RootsChat.Com

Skoosh - Yes, one of them anyway. The De Birmingham in Ireland assimilated and became MacFioris. After few generations of marrying Irish they became Irish. They held the Baron Athenry title.

The thing is, as always even with Noble homes, you have many kids, and the youngest ones first devolve to gentry, they move somewhere else, then peasants...

My problem is I don't know based on what did they connect the MacFioris and MacJoris. Is it really enough to base a connection on name only?

MacJoris became McGeorge, that is documented. De Birmingham became MacFioris, that is documented. But the connection between MacFioris and MacJoris, a branch of the MacFioris  moving to Galloway and becoming MacFioris... that is where my questions and doubts are. So many names sound similar and I just find it too little to go with.

Ruskie - The thing is, when you look at the distribution of the McGeorge family in the 19th century it seems like 99% of them were in Galloway and very close to each other. That makes me believe the single origin theory.

The ancestry from the McJore/McYore are also documented, and even though I can't count many generations back, so far it all makes perfect sense.

However, it is before the McJore which I find too good to be true. The descent from a family which is descent from the de Berminghams, based on what would that appear? I mean it seems to be entirely based on the name similarity principle. McPheoris becoming McYoris. But how certain can such a theory be?

My wife is descendant from the McGeorge family in Galloway, Scotland (Parton, village).

I found that link talking about the "Origin" of the surname:
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/MCGEORGE/2001-05/0989133168

I says that:
"The name, at an early period spelt and pronounced
 Macjore, appears in that form on of the tombstone of one of the families
 is interesting as showing the change in the writing of the name in the same
 family. It is as follows "John Macjore in Cartine died 28 Feb 1691, age 80:
 also John McGeorge of Cocklick his son. He died 17th June 1726 aged 69"….."
 "The late Mr Brydson , the author of an excellent book on heraldry, is of
 opinion that the family of Macgeorge was descended from the Irish Clan of
 MacIoris which had settled, he says at an early period, in Galloway and
 which, in time of Henry II was reckoned among the great families of
 Ireland. This confirmed by the manner in which the name at an early period
 was pronounced and spelt in Galloway…." "


My question is, is it an "urban legend" or a reliable source? I mean how much percentagewise should  believe that the McGeorge family really did originate from the Clan of MacIoris?

Also, later it says that the MacIoris Clan are descendants from the De Bermengham family, and that simply seems to good to be true. What are the odds this information is actually correct? Is it based on serious research or is it, pardon me, baseless speculations?

The McGeorges in our family were poor coal miners and stone masons from Galloway, and being descendants from landlords who are descendants from one of the most powerful families in Ireland? And that Irish family to be descendants from the De Bermenghams? How seriously should I take this information? How much should I believe it?

I really hope somebody could give me their opinion/assessment.