Hi Karen, most people use www.familytreedna.com . So they have the largest database to compare with. The others I don't know, I haven't used any of them. Best of luck, Linda Merle ----- Original Message ----- From: "Karen" <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, April 2, 2010 6:16:05 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [S-I] Morrison from Donegal Linda, what is a good website, or even "the best" if you could choose one or two, to help us get started on getting DNA evidence. I need something simple, if possible. Thanks, Karen ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 2:57 PM Subject: Re: [S-I] Morrison from Donegal > Hi Marsha, people can and do change religion and ethnicity all the time, > so don't get too attached to a label. "Scotch Irish" is an American > ethnicity, just meaning they were from a certain area of the USA. Morrison > can be English, Scots, or Irish in origin (Bell "Book of Ulster > Surnames"). There was a very learned sept in Donegal named O'Muirgheasain > (from 'sea valor') who were erenaghs (hereditary keepers) of Conmany in > Inishowen. Not only did some anglicize the name to O'Morison, Morison, > Morrison, but also Bryson (esp. in Derry). In Donegal Bryson, Brice, and > Bryce were also used for Breslin. > > A branch of this sept moved to Lewis and Harris in the Scottish Isles at > an unknown date, where they became bards to the MacLeods of Dunvegan. Etc, > etc..... Of couse the English ones were 'son of Maurice' or Morris. Also > two septs of Clan Buchanan were called MacMaurice and eventually Morrison. > > You should order a DNA test immediately. Since you're looking at Donegal, > the odds are the DNA is northwest Irish. If it's Scots then it gets more > complicated. But most likely they were among the many Donegalese who left > their homeland in the 1700s. See Kirby Miller's book on Irish emigration. > Projects like the Cumberland Gap DNA project show immense amounts of north > west Irish DNA, supporting his opinion that Donegal lost much of its Irish > population in the 1700s. > > Other than the DNA test, you just slog through the records. There are lot > on line now, but keep careful records of what you check, including what > you check but don't find nothing in. That's to avoid re-searching that > source 20 times! Esp. irritating when you've hired someone to research and > y ou don't give them a list of what you searched and what you found. So > they, being thorough, execute the standard search and search these things > again. Yes, maybe they can find something you haven't but I suspect you'd > prefer they search somewhere you hadn't <grin>. So it's important to do. I > of course didn't do this the first 10 years or so of my research either > but I do it of course with clients and durn.....it really helps. > > Linda Merle > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "marsha moses" <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 9:46:38 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > Subject: [S-I] Morrison from Donegal > > I have just added a possible 5-gr-grandfather and 6-gr-grandfather to > my ancestors. Because this is a VERY new possibility, I am just > starting my research on this line. The younger man's name is Patrick > Henry Morrison and his father's name is James Morrison. The family > history books in my area that have articles submitted by researchers > (and I realize are thus suspect) say that James and Rachel Morrison > moved to Pittsylvania County, Virginia in the mid to late 1700's from > Donegal. Now I realize that Donegal is part of Ulster Province, but > NOT part of Northern Ireland---being instead a part of the Republic of > Ireland. > > So the question here is do I suspect SI or do I suspect Irish for the > surname Morrison coming out of Donegal? Please, I am not asking > anyone to do my research for me, just looking for a small boost if > anyone has this answer off the top of their heads.....I am mostly just > curious at this very early part of my looking around. marsha in WV > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message