Tracing Family roots

[elitekiltedcommando]

Can you see me as Queen?

Just give me a kilt or two, and then sure, why not?

[Riverkilt]

My favorite part of genealogy is the stories of ancestors...survial, crossing the Atlantic in ancient vessels, moving west by wagon train. Seems my ancestors were always on, or near, the frontier of their times.

My favorite ancestor was a guy who had a farm in upstate New York during the war of 1812. When the British came marching down the road past his farm house he grabbed his musket, went out on the front porch, and ripped off a round into the then passing platoon of Redcoats.

That Redcoat platoon then turned and ripped off everything they had into him. Instantly rendered him into "Swiss cheese" and ended his life on Earth. Fortunately he'd left some children.

Don't know that humans change much...most of my other ancestors, and I, often display the same "not well thought out" behavior.

Good thing there are no kilt stores near me...I'd walk in and shout..."I want one of everything!"

Ron

[Tattoo Bradley]

My favorite ancestor was a guy who had a farm in upstate New York during the war of 1812. When the British came marching down the road past his farm house he grabbed his musket, went out on the front porch, and ripped off a round into the then passing platoon of Redcoats.

That Redcoat platoon then turned and ripped off everything they had into him. Instantly rendered him into "Swiss cheese" and ended his life on Earth. Fortunately he'd left some children.

Don't know that humans change much...most of my other ancestors, and I, often display the same "not well thought out" behavior.

Good thing there are no kilt stores near me...I'd walk in and shout..."I want one of everything!"

Ron

I love those kind of stories Ron! I don't know whether to life or what! Hot-headness runs rampant in my family lineage as well.

Good thing there are no kilt stores near me...I'd walk in and shout..."I want one of everything!"
Ron

You, I, and a good chunk of the rest of the rabble!

[Wompet]

Let's see ...father's line was traced back to abt. 1575, mother's back to mid-1600s (had some correcting to do with that one - one of my earliest great-grandmothers was supposedly married for the first time at 62 and had her first child at 66). The Irish line has deadended for now at 1853.

As for stories, due to a little loop in my father's family tree I'm my own fourth cousin. I would explain, but most people require a diagram to get the full benefit of the explanation.

[turpin]

My mother and father are 6th cousins, even though she was from Virginia and he from Indiana. Both descended from William Willis who emigrated from England to Virginia in 1643.

[jordanjm]

A really good website to help you get started doing geneology is http://www.familysearch.org

[gilmore]

A really good website to help you get started doing geneology is http://www.familysearch.org

Unfortunately, the LDS (Mormon) genealogical archives are not as accurate as one would like. They accept almost anything that is contributed at face value, with very little in the way of quality control. While there is much that is of value, there is also much that isn't, with no way to distinguish between the two. It is a good place to start, but after you start, the next thing one would be well advised to do is to go back over everything one has gotten from it to ascertain its reliability from original sources.

[Riverkilt]

Aye Gilmore, for sure...some real dissappointments and bad leads - even typos from putting the old info into the system. Methinks some of the LDS mainstream want so bad to find their ancestors that they accept most anything....a fine effort, and there is some good stuff. But some of the LDS info on that website ain't even close...

Ron

[LK-13]

my Great Uncle Robert Shaw (not the actor)
worked with several other people in our clan and has put together a book
that documents the Shaw line back to the 1340's.
there are records that go back farther, but i found everything to be a very confusing read earlier than 1300.
we get a very mixed bag with the MacDuff, Macintosh, MacPherson, Macbean, Davidson and Farquharson all uniting under one flag as Clan Chattan.

i have also found that the name SHAW spelt this way apparently means "WOLF"
"An Old English word "sceaga" (meaning a small wood or thicket) gave rise to the Shaw name in the Lowlands, particularly in Lanarkshire. There were three landowners from there who were forced (along with thousands of others) to sign the "Ragman Roll" in 1296, swearing loyalty to King Edward I of England. The name spread across southern Scotland and into Northern England and also Ireland (giving rise, later, to George Bernard Shaw).

In the Highlands, the name came from the Gaelic "sithech" meaning "wolf" and was initially used as a first name but became a surname early in the 13th century. Shaw Macduff, a younger son of Duncan, Thane of Fife (a descendant of Kenneth mac Alpin) assisted King Malcolm IV in putting down a rebellion in Moray and he was made keeper of Inverness castle. Shaw's grandson was granted land in Rothiemurchus (in Strathspey). His son married a daughter of the Macdonald Lord of Islay in 1291.

The Shaws and their Mackintosh allies supported Robert the Bruce against the Comyns (Cummings) and took part in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

James Shaw of Rothiemurchus, a descendant of Shaw "Corrfhiaclach" (Bucktooth) is regarded as the first chief of clan Shaw. He was killed at the Battle of Harlaw in 1411. In the 16th century the Rothiemurchus lands were lost after a Shaw chief murdered his stepfather and the lands were forfeited to the Crown who sold them to the Laird of Grant. " <= www.rampantscotland.com

[Sean_the_Kilted]

I've been researching my family and that of my wife for about a year and a half and have traced her family back to 1467 in Switzerland and mine back to the early 1600's in New England and Italy. Its definately facisinateing and addicting. US Census records have been one of my favorite sources of information