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My paternal line Morton has always regarded itself as of the Douglas clan. As a consequence through my years I have acquired my father's Douglas kilt, my grandfather's sporran, two Douglas kilts of my own and a pair of trews!! I don't want all that to be a pipe-dream.

I have traced my paternal line back to c. 1700 and it is a work in progress.

My question is - has the surname Morton been directly linked to a Douglas by any member researching their own family tree? I understand that retainers identified with, and bore allegiance to, a particular clan without necessarily being related by blood or marriage but I continue in the hope that there is a possible kinship link somewhere along the line.

Finding that a modern day Morton has discovered such a link would spur me on to greater efforts.

Jamais arriere!

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Bruce,

If you use the family search function in the genealogy database and search for Morton and Douglas as both father's name and as mother's name (ie two different searches) you will find some pairings
http://www.douglashistory.co.uk/famgen/famsearchform.php

Yours aye,

William

William

Many thanks for pointing me to the family search function. I had not appreciated its significance. It came up with 1 match in Scotland, but in Glasgow. All my Mortons so far were in the Lothians. Nevertheless it gives me a start, if only to research the Glasgow husband.

Regards

Bruce

Septs sometimes show up in STR clustering, so I pasted your Y STR data into the large Scottish Y DNA project with the results above:  your nearest common ancestor lived about 30 generations ago (~1000 AD) which links you to one kit claiming ancestry named McMeans.  Otherwise you have to go back >50 generations ago, long before clans or surnames existed.  In other words, there is no evidence of any connections to Douglas or any other clan in this large dataset.  Of course maternal lineage is entirely possible.

Thank you Robin

I admit to being a beginner when it comes to understanding STRs and SNPs. I had this vain hope that there would be a blood link to the Douglas, but DNA testing is still in its early days, and I've only been able to afford FTDNA 67 markers to date.

My maternal line all lies in Aberdeenshire so the further back you go, with less and less mobility, the less likely it is that there would be any link. I have done an mtDNA Full Sequence but surnames are of no use.

Bruce

I have finally established my goal!

I am a descendant of the union of David, 4th Earl of Weemys and Lady Anne Douglas, daughter of William, 1st Duke of Queensberry.

Bruce Morton

Great stuff!

HISTORY-HUNTERS-Kinmont-Willie-Armstrong

This site will likely disown me for this one William Elliott, noted a direct ancestor, but family, got in with this Bauld Buccleuch, and Armstrong and even one from Mangerton, in 1596 rescued this Kinmont Willie Armstrong from Carlisle prison, so he could of all place be buried in the Morton Kirk (church) Cemetery, of Morton Parish at the time. Hope I am not in too much trouble with the Douglas of Morton.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sasine_deed_1484_for_Robert_Elwa...

note; Will Ellot, Goodman of Gorrombye Gorrenberry is not a direct relative but am directly related to;

File:Sasine deed 1484 for Robert Elwald %28Elliot%29, Redheugh, Larriston, Hartsgarth.jpg

'Willielmo Elwald de goranberry','Wilelmo elwad de gouinbery', IE William Elwald (Elliott) of Gorrenberry, who assisted Robert Elwald 10th chief of the Elwald-Ellwood-Ellot-Elliot-Eliott-Elliott, family squire to Archibald 'Bell the Cat' Angus, 5th Earl of Angus and referred to as 'Angus' in sasine/deed. Chief Margaret Eliott, our 29th chief is of Redheugh.  Will Ellot of Gorrenberry, would be a direct Gorrenberry, landed ancestor which retained the land of Gorrenberry. After border pacification lands ended up in the hands of Buccleuch. In sasine, Walter Scot of Edshaw is the son of David Scot of Buccleuch.

Thank you

Til now, I had confused this with Morton Parish Church, Thornhill

Nothing is visible of the Old Parish Church of Morton (NY37NW 4) which stood within the burial-ground on a slight rise overlooking the river cliff, and to the W of Tower-of-Sark steading (NY37NW 46). Within the burial-ground, there is a fine collection of 18th-century graveslabs. - 2 July 1993

Feel they moved their Morton Parish from Morton to Thornhill, and that is where the confusion comes from. Distribution of surname Morton, is now closer to Thornhill then Morton.

https://named.publicprofiler.org/

Found a c.1200 Morton Castle in the locality of Thornhill, and nearer to the concentration the census surname Morton, it is obvious this would be the major surname locality for the surname Morton, though it is possible, but few in proportion that some Morton surnames may come from the near locality where Kinmont is buried. Since the 1654 map shows a K. Morton on it, this means Kirk (chruch) Morton. The Parish of Morton would have originated form near Thornhill. Thornhill is noted as Anglo-Scandinavian and a Thornhill, Dewsbury, UK  besides Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway, UK, where the Morton Parish is now. 

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Making conections

The more information you can give about the people you mention, the more chance there is of someone else connecting with your family.

Dates and places of births, deaths and marriages all help to place families.

Professions also help.

'My great-grandmother mother was a Douglas from Montrose' does not give many clues to follow up! But a bit of flesh on the bones makes further research possible. But if we are told who she married, what his profession was and where the children were baptised, then we can get to work.

Maybe it is time to update the information in your profile?


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