Hello Sandy, Thanks so much for such a great response. It was good to see the McHargue website again and has been a few years since I visited same and also traded some emails with Glynnis at that time. I have absolutely no reason to think there is any other explanation than Glynnis, and now yourself, have shared with me. Although I always try and keep an open mind and a bit of a glimmer of hope as more and more records are extracted that some shadowy picture might rise up and find some of those perhaps lost souls again. I will have to look to find the story "The Steel Bonnet" and set my mind at ease on this curiosity that keeps rearing up a couple of times a year or so. The brickwalls are always popping up. Nasty little buggers they are indeed. And, have bookmarked The McHargue again, think I lost the link two or three computers ago, and I very much appreciate your very knowledgeable response. Very good of you--thanks so much. Linda McKee On 11/8/2013 1:55 PM, Sandy Pittendreigh wrote: > Hi Folks, > Yes, it is great to see List mode operational again. > > This is a response to Linda McKee <lasm4mckee@hughes.net> who wrote: > > <<I am very interested in the surname M'Harg of all spelling and wonder if > you all know if this is originally of Graham heritage? How true is it > that McHargue sic are actually the Graham of old?>> > and > <<I know there's other places appropriate to post this query but > I am especially interested in the thoughts of this group being you are > all such experts (IMO) and with such versatility in your local knowledge.>> > > Hi Linda, have you looked at this website: www.mchargueclan.org > <http://www.mchargueclan.org/> > I met the webmaster recently while she was visiting our DGFHS Research > Centre in Dumfries. > > She told me there is no evidence supporting this "story" about Maharg > being the reverse of Graham. Perhaps one hapless branch of Grahams made > that change because of sheep stealing, or banishment by the king or > other reasons of moral turpitude. The Mac Harg family as a whole > descends from a common Mac Harg ancestor. > The DNA evidence shows the common ancestor of the Mac Hargs / Mehargs / > McHargs lived as much as 900 years ago. Some form of our name has > existed for that long. This predates the stories about the Graham switch > which usually take place in the 16th century. We do not descend from the > Grahams. (Please refer to the section on the DNA project for further > information.) > The story appears to have started in /The Steel Bonnet/ by George > McDonald Fraser who does not give his source. The DNA says that the > story is not true. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > There is a similar story which makes McGEORGE, another D&G family name, > a derivation of a rearranged McGREGOR. > > Cheer, > Sandy > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > **