Looking to find family...

[Cloudhands]

Originally Posted by ScotSites

That would have been around the time of Mary who left Scotland as a Stewart and returned from France as a Stuart!

It's a long memory we're having around here!!

See the concessions we make for world peace?

[Cloudhands]

Originally Posted by ScotSites

Anyway, back to the subject of tracing your tree and using differnt spellings of names... while doing my own research I found a Margrat MacKinzie, but couldn't find any further info on her (other than one of her sons, my g-g-g grandfather) was born in 1787. However, further searching turned up a Margaret MacKenzie (or MacKennie) who turned out to be the same person... that also led me to the fact that the spelling of her husband's (and therefore also her son's) surname was also listed slightly differently to my own! This is further proof to yourself BallantineNorth that you SHOULD check ALL possible spellings of Ballantine... hopefully with the same results I achieved (ie your family tree traced further back than you'd previously managed!)

Also, the whole 'tracing a surname' can be a bit misleading depending on how far you go back, especially if an ancestor was a Gaelic speaker. Fixed surnames weren't a custom until relatively recently compared to other cultures (ie Lowland Scots). Before that they had patronymic surnames. The clan system was also complicated by oaths of manrent and allegiance, so not all clan members were necessarily related by blood.

(I think some people out there are cashing in on the notion of genealogy if you ask me.)

Good explanation here about Lowlander names, if anyone's interested. The author also mentions the 'spelling' issue.

Early 16th Century Scottish Lowland Names

[jafapete]

Great thread and excellent link Cloudhands. Do you mind if I copy something from that site which should end any arument over alternate spellings...

In 16th century Scotland, people did not have the notion that there was one and only one correct way to spell someone's name. Instead, the spelling of someone's name would vary among a number of correct spellings.[6] Two different spellings might be used for the same person in a single paragraph or sentence! For example, all of these examples refer to the same woman:

Anny Buchan (1500)
Anny Buchane (1505, 1509, 1510)
Canny Buchan (1505, 1506, 1508, 1513)
Canny Buchane (1510, 1511)
Agnes Buchane (1513, 1515)
Agnes Buchan (1513, 1517)
Kanne Bouquhen (1519)
Agnes Bouchqhen (1520)
Canne Buchane (1522)
Agnes Bowquhan (1524)


Cheers Peter

[jafapete]

Oh, and what drew me to this thread was that my mother was a Bannatyne. Until she married.

Whatever the correct spelling is deemed to be in the 21st century, the fact is that a few hundred years ago Ballantyne and Bannatyne were used interchangeably as a matter of course. So my 5x great and 6x great grandfathers are spelt Ballantine on their stones in the Clachan Burial Ground, Shiskine, Arran, but all the others are spelt Bannatyne.

It was usually Bannachtine or similar on 14th and 15thC legal documents, for both the Corehouse and Bute Bannatynes, who probably are not related.

Lastly, Cloudhands points out (very elegantly) that historically many people using a clan surname were simply adopting the name of the group's chieftan to which they were allied or served. Right on. One member of this community can claim direct lineal descent from a Bannatyne of Kames, and I doubt whether the DNA of my maternal uncle would match his, even if there have been no 'non-paternal events' in either line.

Cheers Peter

[BallantineNorth]

Originally Posted by aNonnyMoose

No, unfortunately, the rights belong to those who hold the information, and if they charge you to access same then welcome to the world of capitalism

You have just got to bite the bullet on that one - no-one here is going to spent their money on a hunt for your ancestors...

And I wouldn't get too obsessed with the clan thing either. A greater number of Scots lived outwith the clan system than within it, and as I have warned people previously, if you think it's expensive tracing your ancestry, wait until you see what the Clan Societies charge... most of which are in the main run outside Scotland and have what we would regard as a foreigner as their "Clan Chief"... Trust me, the average Scot wouldn't cross the road to p*ss on one of these clowns if they were on fire...

As Polwarth and Scotsites have pointed out, spelling was a bit more flexible in the past, don't make the mistake of getting hung up on one particular spelling as there is then an exceedingly good chance you will miss the information you are looking for. Search for all possible spellings... That's advice from someone who has spent around 15 years tracing my ancestors, and it is based on bitter experience. Ignoring a "Ballantyne" at some point almost guarantees you will miss the link you are looking for.

I would suggest you also find out whether your ancestor was born in Craighorn, which is in Clackmannanshire, or Cleghorn, which is in Lanarkshire. There's no such place as Claighorn as far as I can ascertain - it's possibly a mis-spelling of Cleghorn (see previous comments). Cleghorn is over to the West, whereas Craighorn is a bit more central.

Once you know that, you can find the appropriate family history society, join up (yes, it will cost money) and then ask for help from them. Sometimes this is free (for members) but if you're not a member you will be charged. This is a fact of life, I'm afraid.

Central Scotland FHS - covers Clackmannanshire

Lanarkshire FHS

Ok, lets get this straight...I never once even suggested that anyone pay for my so called hunt!
I was just hoping that maybe someone here was related to me/my family. Tis all. With applying any information I had so maybe some one would say oh yeah guess what your G-father is related to my Aunt or something.

Humph...

[Polwarth]

That would hardly be likely though, as most of the members here aren't Scots or resident in Scotland!

[mikeyBoab]

The Ballantynes are a clan in their own right.

Check out Ballantyne « Family History @ thegilmours.net