Hi Issi
What an interesting and intriguing search this is proving to be!
I did a Google search for Peter Allan Aberchirder and the top "hit" was the attached from Old Scottish. Look at the Allan and Allan or McKenzie entries.
https://www.oldscottish.com/criminal-records-banff.htmlYou will see that the entry for Adam Allan or McKenzie names his father as Peter Allan, dancing master.
I also believe that Peter was the father of the John Allan and William Allan or McKenzie. This is John Allan's baptism.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XB3F-DZB?lang=enIt is unfortunate that the Marnoch Kirk Session records only start at 1842 as Peter was probably censured before that date!
Adam, John and William can be located in the 1841/ 1851 censuses ( as Allan or McKenzie). They are with their mother in 1841 but not in 1851. Sit down for this part! The reason they are not with their mother in 1851 is because in 1845 Helen McKenzie was convicted of theft and sentenced ( with her brother John ) to seven years transportation and ended up in Tasmania. Here is a record from the Scottish Indexes database.
https://www.scottishindexes.com/jcdetail.aspx?jcid=1845084&pid=184508461The case can be read about in the newspaper archive ( as can the cases with Adam, John and William).
Adam married in 1864. Here is a transcript of his marriage cert naming his parents as Peter Allan and Helen McKenzie,
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XSSG-14R4?lang=enI have actually downloaded the original and he names his father as Peter Allan, painter and his usual address as Aberchirder.
I think you have the basis of a good book here, Issi! And just one general point , having uncovered a large number of illegitimate births among my own Banffshire ancestors, illegitimacy did seem to sometimes run through the generations ( my g grandfather was illegitimate as was his mother, grandfather and g grandfather!).
William
