MacDonald? or MacDonald of the isles?

[AtlantaRandy]

Perhaps someone can help. Being able to trace my family back to the time of Oliver Cromwell and his orders to exile Scots who were captured fighting for the crown, both my paternal and maternal roots come from clan Donald (Surnames of Cone and Conn). My question is what the differences or distinguishing details between clan MacDonald and clan MacDonald of the isles are. Are they branches of the same tree?

[figheadair]

Clan Donald, the whole clan. MacDonald of the Isles is the senior branch, depending on your point of reference. Clanranald, Glengarry, Keppoch etc., are branches but large enough and old enough to be recognised as clans in their own right.

[AtlantaRandy]

Clan Donald, the whole clan. MacDonald of the Isles is the senior branch, depending on your point of reference. Clanranald, Glengarry, Keppoch etc., are branches but large enough and old enough to be recognised as clans in their own right.

Thank you. Perhaps you could point me in the right direction.
My surname is Cone. Past family lore and genealogical records trace my family (Both paternal and maternal, my mother’s family name is Conn) to Daniel Cone who was exiled to Haddam, Connecticut by Oliver Cromwell. It’s believed Daniel’s name was logged into the ships manifest as Cone rather than MacCoan or Coan by a disinterested Brit clerk. Here’s my question. Both surnames, Cone and Conn are associated with Clan Donald. My DNA testing would indicate a mix of 87% Scottish and the rest, Norse and Russo, since both sides of my family descend from a common group with not much variation, the belief is that my line comes from the highland/ Isles area. The issue is that all accounts of Daniel Cone identify him as belonging to the Colqhuoun/Calhoun clan and he was born near Loch Lomond, even though his name isn’t associated with it, though none of his personal records or writings indicated either possibility. In your opinion, where would you go in the next steps to figure this out? My family has always associated with clan Donald and none of the older family tree keepers ever delved into the name discrepancy.

[Macseobang]

There is a Clan Donald USA DNA project at https://www.clandonaldusa.org/index.php/dna-project . If you believe to be of direct paternal linage then you can take a Y DNA test through FamilyTreeDNA.com and administrators on the project may be able to tell you something. I know that most people just find out if they are descendant from Somerled, but if you get more in depth tests (Big Y) you can be placed into a specific branch (Clan Ranald, Keppoch, e.t.c.). You do have to be a member of Clan Donald USA to get the benefits of the use of the genealogist.

Once you get results there are many different groups you may be put in, some of which have no relation to Clan Donald if you are prepared for that possibility.

-Warren Macdonald

[tripleblessed]

To open, welcome to the great rabble who comprise this forum.

You may already know that clan Donald considers itself to be quite interested in, and skilled at, genealogy. So I was told by a
gracious, persistent (almost annoyingly so), and knowledgeable gentleman I met at the clan Donald tent at the Stone Mountain
Highland Games. As we talked I assured him I had a fair knowledge of my genealogy to no avail. Within three minutes, to our
mutual astonishment, I had named his gggg grandfather, my ggg grandfather. We still laugh. The point being we find connections
all over, and clan Donald is eager to be helpful. Mark provided to me the name of the regional genealogist, knows the cousin who
has amassed much of our personal connections, who was trained by another cousin who persuaded Ellen Odom to bequeath
her farm to provide funding for the Odom Genealogy Library in Moultrie, Georgia. Said library is the repository of records from over
100 clans. It has become part of the Moultrie Library system, and some links no longer work, but if you can contact or get to the
library, they have extensive material related to clan Donald. All that to say hie thee hence to south Georgia to dive into the most
complete info on clan Donald outside of Skye.

On another note, those of us in the Atlanta attempt to gather from time to time at locations which not coincidentally provide food
and drink to support pleasant conversation. Please consider joining us. Watch for posts in the Events section of the forum. Or PM
member Wareyin, who graciously attempts to herd cats on a monthly basis. Life is busy, the metro area is 125 miles across, but
we'd love to have you join us.

[Macseobang]

Not sure if you have this information already but I found the following from the resources on Clan Donald USA website. It's from a list of Clan Donald associated names.

"Conn: Only those from West Highlands & Islands or Antrim. Clan Donald Conns derive from: Traditional name of Clan Donald - Siol Cuinn - "The Seed of Conn" of the 100 Battles. Found in Islay, Kintyre, Antrim, Clan Donald SOUTH"