Rob Roy McGregor

[RedMystic]

Hi Chatters,

I'm helping a friend who has an old letter that references Rob Roy MacGregor, but darned if I can make the connection to him. I'd really appreciate some help please.

The letter:

The parents of the four Ferguson brothers (who came to Canada at various times between 1816 - 1818) were Duncan and Margaret - her mother being a Mcgregor and descended from Rob Roy - his granddaughter, perhaps. When her four sons prepared to leave Scotland she chose as means of binding them to each other and to her a copper kettle which had belonged to their forebear Rob Roy: to one she gave the spout, to one the handle, to one the lid, and to one the pot.

How does Margaret MacGregor connect to Rob Roy? I've been going through Rob Roy's MANY children, but I haven't found a daughter or a grand daughter named Margaret that fits the one below.

Here is what I have:

Duncan Donald Ferguson
Birth abt 1739 in Balquhidder, Perthshire, Scotland
Death 1784 in Balquhidder, Perthshire, Scotland

m 14 Nov 1761

Margaret McGrigor or MacGregor
Birth abt 1739 in Port of Monteith, Perthshire, Scotland
Death bef Jun 1774 in Scotland

I'm beginning to question the validity of the story as I can't find an obvious link to Rob Roy & because the paragraph implies that Margaret was mother to all 4 boys who came to Canada (Patrick "Peter", Alexander, Duncan, John), but in reality Margaret was dead when they came & was mother to only the eldest Patrick "Peter" Ferguson; the other three were from Donald Duncan Ferguson's second wife, Helen Stewart 1754-1820 who he married 18 Jun 1774.

I'd really appreciate a second set of eyes and/or your opinions. Thanks in advance for your assistance.

[IMBER]

Junie43 with regard to your family tree you can only go on the records that are available

What is the earliest name, date and place that you have confirmed for your ancestors?

Hi

Rather than the next step being to look randomly for Campbells and Stirlings or any other name that may or may not have been linked with Rob Roy the only way to proceed with any hope of progress is to follow Sancti's advice.

Imber

[megpter]

Hi Junie43,
I also have grown up being told that we are descended from Rob Roy. My grandfather was Sydney Gregory and lived all his life in Sheffield. He walked around graves, there and Scotland tracing the family back to Rob. I am now trying to get what he did "on paper" for my mother who is still alive. My parents emigrated to Aus in the 50's and I now live in NZ.
 Through Ancestry I have got back to the early 1800s. But there the definite trail seems to go cold.
I don't think this will help your search but I wanted to make contact with you as we are both down-under. Megpter

[Rosinish]

It amazes me the amount of people who are told or "claim" to be descended/related to people such as "Rob Roy/William Wallace/Flora MacDonald/Robert Burns" etc.

I was told at school we all descend from Adam & Eve & in one of my lines as far back as I can get, I have a Mary & Joseph.

My problem is, I don't know what the surname of either Mary or Joseph were i.e. I don't know if I'm descended from them     

Annie

[Skoosh]

Is it no Christ, Rosinish?

Skoosh.

[RJ_Paton]

Is it no Christ, Rosinish?

Skoosh.

 

[Forfarian]

Through Ancestry I have got back to the early 1800s.

Whatever you do, do not believe anything you find online, and especially on Ancestry, other than an image of an original document.

See http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=714261.0

There are, no doubt, many trees online, even on Ancestry, which are meticulously researched. Sadly, there are also many that are at best wishful thinking and at worst complete garbage.

Use published trees as a pointer to your own research, and make sure that you have adequate proof at every stage.

And never assume that the only candidate you can find in the surviving records has to be the right person. There are many people whose baptism and marriage records have simpy not survived.

[megpter]

Thank You Forfarian , for confirming our thoughts about Ancestry. We have original certificates from my mother back to 1880, and evidence from that to get my g grandfather wedding. waiting for GRO to send a possible birth to move on.
But found a "tree" on ancestry that had diff parents for my g grandparents than I had on my g fathers birth cert given by my mother!
I do still want to find what my g father walked to find.
Optimistic Marg

[sancti]

Thank You Forfarian , for confirming our thoughts about Ancestry. We have original certificates from my mother back to 1880, and evidence from that to get my g grandfather wedding. waiting for GRO to send a possible birth to move on.
But found a "tree" on ancestry that had diff parents for my g grandparents than I had on my g fathers birth cert given by my mother!
I do still want to find what my g father walked to find.
Optimistic Marg

You don't need to go through GRO for records that far back, you can view them online