Hi again Margaret, I had a look last night and there is only one Connon entry in the entire Highlands and Islands telephone directory, so out of approximately 300,000 people, there is one household with the name and that is in Inverness. Almost everyone in the Highlands has a phone because they are so essential in such a remote part of the country. Airth is a village which sits on the Firth of Forth, between Stirling and Grangemouth, almost 150 miles south-east of Inverness. I have looked at my 1725,1826 and 1885 maps of the area and none refer to a Conon Castle. There has only ever been one castle on the banks of the River Ness (the river running through Inverness) as far as I know and that is Inverness Castle. As rivers go, it isn't very long because it runs from Loch Ness to the Beauly Firth, barely more than a couple of miles. Northumberland is indeed in England and has been since the middle ages, when the border between Scotland and England became reasonably settled as being the Solway Firth, with Berwick-upon-Tweed being the first town in England, rather than the last in Scotland. Sorry I can't help any more than that, but it does rather look as though the book is an old wives tale. I have never come across anyone from the Black Isle named Conon or Connon and if there had been a thriving family here with that name a couple of centuries ago, I would expect to see at least a dozen or so today, given the size of families people had in the 18th and 19th centuries. Regards, Mark Sutherland-Fisher Genealogist: Clan Sutherland Co-Genealogist: Clan Mackenzie Professional Genealogist specialising in the Highlands and 18th century see my web-site: http://www.highland-family-heritage.co.uk ----- Original Message ----- From: <Toolelips@aol.com> To: <mark@highland-family-heritage.co.uk> Cc: <sct-inverness-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, August 13, 2000 7:44 PM Subject: Re: [SCT-INV-L] Conon Bridge > Mark, > On the contrary, you are not a party pooper. This is exactly the kind of > information I want. Expert information at that. I only use the information > in the book for clues as to where to look. I don't even know where the > author got his information. Let me give you another tidbit and maybe that > will help find the castle(or previous castle)mentioned as you are right it > was probably named something else. It says exactly this:"Alexander Connon, > first known ancestor, was born in Connon on the banks of the Connon river, > eleven miles from Connon Castle, which was located on the right bank of the > River Invernessture in Scotland." I have been on the Aberdeen list for > several months now and I have gotten little help there. I appreciate your > input and if you have anything further I am all ears. As I said Alexander > Connon is supposed to have been born ca.1760 and I am at lost as where to > look for his birth record(especially now with your information regarding the > name Connon). Have you any information concerning the name "Airth"? The only > information given in the book is Jean Airth(spelled Erath in the book)was > born in Northumberland, Scotland. I thought Northumberland was in England? > Obviously this book is rife with mis-information. I'll just have to keep > looking and anyone with input feel free to chime in. > Thanks, > Margaret >