Adoption

[Rosinish]

"I can find birth records of her siblings on Scotlands People. (Thomas & Janet, twins, Chirstie, Helen etc)"

I personally have found little in surname matches with people who descend from ancestors born c 1823, as your Marion Pennycook was.
Many people I connect with are a couple of generations this side with different surnames descended of married females or other or have no info. on their ancestors to compare.

You seem to have come in with all guns blazing...

Not everyone goes in for DNA but may have trees online (whether correct/incorrect) i.e. you need to expect different surnames & lack of ancestors names in trees as I've often found DNA matches' trees don't go back very far, as if relying on DNA to magically produce their family tree!

Have you considered the LEEDS Method...

https://www.yourdnaguide.com/leeds-method

Annie

[Ruskie]

In your search for Marion’s birth/baptism, have you looked for variations in the spelling of both surname and forename? For example Marion may have been her middle name.

I agree with Annie regarding DNA matches coming down the female line, with changing surnames upon marriage, which is why you aren’t getting any Pennycook surname matches. It sounds like an unusual surname, though I haven’t checked yet to see distribution and numbers.Added: did a quick check and found quite a few ….

Maybe you should give the family the benefit of the doubt and assume that James and Helen are her parents if you have nothing more to go on than you can’t find Marion’s birth?

Have you traced the families further back to see if the name Marion appears in earlier generations? Not always reliable but may be a clue.

Added: If you are able to trace Marion’s siblings down to the present day, you could approach them to ask if they would be willing to take a DNA test.

[Ruskie]

I notice that Penicuik is a place in Midlothian …. which is interesting. 

Wondering the surname Pennycook stems from that?

[Forfarian]

I notice that Penicuik is a place in Midlothian …. which is interesting. 

Wondering the surname Pennycook stems from that?

Yes, according G F Black's The Surnames of Scotland it is of territorial origin from the barony of Penicuik.

The earliest reference to it is from the reign of King Alexander II (1214-1249).

Spellings of both place name and personal name vary.

[brigidmac]

Do you have marriage records of all of Marion's siblings ? Do a name check on the mother of their spouse to see if you have matches with any of those names

[kazza56]

Thanks for all those great suggestions.
I will consider and chase them all up. I know sometimes there are many different doors to go through for a different approach.
Marion's mother (Helen Porteous) was the daughter of Marion Brunton (& John Porteous), so the name fits in with the first born daughter being named after the mother's mother.
Yes, perhaps I should be patient and give her parents the benefit of the doubt that they are in fact her birth parents.
I have never heard of the LEEDS method, but will certainly look into that as well.
So, again, many thanks for your thoughts. It's very helpful.

[brigidmac]

Another tip when you look for different spellings in DNA match search function do not use the alternative spelling option
It gives ridiculous matches
Put each one in one by one Pennicook
Penycook
Etc
Look at what transcriptions are given by ancestry for the records ..your DNA matches may have copied a spelling from a transcription and not the original document

I have researched several families with informal fostering at that era and I do believe you should look seriously if you have a cluster of names leading back to a different family

My grandmother was fostered out . Her mother then had a legitimate son who had 3 children from 2 marriages we were extremely lucky that 1 son tested other wise we would not have any close matches all of her birth mothers nephews and nieces lines died out .
Other people who seem to match that side come from all over and no unusual names on her father's side so I can't build a tree up but going up thru the mother's side my gggmother we get back to 6x cousins whose line we can follow thru locations names and documents.

[kazza56]

That's really interesting. So lucky for you to get some answers in such a complicated family background.
Excellent advice. Yes, I will enter with the individual spelling options rather than asking the system to find them for me.

By the way, to Annie and earlier responses, I have been on Scotlands People today and found no reference to Marion Pennycook being a witness to any wedding, death etc.
On that note, who is usually a witness to a birth? Brothers, fathers or friends perhaps. Either way, it always seems to be a male. There were a couple of names unknown to me, so perhaps family friends?

[Rosinish]

I have been on Scotlands People today and found no reference to Marion Pennycook being a witness to any wedding, death etc.
On that note, who is usually a witness to a birth? Brothers, fathers or friends perhaps. Either way, it always seems to be a male. There were a couple of names unknown to me, so perhaps family friends?

It's unlucky Marion wasn't witness to her siblings' marriages but it doesn't mean she wasn't their full sibling.

In my experience, the father is usually the 'informant' of a birth, however, depending on the occ. of the father, who may be away from home then the mother or other relative.

In the case of illegitimate children, usually the mother is the 'informant' or another family member.

When trying to find DNA connections, it's best you build a 'wide' tree i.e. include all siblings of Marion, their wives/husbands & their descendants.

This was how I found connections to my maternal line.

Sometimes when you find DNA matches you may not recognise surnames in their trees who may be descendants of siblings of Marion i.e. tracing down those lines will help when you add them to your tree as quite often you'll find many haven't traced back far enough, hence the lack of the surname especially as mentioned, their ancestor was a female.

Annie