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My Grandfather was born John Duncan Rae, to Elizabeth Rae in DUNS Berwickshire on 11/8/1884. I have his birth certificate.
Would be grateful for any information on how to find out :
who adopted him
where his mother worked as the family story is it was boss' son who was father
Thanks for any help.

Viv

No such thing as legal adoption until the 1920's

Any arrangement would have been informal

What name did he use when he married?

What names did he give for his 'parents'?

I know it wasn't a legal adoption but would still like to know who took him in, is there any way to find out.
Might try to find his wife's family - maybe someone there has information on them.
Will start trawling through Rae family to find Elizabeth too.

Thanks.

Have found his marriage certificate so now have names. Thanks for hint to look at marriage certificate. Used Cockburn on M/C. David & Rachel as parents, so that gives me that information.

Now if only I could find his natural mother that easily in the records, lol.

Will keep plodding along.

Thanks fo rhelp.
Viv

What information do you have from his birth certificate please? Did his father sign too? What was his mother's occupation please?

1901 Census

Name: John Cockburn
Age: 16
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1885
Relationship: Son
Father's Name: David Cockburn
Mother's Name: Rachel Cockburn
Gender: Male
Where born: Duns, Berwickshire
Registration Number: 735
Registration district: Duns
Civil parish: Duns
County: Berwickshire
Address: 24 South St
Occupation: Occasional Postman
ED: 2
Household schedule number: 63
Line: 10
Roll: CSSCT1901_413
Household Members: Name Age
David Cockburn 51 Mason's Labourer, b. Duns
Rachel Cockburn 59 b. Earlston, Berwickshire
John Cockburn 16

Not seeing David and Rachel in 1891 at the moment. Here they are in 1881 and although David gives the same birthplace, his birthyear is different

Name: David Cockburn
Age: 36
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1845
Relationship: Head
Spouse's name : Rachel Cockburn
Gender: Male
Where born: Dunse, Berwickshire
Registration Number: 735
Registration district: Dunse
Civil parish: Dunse
County: Berwickshire
Address: 40 Easter Street
Occupation: Labourer General
ED: 3
Household schedule number: 56
Line: 10
Roll: cssct1881_308
Household Members: Name Age
David Cockburn 36
Rachel Cockburn 38
Robert Blythe 72
John Forrest 50

1891

Name: Rachel McMoran
Age: 50
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1841
Relationship: Wife
Spouse's name : David McMoran
Gender: Female
Where born: Earlston, Berwickshire
Registration Number: 735
Registration district: Duns
Civil parish: Duns
Town: Duns
County: Berwickshire
Address: Easter Street
ED: 3
Household schedule number: 40
Line: 10
Roll: CSSCT1891_376
Household Members: Name Age
David McMoran 41 b. Duns
Rachel McMoran 50
John Duncan McMoran 6 Adopted son, b. Duns
Jane Richardson 62
William Sloan 49
Isabella Prater 27
George Hadley 1 MO

Unrelated household members are Boarders

Possibly David in 1871.........although it's not really relevant as, to get the bloodline, you really need to find John's mother

Name: David Cockburn
Age: 21
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1850
Relationship: Son
Mother's Name: Agnes Cockburn
Gender: Male
Where born: Ladykirk, Berwickshire
Registration Number: 735
Registration district: Dunse
Civil parish: Dunse
County: Berwickshire
Address: Crumstaine
Occupation: Agricultural Labourer
ED: 4
Household schedule number: 70
Line: 2
Roll: CSSCT1871_174
Household Members: Name Age
Agnes Cockburn 53
David Cockburn 21
Margaret Cockburn 19
Jessie Cockburn 16
Andrew Cockburn 11

What was Elizabeth's address at the time of her son's birth?

Thnk you all so much for the help.

John's birthcertificate has:
John Duncan Rae
11 August 1884, Easter Street Duns
Mother: Elizabeth Rae
Domestic Servant
Domicil:- Gavinton, Parish of Langton. ( on an extract it looks like Laugton)
His father did not sign.
Registered 26 August by Elizabeth at Duns

Will be back tonight. Thanks again for everything.

Vivianne, is there an RCE on the birth entry relating to his paternity please? Without that it is difficult to be sure who his father was. It wasn't unusual to give an illegitimate child the father's surname as the middle name. Have you looked to see if there were any possible John Duncans in the area at the time?

It may also be worth looking at the original 1891 census on Scotlandspeople to checkout that surname change. It may have been mistranscribed.

Looking at the 1881 census for Elizabeth (by 1891 she may have married), there is this one that may be a possibility.

Name: Elisabeth Rae
Age: 20
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1861
Relationship: Servant
Gender: Female
Where born: Dunse, Berwickshire
Registration Number: 744
Registration district: Hume
Civil parish: Hume
County: Berwickshire
Occupation: General Servant (Domestic)
ED: 1
Household schedule number: 19
Line: 3
Roll: cssct1881_309
Household Members: Name Age
John Lithgow 40
Isabella Lithgow 47
Elisabeth Rae 20
William Laidlaw 17



This looks like the same Elizabeth in 1891

Name: Elizabeth Rae
Age: 29
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1862
Relationship: Sister-in-Law
Gender: Female
Where born: Hume, Berwickshire
Registration Number: 473
Registration district: Bothkennar
Civil parish: Bothkennar
County: Stirlingshire
Address: Newton
Occupation: House Keeper
ED: 1
Household schedule number: 105
Line: 5
Roll: CSSCT1891_146
Household Members: Name Age
Andrew Dunn 36
Elizabeth Gardner Dunn 8
James Dunn 6
Robert Rae Dunn 1
Elizabeth Rae 29

So Elizabeth was at 40,Easter street in 1884 as were the MCmoran/Cockburns in 1881/91
So did she work for them and became pregnant by their son,resulting in John being their grandson!!

Maryb

Found by googling..........

http://www.gavinton.net/


The village of Gavinton, with the associated parishes of Fogo and Polwarth, lies to the south-west of Duns in Berwickshire. The town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, 18 miles, by road, to the east, provides access to the national rail network and the A1 trunk road, putting Edinburgh and Newcastle within easy reach.

A lot of the information on this website, such as information about the Gavinton Village Hall and access to the archives of the Gavinton, Fogo & Polwarth Community Council (GFPCC), is intended for residents of the area but other information, such as the history of the three communities and the photo galleries, should be of interest to anyone with links to this part of the Scottish Borders.
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Check out the site.....there's a picture of Langton Church among many other bits of local info

There is nothing in census records to suggest that the Cockburns had any natural children

There is no RCE on his birth certificate.

I have found Johns death certificate signed by my Uncle Allan which lists his mother as Helen same maiden name as Rachel - Blythe (one with 'e' one without). How do i deal with this new information? Do I look for Rachel Helen or Helen Rachel lol.

Is this the Cockburn connection.
Uknown Rae and Isabella Cockburn 1802 had John Rae @ 1834 Duns he married Agnes Allan 1835 and had Elizabeth @ 1860 and they had other children in Gavington 1871 14,South street langton John is a tailor.

Issabella Cockburn married William Douglas 5/2/1838
1841 Pleasence st Duns
William Douglas
Isabella Douglas
John Rae 6

1851 69 South st Duns with John Rew 17
George cockburn 1807 Isabella's brother and Robert Cockburn 1845 nephew .

1871 Isabella Douglas at 5,South Street Lodging house keeper.

1901 David Cockburn and Rachel are on South street.

Maryb

Look on SP for David Cockburn's marriage - the spouse's names will be recorded on the entry......the cert will name both sets of parents