Frank, Betty et al: Let's not overlook the obvious, re separate Sloan families. Ireland is not the Galapagos. From north Co. Down, Scotland is clearly visible (weather permitting, albeit rarely) and is only 20 miles away. Along the Co. Antrim coast, land connections to the rest of the county were so difficult along the coastal cliffs or the boggy interior of the Antrim plateau that for centuries the people who lived there had better connections with Scotland than with the rest of Ireland. Scotland is only about 16 miles. From the time of the plantations there was regular traffic across the North Channel, if for no other reason that the nearest Presbyterian churches were in Scotland. The Ulster Scots used to row to church on Sundays, and did so for more than a hundred of years. And long before the plantations there were migrations of ancient Celts (Picts and Scots) between the two countries. My point here is that the North Channel is not a barrier. It is a thoroughfare. In more than one reference I have read that Sloans were a clanless family predominantly associated with Galloway, the Scottish county (now Dumphries and Galloway, I believe) closest to Co. Down. Co. Down is were Sloans are also to be found in greatest concentrations (historically). More specifically Sloans date back furthest in towns like Killyleagh or Downpatrick, ancient port towns on the west side of Strangford Lough (Strangford = Strong Fjord, was named by the Vikings in honor of its very fast tidal currents, which currents were used by early navigators to hasten the trip to Ireland or back to Scotland). Interesting corollary is that Sloans are (historically) less common in Antrim and are uncommon in the Mull of Kintyre (the part of Scotland closest to the Antrim coast). I think it is no accident that Sloans occur in greatest concentrations in exactly those parts of Ireland and Scotland are at opposite ends of the "North Channel crossing" (and indeed many Sloans elsewhere in Ireland, at least, can be traced back to the Irish end of this link, as I did with the Sloan(e)s in Co. Cavan). There may be many reasons to conclude that the name Sloan arose in several places independently and that there are therefore several "original" Sloans, but it seems to me to be as likely for the name to have arisen independently in several places in Ireland, or several places in Scotland. The presence of the Irish Sea itself forms no part in the speculation. John M Sloane John@Sloane.net -----Original Message----- From: Franklin E. Mitchell [mailto:fmitchel@panama.phoenix.net] Sent: Friday, May 07, 1999 1:18 PM To: SLOAN-SLONE-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [SLOAN-SLONE-L] SLOAN Surname & GenConnect Boards Betty Owen wrote: > That would be very possible there may be a completely separate family > with similar phonics that orginated in Ireland. Hi Folks, I think I've come to the same conclusion myself that maybe the name developed at both places independently. Especially since Sloan is classed as a patronymic name of a Gaelic origins. Ireland & Scotland both have Celtic/Gaelic origins. I suppose prior to 1541 all Sloans were Catholic and only after King Henry VIII did the religious/politicial migrations get geared up.