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An unhelpful response

The following response was posted on a forum (NOT here!). Thankfully, most genealogists are a little more helpful.



In the 28 generations [+ -] from Sir James "the good" Douglas to now, Sir James has roughly 20 billion descendants. When only 6 billion people live on the planet presently, you must have a "family tree" the size of a football field? :-)



Considering that the theoretical number of our ancestors is exponential, and calculating that a century is equivalent to… Continue

Added by William Douglas on April 6, 2010 at 14:50 — No Comments

Without a double lung transplant young mother, Milly Douglas-Pennant, a cystic fibrosis sufferer, will not live to see her baby daughter, Lucia, grow up.

The mother propped up on pillows with her baby by her side is waiting for someone to die. Breathing is difficult, even with the help of nasal oxygen, so her sentences are short, punctuated by quick, sharp coughs. Her hospital bag has been packed for six months. Her husband has given up his job to care for her and their one-year-old daughter, Lucia. Her parents are ready for the telephone call that will summon her to Harefield Hospital for a double lung transplant operation. But as the days…
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Added by William Douglas on April 2, 2010 at 18:04 — 2 Comments

Jenny Douglas could be Dorothy

Jenny Douglas The latest BBC reality TV show seeks to find a star to play the part of Dorothy in Andrew Lloyd Webber's forthcoming production, Over the Rainbow. Contestants have been whittled down from around 9,000 contenders to the final 10. Amongst them is Jenny Douglas.


Jenny has always loved to sing, but discovered she had a distinct voice at the age of around six or seven. She is currently halfway through her first year of acting classes and her first year of…
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Added by William Douglas on March 28, 2010 at 16:00 — 2 Comments

Spam attacks - it is not the Canadians!

Acknowledged by many as the Internet's worst case of criminal offending, Canadian Pharmacy has infiltrated the Ning network, on which the Douglas Archives Comunity is based.


First of all, I want you to know how seriously we consider this issue. Spam isn’t just an annoyance for Network Creators and their members. Spam gets in the way of member participation and interaction, which is the lifeblood of a successful, vibrant Ning Network like ours. I have already…
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Added by William Douglas on March 23, 2010 at 15:00 — No Comments

Marquis of Clydesdale engaged to be married

The engagement was announced 20 March 2010, between Alexander Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, styled Marquis of Clydesdale (b 31 Mar 1978), elder son of Angus Alan Douglas [Douglas-Hamilton], 15th Duke of Hamilton (b 13 September 1938), by his late former wife Sarah Jane Scott (b. 28 Oct 1945; d. 17 Feb 1994), eldest dau. of Sir Walter Scott, 4th Bt., of Beauclerc, Bywell St Andrews, co. Northumberland, & Sophie Ann Rutherford,, dau of Mr Hubert Rutherford, of Roxburghshire and Mrs Isabel… Continue

Added by William Douglas on March 21, 2010 at 11:30 — No Comments

Will the real John Douglas please stand up?

The excellent website, Secret Scotland, lists several Sir John Douglases. Can anyone help sort them out?

Lt.-Gen. Sir Neil Douglas of Glenfinart

Invested as a Knight Commander, Order of the Bath (K.C.B.). Father of General Sir John Douglas of…

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Added by William Douglas on March 18, 2010 at 12:30 — No Comments

Douglas of Bonjedward and Timpendean

Scotland's Historic Heraldry by Bruce A McAndrew

Re George 1st Earl of Angus "...William, 1st Earl of Douglas, had children by his sister in law. Margaret Stewart, Countess of Angus (1417/18), the eldest of whom was named George. He was acknowledged lord of Angus 1389-97 and thereafter earl till his early death soon after the battle…
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Added by William Douglas on February 22, 2010 at 13:00 — No Comments

A dynasty of Clock and Watch makers

John Douglas, who was living in 1759, of Jedburgh, Roxburghshire became a Master Clock and Watch maker and founded a dynasty of Clock and Watch makers, Jewellers, Jewellery makers, Goldsmiths and Silversmiths.



Eighteen Clock and Watch makers named Douglas that are part of the family have been identified, plus a Walter Lamont - a total of nineteen. Besides clockmaking there is a strong descent of Artists - Snuff Box painter, Portrait painters, Genre painters and Picture restorers;… Continue

Added by William Douglas on February 11, 2010 at 11:16 — No Comments

Trailer for the Douglas Archives



This is a new trailer I have just made - any thoughts?


You can get a copy here:…

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Added by William Douglas on February 8, 2010 at 20:00 — No Comments

Seeking ancestors through graveyards

I have been working on researching Douglases who were watch and clock makers, trying to find the link between family members in Chertsey, Surrey, Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, Galston, Ayrshire and others. Sally Douglas, in Melbourne, Australia is the power behind this research and has made enormous progress.


She recently sent me a couple of photographs of gravestones which are key to providing supporting evidence. But for how much longer will this evidence be…
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Added by William Douglas on February 5, 2010 at 12:00 — No Comments

JD Salinger dies - the Douglas connection

JD Salinger

The death of 'Catcher in the Rye' author, JD Salinger, brings out some painful stories of his relationship with his second wife, Claire Douglas.

Claire, daughter of art critic Professor Robert Langton Douglas, had met Salinger at a party in 1954, when she was just 19 and a student at Radcliffe College. They married the next year, and Salinger insisted that… Continue

Added by William Douglas on January 31, 2010 at 14:00 — No Comments

Thought to be dead, Thomas was held on a prison ship

THOMAS DOUGLAS, who was born about 1750, was living in New Fairfield, Conn., a few years prior to the Revolutionary war. His wife Eleanor SEELEY, was born in New Fairfield, May 21, 1754. Probably they were married in 1771. In 1773 or 1774, while their first child was an infant, they removed to Pownal, Vt.



At the breaking out of the Revolution, in 1775, Thomas DOUGLAS entered the army as a volunteer, and marched to Boston, Mass. His first engagement was at Bunker Hill, where he fell,… Continue

Added by William Douglas on January 28, 2010 at 23:12 — No Comments

The Douglas Banner

Extract from Chambers' 1869 The Book of Days.



It will be learned, not without interest, that certain relics or memorials of the fight of Otterbourne are still preserved in Scotland. The story of the battle represents Douglas as having, in a personal encounter with Percy in front of Newcastle, taken from him his spear and its pennon or hanging flag, saying he would carry it home with him, and plant it on his castle of Dalkeith. The battle itself was an effort of Percy to recover this… Continue

Added by William Douglas on January 27, 2010 at 13:30 — 2 Comments

Protesters being removed from Douglas estate

Tree-houses have been built, the tunnels dug, the barricades erected and the arm-locks secured to branches.



Mainshill Wood, in the Lanarkshire countryside, has become Scotland's new environmental battleground this morning as an army of bailiffs moved in to evict protesters against a huge opencast mine. Scottish Coal was last year given permission to extract 1.7 million tonnes of coal from the site located on Lord Home's Douglas estate. If it goes ahead, South Lanarkshire will become… Continue

Added by William Douglas on January 25, 2010 at 16:53 — 1 Comment

Are all Sawny's evil?

I hope not! Sawney is a Scots version of Sandy, itself a shortened version of Alexander, so perhaps it was in common usage, but I have only found three examples of the name, and the stories that go with them are certainly not fairy tales.



SAWNEY BEAN was reportedly an incredible monster who, with his Wife, lived by murder and cannibalism in a cave. He was executed at Leith along with his whole Family in the Reign of James the First.





SAWNEY CUNNINGHAM was an abandoned… Continue

Added by William Douglas on January 24, 2010 at 17:30 — No Comments

Robert Burns and the Douglas Connection

Robert Burns

Burns Night, when Scots go daft over their national bard (no, I am not a fan!) is fast approaching, and it seemed appropriate to review the family links with Robert, or Rabbie, Burns.



Robert Burns had everything needed to become an icon in his native Scotland. He was working class and had to overcome grinding poverty before finding success. He was also, to put it mildly, a bit of a lad - part incorrigible womaniser, part dashing romantic -… Continue

Added by William Douglas on January 16, 2010 at 18:30 — No Comments

Douglas watch and clock makers

There appear to be two separate branches of the family tree who were watch and clock makers. but are they separate? Or is there a 'missing link' that binds then together?



I found these two extracts, but please note that details here differ from records in the Douglas Archives!



James Douglass was born around 1730-1733 to John Douglass (unfortunately I don’t know where, though family stories suggest the Douglasses… Continue

Added by William Douglas on January 12, 2010 at 12:56 — No Comments

Obituary collections now on-line

GenealogyBuff.com http://www.genealogybuff.com has recently placed several considerable data collections with DOUGLAS data online.

Here's the list:



ALABAMA - Madison County Obituary Collection

http://www.genealogybuff.com/al/madison/webbbs_config.pl



ARKANSAS - Clark County Obituary Collection …

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Added by William Douglas on January 8, 2010 at 11:00 — No Comments

Mount Douglas - no points in the family quiz!

Have you ever played Scattegories, the quiz game where answers all begin with the same letter of the alphabet?



So if the 'scattegory' is 'D', all answers must begin with a 'D'.



It is a favouite family game of ours, played at family gatherings. Questions are devised to include authors, plants, body parts - and, this year, mountains.



My answer of Mount Douglas was… Continue

Added by William Douglas on January 2, 2010 at 20:36 — No Comments

UK New Year Honours 2010

Our congratulations go to:
Lady Caroline Douglas-Home who received a MBE for voluntary service to the British Red Cross and Macmillan Cancer Support in the Scottish Borders.
Mrs Muriel Margaret Douglas, Manager, Scottish NHS Central Register, General Register Office for Scotland, Scottish Executive, who received a MBE

Added by William Douglas on December 31, 2009 at 12:00 — 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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