info if you think there might be a connection and are still interested. Do let me know!
Amazing what comes up on a google search!
Nicola

[nicnac2501]

Further to above post, I also notice that you have been trying to trace a Janet. There is a 'Janie' who appears on our deeds in 1912 (same date as your relative emigrated!). She is not listed as Robertson or Grant though and appears in our deeds as 'Janie Pinkerton Kerr or Taylor'. The property was then left to a George McCrea Taylor in 1952 and subsequently John Paterick Nisbet Hamilton Grant (with consent of George McCrea Taylor) in 1953. Don't know if any of these names mean anything to you but in view of the John Grant/Janet/Ballendrick connection it's worth a shot!