Further Interest...from my Mother...

[ncof300d]

As your mother probably knows well, if you want certainty there is no substitute for the painstaking work of tracing the paper trail back generation by generation. Otherwise, it sometimes happens that people pick out a clan with a sept of a simlar name and a groovy tartan, spend hundreds and thousands on kilts, accessories, a few tattoes, clan crests, maybe a visit to the clan lands, only to find out some years later that it was all a mistake, and a waste of time and money.

Part of the problem is that the 'trail' goes cold very quickly. The first born of this line in the USA was a William 'Menear' born in Ohio in 1800. The only connection that is certain is that William's father (name unknown) came to Ohio from the Isle of Man. What also does not help is the birth date of William's father is unknown and the best my mother has been able to determine is that he was born somewhere between 1760-1775.

[macwilkin]

Part of the problem is that the 'trail' goes cold very quickly. The first born of this line in the USA was a William 'Menear' born in Ohio in 1800. The only connection that is certain is that William's father (name unknown) came to Ohio from the Isle of Man. What also does not help is the birth date of William's father is unknown and the best my mother has been able to determine is that he was born somewhere between 1760-1775.

See my post above about the Manx tartans. If you have a solid connection to the Isle of Man, they are, in my opinion, your best option.

Regards,

Todd

[gilmore]

Part of the problem is that the 'trail' goes cold very quickly. The first born of this line in the USA was a William 'Menear' born in Ohio in 1800. The only connection that is certain is that William's father (name unknown) came to Ohio from the Isle of Man. What also does not help is the birth date of William's father is unknown and the best my mother has been able to determine is that he was born somewhere between 1760-1775.

Has she looked at Manx parish records for that period? Are they extant?

There is another option for when you are at a brick wall, and that is DNA. If you have a male relative who is a Menear, you can test his Y chromosome, which is transmitted from father to son, as are surnames. Family Tree DNA (www.ftdna.com) is the largest company that does this, has the largest database, and hence is where you are most likely to find a match or a near match.

Does your mother subscribe to the Rootsweb surname mailing lists? or the location mailing lists? Eventually something may show up there.

In the meantime, as was suggested, if I were you and wanted a relevant tartan kilt, I would take a look at the Manx district tartans, rather than claiming a clan connection that may very well not be supported by the facts.