How do I find an illegitimate child?

[Cookiefj]

I found a birth certificate for my G Grandfathers older brother in 1881, stating that he was illegitimate. There is no record of his father but he was named Thomas Scott McAulay and his mother married Thomas Scott a couple of years later so I've put 2 and 2 together and hopefully come up with 4!!
I've checked census records and can find my G Grandfather with his parents but no record of Thomas. I then looked up the mother's (Sarah McAulay) family to see if he had maybe been taken in by his grandmother or an aunt/uncle but still can't find him. I also checked death records etc but nothing.
I read somewhere that official adoption records only go back so far - can anyone confirm this? If so I assume that he could have gone anywhere and maybe even had his name changed!?
Does anyone know if there is anything else I can try or do you think I should accept this as a brick wall and move on?

F-J

[nelmit]

I found a birth certificate for my G Grandfathers older brother in 1881, stating that he was illegitimate. There is no record of his father but he was named Thomas Scott McAulay and his mother married Thomas Scott a couple of years later so I've put 2 and 2 together and hopefully come up with 4!!
I've checked census records and can find my G Grandfather with his parents but no record of Thomas. I then looked up the mother's (Sarah McAulay) family to see if he had maybe been taken in by his grandmother or an aunt/uncle but still can't find him. I also checked death records etc but nothing.
I read somewhere that official adoption records only go back so far - can anyone confirm this? If so I assume that he could have gone anywhere and maybe even had his name changed!?
Does anyone know if there is anything else I can try or do you think I should accept this as a brick wall and move on?

F-J

Hello and welcome to Talking Scot F-J,

Sorry to say, from a search at SP, it looks as though wee Thomas may have died in 1882.

Regards,
Annette

[marilyn morning]

Hi Annette,

Sorry for being off topic, but you just made the 10,000th post here on TS!!!!!

Marilyn

[Cookiefj]

Thanks Annette. Can you let me know what you put in SP to see that? I thought I'd tried everything but am often proved wrong!!

F-J

[nelmit]

Thanks Annette. Can you let me know what you put in SP to see that? I thought I'd tried everything but am often proved wrong!!

F-J

I just put his given name - Mcaulay as the the surname and Thomas Scott in the forename box. There is only one and he's the right age.

Regards,
Annette

[Cookiefj]

Annette

It is him. I was putting his mothers name in the box and that's why I had no luck!

It's a shame he died before his parents got married!

Thanks again

F-J