The History of the Family Dallas

[kojak]

Hi All,

If anyone has a connection with the Scottish surname DALLAS (which was spelt in about 20 different ways through the years), please let me know as I have recently purchased a rare old tomb of a book by JAMES DALLAS dated 1921 which sets out the ancestral history of the family back to the 12th century - all fully researched and documented.

Since the book was written sometime between 1910-1921 (I understand it was published after his death), it doesn't have much in the way of modern (20th century) records.  If you have any look up requests about any particular Dallas' - especially those from Nairn, Inverness and the Scottish North East, please leave a message and I will have a look.

Regards

Kojak and redspookhunter

 

[Forfarian]

My great-great-great-great-great-grandparents were John Dallas and Marjory Dow or Dove, whose family were all born in Tainreid, parish of Botriphnie, Banffshire, between 1739 and 1762. However there's no need to look for them in your recently acquired tome, because I've already done that and they are not mentioned:( I'd be happy to hear from anyone else who is interested in the Dallas family in Botriphnie, of course).

[sheena58]

One of my great grandmothers was a Dallas from Inverness. I have traced some records but would be interested to hear more about them, or to find other Dallas links. She was Christina Ann Dallas baptised in 1851, as far as I can tell she was the youngest of a large family, most of whom seem to have died very young. Her parents were Roderick and Helen/Ellen McKay. She also went on to marry a (Donald) MacKay who doesn't appear to be related in any way to her mother's side. Her sister Helen/Ellen also maried a (Hugh) MacKay, brother of Donald... and they had children of approximately the same age and names as each other.

Sheena

[eilthireach]

This has been digitized by the Open Library and is available to view online at http://openlibrary.org/books/OL6637908M/history_of_the_family_of_Dallas

I have Dallas on my mother's side (a great-great-grandmother), Lillias Dallas, widow of Angus McPherson who farmed at Mains of Dunain just outside Inverness and died sometime before 1835, when she was involved (as the victim) in a criminal trial involving horsestealing...

[eilthireach]

I have noticed that the index of names in this work is incomplete and should not be relied upon. I see that there is a Lillias Dallas* mentioned on p. 449 who is not in the index!

*who is tantalisingly a possible candidate based on age. My Lillias was "55" [i.e., 55-59] in 1841 and the Lillias on p. 449 was born in December 1781 and would have been 59 in June 1841...
I don't know if my Lillias appears in the 1851 census returns.
I see also on p. 451 a Roderick Dallas described as a farmer at Dunain ... who will be the Roderick Dallas, 67, at Leachkin (immediately north of Dunain) in the 1841 returns ... Was he her brother, I wonder?

[sheena58]

Thanks for that.
I've had a quick look at the book on line and found my branch although my great gran is recorded as Christian. In her baptism record it's spelt Christina and my aunt, named after her in 1900 was also Christina. I am aware of the fact that the spelling varies quite a bit in the registers and a lot of Scottish names are interchangeable, partly due to the Gaelic/English variants so no real surprise there!
Have you searched the Scotlands people records for Dallas? I found them quite comprehensive, unlike most branches of my family(!). It's possible to search under all kinds of variation and view the initial search list for very little (about 20p a page I think, although I haven't been on for a while). If you search for Lillias it should tell you who her parents are in the initial search. You can then do a wide search under parents' names with date perameters.
Being a little bit vague helps due to aforementioned name variants. this should give you potential sibblings. You can then choose to view the original record, if it's there for about £1, to get more detail.
Sorry if I'm telling you what you already know but, as I said I found a lot of Dallas info on there.

Sheena

[kojak]

I have noticed that the index of names in this work is incomplete and should not be relied upon. I see that there is a Lillias Dallas* mentioned on p. 449 who is not in the index!

*who is tantalisingly a possible candidate based on age. My Lillias was "55" [i.e., 55-59] in 1841 and the Lillias on p. 449 was born in December 1781 and would have been 59 in June 1841...
I don't know if my Lillias appears in the 1851 census returns.
I see also on p. 451 a Roderick Dallas described as a farmer at Dunain ... who will be the Roderick Dallas, 67, at Leachkin (immediately north of Dunain) in the 1841 returns ... Was he her brother, I wonder?

Yes, the index may not be without its errors, but we are talking about hundreds if not thousands of references to the surname within the single publication.  Without today's computer aids, indexing was no mean feat back in the early 1920s.  I have found the book to be a fantastic research tool and with its referencing and archive sourcing, I would not be as harsh on its validity.  Obviously the book was deemed to be worthwhile and essential as a genealogical aid to be digitised.

I, for one will take much more enjoyment and confidence from the genealogical accounts recorded within the publication than rely on dubious transcribed records that exist on several websites that modern day researchers blindly follow.

I rate this book highly and anyone with Dallas connections should review the open library link.

Kojak

[eilthireach]

" ... I would not be as harsh on its validity ... "
I wasn't actually talking about its validity, but making the point that people should not rely on the index to locate the person of interest. If the person they are looking for is not in the index, it does not mean the person is not to be found in the book. This applies to any book or document or resource ... Books, databases, etc. ... these things are the work of human beings and will contain errors as a matter of course, no matter how carefully they are proofread or edited. That's what happens.

"I, for one will take much more enjoyment and confidence from the genealogical accounts recorded within the publication than rely on dubious transcribed records that exist on several websites that modern day researchers blindly follow."

Oh, dear....

[Skoosh]

Half the Kingussie Shinty Team are usually Dallas's    Skoosh.