I'm looking for information on a John Ballantine b1773 who married Janet Johnston b1777 in Muirkirk Ayr. They married on May 20, of 1798. They had a bunch of children starting with William b1799 and John b1800 James b1801, Catherine b1803 and Thomas b1805. There may be others but I find no records of them. Thomas married Susannah Strachan b1811 of Riccarton Ayr in the Leigh Kirk in Kilmarnock in 1829. They had 12 children starting in 1829 with Janet.There is evidence that they lived and had children around Kilmaurs in 1836-40 and I believe that Thomas' brother John was in that area around the same time The last child was born in 1855 in Dreghorn Ayr and that was Andrew.Thomas died in 1876 and Susannah in 1889, both in Dreghorn Ayr. The boys are all accounted for as John and Robert were the only boys alive in 1860. The girls that lived were Elizabeth b1841 and Jean b abt1846.Elizabeth married a man named David Ross and Jean married John Anderson. There were 2 other living girls but Im not sure what happened to them. Robertb1838 and John b1836 Left Scotland in 1865 and moved to Galt/Preston Ontario Canada. Their trade was Joiner or carpenter. John became a wood lathe manufacturer (Ballantine and Son Machinery) and lived till 1912 and is buried in Preston with his wife Janet Barclay as well as his 2 children Thomas and Maggie.
Robert Came back to Scotland in 1867, married Mary Miller in 1868 and they left for Canada and a year after,
they left for Muskoka Lakes District to take up a land grant. Robert built a Grist Mill there at what is now Ballantines Creek at the village of Grassmere near Huntsville Ontario which Robert started. Around this time Roberts sister Jean and her husband John Anderson left Scotland and moved to Grassmere and opened a General Store. As populations decline the Andersons left for California.
Robert and Mary had children, the 3rd born in 1873 was John d1941 and he is my Grandfather. He married Jennett May Victoria Flintoff and They had 9 children. The youngest was Frederick Earl and He was my father.
If any of this makes sense to you or if you may be family, please contact me at mactheref@hotmail.com


The Picture below is Thomas and Susannah Ballantine, taken around 1870