William Douglas's Blog – October 2009 Archive (6)

I was prompted by a post in the Legacy Users group to check my database for duplicate and inconsistent entries.



I have collected and collated individual contributions, downloaded GEDCOMs and pulled in family trees from a variety of sources. And they are all different! Or so it seems.



How many different ways are there to enter Arlington Cemetery? Or to spell Massachusetts? (I had to spell check it, so I hope it is right?)



However, the thing that surprised me most… Continue

I have been working on the Douglases of Brigton, and their connection with Dudhope Castle. As I was writing up the ancestry and history, I did not know that there is an opportunity to buy the Barony of Dudhope!



But checking on some amendments on peerage.com, I went back to my research and found that The Lordship and Barony of Dudhope are being offered for sale at a cool £75,000.



Any takers?



Further details can… Continue

A wealth of information about Scotland's past is now freely available through an online resource developed for the use of pupils, teachers and those seeking to put their Scottish ancestors into an historical context.



Scotland's History Online covers a range of subjects, from prehistoric through to 21st Century Scotland. With more than 200 topics that include links to over 1,000 other online sources and a… Continue

The following article is reprinted from "Facts & Genes"



The ancestral country for your surname is England. Looking at a surname distribution map, based on the 1881 census, shows your surname present in every county except 2, and a concentration in Yorkshire, Lancashire, and London. The fact that the surname found in almost every county, plus the fact that there are over 17,000 persons with the surname in the 1881 census for England and Wales, indicates that this is a multiple… Continue

Does anyone know how to remove the Gifts thing from 'My Page'?

I have moved it to the bottom, where it is less intrusive, but I am concerned that any number of unwanted gizmos could be added without any say from the individuals on whose pages they are being placed.

It is not a nice development.

William

Just published on the Panalba website, is the speech made at the time of the Clan Gathering in Edinburgh on the role of the clan chief in modern times.



Donald MacLaren of MacLaren tells this story:



In his bid to unite Dalriada and Pictland, Kenneth MacAlpine invited all the Pictish princes and nobles with rival claims to the throne to a great meeting and banquet. Disarmed at the door, rather like us, they entered all… Continue