William Douglas's Blog (603)

The Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner - a cordless, battery powered, scans large originals - is the new must have accessory for genealogists and family history researchers.

For Memory Keepers who want to conveniently and reliably scan photos, images in books and magazines, and works of…

OK - it is the 4th of October now!

But the Treaty of Berwick was an important event as in 1357, it officially ended the Second War of Scottish Independence. In this second phase of the Wars of Scottish Independence, which began in 1333, King Edward III of England attempted to install Edward Balliol on the Scottish throne, in place of King David II, son of Robert the Bruce.

There were subsequently three further Treaties signed in Berwick, in 1560, 1586 and 1639.

On this day (although the day cannot be definite),  the armies of Norway and Scotland fought at the Battle of Largs, an inconclusive engagement near the present-day town of Largs in North Ayrshire.  Sir William de Douglas had 2 sons who fought at the Battle. Presumably other Douglases were also involved.

The House of Representatives is set to vote on legislation introduced in early August that would allow a statue of the famed abolitionist to be moved from a D.C. government building to the U.S. Capitol. The statue of Douglass is one of two that D.C. commissioned in 2006—the second is of Pierre L'Enfant—to join the two busts that every state is entitled to have in the…

The public is invited to two open houses at Davis-Douglas Farm, Massachusetts: from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 29; and from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21.

This summer, the Trust purchased the Davis-Douglas Farm, a beautiful 10-acre property on Long Pond Road. Long a beloved scenic landmark in south Plymouth, this property was once part of Howland Davis’ estate on Long Pond. The property’s most recent owner, the Bongiovanni family, has designated the property be named the…

I have heard that there is a proposal to erect a memorial to Sir James Douglas, who won his knighthood at the Battle of Bannockburn, and died carrying the heart of Robert the Bruce to the Holy Land.

As I understand it, the plan is to erect a cairn, or monument at Douglas Castle on land owned by The Earl of Home.

Can anyone tell me more about this?

I have hopes that a Clan Douglas Heritage Society might be formed at the time of the Clan Gathering, in July 2014.  Perhaps…

X Factor contestant Jahmene Douglas suffered a  break down on last night's show and needed medical attention because he was so anxious about his performance. 

After the judges were told Jahmene Douglas was with medics Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh decided to go back stage to give him a pep talk in an attempt to instil some confidence in him.

Jahmene said: 'Today there’s a lot of pressure on me because yesterday I let myself down a lot, didn’t…

In 1452 James II invites William, 8th Earl of Douglas, to Stirling Castle. James demands that Douglas end an alliance with the MacDonalds. In the argument that follows Douglas is stabbed to death.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/the_stewarts/william_douglas_is_murdered_at_stirling/

The Dowager Duchess of Northumberland died on 19th September 2012, aged 90. Born on January 20 1922, Lady Elizabeth Diana Montagu-Douglas-Scott was the elder daughter of the 8th Duke of Buccleuch (and 10th Duke of Queensberry) and his wife, Mary (Mollie) Lascelles. She was the widow of the 10th Duke.

In June 1946 she married Hugh, 10th Duke of Northumberland, thus uniting…

On this day, 19th August, in 1356, English forces led by Edward the Black Prince decisively won the Battle of Poitiers and captured King Jean II of France.  William, 1st Earl of…

On this day in 1752 – In adopting the Gregorian calendar under the terms of the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750, the British Empire skipped eleven days (September 2 was followed directly by September 14).

The ‘People of Medieval Scotland’ is a database of the 21,000+ people mentioned in the 8500+ documents from Scotland that survive between 1093 and 1314. It has been designed to cater for beginners as well as experts. Learners can explore and discover this pivotal period of Scotland’s past on their own terms. Experts can conduct research in days and hours that would once have taken them months. The database also offers learners and experts a new experience of engaging with the past, allowing…

Historical documents, including Ordnance Survey (OS) Name Books and Scotland’s Servant and Hearth Tax rolls dating back some 300 years, are now available online on the ScotlandsPlaces website.

The records are among new additions to a treasure trove of historical information held on the site, which brings together…

Discover your ancestors for FREE this weekend as Ancestry.com opens all 713 million U.S. census records from 1790 to 1940. Learn where your ancestors were born, what they did for a living, how much they earned—even meet the girl (or guy) next door.

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I have just come across this useful list of research tools, from Appalachian American Genealogy:

William Douglas (died 1791) was a Scottish ship captain and maritime fur trader during the late 18th century. He worked with the British trader and Captain John Meares, commanding the ship Iphigenia Nubiana. He was involved in the Nootka Crisis of 1789, which brought Britain and Spain to the brink of war. A few years later he was captain of the American ship Grace. In 1791 he partnered with Captain John Kendrick in an attempt to open trade with Japan.

Iphigenia Bay, in Alaska, is…

Seven brothers migrated to Jamaica and settled in the parish of St. Ann and St. Elizabeth. The Eldest Brother, William 'Captain' Douglas settled in River Wood on land which he purchased from Lord Sutton Brown . He renamed the place Douglas Castle.

As a part of its wealthy history, the story is told of how the Community of Douglas Castle was settled. In the 18th…

Mr Douglas,

I am writing on behalf of the National Records of Scotland who are very interested in obtaining up-to-date contact details in relation to the Sandilands of Eastbarns Writs deposited some time ago by W. S. Douglas of Dundarrach.

I would be very grteful if you could get back to me at kirsty.martin@nas.gov.uk at your earliest convenience.

Thank you and best wishes,

Kirsty Martin

Congratulations to Gabrielle Douglas, one of the USA gymnastic team who won gold at the London Olympics.

Edward J. Douglas, (Dlugosz) 85, passed away after a long illness at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center on his birthday, July 20, 2012. 

There is a wonderful photograph album, of which this photo is just one, attached to his obituary. It would be nice to know who all the family members are, but sadly they are not captioned. But worth …