A trick that has really helped me with filling in the gaps is this: go by the nephews and nieces names.  You see, Scotland used to have a strict naming tradition, explained in this blog post here As you can see, children were often named after their aunts and uncles, so if you have one ancestor, […]

A question that came up for me recently was why did my 4th great grandfather John Campbell Colquhoun leave his relatives and hometown in Paisley, Renfrewshire to immigrate to Australia in 1857? Coincidentally a few days later I was listening to a podcast episode about the Highland Clearances, and the academic speaking on the podcast […]

  Free trials are a great way to see if a genealogy platform is right for you, since some websites and resources can have very expensive monthly or yearly fees. They can also be wonderful if you are searching for an elusive ancestor that turned up crickets and tumbleweeds on other websites.   But how […]

  Unbeknownst to many, Scotland has many interesting and unique flags, some dating back centuries, and some quite recent. The third in this three-part mini series of blog posts about Scotland, I will explain some of the different flags of Scotland, their meanings and a brief history. Enjoy!     1. The Saltire: Possibly the most iconic […]

 As part of a mini blog series, I am explaining some of the basic facts about Scotland in three blog posts; a Profile of Scotland, The Anthems of Scotland and the Flags of Scotland. Enjoy! There are many popular songs in Scotland, some dating back to the 1300’s or earlier! In this blog post I will […]

  It can be very hard to piece together from various websites and sources what are the actual basic facts about Scotland, so in these three blog posts I will be explaining the Songs of Scotland and the Flags of Scotland, along with this blog post: A Profile of Scotland;   Scotland:       […]

Before 1745, any form of Jacobite allegiance was immediately suppressed, or worse, so Jacobites had to do all their meetings and planning in secret. Since you could not talk about Jacobite affairs publicly, Jacobites  would wear or display certain symbols on their clothing and in their homes.   1.The White Cockade:     The White Cockade was […]

  Up until modern times, Scots had a strict naming tradition for their children, usually after the child’s grandparents, parents,   aunties and uncles, or after their clan chief. Here is a simple explanation:     1st Born Son Named for paternal grandfather   2nd Born Son Named for maternal grandfather   3rd Born Son […]

Of all the joys of genealogy finding that matching marriage record has to be in the top five doesn’t it?! But how can you tell if it is the right one? It can be an ongoing struggle, but do not despair! Here are some tricks that really helped me find the missing piecesof the puzzle. In […]