Did I see, in passing, an email which talked about where clusters of a particular surname might be found in Scotland? I'm working with very little information on a 3Xgreatgrandfather who came from Scotland, but I have no idea where to start looking for him. His surname was "KEARSLEY" or a variant Kersley. Thanks for any help. (& I love this list. It's active & interesting.) Alexandra

I suggest you google these two names and the word surname. The several web sites that sell reports on your name, also give unexpectedly good information on where late medieval records turn up. There are additionally Scottish name references that often contain information of that nature. Google might also find you an entire history if a family by that name is known to have been established in one place. Dora -----Original Message----- From: Alexandra Haslip via Sent: Saturday, April 16, 2016 10:04 AM To: lanark@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [Lanark] Twenty most common names in Scotland Did I see, in passing, an email which talked about where clusters of a particular surname might be found in Scotland? I'm working with very little information on a 3Xgreatgrandfather who came from Scotland, but I have no idea where to start looking for him. His surname was "KEARSLEY" or a variant Kersley. Thanks for any help. (& I love this list. It's active & interesting.) Alexandra ------------------------------- WHEN REPLYING to a post please remember to snip most of the earlier message. Be sure the reply to address shows as LANARK@Rootsweb.com. You may contact the List Admin at lanark-admin@rootsweb.com or click on the following link to the list information page online: http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/intl/SCT/LANARK.html ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to LANARK-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

From SURNAMES OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: A CONCISE ETYMOLOGICAL DICTIONARY BY H E N R Y H A R R I S O N 1918 KEARSLEY (Eng.) Bel. to 1 Kearsley (Lancs), 1501 Keresley [the older form here quoted presupposes the genit. of M.E. ker, a moss (v. under Kerr), rather than M.E. kerse, O.E. caerse, cress - + M.E. ley, O.E, leah, a lea] 2 Kearsley (Fell), Northumberland Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) On 16/04/2016 16:04, Alexandra Haslip via wrote: > Did I see, in passing, an email which talked about where clusters of a > particular surname might be found in Scotland? I'm working with very little > information on a 3Xgreatgrandfather who came from Scotland, but I have no > idea where to start looking for him. His surname was "KEARSLEY" or a variant > Kersley. Thanks for any help. (& I love this list. It's active & > interesting.) Alexandra --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

Hello: If I may offer some direction: After just 10 minutes of looking into this [Jonathan Kearsley, said to have been born in 1718 in Scotland, came to America ca. 1738]: and [Relationships acknowledged but as yet undetermined: John Kearsley, MD of Greatham, Durham, England]: I would seriously consider to start with the latter [John Kearsley of Greatham]: Greatham is a VERY small place and the surname more uncommon as such. >From the book: [.. that the two Drs. John Kearsley, of PA, uncle and nephew came from the county of Durham, England. That his father said that the other Kearsleys were from England, and came hither from Scotland, and were of one family with the Philadelphia Kearsleys; that he had evidence of this in papers destroyed in 1813]; [Keep in mind people by now don't remember what those papers said, so we could have first cousins here too !!!]: Your Jonathan Kearsley is from England, related to the other Kearsley of Greatham. When we come to Durham, we find a contingent of Kearsley that has been here for quite some time. And from Greatham to Sedgefield to (AUCKLAND SAINT ANDREW: I guess is St. Andrew Church in Bishop Auckland nearby) to Gateshead, which is quite near Scotland as it is. The [Bishop Auckland] records go under [Cairsley] to about 1570 : https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N5WG-D97 : Robert Cairsley b:c.1555. My immediate impression is that you will be sitting right on top of your Kearsley right here in Durham !!!. Surnames often change about the 1600 mark and before, here maybe about 1620 and before. You might find some initial records hard to find, but .... I am almost certain I am in the right place here. You need to add ALL of these Kearsley etc., all of them. You might find your Kearsley and this other Dr. Kearsley might not be first cousins, I don't expect them to be, but I expect them to be of nearish kin. In other words, they have a common Kearsley ancestor not far this tree at all, and so, start from the more solid Kearsley in Greatham. Get ROCK SOLID on this John Kearsley of Greatham !!!. Get his bp detail, his parents, their parents, and take it from there. The first name of JOHN is very strong!. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N58J-WH3 : [John Kearsley bp:04-06-1684 Greatham son of John Kearsley]: I suspect there are at least TWO Kearsley in Greatham for a simialar time line (TL), one this John Kearsley here, and then maybe Oliver Kearsley bp:26-09-1686 Greatham, of whom I might add: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N5Z4-Z6P : Seems to be the same person, has a son John Kearsley bp:07-07-1724 Sedgefield Durham. === *John Kearsley: 1. Robert Kearsley 1680. 2. John Kearsley d:1683. 3. John Kearsley 1684. 4. Oliver Kearsley 1686. a. John Kearsley 1724**. *Oliver Kearsley: 1. Margerye Kearsley c.1685. 2. John Kearsley 1686. 3. ?. * Probably brothers ?. This is not complete here!. === Patterns, TL, and place, suggest and allow that both the PA John Kearsley could actually be grandsons of the male lines above. [John Kearsley 1724**]: I am unsure if your 1718 is estimated or based on something, this JK1724 a possible candidate etc. Bart .... -----Original Message----- I'm working with very little information on a 3Xgreatgrandfather who came from Scotland, but I have no idea where to start looking for him. His surname was "KEARSLEY" or a variant Kersley. Thanks for any help. (& I love this list. It's active & interesting.) Alexandra. ---------------------------------

The place to start looking is www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk Anne From: Alexandra Haslip via <lanark@rootsweb.com> To: lanark@rootsweb.com Sent: Saturday, 16 April 2016, 16:04 Subject: Re: [Lanark] Twenty most common names in Scotland Did I see, in passing, an email which talked about where clusters of a particular surname might be found in Scotland? I'm working with very little information on a 3Xgreatgrandfather who came from Scotland, but I have no idea where to start looking for him. His surname was "KEARSLEY" or a variant Kersley.  Thanks for any help. (& I love this list. It's active & interesting.)  Alexandra   ------------------------------- WHEN REPLYING to a post please remember to snip most of the earlier message. Be sure the reply to address shows as LANARK@Rootsweb.com. You may contact the List Admin at lanark-admin@rootsweb.com or click on the following link to the list information page online:  http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/intl/SCT/LANARK.html ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to LANARK-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message