Please bear in mind this message comes from someone born in England, now lucky enough to live in Sutherland. There are so many occasions when place names are duplicated that we really ought to be more disciplined when we refer to them. I was looking at some family history records recently, and was troubled to see "Woodstock, Oxford County". I had to assume this was in Canada, but my first thought (remember my heritage is English) was that this was the university city in Oxfordshire, England. I know of several places named Balblair, close to here (it is a descriptive term after all), and so this makes one question every name one comes across. Please remember you know where you mean, but is is sometimes difficult others of us to keep up with you. Re: look-ups - I am happy to tell you about places in Sutherland that I know, or when I know. Regards Denise Best regards, Denise A. Ferne

Denise makes a point but she will soon become as familiar with the place names of Oxford County, Nova Scotia, New Zealand, Australia as the rest of us. The people of Sutherland are so linked to those places that we just know where they are. One of the best things about mailing lists like this is the knowledge we all pick up. Place names can be a problem but none more so than in Sutherland itself as most of us on this list know. Those who have been researching in Sutherland for many years have faced numerous problems on this very subject. How often have we missed an ancestor simply because of the place name? Parishes can also create problems for researchers. For example everyone now knows that Aberscross is part of Golspie so why does it appear on the Rogart militia lists of 1745 and therafter in Golspie. Rhemusaig, the home of my own ancestors, is in Rogart but appears on all Dornoch records up until the end of the 19th century. Why it ever was known as Dornoch when it sits on the road up to the Kirk at old Rogart I have never worked out. It is actually closer to Golspie than Dornoch! If you were looking for someone who was born and lived at Acheilidh, Rogart (Strathfleet) you would need to be aware of the following names, Achillie, Achgayle, Auchigyoile, Achvellie, Achvelly, all names by which this tiny place has been known. In the same area are the old crofting townships of Ardachu, Achvrail, Inchcape, etc. These places have also been known by a multitude of names and different spellings. The overseas reader may well imagine a township to be similar to a small village where in fact often there has been no more than two or three crofts. Researching these areas can be (and is) a nightmare not helped by the use of Gaelic transcribed into English by many old recorders. If an old record states that a person was actually living in Rogart they really mean they were living 'up the hill' in what is today known as Bank or Miltonbank. Rogart is the small area around the church. Where the road sign says Rogart as you drive in from Golspie it is actually the old Pittentrail where the river Fleet used to run prior to the building of the Mound! Need any more confusion? Stick with Sutherland research, there is plenty to baffle us all. Every parish has the same problems but it makes research more interesting. Good news is that perseverance and a couple of good old maps together with a bit of logic will help you win but it does take time. Even the names of the Straths of Sutherland cause confusion. In his book 'A Dance called America', James Hunter spoils an otherwise excellent book by a simple error - on page 200 he is talking about the birth place of the ascendants of Sir John Macdonald. He correctly states that this family were from Creag na Dalach Moire known to day as Dalmore, but then states that in front of this place is the narrow valley of Strathoykel when he meant Strathfleet! Christine www.highlandhearts.com www.sutherlandheritage.com -----Original Message----- From: Denise A. Ferne [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 04 October 2002 01:51 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [SUT] knowledge Please bear in mind this message comes from someone born in England, now lucky enough to live in Sutherland. There are so many occasions when place names are duplicated that we really ought to be more disciplined when we refer to them. I was looking at some family history records recently, and was troubled to see "Woodstock, Oxford County". I had to assume this was in Canada, but my first thought (remember my heritage is English) was that this was the university city in Oxfordshire, England. I know of several places named Balblair, close to here (it is a descriptive term after all), and so this makes one question every name one comes across. Please remember you know where you mean, but is is sometimes difficult others of us to keep up with you. Re: look-ups - I am happy to tell you about places in Sutherland that I know, or when I know. Regards Denise Best regards, Denise A. Ferne ==== SCT-SUTHERLAND Mailing List ==== Our Member's Interest's site http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~suthlist/index.htm ============================== To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 --- Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.393 / Virus Database: 223 - Release Date: 30/09/2002 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.393 / Virus Database: 223 - Release Date: 30/09/2002

How about the couple who purchased airline tickets this summer from a travel agent in England to Sydney, Australia, and found themselves in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. Pat On Thursday, October 3, 2002, at 07:51 PM, Denise A. Ferne wrote: > Please bear in mind this message comes from someone born in England, now > lucky enough to live in Sutherland. > > There are so many occasions when place names are duplicated that we > really ought to be more disciplined when we refer to them. I was looking > at some family history records recently, and was troubled to see > "Woodstock, Oxford County". I had to assume this was in Canada, but my > first thought (remember my heritage is English) was that this was the > university city in Oxfordshire, England. > > I know of several places named Balblair, close to here (it is a > descriptive term after all), and so this makes one question every name > one comes across. Please remember you know where you mean, but is is > sometimes difficult others of us to keep up with you. > > Re: look-ups - I am happy to tell you about places in Sutherland that I > know, or when I know. > > Regards > Denise > > > Best regards, > > Denise A. Ferne > > > ==== SCT-SUTHERLAND Mailing List ==== > Our Member's Interest's site > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~suthlist/index.htm > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy > records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 >