Scottish Ancestors

[pipesndrumsnun]

OK, I know that some of you will totally be able to relate to this...I'm SO EXCITED!! I was just able to get my MacArthur ancestors back further than anyone in my family has ever been able to find...all the way to my great-great-great-great-great-great-great (7 greats!!) grandfather Angus MacKarter! Angus was born app. 1685, Isle of Islay, Scotland and he was a piper to Clan Donald; Angus' son was Charles born appp. 1706, Isle of Skye and Charles was the last hereditary piper at Duntulum.

One of Charles' sons was Alexander, born app. 1760, Isle of Skye. Alexander was also a piper, but was denied the position of piper to Clan Donald, at which time he went to America...One of Alexander's sons was also named Alexander. Alexander the younger had a son named Henry Vale MacArthur, who had a son named Henry Columbus MacArthur, who had a daughter named Elsie Mary McArthur (born in 1900). Elsie was my great grandmother, and I actually knew her when I was a little kid. One of Elsie's daughters is Nita, my grandmother (who, sadly, has Alzheimers'...she'd love this info!), one of Nita's daughter's is Sue, my mother...then, there is good ol' me - pipesndrumsnun!

[Clockwork John]

Congratulations! That's awesome.

My family seems to have hit a wall researching our lineage. We can trace it back to an 8 year old boy who got off a boat in New Orleans without parents and without papers... the passenger manifest lists his country of origin as Scotland, but in a later census, his country of birth is listed as Ireland...

Oh well.

[Bugbear]

Neat!

[graham_s]

I'm lucky. All I had to do was go as far back as my Father to find a Scottish ancestor

[Rex_Tremende]

...my great-great-great-great-great-great-great (7 greats!!) grandfather Angus MacKarter ... was born app. 1685, Isle of Islay, Scotland; ... Angus' son was Charles born appp. 1706, Isle of Skye ... One of Charles' sons was Alexander, born app. 1760, Isle of Skye.

How excellent! I see a beautiful IOS kilt in your future.

Regards,
Rex.

[TheKiltedWonder]

Angus was born app. 1685, Isle of Islay, Scotland and he was a piper to Clan Donald; Angus' son was Charles born appp. 1706, Isle of Skye and Charles was the last hereditary piper at Duntulum.

So you were really just born into piping then! How great!

[CactusJack]

Way to go, that is fantastic. I am still trying to find mine but I have not given up yet..

[Sheep In Wolf's Clothing]

That's great cuz!! I am able to trace back to my Great-Great-Great-Great Grandfather Robert Carter from Argyll (sadly on the farm allotment deed in Ireland it just listed Argyll Scotland) He left and settled in Ireland but was later murdered along with his wife. Their son went back to Scotland and then later came to Canada!
You can get more information about the MacArthur pipers by contacting the clan society. Or you can check out the piping school and Cairn on the Isle of Skye here:http://www.clandonald.com/index.php/page/piping/

Have fun
Sara

[beloitpiper]

Wow, that's amazing! Congrats!

[Drillagent]

That sounds great! Wish I had that much detail. So far I've been able to trace back to James King (very generic name IOW lots of James out there). He and his family came to the colonies in 1750. One of his sons, George (my direct ancestor) fought against the British during the Revolutionary War. When James arrived in New Jersey, he helped found the First Presbyterian Church in Succasunna, New Jersey. The church records only list him as being from "the North of Ireland".
Near as we can figure, his family was part of King James' transplantation from Scotland to Ireland in the 1600's. Unfortunately, we can't find any info (ie birth, marriage, christening) from Northern Ireland. The only place I can think to look is the PRONI, but they don't have anything online. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears. (eyes)