First published by the New York Public Library in 1946, Black's The Surnames of Scotland has long established itself as one of the great classics of genealogy. Arranged alphabetically, each entry contains a concise history of the family in question (with many cross-references), making it an indispensable tool for those researching their own family history, as well as readers with a general interest in Scottish history. An informative introduction and glossary also provide much useful information.
David Dobson has combed through private papers, as well as extracted data from the contemporary journal, the "Scots Magazine," and the newspaper, the "Aberdeen Journal." Dobson's transcriptions identify many of the Scots who took part in the conflict and portray the Scottish vantage point on the war itself. In all, the index to this book of genealogical and historical importance refers to about 2,000 Scotsmen who either took part in the conflict or provided commentary about it.
Ireland was one of the earliest countries to evolve a system of hereditary surnames. More than 4,000 Gaelic, Norman and Anglo-Irish surnames are listed in this book, giving a wealth of information on the background and location of Irish families. Edward MacLysaght was a leading authority on Irish names and family history. He served as Chief Herald and Genealogical Officer of the Irish Office of Arms. He was also Keeper of Manuscripts of the National Library of Ireland and was Chairman of the Manuscripts Commission. This book, which was first published in 1957 and now is in its sixth edition, is being reprinted for the fourth time and remains the definitive record of Irish surnames, their genealogy and their origins.
Over the past 25 years that I have been associated with Scottish heritage events I’ve witnessed a great deal of effort being expended on refining and defining everything associated with Scottish Clans. However, with a couple of exceptions, little effort seems to have gone into giving the same amount of focus to the identification of surnames associated with Scotland who are not linked to a clan. This has been a problem for those of us who are attempting to help every visitor attending these events find their Scottish connection. Until now there has been little detailed, quality reference materials to adequately help us. A necessary distinction to remember and share is the fact that there is a misperception that Scotland’s people are centered strictly around the clan structure. Clans represent less than one third of all the people of Scotland. The non-clan families are city dwellers. They’ve not declared fealty to a clan chief, but provide goods, services, and labor in the regions in which they reside. The information collected on this portion of Scotland’s people comes from various publicly available sources such as Scottish government, regional administration, church (birth, marriage, death), and transportation (deportation) records. Regarding the latter source, there were no restrictions on the transportation of the subjects of England (English, Irish, Scots, Welsh) to the Americas, Caribbean, and Australia. Information extracted from these transportation records focused only on those transported prisoners specifically identified as Scottish. Prisoner transportation records to the Americas spanned the period 1600-1776 while those sent to Australia spanned the period 1776-1830.
Containing entries for more than 45,000 English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish, Cornish, and immigrant surnames, The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland is the ultimate reference work on family names of the UK. The Dictionary includes every surname that currently has more than 100 bearers. Each entry contains lists of variant spellings of the name, an explanation of its origins (including the etymology), lists of early bearers showing evidence for formation and continuity from the date of formation down to the 19th century, geographical distribution, and, where relevant, genealogical and bibliographical notes, making this a fully comprehensive work on family names. This authoritative guide also includes an introductory essay explaining the historical background, formation, and typology of surnames and a guide to surnames research and family history research. Additional material also includes a list of published and unpublished lists of surnames from the Middle Ages to the present day.
Note on the probable origin of the Scottish surname of Gemmill or Gemmell with a genealogical account of the family of Gemmill of Templehouse, Scotland
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