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Topic: Trying to trace my g-g-grandfather (I think!) (Read 979 times)
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Angua
RootsChat Pioneer
Posts: 1
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Hi all!
I joined these fora in sheer desperation. I am trying to trace a Donald Balfour Sr to ascertain whether he might be the father of my great-grandfather, Donald Creighton Balfour. He (DCB Sr) was born in Elgin in 1872 (according to Scotland's People) but the funny thing is when I spent five credits to view the detailed entry, he wasn't listed on it. My great-grandfather was born in 1894, so it's quite feasible he could be his father, but the problem is that, according to my great-uncle, he was a bit of a shady character (DCB Jr) in that he like to cover up his past as much as he possibly could.
I have a copy of DCB Jr's certificate for his marriage to my great-grandmother, Muriel Fonçeca, which was in April 1914 in Bella Coola British Columbia (the first of his three marriages and, from what I can ascertain, he didn't bother with the inconvenience of divorce with any of them!) he lists his father as Donald Creighton Balfour. Now, I don't know whether that's because a) he didn't know who his father was (though I suspect that if he didn't he would have said).
OK, I know I'm doing this backwards, but my brain is muddled. My uncle John (my paternal grandfather's brother) has told me that Donald was a very private person and had attempted to cover up much of his past. He (John) suspects that he was a foundling and was fostered from a children's home at the age of around three. DCB Jr was illegitimate (we're 99% certain of that)
So, how do I go about finding out if the 1872 DCB was my paternal great-great-grandfather? Incidentally, I can find no record of him in the 1891 census (he would have been 18 or 19) but SP doesn't have the 1881 (when he would have been 8 or 9).
They were both born in Elgin - if this should have gone in the Aberdeenshire forum, could a mod move it?
If anyone could give me any leads, I'd be more than grateful. Basically, I just want to know whether he just re-entered his own name (for something to fill the space) or if I've struck gold?
I attach a copy of the marriage certificate, in case it's useful. Incidentally, I should add that I do not have the original in my possession - this was scanned by a kindly soul on a genealogy newsgroup.
Any - and all - info gratefully received! 
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Forfarian
RootsChat Veteran
Posts: 700
I HAVE edited my profile - several times!
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Your DCB Jr was aged 24 in April 1914, so unless he was giving wrong information he must have been born 1889/90. So if this other DCB Sr was his father, he would have been only 17 or 18 when his son was born - that's fairly unusual.
I suggest that you should look for DCB Jr in the 1891 census and see where he was and with whom he was living. You could then get his birth certificate from SP, which should tell you the names of both his parents (and would have told you the date and place of their marriage if they had been married).
Also if you found DCB Sr in the SP indexes, but he wasn't on the image when you downloaded it, then (1) check very carefully the names on the image in case he too was illegitimate and listed by some other surname and (2) if you are 100% sure he wasn't there, notify SP and they will sort it out for you.
NB don't rely on a middle name - make sure that you check all the Donald Balfours without middle names as well. And don't assume a relationship just because two people have the same middle name.
Of course if DCB Jr was illegitimate, and his father refused to acknowledge him, he would be registered under his mother's name, and you have a much bigger challenge. In that case I'd suggest looking for him in the 1901 census as well as the 1891. If he was a foundling he would still be under the eye of the parochial board, and if he was born in Elgin there should be some records there.
OTOH if the information on his marriage certificate is totally fictitious ....
HTH
Forfarian
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Ballcruncher
RootsChat Extra
Posts: 4
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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Hello Angua,
Hopefully I found the correct person now as I had originally thought that Charles Ellson was the great grand-child of Donald C-B.... a trigamist indeed !
The information posted below will hopefully explain everything. It is a copy of a reply that Charles sent to me last week. I assume that if we are talking about the same Donald then Priscilla was one of his three wives.... although it seems that they probably didn't stay together very long as she continued to live at 57 Ebury Street until 1970 at least and judging from the phone directories he was living there for only a few years.
i look forward to hearing from you
Adrian Donne
On Sat, 07 Oct 2006 05:12:55 +0000, you wrote:
>Hello Charles,
>
>Priscilla Donne was the daughter of Walter Donne, a cousin of my
>great-grandfather, an artist of middling repute and Winifred Payne-Galwey.
>She was born in the Kensington area in 1906.
>
>An old ' Donne' family tree made in about 1950 had her married to a ?
>Creighton-Balfour although it was rather vague in its assertion.
>
>There were no children from this union, I was quite sure. However I did a
>Google search of Creighton- Balfour and came up with a few of your threads
>on Donald that you had posted on various internet sites in the past few
>years.
>
>I have discovered that a Priscilla Creighton-Balfour died in Depwade,
>Norfolk in 1992 aged 86. I have also discovered that a P Creighton-Balfour
>and a Major D Creighton-Balfour in 1950s had separate telephone numbers for
>the same house, 57 Ebury Street, London SW. This was the house that Walter
>Donne had used as a studio for many years, he had died in 1948 aged 85 and
>had obvious left it to his only child, Priscilla. It seems that Major D
>Creighton- Balfour had a separate house in Wallington, Surrey also.
>
Assuming there aren't two of them :-( .
From the London Gazette 14 Aug 1959:-
Name of Deceased: CREIGHTON-BALFOUR, Major Donald
Address, description, date of death: The French Horn, Steppingley,
formerly of The Salisbury Crest, Essendon, Hatfield, Publican. 5th May
1958
=====
LG 8 Jun 1945:-
OBEs (Military)
Major Donald Creighton BALFOUR, Controller of Manpower, Gibraltar
=====
LG 26 Jul 1940
111887 Capt Donald Creighton BALFOUR promoted to Lt.
=====
LG 22 Oct 1929
RESERVE OF AIR OFFICERS
..undermentioned officers relinquish their commissions on completion
of service:-
Flight Lts.
Donald Creighton BALFOUR 1 Oct 1929
>It seems from what you say that your great-grandfather was a rather slippery
>character.
He isn't my ggf, I am not the OP.
>Obviously because of her age, Winifred could not been your
>grandmother, but it seems that towards the end of Donald's life, he was
>either conducting an affair, moved in with, or married Priscilla, (although
>again, I have no evidence of marriage, it probably wasn't Donald's style
>!!!!) although the relationship must have reached a certain level for her to
>have taken his name.
>
>Because of the evidence I am about 80% convinced that this is the same
>Donald. I would welcome any of your comments so we can confirm or refute my
>assertions above.
>
You could try for copies of wills which might name relatives and in
the case of Priscilla might give a rough guide to when she married
(i.e. going by the last time she was known by her maiden name).
The Times has a marriage entry on 25 Feb 1953 for John Brian
CREIGHTON-BALFOUR, youngest son of Maj. D Creighton-Balfour MBE, The
Bull Hotel, Wrotham and Mrs _M_ C-B. There is also a death
announcement on 16 Apr 1983 (d. 13th April) for Dorothy, 97y, daughter
of Sir Ralph and Lady Frankland PAYNE-GALLWEY, aunt of Priscilla; no
place is given but the cremation was in Chichester.
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