MacDonald or Gillis from Isle of Lewis - circa 1804

[Nathan]

Nonetheless, it seems that to get back further is going to require sorting through potential leads and a process of elimination. Basically, it's going to take effort and research

Well I hear that! The MacDonalds have been passing down information through the generations since this Angus, so we have a nice box of heirlooms, photos and documents to start from. My brother and I have spent a considerable amount of time, effort and money filling in the rest of that tree you saw on Ancestry.ca.

As I said, the problem is that we keep coming up snake eyes when we try to go back further than Angus. I admit that I have been relying on online resources as well as speaking to older relatives for most of my information. Your archives leads are interesting. Who better to ask for research tips than a Phd candidate?

One example of an heirloom that we've been passing down is this obituary for the same Angus.