Clan Ferguson society

THE CHIEF:

The head of the family of Fergusson of Kilkerran has been recognised since the early 18th century as the Chief of the name Fergusson. The present chief is Sir Charles Fergusson, 9th Baronet.

CLAN BACKGROUND:

Many families of the name were established throughout Scotland at an early date. In Perthshire there were the Fergusons of Dunfallandy and Balquhidder, in Aberdeenshire the families of Kilmundy and Pitfour, in Fife the Fergusons of Raith, and in Dumfries the Fergussons of Craigdarroch. In Argyll, where the clan is numerous, the Fergusons held lands in Strachur and there appears to be a connection between them and the principal Higland branch of the Clan and the chieftainship belonged in the past to the Dunfallandy branch, the title now rests with those of the name at Kilkerran, Carrick, Ayrshire. The family have been prominent in legal circles and affairs of the state over many years.

1. CRAIGDARROCH

2. KILKERRAN

3. STRACHUR

4. RAITH

5. DUNFALLANDY

6.BALQUHIDDER

7.KINCARDINE & ANGUS

8. KINMUNDY

9. PITFOUR

10. BANFF

11. ROSS-SHIRE

ARCHIVIST: DONALD S. FERGUSSON
MERCHANDISE: ELIZABETH CRAWFORD
GENEALOGY INFORMATION OFFICER: K VIVIEN STAPYLTON-SMITH

Digging up your Fergus(s)on Roots

The Society does not offer a genealogy research service, but it is hoped that by following
these suggestions on the web and with one's own contact details, success will prevail. However, do remember initially to obtain information from living relatives, family papers, documents, photos, and graveyards.

1) The General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) at www.gro.scotland.gov.uk
Responsible for the registration of births, marriages, deaths, divorces and adoptions in Scotland, and for carrying out periodic censuses of the population. Additionally there is a very good "Family Records" section.

2) Scotland's People at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk This is a web site run by Scotland Online on behalf of the General Register Office for Scotland. A pay-per-view website operates for information mentioned in 1) and 2) and also Old Parish Registers of baptisms and marriages.
Contact details for 1) & 2) above: New Register House, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH1 3YTR
General enquiries: +44(1)131 334 0380 e- mail: A 'Contact Form' is used for electronic submission.

3) The Scottish Genealogy Society Library & Family History Centre at 15 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh EH1 2JL Tel and fax: +44(0) 131 220 3677 www.scotsgenealogy.com e-mail: info@scotsgenealogy.com
N.B. As a Clan Society member, one has membership and use of this centre and facilities.
Please add to the existing Fergus(s)on data base.

4) "Lost Ancestors" page in Society Newsletter. Please send in your queries.

5) Professional bodies such as Association of Scottish Genealogists & Record Agents at
www.asgra.co.uk and "Scottish Roots" at www.scottishroots.com are also available. Check fees, but the latter are happy to provide 10% discount for Fergus(s)ons!

6) Scottish Association of Family History Societies at www.safhs.org.uk Of particular interest to the Fergus(s)on name is the North Perthshire Family History group, now with a Research Centre at Moulin Kirk, Moulin, Pitlochry www.npfhg.org

7) The Records of The Clan and Name of Fergusson, Ferguson, and Fergus published in 1895 [in libraries or private possession]

8) Fergus(s)on DNA project Please open link on this web site for viewing

9) If research is directed from or takes one South of the Scottish /English border, these sites may be helpful:- The Society of Genealogists www.sog.org.uk ; The National Archives www.nationalarchives.gov.uk; The Family Records Centre www.familyrecordsgov.uk/frc; the Mormon site at www.familysearch.org
Addendum: Ancestry.co.uk has published censuses from 1841 etc. Worth a look!

This Ancestors Chart may be helpful in recording your details, and please refer to No 3 above if you want to add it to this data base.

You can get a larger version of this chart by clicking on it.

Bygone Clan "midgy bytes"

Daniel MacGregor Ferguson: b 1841(or 42); d 26/11/12 A sculptor and wood carver of ability and repute, training at The Glasgow School of Art. Among prizes won, the International Gold Medal for Sculptors in 1870 was the most prestigous, but he also received the Walter Macfarlane prize for best figure modelled from life, and a prize for drawing from the cast the same year The photo taken in Balquhidder shows the kenspeckled figure in balmoral, kilt, and badger sporran, an artistic gentleman of character. He designed the railings around Rob Roy's grave in the churchyard there in 1890. The post card is one he sent to Robert Fergusson of Muirlaggan farm in 1905 and was posted in The Outer Hebrides.Gaelic translation please to the Hon. Secretary who is a descendent of the farmer, and now currently resident owner of the farm. There might be a prize! The Clan post card was also sent by him, posted 29/12/04 and wishes the recipient "A happy New Year-Your faithful friend D MacGregor Ferguson". The clan details are quite interesting on the card and the addressee the same as before.

The graveyard photographs show a commanding head stone, that of his father Daniel Ferguson who died in 1888. The closer one demonstrates his fine workmanship as shown on the relief of the head, and the broken bone (femur) indicates his father's profession, that of a bone setter! The graveyard is in the lee of Stirling Castle.

Any more " midgy bytes" out there?

Discovered by David (Blantyre) whilst researching his own family in Ardnamurchan. This is a Balquhidder Fergusson and Uncle of Kathleen, Dr. Duncan Ferguson's wife. Confusing? Note latter single S.

NEWS FROM BLANTYRE, SOUTH LANARKSHIRE.

My father Neil Gordon Ferguson left Scotland with his mother Annie
Ferguson for Cornwall in England where he lived until he died in
1993, he did so after the death of his Father In 1918 David Paterson
Ferguson who died at 33 years having served as a Corporal in the 6th
Highland Light Infantry. My Father was never aware of his Family
Grave in Scotland being born in 1916 and only 2 years old when he
left Scotland. After two years of research and with the help of South
Lanarkshire Council I was able to find the Family Grave at the Higher
Blantyre Cemetery which contained four generations of Fergusons and
also four vacant grave sites that had never been used. The Family
ownership rights of burial have now been transferred to myself and
for the future use of the first born of each generation. I enclose a
copy of my Family Newsletter and a picture of the new plaque which
the Family have erected at Blantyre this year.

David Gordon Ferguson

CURRENT MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTIONS:

Ordinary: £10.00; Family: £15.00; USA $30.00; Life: £150.00

Enquiries to interim Honorary Secretary & Treasurer : dochie_doh@yahoo.co.uk