See if this works. ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- From: "Carole Werner" <itapa@enter.net> Organization: Enter.net To: itapa@enter.net Date sent: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 18:36:21 -0400 Subject: (Fwd) FYI Send reply to: itapa@enter.net Priority: normal here it is ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- From: Self <Single-user mode> To: Farris-L@rootsweb.com Subject: FYI Send reply to: itapa@enter.net Date sent: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 15:28:02 -0400 Hi Gang, Thought I would post this to all, for your musing. Book: Irish Families by Edward Maclysaght Surnames indigenous and common in Britain which are used as the Anglicized forms of Gaelic Irish Surnames: Ferris (Fergus) Gaelic Irish surnames which have an English appearance but are nevertheless rarely if ever found indigenous in Britain: Ferris Book: The Surnames of Scotland by Black (New York Public Library) FERRES, FERRIES, FERRIS. From (Mac) Ferries or simply a corruption of Fergus. Old (17th Century) spellings are: Feres, Ferres, Phires, Pheres, and Ferries. By local usage in Aberdeenshire Ferris is a contraction of Ferguson (Rev A.B. Grosart) Ferries also occurs as a diminutive of Farquharson. MACFERRIES. MacFhearghuis (Fear'uis) 'son of Fergus'; Andreas McFeris, one of the king's tenants in Crethnard, Strathdee, 1527- 39. Patrick McFers, tenant in Easter Micras (Estir Mecra) 1539. Katherine M'Ferries, who was accused of witchcraft in Aberdeen, 1597, also appears in record without 'Mac'. Thomas McPhereis in Crathinhard is mentioned in 1603, and John Bane McPhires in the same place 1643. The name also occurs in seventeenth century records as M'Pheires, Feres, Phires, Ferries, Pheres. FARRIE, Farries-From Ireland o'Fearghuis, 'decendant of Fergus'. Local diminutives of Fergusion. Robert Farries in Newbigging, 1648. Agnes Faries was examined for the Test in Tinwald, 1685. William Fairries, late merchant burgess, 1729. Eleven of the name are recorded in Dumfries Commissariot Record between 1624 and 1800. FERGUS Fearghus, Feargus, Fergus, oIr. Fergus (grandfather of S. Columba) The name is cognate with Cymric Gwr-gwst, Old Bret. Uuorgost, and Pictish Forcus. The Pictish form is also found on the inscribed monument at St. Vigeans in Angus, and the writer of the unique Gaelic charter of 1408 writes it Fercos. In the list of Pictish kings it is also written Urguist, Wirguist, and Wrguist. It means "super choice" from Ver-gustu-s, the suffix being the same as in the personal name Angus. It is now rare as a surname having been corrupted to Ferries, etc. James Fergus, burgess of Culross 1582. See MacFerries and Mackerras. Question: Will we ever really know how to spell the name properly. Hopefully we will be able to track back to the origin someday. Fergus is cool.....and not that hard to misspell..:} Hope you find this of interest Carole Faries Werner