Bernard, My maiden name is MacPherson, but my line is L21+, L513+. I remember the first McPherson who was M222 because I used to be an administrator of the Macpherson/McPherson DNA project. The trouble with some of these blanket statements of origin is that we just don't all fit into them. For example, it is claimed that the MacPhersons of Arisaig, Scotland (the group to which my line belongs) were descended from Parson Rory (Rory MacAlasdair MacDonald), half brother of the famous Clanranald chief John Moydartach. Parson Rory, who would test R1a, was rector of Kilchoan (Ardnamurchan), Arisaig, and Knoydart, and Dean of Morvern in 1545. His descendants became known as MacPhersons (son of the parson), but apparently not all the MacPhersons of that area fit into this mold. Although my line has a close match with one of the MacPherson families in Arisaig, neither my brother nor another MacPherson, whose line originated a short distance south of us, could be called a match to Parson Rory. My line may have been descended from MacGillonie-Camerons or McInnises or both. These two were in the Lochaber area long before Parson Rory was born. The MacGillonies were Clan Camerons' soldiers, not blood relatives, and were probably in Ireland at one time. My brother and I split the cost of the Big Y and ordered it yesterday. Someday we may get to the bottom of all this! Allene Message: 4 Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 18:45:43 +0000 From: Bernard Morgan <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [R-M222] Another New DF85 Result To: dna-r1b1c7 <[email protected]> Message-ID: <[email protected]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > ....?The local genealogists in the Arisaig area of the Highlands swear > by that story and another one that relates how this gallowglass was given > land at nearby Glenuig as a reward for helping Clan Donald win the battle > that ended the reign of the Lords of the Isles. Reminds me of this tale I found: "... ?Clanranald territories of Benbecula and South Uist and not in the otherwise 'more Norse' islands to the North. The MacPhersons in those latter islands are probably mostly descendants of the 'Red Parson' an O'Docherty mercenary soldier priest who led the gallowglass element of the forces of Uisdean MacDonald when he took over part of Skye and established Clan Donald North in about 1369. Those MacPhersons settled in Trotternish in Skye and as the Liosadair or linen workers, later spread southwards to North Uist and Benbecula." I known of at least one McPherson (103531) who is M222.