CAPE TOWN FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY

Scottish Family Research and DNA

The speaker at our July meeting, Jimmy Duncan, explained that Scotland has a history of excellent record-keeping, largely due to the Reformation with its emphasis on education and discipline.
A number of factors make these records easy to access. There was a single national church for a long period which meant that most people were baptized and married in that church. Women kept their maiden names so one doesn’t lose track of them.
He knew that his father was born in Musselburgh, East Lothian and instilled in his family a pride in their name Duncan.
Duncan is one of the earliest surnames in Scotland. The clan was founded by “Fat Duncan” also known as “Stout Duncan”. After the Battle Bannockburn, in which many members of the Duncan Clan fought, there was a wide dispersal of the survivors, migrating to Edinburgh, Dundee and other places, giving rise to different streams of Duncan.
The official Clan organisation is Clan Donnachaidh into which fall the septs of Duncan, Robertson and Reid. The latter two families descended from great grandsons of “Fat Duncan”.
Jimmy’s family was for many generations farm labourers, woodcutters and coal miners. Most of his research was done at the New Registry, Edinburgh but most of the relevant documents are now available on the internet or through the Mormon Family History Centres.
He traced his family back to the birth of James Duncan in 1691 in Gladsmuir, East Lothian
The register that may have given details of his parent’s marriage and his baptism was missing. He tried to go back from there but couldn’t prove the connections.
He joined the Donnachaidh Clan Society, which embarked on a DNA Surname Project with Family Tree DNA of Houston. The Society asked members of the Clan to submit samples to try and establish the relationships. He sent away for the testing kit, which consisted of two little toothbrushes and two tubes. The result of his DNA analysis established that he has the same DNA profile as a cousin of the Clan Chief, so he is a Duncan!
People with the names Duncan, Robertson or Reid may be descended from the chiefs or belong to families who lived on clan estates and sought the chiefs’ protection.
He has received very interesting information as a result of being part of this DNA project. There is some indication that he is descended from the High King Niall (Tara 379 to 405 BC).

www.familytreedna.com

www.familysearch.com