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I have just acquired a copy of Charles Henry Douglas's 'A Collection of Family records, with Biographical Sketches and other memoranda of various families and individuals bearing the name DOUGLAS, or allied families of that name,' published in 1879.

Can anyone tell how accurate they think the book is?…

Need photos of your American grandparents or great-grandparents? A great source of 20th century photos is the U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 database from Ancestry.com.  It is not going to work for everyone but if your ancestors lived in the United States and either immigrated in the 20th century or had the means to travel abroad you just may be in luck.

United States Passport…

7 September 1795 - The Scots Magazine.

The Circuit Court of Justiciary was opened at Dumfries on Monday last, by the Right Hon. Lord Justice Clerk and Lord Craig.

The Court, at nine o'clock on Tuesday morning, proceeded to the trial …

The Appin Murder is one of the most famous in Scottish history. In the aftermath of the ’45 Rebellion, lands which had belonged to Jacobite clans were taken over by the government and parcelled-out to supporters of the victorious House of Hanover.

One of these was Colin Roy Campbell of Glenure. Colin Roy (who came to be known as the “Red Fox”) had served in the Earl of Loudoun’s regiment during the Rebellion. He was subsequently made factor over certain lands of Appin, which had…

In The Journal of Sir William Brereton of Handforth, Cheshire, wirtten in 1635, it states:

Wee lodged in Glasgoaw in Mr. David Weymes house : his wifes 
name is Margrett Cambell (the wives in Scottland never change butt 
allwayes retaine their owne names) noe stabling hereunto belonging 

I have not seen this reference to married women's names before.  How true is this?

Names may have a number of variants, for example, Stephen and Steven can be Steve, Stephan or Steffan; Terry, Terrance, Terrence, Terence. Hannah or Hanna could be Ann, Annie, Nana or Nanny.

Many nicknames are used as given names, for example, Jack as a nickname for John and Jack as a given name in its own right; Harry as a nickname for Henry and Harry as an independent given name.

I have just found a useful list of names and their associated…

Should there be a Clan Douglas Gathering in 2014?

EventScotland has announced the early details of the funding opportunities to create Scotland's Homecoming celebrations in 2014. This announcement was made at the Scottish Tourism Week conference and included plans to make £3 Million available to support a wide range of Homecoming 2014 events.

The Homecoming…

I have been asked to identify which Douglas was sentenced to 48 hours in the black hole.

The diary of John Dawson of Brunton contains the brief entry:

[1761. March] 24. Tuesday. This morning I was president of a 

court martial held upon one. Douglass for abusing Sergeant Orrick 

and Corporal Smith : punishment…

For nearly 18 years Graham and Britton Douglas believed they were fraternal twins. That was until Britton needed a bone-marrow transplant because chemotherapy for his leukemia had failed.

The Fort Worth, Texas, brothers learned that they were identical twins, sharing the same DNA, and therefore Britton could not receive his brother's bone marrow because their genetic…

Imagine if you could listen to your great grandmother tell her life story! She talks about her childhood - where she lived, went to school; about meeting her grandparents; recounting her anecdotes, etc.

Now, fast forward to the next family meet up, and quizing family members about your genealogy quest. The chances are that they will demurr when asked if you can record…

Taz Douglas will graduate from the V8 Development Series to the premier Supercars championship in 2012 after inking a deal with Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport.



28-year-old Douglas has spent the last four seasons in the tin-top feeder category, taking a best finish of 19th in the 2011 season. The former Victorian Formula Ford champion has also contested…

Tyrieshia Douglas (left), of Baltimore, failed to beat 2011 national champion Marlen Esparza on 18th February in the flyweight division at the U.S. women's Olympic boxing trials. It was her sixth bout in as many days, and tiredness may have played a part in her defeat.

Knowing that she is second best in the 112-pound flyweight class in the USA will be small comfort as…

Eighteenth century architect William Chambers' pavilion at Amesbury Abbey was commissioned by the Duchess of Queensbury.  It was constructed of trapped flint arranged in patterns, with deep projecting eaves and unglazed oval windows.

The Duchess was involved in every aspect of its…

The Borders family Bell may well descend from a Norman follower of David I who reigned until 1153 and was, by the end of the thirteenth century, well established in Dumfriesshire, Berwickshire and Perthshire.

Although the Bells were a Borders family, there are others of this name who are of Highland origin, and in that case, Bell is held to be a Sept of MacMillan.

Determining which surnames are septs of a clan is one of the prerogatives of the clan chief. Clan Douglas, while an…

Peter and John Douglas have put together a remarkable slideshow recording their grandfather's life.

The presentation on the life of sailing ship owner and sea captain, Harrison Douglas (1857-1919) covers sailing in the Pacific and Tasman during the 1880’s - 1915.…

100 years ago to day - in the Glasgow Herald

At a meeting of the Glasgow Archaeological Society last night the acting secretary reported that arrangements had been completed between Mr Douglas of Mains and the First Commissioner of Works, whereby two acres of land, lying to the south of the cemetery at Bearsden and containing a very well preserved section of the Antonine Wall had been placed…

Located off State Highway 224 east of Ottoville, in Putnam County, Ohio, Douglas was a small community that sat alongside the Indiana Hi Rail Corporation rail line. The school in Douglas closed in 1920, with the store to follow in the 1930s. There was also a coal yard and a grain elevator. But all have now disappeared.

Who was it named after?

Does anyone have any photographs or records?

This morning, I received one of those emails that circulates around the hinternet and blogosphere asking me to "Be a link in the memorial chain and help distribute this around the world" telling me "This e-mail is intended to reach 400 million people". The email came to me via South Africa, so it is travelling. But why 400 million people?

As a rule, I do not pass on snowball* type emails. Sometimes I just delete them; sometimes I point out that the unfortunate child who needs our help…

On this day in 1570, James Hamilton shot and killed James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, in the first recorded assassination using a firearm.

The Earl of Moray, during his brief term of office as the Regent of Scotland, was on his way to Edinburgh to meet James Douglas, 4th earl of Morton, and others, so discuss the rendition of English rebels.

A year later, Morton became Regent of Scotland.

The following is extracted from Rootsweb

I've "rescued" an old photograph identified only as "DOUGLAS" which was taken at the Jones Studio in Providence, Rhode Island. The photograph appears to have been taken in the 1870's with the man in the photograph most likely in his 30's at the time the photograph was taken. In addition to his name, someone has written "Registrar's Clerk" on the front of the photograph.

The photograph was recovered along with others belonging to…