Sandra and RayDen: thank you so much for your kindness and quite astounding set of replies within 24 hours. I should say that I did not try to include ages as, apart from those who came to California being second generation and not those who left my island of Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides, our predecessors there were innumerate and entirely uninterested in accuracy about dated of birth and ages so I have tended to find giving wild approximations has been as off-putting as helpful in like cases. I am certain though that you have tracked down the right family.
Perhaps I should explain my interest. Bards and seanachies in the gaelic world were a mix of poet, PR man and historian and the post was hereditary. The greatest and longest lived of these lines was the MacMhuirichs, descended from a Muredach who fled to Scotland from Ireland after mudering a rent collector who spoke rudely to him. That was in 1213 and his descendants were bards to the MacDonald Lords of the Isles until 1493, when the latter were forfeited. luckily, another branch, Clanranald had taken on one of the family in 1490. Approaching 1700, attempts were made to Anglicise surnames and the MacMhuirichs, still bards, in South Uist became Currie and in the neighbouring island of Benbecula became MacPherson. At the same time, descendants of a Maolmuire had their patronymic of MhaolMhure changed to the name borrowed for them by the priest, becoming MacMillan. We have recently found that Maolmuire was the son of the greatest of all the bards, Cathal MacMhuirich, who died in 1663. Maolmuire had a son Donald whose son Gillecallum appeared in a 1738 list of inhabitants as Malcolm MacMillan, The John MacMillan born in 1811 who emigrated to Nova Scotia was son of Angus MacMillan son of Malcolm.
It seems probable that these folks you have just tracked down for me were descendants of the High Kings of Ireland in the 70ss via the MacMhuirich bards. My project in setting out to follow their trail is to arrange DNA testing to compare with other results. Any advice on how I might take the one more step to identify a living male decendant would be most gratefully received.
Thanks again both for your incredible efforts. Angus. [p.s. I hope this does not repeat my message of a few minutes ago that simply disappeared into the ether!]
