I am new here - Scottish Surnames I am researching

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Permalink Reply by Louise Norgaar on September 15, 2010 at 8:18pm

Welcome to the wild and crazy world of genealogy -- it's more addictive than pistachios! :-)

I would suggest that you gather as many birth, death, baptism and other local documents as possible -- this is the best way to trace family back from yourself. Each birth certificate tells who the parents were (not all death certs have this information). I know it sounds silly, but it's always best to begin with yourself, then your parents and their parents. Don't forget marriage licenses when you can find them -- the point here is to document, document and then document some more.

As for the possibility of them having been from Scotland, without husband's names and locations of where they may have lived, it is really hard to determine Abigail McPherson, from Abigale McPherson.

Don't forget Census records -- these are invaluable! Also, join the Chat that is offered here on Genealogy wise -- lots of knowledgeable people in there -- I even found 3 real cousins -4th, 5th or 6th times removed, but cousins none-the-less! And, don't be afraid to ask questions - can't ask enough "why's" or where"s or even "how come?" Good luck to you!!

Permalink Reply by Jan Salsbery on September 15, 2010 at 8:36pm

Thank you for the reply! As time allows, I will try to join in the chats.

I have my genealogy on my web site at . I have a great deal of information about other branches of the family. I was accepted into the Mayflower Society and the Winthrop Society, both on my father's side. There has never been much information available on my mother's side, beyond what I already have. I have birth and death certificates for these people, where they are available. That is one problem! They aren't always available that far back in all locations. My g-grandmother, the daughter of Amanda McFarland and James Washington Taylor, is supposed to be part Choctaw, which complicates the story. I have searched their records also, to no avail so far. Still, I continue to search now and then. I think they were just ordinary people, who left no records to speak of, behind.

My Campbells have such common first names, and seem to have just plopped down into Tennessee, from nowhere!

I have never even tried to research Sarah Robbins yet but thought I would throw out the name in this forum. She is just a name, the mother on my g-g-grandfather George Washington Blalock's 1836 birth certificate.

Thanks again. I will join more Groups soon!

Permalink Reply by Jan Salsbery on September 15, 2010 at 8:38pm

Well, why didn't my link show up? I will try it another way

http://www.citereh.com

Permalink Reply by William Douglas on September 16, 2010 at 2:10am

I have just been looking at your map - could Blalock be Blacklock? They are a sept of the Douglases

I know the name Blalock goes back to the 19th century - but does it go back much further?

Just a thought!

Permalink Reply by Jan Salsbery on September 16, 2010 at 6:07am

That is an interesting thought I hadn't considered. I know nothing about the septs. I have John Patrick Blalock born c. 1802-1816 in NC, and then a dead end. I'll look into it. Thank you!

Permalink Reply by June Sallee-Jackson on October 18, 2010 at 8:35am

Don't know who is looking for Blacklock's here or how common the name is, but I was perusing a map of Scotland and found a Blacklock farm listed on a map. It was from ScotlandImages.com and the image number is BAA00575. I was searching "Johnston". The Blacklock plot is in the lower half of the map. The Caption is "There is no title on this map at all as it is a tracing taken from another source which represents Moffat in 1780. The tracing was made in 1901, probably at the same scale as the original and was later attributed to John J. Johnstone. The River Annan runs just down the left edge of the map and is bordered by the back of the town. The Bowling Green is in the middle of the main street and the Glebe is down the bottom of the map. Most of the property owners have been marked on.The 'Statistic...". The URL is http://www.nls.uk/maps/resolver.cfm?id=7440011 7

You may have to play with the URL to get the whole thing and cut and paste it into the address box. I have found some interesting things just looking at old maps.

June

Permalink Reply by Chev. Terrance Gach MacFarlane on September 16, 2010 at 5:53am

Jan:

I am sharing your post with a Clan MacFarlane Worldwide researcher, Mary Helen Haines, in the hope that she might be able to help with your McFarland line.

Terrance

Permalink Reply by Jan Salsbery on September 16, 2010 at 6:08am

Thank you very much! I should have posted more info! Anything to put me in the right direction would be most appreciated.

Jan

Permalink Reply by Pamela Ann Drake on September 16, 2010 at 8:33pm

Hi!

So far I only have 2 Scottish surnames in my tree. They are: Bowie & Davisson. They crossed the pond early on.

Pam in IN.

Permalink Reply by Susan Barnett Gaumer on October 3, 2010 at 11:12am

I have seen Campbells in VA & KY while researching my Barnetts.

Permalink Reply by Jan Salsbery on October 3, 2010 at 1:43pm

The earliest my Campbell's show up is in Tennessee, 1816. I don't know where they were prior to that year. My William Campbell married Margaret Sloan, who was born in TN circa 1797.

My Mcteer's are from Down, Northern Ireland, and show up in Pennsylvania in 1731, then NC in 1763. My Blalock's show up in NC circa 1802. Prior to that is a mystery.