The Douglas Archives

A collection of historical and genalogical records

All Blog Posts (904)

The Jardines and the Douglases- another link in the chain

An old friend died recently, and as I was researching our family connections, as I do, I came across the following story.

A Legacy of Loyalty and Honor: The Jardine Family's Complex History

The Jardine family, hailing from the picturesque town of Applegarthtown in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, has a rich and complex history that spans centuries. At the heart of this tale is Alexander Jardine of Applegirth, a Scottish landowner and soldier who played…

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Added by William Douglas on February 3, 2025 at 20:16 — No Comments

Genealogy in modern family life

New Genealogy Evening Course - Roots ... Genealogy holds significant value in modern family life for several reasons:

Connecting with Roots: Discovering family history provides a sense of identity and belonging. Knowing where you come from can strengthen family ties and create a sense of pride in your heritage.

Understanding Health Risks: Tracing family medical history can reveal patterns of inherited health conditions. This information can be crucial for preventative healthcare and making informed medical…

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Added by William Douglas on January 27, 2025 at 19:19 — No Comments

Preserving family history isn't a luxury

No photo description available.

When you think about it, family truly is everything. When times are good, we want to celebrate with those who mean the most to us. When the daily grind is over, it's family that we come home to. If times are tough, it’s the comforting support of family that we crave. And at the end, it’s family we wish to have by our side. So much of who we are and what we achieve stems from our ancestors; it's natural to turn to family because it's simply in our nature.

Preserving…

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Added by William Douglas on January 27, 2025 at 13:15 — No Comments

Out with the old, in with the new.

As some will know, I have been struggling with my webhost for a few months to provide an efficent service for all Douglas history and genealogy researchers. The site will be moving to a new host, so there will be some loss of service in the meantime.

Added by William Douglas on December 11, 2024 at 20:00 — 1 Comment

10% reduction offer for Douglas Archives members

Clan is Scotland's oldest and largest online Scottish heritage store, offering a range of traditional Scottish goods. Their collection includes tartans and custom-made kilts, luxurious cashmere and tweed items, homeware, gifts, children's wear, and accessories. Clan provides free worldwide shipping for orders over a certain amount and regularly features seasonal collections and sales. Their dedication to Scottish heritage is evident in every product they offer. 10% is automatically…

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Added by William Douglas on December 11, 2024 at 18:05 — No Comments

AI enhanced search facility for text in old hand written historical records - Familysearch website

Hi all,

The Familysearch website has introduced a new experimental AI search facilty that renders old, largely unintelligible, hand written documents 'searchable', available online here:

https://www.familysearch.org/en/labs/

It is still under development and can only be used on a [fairly large] selection of Familysearch records but already it is yielding impressive results -…

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Added by Ronald Drysdale on November 3, 2024 at 18:31 — No Comments

Freskin the Fleming - then and now

As many will know, one theory on the origins of the Douglas family is that we are descended from Freskin the Fleming.  Looking for early connections between the Douglases and the Freskins, I have been rooting around in the Freskin one name study.

However, there is not much there to help.  Indeed, the study is looking for someone to take over the project as it seems to have stalled.

The Friskens/Freskins are a Scottish family, heavily based around the Borderlands and the River…

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Added by William Douglas on November 2, 2024 at 12:24 — No Comments

Barbados POW Scots

Added by Mark Stephen Elliott on October 20, 2024 at 16:26 — 1 Comment

Douglas de Fenzi

Researching the Douglas of Garvald family, I encountered the Douglas de Fenzi family

Confusing press reports - Douglas of Garvald - The Douglas Archives (ning.com)

Returning to that research, I found a South African army officer with an interesting background.

A gravemarker records the following:…

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Added by William Douglas on October 14, 2024 at 10:28 — 1 Comment

Sons and Daughters of the Regiment - a Douglas dynasty

Nancy Visima, née Aitken, living in Ontario, Canada, is a mother of two and grandmother of two. She been researching her family history for nearly 30 years.

Her roots are entirely British — her father’s family hailed from Northeast Scotland, primarily Aberdeenshire, and her mother’s heritage was a mix of English, Scottish and Irish.

Nancy's 3G-grandfather was William James Douglas who enlisted in the 10th Regiment of Foot in Ireland in 1822. He and Mary Augusta…

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Added by William Douglas on October 11, 2024 at 9:30 — 1 Comment

Archibald (Douglas) V Earl of Angus (Bell the Cat) Died 1514

Added by Mark Stephen Elliott on October 6, 2024 at 16:10 — No Comments

Tartan coat worn by Sir John James Scott-Douglas, c.1822

https://www.nms.ac.uk/discover-catalogue/three-tartan-coats-from-the-georgian-period

Sir John James, 3rd Baronet , was the son of Sir George Douglas 2nd Baronet of Springwood. .

Douglas (1792-1836) joined the 15th Light…

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Added by William Douglas on September 3, 2024 at 14:00 — No Comments

Dunbar castle battle surname-s Gordon Cockburn Y-DNA Balliol Roll Marie Stuart

Feel indentured POW Daniel Ell(i)ot of Tullykelter, Co. Fermanagh (Maguire), Ireland, came to America on the same ship as Alexander Gordon, but his father-in-law's (Peter Cloise-Cloyse-Clayes many spellings) mother gave hard labor and felt by the Gordon's the she abused him, so the Gordon's may not ever accept that Daniel and his older…

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Added by Mark Stephen Elliott on August 24, 2024 at 16:38 — No Comments

Hawick Word 8ook by Douglas Scott a handy reference especially for Douglas, Scott, and Elliott

Hawick Word 8ook by Douglas Scott a handy reference especially for Douglas, Scott, and Elliott.

Added by Mark Stephen Elliott on August 19, 2024 at 17:00 — No Comments

Clan Armstrong MacGhillielaidir (Descendants of Strong Arm)

Clan Armstrong MacGhillielaidir (Descendants of Strong Arm) 'INVICTUS MANEA' 'VI ET ARMIS'

Added by Mark Stephen Elliott on August 7, 2024 at 16:14 — No Comments

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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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