In a message dated 1/31/1999 2:59:42 PM Mountain Standard Time, amcdonal@sheltonbbs.com writes: << I have several questions which maybe someone can answer for me. William Chapman MCDONIEL born abt 1778 maybe in Angus District, Scotland arrived in Philadelphia 9 Apr 1802, the original port of departure was the Isle of France. Where is the Isle of France? I did a search and didn't find it in Scotland. His parents are Charles McDONIEL and Margarete FORSTH. and his father Malcomb. The spelling has been a point of argument in our family for years. My father-in-law and descendants spell it McDONALD and all of the rest of the family still spells it MCDONIEL. >> The "Isle of France" could possibly be a reference to the Ile de France, which is the region around Paris. I realize this wouldn't be a port, but it's the only thing which makes sense of Isle of France. McDoniel is definitely a form of Macdonald. You should check out the following site: <www.clan-donald-usa.org>. It is the official site of Clan Donald in the USA and has lots and lots of useful information and links. Cheers, Joe Broom