The Douglas Archives

A collection of historical and genalogical records

Nancy Beal's Comments

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At 14:17 on October 31, 2025, Ronald Drysdale said…

Hi Nancy, 

Sorry for the confusion.

I've tidied up the Familysearch tree a bit so we now have a clear run from Margaret Drysdale (Beech) b. 1828 in Rothbury Northumberland (nice place) through to Ingebald in the mid 1100s.

I'll have another look at those Roxboroughshire/Berwickeshire Drysdales and see if that gives any more relevant information.

Best regards

At 2:51 on October 31, 2025, Ronald Drysdale said…

Hi again Nancy,

As far as I can tell, William Drysdale was married circa 5 December 1778 to Barabara Walker in either Kelso or Eccles (Roxburgh or Berwickshire) - probably banns read in both places.

There is a birth record for a Barbara Walker in Yetholm in 1760 - Yetholm is 7 miles from Kelso and 9 Miles from Eccles.

Unfortunately there are two birth records for William Drysdale around the same date also in Berwickeshire (Note the mother on one record is called Agnes Oliver)

and this leads us to another birth record, in 1750, for a different William Drysdale but in Dunbar this time - of note here is the fact that one of the witnesses is called A. Oliver

A bit of a conundrum - choosing the right william obviously depends on which of the bits of information that you hold (dates or places) is given precedence. 

Best regards

At 1:41 on October 31, 2025, Ronald Drysdale said…

Missed out a bit of text in the first para  "..........called James Drysdale from Alloa, also married to someone from the Walker family (Helen) in Clackmannanshire & [they had William in 1748] with brothers Alexander and John, [William] may have moved........."

Sorry about that

At 0:03 on October 31, 2025, Ronald Drysdale said…

Hi again Nancy,

I've managed to locate some records on the Familysearch website for your relatives, I think your x5 grandfather was called James Drysdale from Alloa, also married to someone from the Walker family (Helen) in Clackmannanshire & with brothers Alexander and John, he may have moved to Dunbar & Innerwick later but he definitely originates from Alloa.

There were quite a few records (on Scotlandspeople etc) for Drysdale families in the Dunbar/Innerwick area in the 1700s but none that I found matched up in any respect from the point of view of dates or family ties.

So if you have been able to satisfactorily document your relatives right back to William Drysdale b. 1748, then the tree on Family search now takes your
Drysdale family line right back to Ingebald in the mid 1100s!

I tidied up the family line on familysearch to reflect this info.

Note: The Reid/Drysdale family marriages in late 1500s early 1600s (Nance Reid & Helen Reid to Symon Dryisdaill) could also give a possible link to the Drysdale/ Douglas line - relationships in that period, unless very well documented are sometimes a best guess! 

Footnote -  the nearest match on the Scotlands People website for Drysdales in the Dunbar/Innerwick area, is for a William Drysdale b.1750 - but his mother (Alison Mather) seems to have been having children with both a Robert & a William Drysdale (from different Drysdale families!) and there were no corresponding brothers.

Best regards

At 12:55 on October 28, 2025, Ronald Drysdale said…

Hi Nancy and welcome to the Douglas Archives.

I note that you are interested in the Douglas/Drysdale 1503 connection and have included some info for you below.

May I ask who is your earliest known Drysdale ancestor?

Dryfesdale Ingebald Drysdale Douglas Annandale Timeline drawing

Critique of the Drysdales of Dollar & the 1503 Douglas-Drysdale story

See also "The Drysdales of Dollar" on this site
https://douglashistory.ning.com/group/drysdale-a-douglas-sept/forum/topics/the-drysdales-of-dollar

On the Familysearch website two distinct Drysdale branches and family lines have been set up in their global family tree:

Douglas Drysdale Dollar branch:
Thomas Douglas Male 1448–Deceased • MP4C-15Y

Ingebald Dryfesdale Drysdale branch:
Ingebald Male about 1140 – Deceased • GK18-ZL4

Note The 1503 Drysdale Douglas story is genealogically controversial, its veracity is doubtful and it has been investigated by many researchers in the past.

Best regards

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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