The Douglas Archives

A collection of historical and genalogical records

Douglas families in Ireland

Information

Douglas families in Ireland

Researching members of the Douglas family in Ireland is notoriously difficult.  So many records have been destroyed, and the families often moved on to America, or elsewhere.

This group is for those tracing their ancestors in Ireland.

Members: 47
Latest Activity: Jul 3

Why did Scots use Ireland as a stepping stone to emigrate to America?

Scots emigrated to America from Ireland primarily due to a combination of factors:

1. Economic Hardships: Many Scots faced poverty and limited economic opportunities in Ireland, particularly during the 18th and 19th centuries. The decline of traditional industries and agricultural challenges pushed them to seek better prospects in America.

2. Religious Persecution: Some Scots, especially Presbyterians, faced discrimination and persecution in Ireland. Seeking religious freedom, they migrated to America where they hoped to practice their faith without oppression.

3. Land Displacement: The Highland Clearances in Scotland led to many Scots being displaced from their lands. This forced migration contributed to their movement to Ireland and subsequently to America.

4. Famine: The Great Famine in the mid-19th century prompted many to leave Ireland altogether in search of food and stability, leading some Scots to migrate to America.

5. Family and Community Ties: Established Scottish communities in America often encouraged relatives and friends to join them, creating a network of support for new immigrants.

6. Adventure and Opportunity: The promise of land, work, and a new life attracted many Scots, who were drawn by the idea of the American Dream.

These factors combined to create a significant wave of Scottish emigration from Ireland to America, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Discussion Forum

Tulach Dubhghlaise, Mound of the Dark Stream

Started by William Douglas Apr 19, 2022. 0 Replies

Here, in Scotland, we have been enjoying a celebrity pilgrimage (You…Continue

Tags: Columba, St, Iona, Donegal, Dubhghlaise

A history of the Douglas family whose Ulster roots are from Lurgan, Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland and surrounding Townlands

Started by William Douglas. Last reply by William Douglas Apr 17, 2022. 15 Replies

Two or three years ago, I was given a folder of files made up of the…Continue

Tags: Armagh, Lurgan, Ireland

william douglas 1804 1874

Started by mary ethelwood Oct 7, 2021. 0 Replies

lived in carrick on shannon prison turnkey lived 90 main street married ann tolen//chjldren william/ elen robert ann ester/ann married polceman 1869 michael deerans from galwayContinue

Charles Douglas of Dervock

Started by Richard William Maginis Douglas. Last reply by Richard William Maginis Douglas Feb 5, 2021. 11 Replies

At a dead end despite 20 years research on my 3rd G-Grandfather Rev. Charles Douglas (1743-1833) of Dervock, Co. Antrim, whose father is indicated to be a James Douglas of Dervock by the University…Continue

Comment Wall

Add a Comment

You need to be a member of Douglas families in Ireland to add comments!

Comment by Fred Keith Douglass on April 26, 2012 at 7:42

William Douglass has 2 esses in his name . Why do many archives only show 1 ess?

Comment by Fred Keith Douglass on April 26, 2012 at 7:41

What Happened to the Douglass clan and why does it seam we dissapeared?

Comment by William Douglas on January 13, 2012 at 18:59

Ireland's Military Archives have been made available online for the first time. By March it plans to publish the Bureau of Military History Collection 1913 to 1921.

The Archives, which are held in Cathal Brugha Barracks in Rathmines in Dublin, can now be accessed via a new website - militaryarchives.ie. A quick visit to the site did not imediaely make it clear how one is supposed to search the site, but perhaps that will become clearer in March.

The site has been launched in conjunction with the National Archives of Ireland, and is designed to appeal to historians, genealogists and members of the public researching their family tree.

By March, it plans to publish the Bureau of Military History Collection 1913 to 1921, online, including 36,000 pages of witness statements, digitised and fully word searchable.

This will be followed by the first release of the Military Service Pensions Project - material which the Defence Forces say "will provide a major and never before seen insight into the 1916 Rising and the War of Independence in particluar".

Many researchers confuse the Military Archives as a place of deposit for the records of all Irish people who have served in other armed forces. In fact, the Military Archives holds only the personnel records of those who served in the military of the Irish Free State from 1922 to the late 1970's, as well as material pertaining to the Irish Volunteers and the Independence movement, 1913-1921. Information about British Army records, including those for the Irish regiments, can be obtained at The National Archives of England at Kew in London.

Comment by William Douglas on January 12, 2012 at 21:12

Re: James C. Whyte Douglas 


I have just received the following information:

Pour une association généalogique en Bretagne, je suis en train d'étudier l'ouvrage du pasteur E.W.L. DAVIES "Wolf-hunting and wild sport in lower Britanny". Dans ce livre apparaît un nommé "Shafto" qui est en fait James-Charles WHYTE DOUGLAS. Voici sa généalogie :
- James-Charles WHYTE DOUGLAS
°29/11/1819 Cluden Bank, Holywood, Dumfries (Scotland)
son of Thomas WHYTE (+12/5/1861) and Emily-Olivia DOUGLAS (+6/2/1838).
He lived in Laz (Finistère, Britanny, France)
He died 3/4/1885 at Huelgoat (Finistère, Britanny, France)
He married 31/8/1885 at Belle-Isle-en-Terre (Côtes-d'Armor, Britanny, France)
with
- Mathurine MOY (not MOYA)°8/3/1825 at Langast (Côtes-d'Armor, Britanny, France), daughter of Julien MOY and Françoise GROSVALET.
They have got 2 children :
- George-Marie MOY DOUGLAS (sic) °12/11/1849 at Plouguenast (Côtes-d'Armor, Britanny, France)
- Helène-Rosalie-Marie WHYTE DOUGLAS °4/9/1851 at Plouguenast (Côtes-d'Armor, Britanny, France), she married 20/2/1875 )at Belle-Isle-en-Terre (Côtes-d'Armor, Britanny, France)with Nathaniel KEMP.

Comment by William Douglas on August 31, 2011 at 9:30

There is a brief reference in "The geographical distribution of Irish ability" to a George Alexander Douglas from Roscommon, Ireland, who held a high offical appointment in Kingston, Jamaica. It does not say when he arrived there, how long he was there or if he and any of his family died out there which is what I am trying to find out.

GAD was the father ofMajor General Henry Edward Manning DouglasVC, CB, CMG, DSO (11 July 1875–14 February 1939), a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. 

 

Does anyone have these in their family tree?

Comment by William Douglas on July 27, 2011 at 19:34

I have just been looking at the excellent website The Connacht and Munster Landed Estates, and come across this entry:

The Nicholsons received grants of land in Sligo under the Acts of Settlement and one of them became High Sherrif of Sligo in 1671. In 1675 Edward Nicholson, described as of Cummin or Knocknaray, served as High Sheriff of Leitrim. The Nicholson estate extended in to the Barony of Leyny, covering part of the parish of Achonry. This estate was sold in the Landed Estates court in 1876 on behalf of Agnes Mary Nicholason, an infant. McTernan states that the Gethin family were the purchasers and they in turn leased it to several other parties. There were also legal proceedings within the family due to loans and mortgages. Two granddaughters of James Nicholson (d.1810), Emily and Harriett Douglas, were married to Adam Mossman and Thomas White, who also held land in Sligo. Adam Mossman was a Liverpool merchant. Various members of the Mossman family, who were married into the Nicholason family, held c.1000 acres in County Sligo in 1876. In November 1865 James C. Whyte Douglas offered lands at Luffertan, Woodpark and fishing rights at Culleenduff for sale in the Landed Estates Court. The original leases were between James Nicholson and the Earl of Erne's estate. George W. Douglas was still the owner of 70 acres at Culleenduff, in the 1870s.

Can anyone identify these Douglases?

Comment by mary ethelwood on July 12, 2011 at 9:11
ellen douglass married edward macgee/anne douglass married michael deerans
Comment by William Douglas on July 11, 2011 at 18:13
se also comments for the Douglas family of Grace Hall
 

Members (47)

 
 
 

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?


© 2025   Created by William Douglas.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service