Hi Disgruntled,
My grandmother, Ellen Ballantyne, b. 1903, was the grand-daughter of Duncan and Ellen. My mother, also Helen, is almost 80 and remembers her grandfather Duncan and Rosetta, her grandmother, though both died when she was a child. It might help you get a picture of the kind of people the family were, to hear a little of them.
Duncan junior, (born c. 1864) was a tall man with a strong Irish accent. When he was near, all the children knew that theyw ere to be quiet. He told wonderful stories - a real gift for the blarney. He was very Presbyterian. In those days, (pre WW2) the Sabbath was avery solemn and joyless day - with him it was even stricter. He would not allow his daughters to look out of the window on a Sunday.
Rosetta McLeanBallantyne (and yes, the name altered a lot - have you found Bonnatine?) was an old woman in a long black dress and a mutch, sitting in a rocking chair. Very kind and gentle, during the war she saved her precious sugar ration to make toffee for all the children. They had 11 children.
Researching this famly has been difficult, with lots of data not adding up.
The Lagavgara/Ballycastle thing may be explained by saying that at the time, at least, Lagavara was tiny and Ballycastle was probably the place which was where BMDs were registered. My grandmother always said she was born in a farm cottage by the side of the road at Carrondhu. (Not sure about the spelling.) That may have been the same family farm, but I'm not sure.
What I do know is that her Aunt Nancy ran the farm until her death, sometime, I think, in the 50s.
As for the different marriage dates. It's quite possible the marriage was not one which had a ceremony. I'm unsure about the practice in Ireland, but here in Scotland such marriages were legal, but not very respectable. They also caused questions of legitimacy.
I don't have John's name on my tree, but if you have access to GenesReunited, my tree's available to view as Elaine Ferguson. It clearly shows my problems with confusions in data.
It's great to talk to a distant cousin. I'm having trouble with this reply, but you can send me a message via genes if you wish.
Elaine