Hi, again, There's a Sept 2 1998 email from Dodie in which she writes: 'When my son Greg was in Utah at the LDS he found an ancient book in the basement of that repository. He made some copies of pages, showing the McCan lineage, hard to read, but I will tell you what I have found: This book is quite old, and shows on the pages I have, Pedigrees of old families. The name of Mac Can is on the index, with a chart showing the Monarchs that reigned in Ireland from sons of Hiberis, sons of Mil. This is very hard to read, and the many names shown are coded with page numbers of the various pedigrees. One thing to remember in this controversy is that at one time there was no Scotland, it was all Ireland! I'll see if I can look up that part of the "Isle" history. I remember reading it somewhere.' That spelling of "Mac Can" further suggests that "Cann" could have been "Can" and, possibly, could have preceded "Mac Can." Regards, Jane

Hi Jane et al, Here is my summary of several renditions of the derivation of the name McCann. If you need it in the future, it is available on my webpage about McCanns . http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/b/a/r/Lin-M-Barrett/?Welcome=1024 356904 As Jane points out ...way back there was no Scotland, per se, and to further confuse the issue the area we think of as Ireland today was Scotia. Some think the first McCann was Annadh and that this led to MacCana. Hope this helps someone. Best regards, Lin A BRIEF HISTORY of the McCANN CLAN AND THE SURNAME The McCanns, according to tradition, are a Milesian people descended from Colla-da-Chrioch,the first king of Orghilla or Oriel. The kingdom of Oriel encompassed the land from County Donegal to County Louth. Oriel is almost synonymous with Ulster. Colla-da-Chrioch, a southern conqueror of Ulster, was one of the three Collas. The identity of the folks who lived in Oriel is shrouded in mystery and disgreement among historians. Historians who give credence to thier existence, generally place Colla-da-Chrioch's conquest of Ulster in 331 AD. Some disagree placing it anywhere in the succeeding 100 years. Some scholars feel that the three Collas never existed. The McCanns are said to have descended from Breasail, a grandson of Colla-da-Chrioch. It is well accepted that the McCanns originated on the banks of Lough Neagh; they were called the lords of Clan Breasail. Over time, this district was sometimes referred to as Clanbrassil, and Breasal Macha and was located on the southern shores of Lough Neagh. On a present day map Breasal Macha would cover the current baronies of Oneilland East, Oneilland West and Middle Dungannon. The first two are located in present day County Armagh and the third in County Tyrone. These geopolitical divisions (counties)were not created until late in the sixteenth century and therefor did not exist in the early days of the McCann clan. Notwithstanding this fact, McCann is thought of as a County Armagh sept. The McCann surname is considered to be among the earliest hereditary surnames in the world. Of course at the time of Colla-da-Chrioch's grandson, surnames were not in use. Ireland was one of the first countries in Europe to adopt the use of hereditary surnames. O'Cleary (O' Clerigh) was the first known Irish surname dating back to A.D. 916. The surname McCann began to be used in the 12th Century. Its original form was Mac Anna and it means "son of Annadh", which was the given name of an early McCann chieftain. The surname has taken many forms over the years: MacCann, Macann, Macan, McCan, McGann, Mac Anna, MacCanna, Cann, Canny, McCanney, Macan, Makan, Mican, and McKann. My great grandmother was listed as McGaian in the Solano County, California Bride's Index, owing mainly to her prospective husband's heavy Irish brogue. Historian, John O'Hart, in his Irish Pedigrees, lists Cana (Annadh) as a younger brother of Donal, who is #103 on the McMahon, of County Monaghan, pedigree and as an ancestor of the McCanns. The following is O'Hart's account of the McCann pedigree, from which we all descend: Mc Cann Pedigree 103. Cana: son of Maithgamhuin; a quo MacCana 104. Cana Mor McCan: his son; first bearer of this surname 105. Cana Oge (younger): his son 106. Cathal McCann: his son 107. Cathal: his son 108. Hugh the Valiant: his son 109. Terence, the Wine Drinker: his son 110. Donal: his son; lord of Clanbreasail 111. Hugh: his son 112. Cairbre Oge: his son 113. Neal: his son 114. Neal Oge: his son 115. Cairbre Mor: his son 116: Hugh Mor: his son 117. Hugh Mor: his son 118. Terence, of upper Clanbreasail 119. Cairbre: his son 120. Brian Buidhe (flaxen haired): his son; lord of Upper Clanbreasail 121. Lochlann: his son; lord of Clanbreasail 122. Cormac, lord of Clanbreasail 123. Brian Ruadh (red haired): his son 124. Glaisneach McCann; his son; had a daughter named Elizabeth, who was married to John Hamilton, by whom she had six sons: one of which was killed in the Battle of Aughrim, on the 12 of July, 1691. Sources: O'Hart, Irish Pedigrees, Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, Dublin: 1892, ISBN 08063-0737/4, Set number ISBN 08063-1259/9, V. I Matthews, Anthony Origin of the McCanns, Drogheda, Ireland Second Edition 1978

At 05:17 PM 6/17/2002 -0700, you wrote: >Hi Jane et al, Here is my summary of several renditions of the derivation >of the name McCann. Thanks, Lin, and I saw on your website that Cann was another recognized spelling of McCann. Any chance you might have a suggestion for David where he might look to find the timeframe when some McCanns used the "Cann" spelling? Best regards, Jane

Hi Jane and David, Its hard to be sure how Cann fits in. With names that had O's as a prefix, it fequently was deleted or added. This has not been my experience with Mccanns however. There are mny variations. But i usually see a M', Mc, or Mac or MACAN. Accrding to my sources the switch from Cana to McCan/Macan seems to have occurred before David's Canns appeared. He is citing a Sir Thomas Cann in the 1500's in England. If I were to theorize, I would assume that the Mc had been dropped. I base that on stereotyping, to some degree. It is generally held that the McCanns originated on the banks of Lough Neagh in what is now county Armagh and east Tyrone. Some certainly migrated to Scotland, as we now know it. Many of those who stayed in Ulster identified strongly wiht their Celtic heritage. Since he was a Sir in the mid 1500's it seems unlikely that he identified with his Celtic background. If he or his family had been a McCann, he was a descendant of Celts. Perhaps he found it more advantageous to be Anglo-Saxon i.e., British. His family may have dropped the Mc some generations before. OR his name is not a derivative of McCann at all. I don't want to inflame controversy with these opinions. I only offer this theory as requested. I note that Ann Meyer has run across the name but I have not. However, it is not likely to show up in my searches as I am Looking in the "M"s. I don't know if this helps but I will be interested to elarn what david finds out. Best Regards, Lin