Scottish Ancestors

[Mael Coluim]

Wow that is exciting PNDN! I can only get back to two greats! But my Dad told me at an early age not to get interested in genealogy because I come from a long line of thieves and drunks!

[gilmore]

Are you telling me that US county clerks weren't fluent in Polish? Shofich is a pretty good phonetic transcription. And I wouldn't be surprised if Haifetz were transcribed by a Yiddish/Hebrew speaker.

...

Those were how the names has been transliterated by the holders of the names themselves, as well as others. Transliteration is so varied in Eastern European names, given several languages (Polish, German, Russian, Yiddish, Hebrew, Czech, Lithuanian, Estonian, etc.) and three main alphabets (Roman, Cyrillic, Hebrew/Yiddish) plus others, that a Soundex system unique to that part of the world had to be developed.

[gilmore]

Wow that is exciting PNDN! I can only get back to two greats! But my Dad told me at an early age not to get interested in genealogy because I come from a long line of thieves and drunks!

The theives, drunks, rascals and ne'er-do-wells are usually much more interesting ancestors than the solid citizens from whom most of us descend.

Go for it.

[gilmore]

very interesting

thanks a lot for that

edit;

got an email back from them (i emailed them earlier on today) and they say it would be better to put it in the adopted group, because of the unknown grandfather (male side)

(btw, my mother thinks theres a bit italian in him )

You get a price break (or at least you used to) when you test as part of a surname project. Once you get the results, you can always withdraw from one surname project and join another. I think you can join two at most. (Some are geographic.)

[Cawdorian]

I'm not that lucky. I'm a Campbell.

Those of us of Campbell descent do have a rough time tracing our ancestors, I have a line of Campbell's on both sides of the family, both result in a brick wall. I have another line of a Campbell sept (Caudle) that is traceable back to Argyll.

I was fortunate to be able to trace my Patrick (Lamont) ancestors back to 1429 in Ayr, Scotland, thanks to a descendant who took the time and effort to go Scotland and researched the kirk records.

Another line I have difficulties with is my Gregory family line, which is probably my closest Scottish connection. In talking with some other Clan Gregor descendants I have been told that the McGregor's and their septs can be difficult to trace back to Scotland because many of them were transported to the USA as prisoners.

Genealogy is loads of fun, I like to unearth the black sheep and other interesting and possibly unsavory characters in the various family lines.

[kiltedbassist]

I know how you feel. My family has gotten into our heritage just within the last year and we have come up with some really neat facts about our ancestors. We have been able to trace one side back to the third Steward of Scotland and also to a Popham who supposedly presided over the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots. Although with Hay, Buchanan, McMillan and Keith in the mix, Scotland is well represented.

[SteveB]

Congrats on the find! I am green with envy. My mother's side came from Ireland, Co. Down, Rathfriland and Balleyroney. With the surname being M'Neilly, McNeilly, and Macneilly on the same document. Although I have only proven back to 1838, the graveyard at the church in Balleyroney yielded a lot of related names and the "right" naming patterns for the MacNeils. I have basically a two generation gap that I hope to close sometime in the future. ( Another fortnight In Down and at PRONI, plus a few days at Edinburgh (sp) Scotland.
I have one ancestor who was accused of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts 4 April 1692. I also have an ancestor from Scotland sold at auction in York, Maine for 3 quid. The value of the pound sterling was different back then. I am not certain of where he was captured, or have really reliable information on his clan. My Spouse is a MacLucas from Ireland, (Derry, Donegal) we believe to be Clan Lamont. When I was about fifteen I was given a family kilt in MacNeil of Barra Ancient. ( A REAL Tank ) I have since vastly outgrown it horizontally. When my body figures out what it is up to in old age, I will bespoke another MacNeil of Barra Ancient.
I also have courtesy of my father Mayflower, Colonial Clergy, Us Revolutionary Patriots and Loyalists. Still like being kilted no matter how diluted the Scottish blood is.
Again congrats for the martial arts chop at the Brick Wall.
--- Steve Brown

[bjproc]

You get a price break (or at least you used to) when you test as part of a surname project. Once you get the results, you can always withdraw from one surname project and join another. I think you can join two at most. (Some are geographic.)

this is the email i got, it comes out at $189

We would recommend testing the Y-DNA 37 markers to determine if there are other males in the database who may have shared a recent common male ancestor (matches on 12 markers may not reflect a recent common male ancestor being shared). This may help determine what the possible surname of your grandfather on your father's father's...father's line may have been.

I recommend testing through the Adoptees project. Even though you yourself were not adopted, you do not know the surname for the direct paternal line. This group will allow you to order the 37 marker test at the group rate but compare the results to the entire database. Any matches that are found will be shown to you on a personal page. We will show their name and email address so you may contact them to determine if they lived in the same area as your grandfather or his family.

Your mother's surname is not the group that you would want to test with nor is your father's mother's since the Y-DNA test follows the father's father's father's...father's line and matches that are found on Y-DNA will have shared a common male ancestor with you in the past.

Have a nice day,

Catherine McDonald
Family Tree DNA

[Cawdorian]

My Spouse is a MacLucas from Ireland, (Derry, Donegal) we believe to be Clan Lamont.

The surname MacLucas is most likely of Clan Lamont, many of the Northern Irish of that period were actually Irish of Scots descent. If your surname is Brown, you could be either a Lamont or a McMillan. You will have to trace the lineage to determine which clan may be correct. My grandmother was a Brown of Scottish descent, the Brown's are more difficult to trace and research than Campbells. The good news is that the Brown tartan is a beautiful tartan.

[cessna152towser]

Excellent news. It can often be possible to trace Scottish ancestry back to around the late 1600's if the family were landowners or came from a rural area such as the islands, but if they were working people from the towns you do hit a wall and can only usually trace back about 200 years.