Hello, I am Jim Thoma from Kingsport, East Tennessee, USA. I live in an area that you would feel right at home in. Just the other side of the Continental Divide they still hold the Highland Games every single year. Having been to Scotland and floated by Islay I will attest I live in your second homeland. But, alas, I am not Scots. Well if you count that Douglas lineage there might be Scots blood in me. I do confess to liking the malt in all beverages, so that may make me an honorary Scots. But now, my wife, she is a McQuigg. And all her Aunties and even her Grandpa Pop told her lies. You see they said that she was Irish. I mean after all James Malcolm McQuigg and his wife Jane Brown immigrated to Wincester, Canada from Culcrow Townland, Aghadowey Civil Parish, County Londonderry in 1847. So who was she to believe her kin or husband? I knew better because I knew that James Malcolm's father was Henry McQuigg and Henry's father was Malcolm McQuigg. And well even the Aunties knew that Malcolm McQuigg (1760 - 1817) and his wife Jane Stewart had been born in Scotland. And they would tell the tales about how three brothers left the Hebrides or Western Isles during the late Plantation of Ulster and settled in Northern Ireland. They would clutch their breast and moan about persecuted Presbyterians. Which I always thought was strange since they were all devout Methodists. But now I find out that Henry McQuigg (1780? - 1847?) was also a Scotsman. I have discovered a letter by a woman who married into the family and converted them all to Methodism. In between her prayer vigils she wrote how Henry came to Knockaduff Townland, Aghadowey Civil Parish, County Londonderry as a young man. She claimed that Henry's father, Malcolm, was a wealthy man; even to the extent of importing horses from Scotland into Ireland. Me I would rather he had imported Tomintoul "the gentle dram" and aged 14 years. But my mother, a nice German lady, always told me to stay away from politics, religion, and strong drink. So now I know that Malcolm brought his family from the Hebrides sometime between 1785 and 1790 to Knockaduff Townland. His grandchildren (James Malcolm and his brother William Henry) were all in Canada farming just north of the St. Lawrence river by 1847. Holding back the invading Americans for the British. Oops gone political again. So 57 to 62 years in Northern Ireland does not make one Irish, I claim, just slowly migrating Scotsmen. Furthermore, my wife should trust me not her Aunties and Grandpa Pop. But there were those three brothers that I mentioned. Family lore from the Aunties deceased sister claim that one went to live in Aghadowey, one to Bushmills, and one jumped ship to Australia. I found that the family lore actually started with Malcolm Moon McQuigg of Coleraine, Northern Ireland back in 1964. But I discovered that Malcolm knew his stuff. I suspect that the three brothers were Malcolm of Knockaduff, Samuel of Ballyclough, and John of Islandcarragh; and their father is William McQuigg (1730 - 1797) and their mother is Janet Steen and all of them were from Scotland. But where in Scotland could they have come from. So as we were leaving Belfast aboard the Norwegian Star I leaned over the cabin balcony rail, waved my hand towards Scotland, and asked my wife where she believed she came from in Scotland. She thrust her right index finger out over the water and said "THERE". But I said honey that is the Isle of Islay and so many people left there for Ireland, Canada, and America that I would never be able to find them. She told me that "THAT" was my problem and to lay off the Glenlivet. So here I am trying to find a combination of Henry, Malcolm, John, Samuel and William McQuigg that will fit the dates and times for living on the Isle of Islay. I know that McQuigg, McQuaig, and McCuaig (also Mac) are all the same surname. But I have searched all of the parish records of Islay and have not found them. I swear I could hear John and Charles Wesley snickering at me. So I am at my wits end. I need help! If anyone can help me I would be most grateful. And if anyone has the email of a professional genealogist, I am not above paying for help. That really hurt, it must the Douglas heritage! Sincerely, James Frederick Thoma (see I am German) jfthoma@chartertn.net

Hi James, Not sure if you have visited this page before, http://www.islayinfo.com/islay-genealogy.html <http://www.islayinfo.com/islay-genealogy.html> , but I think there is some good info that might point you in the right direction. I hope this helps! Ron

I think likely you got this one . Jean On Fri, Oct 23, 2015 at 3:13 PM, James F Thoma via <sct-islay@rootsweb.com> wrote: > Hello, I am Jim Thoma from Kingsport, East Tennessee, USA. I live in an > area that you would feel right at home in. Just the other side of the > Continental Divide they still hold the Highland Games every single year. > Having been to Scotland and floated by Islay I will attest I live in your > second homeland. > > > > But, alas, I am not Scots. Well if you count that Douglas lineage there > might be Scots blood in me. I do confess to liking the malt in all > beverages, so that may make me an honorary Scots. > > > > But now, my wife, she is a McQuigg. And all her Aunties and even her > Grandpa Pop told her lies. You see they said that she was Irish. I mean > after all James Malcolm McQuigg and his wife Jane Brown immigrated to > Wincester, Canada from Culcrow Townland, Aghadowey Civil Parish, County > Londonderry in 1847. So who was she to believe her kin or husband? > > > > I knew better because I knew that James Malcolm's father was Henry McQuigg > and Henry's father was Malcolm McQuigg. And well even the Aunties knew > that > Malcolm McQuigg (1760 - 1817) and his wife Jane Stewart had been born in > Scotland. And they would tell the tales about how three brothers left the > Hebrides or Western Isles during the late Plantation of Ulster and settled > in Northern Ireland. They would clutch their breast and moan about > persecuted Presbyterians. Which I always thought was strange since they > were all devout Methodists. > > > > But now I find out that Henry McQuigg (1780? - 1847?) was also a Scotsman. > I have discovered a letter by a woman who married into the family and > converted them all to Methodism. In between her prayer vigils she wrote > how > Henry came to Knockaduff Townland, Aghadowey Civil Parish, County > Londonderry as a young man. She claimed that Henry's father, Malcolm, was > a > wealthy man; even to the extent of importing horses from Scotland into > Ireland. Me I would rather he had imported Tomintoul "the gentle dram" and > aged 14 years. But my mother, a nice German lady, always told me to stay > away from politics, religion, and strong drink. > > > > So now I know that Malcolm brought his family from the Hebrides sometime > between 1785 and 1790 to Knockaduff Townland. His grandchildren (James > Malcolm and his brother William Henry) were all in Canada farming just > north > of the St. Lawrence river by 1847. Holding back the invading Americans for > the British. Oops gone political again. So 57 to 62 years in Northern > Ireland does not make one Irish, I claim, just slowly migrating Scotsmen. > Furthermore, my wife should trust me not her Aunties and Grandpa Pop. > > > > But there were those three brothers that I mentioned. Family lore from the > Aunties deceased sister claim that one went to live in Aghadowey, one to > Bushmills, and one jumped ship to Australia. I found that the family lore > actually started with Malcolm Moon McQuigg of Coleraine, Northern Ireland > back in 1964. But I discovered that Malcolm knew his stuff. I suspect > that > the three brothers were Malcolm of Knockaduff, Samuel of Ballyclough, and > John of Islandcarragh; and their father is William McQuigg (1730 - 1797) > and > their mother is Janet Steen and all of them were from Scotland. > > > > But where in Scotland could they have come from. So as we were leaving > Belfast aboard the Norwegian Star I leaned over the cabin balcony rail, > waved my hand towards Scotland, and asked my wife where she believed she > came from in Scotland. She thrust her right index finger out over the > water > and said "THERE". But I said honey that is the Isle of Islay and so many > people left there for Ireland, Canada, and America that I would never be > able to find them. She told me that "THAT" was my problem and to lay off > the Glenlivet. > > > > So here I am trying to find a combination of Henry, Malcolm, John, Samuel > and William McQuigg that will fit the dates and times for living on the > Isle > of Islay. I know that McQuigg, McQuaig, and McCuaig (also Mac) are all the > same surname. But I have searched all of the parish records of Islay and > have not found them. I swear I could hear John and Charles Wesley > snickering at me. So I am at my wits end. > > > > I need help! If anyone can help me I would be most grateful. And if > anyone > has the email of a professional genealogist, I am not above paying for > help. > That really hurt, it must the Douglas heritage! > > > > Sincerely, > > > > James Frederick Thoma (see I am German) > > jfthoma@chartertn.net > > > > > ------------------------------- > > Quoting the entire text of a previous message in a reply is poor > netiquette. Please don't do it. > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > SCT-ISLAY-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >