Author Topic: Durness Macdonalds  (Read 3550 times)

Offline Donnie Duvall

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Durness Macdonalds
« on: Friday 13 November 15 21:47 GMT (UK) »
I would appreciate hearing from any Macdonalds from Durness, Scourie or Tongue, who may know anything about the origins of their families and of any possible links with the Hebrides.

Many thanks

Donnie Macdonald

Offline Rosinish

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Re: Durness Macdonalds
« Reply #1 on: Friday 13 November 15 21:59 GMT (UK) »
Hi Donnie,

It may be a good idea to list names & dates of people who you know to be related to Hebridean MacDonald's.

Which Hebridean islands are you most interested in as the MacDonald's were widespread?

Annie
South Uist, Inverness-shire, Scotland:- Bowie, Campbell, Cumming, Currie

Ireland:- Cullen, Flannigan (Derry), Donahoe/Donaghue (variants) (Cork), McCrate (Tipperary), Mellon, Tol(l)and (Donegal & Tyrone)

Newcastle-on-Tyne/Durham (Northumberland):- Harrison, Jude, Kemp, Lunn, Mellon, Robson, Stirling

Kettering, Northampton:- MacKinnon

Canada:- Callaghan, Cumming, MacPhee

"OLD GENEALOGISTS NEVER DIE - THEY JUST LOSE THEIR CENSUS"

Offline Donnie Duvall

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Re: Durness Macdonalds
« Reply #2 on: Saturday 14 November 15 21:11 GMT (UK) »
Many thanks for your reply

I live on Lewis, but know very little about my paternal Macdonald line, both the written records and the oral tradition on this side of my family are quite vague.
Because of this gap in my knowledge, I undertook a Y-DNA test a number of years ago which uncovered matches with Macdonalds of Sutherland and Skye descent.  I also read that some of the Durness Macdonalds were descended from Skye people who moved North at some point in the 18th Century and wonder if that may indicate a tenuous link.
William was a very common forename in my paternal Macdonald line, the family were apparently known as the Dearg (Red) Macdonalds.
I wonder if my paternal ancestors may have come from North West Sutherland, given its proximity to Lewis?

Many Thanks again

Donnie Macdonald

Offline djct59

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Re: Durness Macdonalds
« Reply #3 on: Saturday 14 November 15 23:13 GMT (UK) »
There were a number of MacDonalds from Skye moved to Durness in the late 18th century, but the local parish records don't  record anyone in Durness from the Isle of Lewis. One Ewan MacDonald was a shepherd in Balnakeil married to Flora MacLeod, and names don't come much more "Skye" than that. I suspect he was the brother of the first John Oag MacDonald in the Durness records, who was married to one Eric MacVee, also listed as from Skye.

I am descended from the second John Oag MacDonald (b. 1777), who may have been the son of Ewan and Flora,


Offline Donnie Duvall

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Re: Durness Macdonalds
« Reply #4 on: Sunday 15 November 15 00:37 GMT (UK) »
Many thanks for getting in touch.
I wonder what led these Skye Macdonalds to move to North West Sutherland?
Are you a Macdonald?
I would be interested to know of any Macdonalds from Durness or North West Sutherland who may have their DNA tested.

Regarding a Lewis connection, I know that many of the Morrisons from NW Sutherland were descended from North Lewis Morrisons who took refuge in Sutherland after a failed feud with the Macleods. There a lot of Mackays in Lewis too. Presumably there was a fair amount of North Minch traffic, probably before the advent of written records.

Thanks again
Donnie

Offline Rosinish

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Re: Durness Macdonalds
« Reply #5 on: Sunday 15 November 15 01:51 GMT (UK) »
Donnie,

You have still not supplied names & dates which would help immensely.

Other's reading posts, like to acquaint themselves with names as well as dates, not just surnames as some people reading your post may not know of a link until they can connect forenames & dates as well as maiden names.

Annie.
South Uist, Inverness-shire, Scotland:- Bowie, Campbell, Cumming, Currie

Ireland:- Cullen, Flannigan (Derry), Donahoe/Donaghue (variants) (Cork), McCrate (Tipperary), Mellon, Tol(l)and (Donegal & Tyrone)

Newcastle-on-Tyne/Durham (Northumberland):- Harrison, Jude, Kemp, Lunn, Mellon, Robson, Stirling

Kettering, Northampton:- MacKinnon

Canada:- Callaghan, Cumming, MacPhee

"OLD GENEALOGISTS NEVER DIE - THEY JUST LOSE THEIR CENSUS"

Offline djct59

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Re: Durness Macdonalds
« Reply #6 on: Sunday 15 November 15 18:33 GMT (UK) »
"I wonder what led these Skye Macdonalds to move to North West Sutherland?"

Alexander MacDonald, 9th Baronet of Sleat was an Anglophile absentee landlord who raised the rents on his estates, and evicted many of the poorer tenants from their holdings. During his chieftainship, several tacksmen in Skye gave up their leases and emigrated. From Sleat across to Eddrachillis Bay is a fairly short journey by boat, and the MacDonalds spread out from there as cattlemen.

I have a distant cousin the USA who has done DNA testing but nobody I know in the UK has done it.

Offline Rosinish

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Re: Durness Macdonalds
« Reply #7 on: Sunday 15 November 15 18:42 GMT (UK) »
A DNA result won't help a connection without Births, Marriages & Death results to confirm blood ancestry which all includes names & dates which are not given as yet by Donnie but are needed to climb the tree.

Annie
South Uist, Inverness-shire, Scotland:- Bowie, Campbell, Cumming, Currie

Ireland:- Cullen, Flannigan (Derry), Donahoe/Donaghue (variants) (Cork), McCrate (Tipperary), Mellon, Tol(l)and (Donegal & Tyrone)

Newcastle-on-Tyne/Durham (Northumberland):- Harrison, Jude, Kemp, Lunn, Mellon, Robson, Stirling

Kettering, Northampton:- MacKinnon

Canada:- Callaghan, Cumming, MacPhee

"OLD GENEALOGISTS NEVER DIE - THEY JUST LOSE THEIR CENSUS"

Offline kennymac

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Re: Durness Macdonalds
« Reply #8 on: Thursday 18 July 19 12:49 BST (UK) »
I remember coming across a MacDonald family in Durness with a Skye origin.  There was a Neil in the family.  I think they disappear off the record after the 1851 census, though.  A well known MacDonald family from Durness and then Melness turned out to have come north with the Munroes many centuries back.  Think they were also known as MacAddies.  They are decidedly R1b, though.  They had hoped there would have been a link with the Keppoch MacDonalds through intermarriage with the MacKays, but that proved false.