Bit of a family mystery and was looking for help. My Wife's Gt Grandfather's Marriage certificate gave the name of his parents as Thomas Robertson, and Elizabeth Hutch Ross and from that I was able to formulate a family tree for her.
However family rumour had it that he was adopted and on a second pass I looked to see whether this was the case. On this search I was unable to find an obvious birth record for him anywhere and the first record I do find for him is the 1911 census (extract attached below) but without the McQuillan middle name. As McQuillan isn't otherwise a family name. I suspect it could either be birth surname, or birth mother's maiden name so have looked for both options.
On the census, Thomas and Elizabeth's details all tally with their birth and marriage dates but they are recorded as having no children. John Appears as a visitor (aged 3) but his place of birth doesn't appear to make sense - as best we can make out it reads Strathaven, Perthshire but obviously Strathaven is Lanarkshire, and none of the Perthshire Straths appear obviously similar to the written name.
In Strathaven there are no John Robertson's born in the 1907-1908 window but there is a John McQuillian. In the whole of Perthsire the opposite is true no John McQuillan's but several John Robertson's - though none obviously fall into any of the Straths that do exist.
Of course it could be that both his names changed and a complete dead end has been reached, but a fresh pair of eyes looking over it would be appreciated.
