My great great grandfather Samuel Douglas McMiken emigrated about 1845 from Girthon Parish in Kirkcudbrightshire to Upper Canada (Ontario). In researching the family on both sides of the Atlantic, I’ve noticed that many surnames common in Kirkcudbrightshire were also common in Blandford and Blenheim Townships in Oxford County, Ontario. In particular, I’ve noted in addition to my McMIKENS (of various spellings) the HENDERSON, DALZIEL, GEMMELL, and BELL surnames. Individuals in the Canadian side of the McMIKEN family married a HENDERSON, a DALZIEL, and a BELL, while others on the Scottish side married a GEMMELL and a BELL. It certainly would be natural for an emigrant to settle down near those who he knows, or at least knows of, from the old country. I wonder if any listers can link Kirkcudbrightshire emigrants to Oxford County, Ontario, or even to Blandford or Blenheim Townships in that county. Cheers. Dan MacMeekin