W.I.S.E. Newsletter Volume I Issue 2

Programs by James Jeffrey, programs chair

All sessions will be held in the Lower Level Con-ference Center Central Denver Public Library, 10 West Fourteenth Avenue Parkway Denver

Family History Explorations on the Isle of Man, featuring Jean Sheathelm Wilson.

Wilson has been engaged in genealogical research for fifteen years. She has recently published a history about her German ancestors, and is presently working on a book about her Isle of Man great-grandparents who immigrated to America in the late 1860s. She is a member of Columbine Genealogical and Historical Society and past vice-president of ways and means. She is treasurer of Palatines to America, Colorado Chapter, as well as being a charter member of W.I.S.E.

She will talk about the various records that are available for the Isle of Man and the process she has followed to document her families from there. Saturday, 27 March 1999, 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.,

$5.00 materials fee, reservations not required.

Irish Genealogy, featuring Brian Kenny, Marg Ann Barton, and James Jeffrey. Beginners and Intermediate researchers will

enjoy this introduction to three facets of nine-teenth century Irish research. Brian Kenny of the Western History/Genealogy Department of the Denver Public Library will discuss the Irish Potato Famine. He will instruct you in how to use and get the most out of Famine Immigrants, 1846-1851, six volumes. Marg Ann Barton, an experienced genealogists with Irish ancestors, will introduce you to Griffith's Valuation in CD-Rom. James

MarApr 1999

Jeffrey, DPL Genealogy Specialist will help us find and explore our ancestors farms and homes using various geographic tools. Saturday, 24 April 1999, 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.,

$5.00 materials fee, reservations not required.

Irish notes by Terry Quirke .It is no longer necessary to receive permission from the Bishop of the Diocese of Cloyne in order to look at microfilmed copies of parish registers of that diocese. Films are on file at the National Library of Ireland. • The Fourth Irish Genealogical Congress will be held in 2001. More information later. • When phoning Ireland, dial 011 for the international line, then the country code of 353, then the listed number which probably starts with a '0' (zero, not the letter '0'). Omit the zero and dial the remaining numbers. The initial zero is used only within Ireland. If phoning to Northern Ireland (which is still part of the United Kingdom) the country code is 44.

The above from The Septs, the newsletter of the Irish Genealogical Society, International, January 1999.

By the way, to the best of my knowledge, films of the parish registers of the Diocese of Cloyne (parts of northern and eastern County Cork) are NOT available thru the LDS (yet).

This issue includes:

Program: Family History Explorations 1

Program: Irish Genealogy 1 Irish notes 1 From the president 2 Officers elected at January AGM 3 The Maclain Clan of

Ardnamurchan, Scotland 3 Surnames in Wales 4 St. Patrick -- A Welshman 5 W.I.S.E. New Books 7

on the Isle of Man

2 W.I.S.E. Newsletter Vol I No 2 MarApr 1999

From the president by Ann Lisa Pearson, president WIS.E.

The first Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Society was held on January 23, 1999 where the Constitution was approved and the following officers were elected. President, Ann Lisa Pearson; Vice presi-dent/Program chair, James Jeffrey; Recording secretary, Paul Kilburn and Treasurer, Donna J. Porter.

There will be appointments to committees during the year as our Society begins official operation. Some of these committees may be: Projects, Publications, Travel and Membership. As our Society grows, there will be many opportunities for members to be active. Remember: This is your society. Please let us know your area of expertise and interest so that you can be on a committee where you will be the most productive.

W.I.S.E. Wales, Ireland, Scotland and England Family History Society. Dedicated to research in Wales, Ireland, Scotland, England, Cornwall, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Attention also directed to the emigration and immigration of these peoples as well as heraldry and one name studies.

Steering Committee

President Anna Lisa Pearson Vice president/Programs chair . . . James Jeffrey Recording secretary Paul Kilburn Corresponding secretary . . . Sharon Boatwright Treasurer Donna J. Porter Member Elizabeth Brown Member Terrence Quirke, Ph.D., C.G. Member George Forby

Newsletter Staff

Editor Wales editor

volunteer needed Elizabeth Brown

Ireland editor . . . Terrence Quirke, Ph.D., C.G. Scotland editor Paul Kilburn England editor George Forby Composer John Chandler Clement

One of the probable committees mentioned above is Travel. We are proposing a research trip to Salt Lake City to do research in the Family History Library in January 2000. Another possible trip is to London England to do research in the several repositories there. These proposals will be discussed in future Newsletters.

In preparation for a Salt Lake City trip we will offer programs about the various records which you would be seeking in the Family History Library and how to use that library. There will be additional lectures when we are at the Family History Library given by members of the Library Staff. When you make a trip with your Society, you will find that there are many benefits and other members are very helpful.

A trip to London is of interest to many researchers and because of the many improvements and changes to the facilities there, greater preparation will be necessary.

There are many great programs for the coming months, so watch for your Newsletter. February will be very interesting. Using a quill pen as our ancestors did will give us insight into their different handwriting. Maybe I will be able to read some of my early documents better.

Our membership continues to grow. Tell your friends about our Society so that they will not miss any of our programs or classes. If you have interests that are not being met, please let an officer know.

The Constitution for the Society was accepted at the AGM. Now By-Laws will need to be presented. Terrence Quirke has agreed to chair this committee. When they have been compiled, the membership will need to vote on them.

There are many beginning tasks to be completed in this first year, so please plan to attend the quarterly business meetings. The next is on Saturday, April 24, at 10:30 a.m. at the Denver Public Library. Please plan to attend this meeting and stay for the program in the afternoon.

1999 will be a very busy and productive year for the Society I hope that everyone will be a part of it. Thank you for your interest and participation to make this a viable society.

MarApr 1999 W.I.S.E. Newsletter Vol I N),O 2

Officers Elected at the January Annual General Meeting by Sharon K Boatwright

President: Ann Lisa Pearson. President and Honorary Life Member of Columbine Genealog-ical Society (member twenty-two years), genea-logical teacher and lecturer, NGS Program Chair for Denver 1998 and Vice President International Society for British Genealogy and Family History (ISBGFH).

Vice President: James Jeffrey. Genealogical Collection Specialist at the Denver Public Library, lecturer at national conferences. First Vice-President of CCGS, Member of Colorado Genealogical Society, Virginia Genealogical Society, Mining Your History Foundation, Sons of the American Revolution, Colonial Wars, Ancient Planters, Washington's Army at Valley Forge, and Magna Carta Barons.

Secretary: Paul Kilburn. Member and Program Chair of Foothills Genealogical Society, genealog-ical lecturer, member of New Brunswick, May-flower and Magna Carta Barons Societies. He has engaged in genealogy for twenty years. He enjoys cam cording his ancestral sites.

Treasurer: Donna Porter. Professional genealo-gist, Past president of CCGS, Colorado Genealog-ical Society, Foothills Genealogical Society, and Colorado Chapter, Palatines to America, staff trainer at Lakewood Family History Center, member and Education Coordinator for Foothills Genealogical Society, member Colorado Genea-logical Society, Life member of Maryland and Ohio Genealogical Societies and Daughters of the American Revolution, chairs the Gift Fund of the Colorado State Archives.

The Maclain Clan of Ardnamurchan, Scotland by Paul Kilburn

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My McKeen ancestors descend from the Maclain clan who once occupied and held sway over this rugged rocky peninsula whose lighthouse is located on the most westerly point of the Scottish mainland and also England and Wales. Nestled among the highly interesting islands of south-western Scotland (just north of the romantic and picturesque Isle of Mull, and south of the famous Isle of Skye), this little known (by Americans) twenty-eight by six mile peninsula houses mag-nificent scenery and a quietude that is a gem for visitors.

On a recent genealogical trip to the British Isles my destination was the quiet village of Kilchoan near the tip of this picturesque peninsula. Here a visitor can explore ancient standing stones, cairns and weirs, enjoy endless hiking and biking trails, deserted beaches, and partake of countless photo ops. My focal point was Mingary Castle, a small castle built on the rocky shore with access only by boat from the Sound of Mull, or by a drawbridge over a large ditch on the one side connected to land. Water surrounded the castle on three sides, and the ditch and impressive fortifications pro-tected this thirteenth century structure. While only fifty feet long on each hexagonal side it is three stories high and originally posed an impressive defense for surrounding countryside.

The castle was built, or more probably expanded on earlier defense works, when the Mad ains gained control of the peninsula in the late thirteenth century. At that time Angus Og was Lord of the Isles to the south. His brother, John lain Sprangaich, led a force that drove out the Norwegians after their leader, Muchdragan MacRi Lochlunn, had been assassinated by a native Scot.

continued on page 6

4 W.I.S.E. Newsletter Vol I No 2 MarApr 1999

Surnames in Wales by Betty Brown

I do not pretend to be an authority on Welsh surnames, but I do understand how essential it is to realize how important it is to recognize that seemingly unrelated variations may, in fact, be just that—variations—and that some variations are more than purely orthographic. If that confuses you, welcome to the world of Welsh surnames!

Although the adoption of "settled" surnames in Wales followed the practice in England, it sur-prises many researchers to learn that the pattern of names in Wales is different from that in England. The majority of the Welsh population had patronymic names. It is impossible to state categorically exactly when and where the Welsh adopted fixed (permanent or settled) surnames. They were adopted at different times in different communities. In fact, the patronymic naming-system ran in tandem with settled names in some areas for some time. "Generally speaking," according to Sheila Rowlands, "fixed surnames were taken [or settled] earlier in the lowland areas, especially in the east and south of Wales, later in the upland areas, earlier among the gentry, later among laboring people." (1) Anglicization and urbanization influenced the process, a process that varied "little in time from that in England (e.g., south Pembrokeshire, where English influence was strong from the twelfth century) to the middle years of the nineteenth century in parts of Caernarvonshire." (2)

Not all researchers are familiar with patronymic names, although they occur in other ethnic groups—e.g. the Scottish or Irish mac, the Irish O' and the Scandinavian son, where the naming of children is identified with the father. In Wales mab (often written as map) is the word for son. There are no case endings in Welsh and the normal genitive construction requires no preposi-tion, so mab or map is understood as son of. It is too complicated to go into an explanation here of

mutations in Welsh, but mutations are frequent and mab mutates to fab and map to fap. In normal speech the f (pronounced softly as v) was dropped, leaving ab or ap. Thus, Richard ab Thomas was Richard, son of Thomas. A further change saw the dropping of ab or ap, giving Richard Thomas. Sometimes the b or p was attached to the surname so Owen became Bowen, Even became Bevan, Hughes became Pughes, Howell became Powell, Richard became Prichard or Pritchard, etc.

Sheila Rowlands used an example from my family in her treatment of patronymics in Caernarvon-shire in the 18-19th Century.(3) Richard THOMAS married in 1766 in Byncroes Mary CHARLES, daughter of Charles MARK (1720-1795), son of Mark who? (I wish I could find him). They emi-grated to the U.S. in 1795 with most of their children and settled in the U.S. using THOMAS as a surname. Two of the three children they left in Wales later joined them, but their eldest son, Evan, never did. He stayed in Wales first with his grandfather, Charles MARK, and then with his uncle, Mary's brother, Lewis CHARLES. Evan (1769-1832) became a bard (poet) using the bardic name Ieuan Lleyn (Bryncroes is on the Lleyn or Llyn Peninsula). Ieuan is Welsh for Evan. In the course of my research, I have found the following names for him: Bardd Bryncroes, Bryncroes Bard, Evan ap Pritchard, Evan Lleyn Bard, Evan Prich-ard, Evan Pritchard, Evan Rhisiard, Evan Richard ab Tomas ab Evan ab Tomos Prydderch, Evan Richard Bard, Evan Richards, Ieuan ap Rhisiart, Ieuan Fardd Bryncroes, Ieuan Lleyn, Ieuan Llyn, Ieuan Rhisiard, Ifan ap Rhisiart, Ifan Prisiart.

The monument inscription on his grave is IEUAN RHISIARD. He is in of The Dictionary of Welsh Biography Down to 1850 under PRITCHARD, EVAN.

EVAN RICHARD ab TOMAS ab EVAN ab TOMOS PRYDDERCH is a full patronymic he himself supplied.(4) Tomos is, or course, Thomas.

continued on next page

MarApr 1999 W.I.S.E. Newsletter Vol I No 2 5

Surnames in Wales continued from preceding page

Prydderch is usually considered to be Roderick. When I substitute JOHN RICHARD, I have a full patronymic for my great great grandfather, so this is not only an example of the patronymic naming system, but it is also an example of how fruitful it can be to research siblings and collaterals.

Daughters also were identified with their fathers (sometimes with merch or ferch, mutating to verch) often abbreviated as vz. Welsh women often kept (and still do) their maiden names. Thus, Mary CHARLES would have been known in Wales as Mary CHARLES, wife of Richard THOMAS and in the U.S. as Mary THOMAS, but never as Mary MARK. That, however, is how she is mis-identified on 4 charts 30" X 20" I have that show the descendants of Richard THOMAS and Mary CHARLES. We do not know who made the charts, but it was obviously someone not at all familiar with the Welsh patronymic system.

Research on Welsh names is challenging—the Welsh alphabet is different (ch, dd, 11, ph, rh, for instance, are letters separate from c, d, 1, p and r), mutations make words that are not in the diction-ary because only the root words are there, pro-nunciation is difficult and the patronymic naming system is confusing—but if you like puzzles (how can you be into genealogy if you don't), it can be fun and the deeper you get into it, the less formid-able it becomes. Language classes like those of the Colorado Welsh Society and Welsh genealogy classes like those Donna Porter is giving help to take away the mystery and make Welch research really enjoyable.

(1) Welsh Family History, A Guide to Research, edited by John Rowlands and Others. Association of Family History Societies of Wales[1993c]. Chapter on The Surnames of Wales, p. 61.

(2) Op cit.

(3) The Surnames of Wales for family historians and others, by John & Sheila Rowlands. Federation of Family History Societies[1996c], p. 27.

(4) "Ieuan Lleyn" by Eurwyn Williams in Caernarvonshire Historical Society: Cymdeithas Hanes Sir Gaernarfon. Transactions (Trafodion). Vol. 32 (1971), p. 113.

Also recommended: Welsh Surnames, by T. J. Morgan and Prys Morgan. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1985.

St. Patrick --A Welshman by Betty Brown

St Patrick, born Maewn, was born not in Ireland, but in Wales. He was born in the town of Llantwit Major, at that time a region of the Roman Empire under the reign of King Niall. He first went to Ireland in 389 AD at the age of sixteen when he and his two sisters, Darerca and Lupida, were captured along with hundreds of other young men and women by an Irish raiding party and taken to Ireland as slaves. He served six years of servitude as a sheepherder in County Antrim, Ireland.

At the age of twenty-two, he escaped from Ire-land. He had had a dream in which he was told to travel to a certain place at the seashore where he could make his escape on a ship. After many days at sea and twenty-eight days of distressing travel, he found his home and was welcomed with great rejoicing. He was happy to be back with his kin, but he had learned to love the Irish people.

At this time, there was a great religious spiritual revival underway in Wales and he decided to enter the priesthood. He entered a monastery in Gaul. There he studied with the Bishop of Auxerre, St

continued on page 6

6 W.I.S.E. Newsletter Vol I No 2 MarApr 1999

St. Patrick continued from page 5

Germain. He was ordained in 417 and spent fifteen years at the church in Auxerre. He was consecrated Ireland's second bishop by Pope Celestine, who gave him the name Patricius. He arrived in Ireland during the reign of the pagan King Langhaire, son of Niall, in 432 AD, forty-three years after his escape. His achievements were many — toleration for Christians at a time when they were bitterly opposed by the priest of the native Celtic religion, furthered the growth of Irish monasticism, developed a strong native clergy, established dioceses and church councils. He founded monasteries, schools and churches, won converts among the royalty and was repeatedly arrested and managed to escape each time.

After thirty years of missionary work, he retired to County Down, where he died on March 17 in or about the year 461. It is believed that he is buried in Downpatrick, where a gravestone carved with a simple "P" can be found.

So—why aren't the Welsh also marching in St. Patrick's Day parades?

Ref: "St. Patrick Was a Welshman," by Islyn Thomas. Ninnau, Vol. 20, No. 4, February 1, 1995, p.3

Maclain Clan continued from page 3

Angus rewarded John, whose descendants became the Maclain Clan, with Ardnamurchan. They controlled the peninsula until the 16th century when Queen Mary granted the land to the Earl of Argyll. Warfare ensued for another century, gen-erally ending in defeat for the Madains, and the clan ceased to exist as a territorial clan. Mingary castle fell to the Campbells in 1626. Many

Mad ains changed their name to MacDonald and many emigrated. (Read the paperback novel Lord of the Isles by the excellent historical novelist Nigel Tranter. This novel provides a good read about the famous Somerset, great grandfather of Angus Og and the first Lord of the Isles.)

Today Ardnamurchan is trying to expand tourism. While the single lane main roads with occasional pullouts hardly encourage more automobiles, the road along Loch Sunart through the oak, maple and ash forest provides impressive scenic vistas. When it heads north to higher country, one is surrounded by green grassland and darker green swales of bracken fern. Higher up the greyer heather dominates most of the hills, although some are covered with Sitka spruce plantations, an American tree planted many years ago to provide timber for the country. Sheep graze everywhere and open range results in many sheep on the road, a good speed control measure. When the elevation reaches over 500 feet, the views are magnificent. To the north one can see the Isles of Muck, Eigg, and Rhum, and to the southwest the Isles of Tiree, Call and Mull. The rugged hills are capped by Ben Hiant, a small mountain that rises to 1729 feet.

As the clan broke up in the early seventeenth century one branch left for Northern Ireland and became part of the Scotch-Irish. James I encourag-ed settlement there in hope of peacefully conquer-ing the feisty Irish with native Englishmen and Scotchmen. Our immigrants changed their spelling to McKeen, settled in and around the town of Ballymoney, County Antrim, where they resided for three generations before emigrating to New England in 1719.

The melding of genealogical and historical know-ledge induced me to visit this little known part of Scotland, view the castle my ancestors once owned, and enjoy the spectacular scenery they enjoyed. The visit provided a hands on apprecia-tion of these ancestral lands as well as a genealog-ical high that will remain with me forever.

MarApr 1999 W.I.S.E. Newsletter Vol I No 2 7

W.I.S.E. New Books Bibliography By James K Jeffrey, Genealogy Specialist, Denver Public Library

Reference ■Gibson, Jeremy Sumner Wycherley. Bishops' Transcripts and Marriage License, Bonds and Allegations: a Guide to Their Location and Indexes. 4th edition. G929.341 G358bi 1998 ■Gibson. Census Returns, 1841-1881, on Microfilm: a Directory to Local Holdings. 4th

edition. G929.341 Al gib 1984 ■Gibson. Electoral Registers Since 1832, and Burgess Rolls. 2nd edition. G929.341 G358eL 1990 ■Gibson. Local Census Listings, 1522-1930: Holdings in the British Isles. 3th edition. G929.107204 G358Lo 1998 ■Gibson. Local Newspapers, 1750-1920: England and Wales, Channel Islands, Isle of Man: a Select Location List. G015.41035 G358Lo ■Gibson. Marriage, Census, and Other Indexes for Family Historians. 7th edition. G929.341 G358mar ■Gibson. Specialist Indexes for Family Historians. G929.341 G358sp ■Herber, Mark D. Ancestral Trails: the Complete Guide to British Genealogy and Family History. G929.1072 H414an ■Wallis, Helen. editor. Historians' Guide to Early British Maps: a Guide to the Location of Pre-1900 Maps of the British Isles Preserved in the United Kingdom and Ireland. G912.410744 H629

Heraldry ■Dictionary of Heraldry. G929.603 D5615 ■Friar, Stephen. Heraldry for the Local Historian and Genealogist. G929.6094 F91he 1996

Commonwealth ■Anderson, Robert Charles, editor. Great Migration Newsletter: volumes 1 through 5 (1990-1994) G929.374 G7982 ■Mehrotra, Raja Ram. Book of Indian Names (India) G929.40954 B6443 ■Punch, Terrence M. Genealogist's Handbook for Atlantic Canada Research. G929.3715 G286 1997 ■Schaefer, Christina K. Genealogical Encyclopedia of the Colonial Americas: a Complete Digest of the Records of all the Countries of the Western Hemisphere. G031 S294ge ■Schaefer. Great War: a Guide to the Service Records of all the World's Fighting Men and Volunteers. G940.3 S294gr

Ireland ■DeVries, Ellen M. Irish and Scotch-Irish Who Made a Declaration of Intention to Naturalize from Cass, Douglas, Lancaster, Nemaha, Oteo, Richardson, Sarpy and York Counties in Nebraska 1855-1940. G929.37828 D499ir ■Grenham, John. Clans and Families of Ireland: the Heritage and Heraldry of Irish Clans and Families. G929.73 G865cL ■Silinonte, Joseph M. Tombstones of the Irish Born: Cemetery of the Holy Cross, Flatbush, Brooklyn. G929.508991 S583to

England ■Barnett, G. E. Records of the Corporation, 1936-1945. (City of Portsmouth, England) G942.2792 R245 ■Camp, Anthony J. My Ancestors Came with the Conqueror: Those who did, and Some of Those who Probably did not. G929.308941 C15my ■Cheney, C. R. editor. Handbook of Dates for Students of English History. G941.00202 H191 1981 ■Dilworth, D. Tame Mills of Staffordshire. G942.46 D589tam ■Galloway, Bruce R. History of Cambridgeshire. G942.659 G138hi