Archive for the ‘surnames’ Category

DAR~ A Free Genealogy Resource

Posted: May 4, 2012 in brick wall, Canute, cornett, Daughters of the American Revolution, free, Genealogy, James Canute Cornett, Lineage, members, preservation, research, Resources, surnames, surnames. database, volunteers
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DAR Logo

DAR- Daughters of the American Revolution is a free resource for genealogists and offers aid in their research. The (GRS) Genealogical Research System is a collection of databases, which provides access to the many materials that have been collected over time. The DAR was founded in 1890, the members are passionate about their research findings and are committed to preservation of the history of our ancestors.


This genealogical resource has many volunteers who have scanned and indexed years worth of documents and other materials which can be found in the online database. There is a drawback to sharing this information with others, because of proprietary information and data, and under no circumstances may it be shared or published.


If you are like me, an amateur genealogist, or you may even be a genealogy expert, the DAR could be a stepping stone to finding your ancestral ties that you may have been seeking for so long. It is definitely worth a try, don’t you think? Maybe we can knock down some of these brick walls we have encountered and find some really valuable documents that will only further our research and prove who we are and where we come from. It’s not just about where you, your parents or grandparents were born and the dates of birth, or even how many children they may have had. To me, and this is my own personal opinion on the matter, genealogy research is about finding out more about who my family really was, what they looked like, their way of life, the career choices they may have made and so many other points of their lives and the direction that those points have taken them over the years. 


I recently received an email from a family member, who as it turns out, was researching the same family surnames that I was. Imagine not knowing that you had a family member and didn’t even realize that they were family until you connected through a genealogy resource! Anyhow, back to the email! She has been verified by the DAR and is in the process of getting it signed by officials in Washington D.C. So I can’t wait to find out if she was successful in finding the data she needs to prove her lineage and connection to James Canute Cornett! 


I am definitely going to be researching this DAR to gain a more in-depth understanding. So you may see future postings related to the Daughters of the American Revolution. Who knows, maybe I will also find information on some of my Sutherland and Canute ancestors.


Good luck in your research!





What’s The Deal, Lemon Peel?

Posted: July 9, 2011 in Alexander Sutherland, British Army, Dunrobin Castle, Highland Clearances of Scotland, Jane Barbour, Lineage, Margaret Bryan, missing links, surnames
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Searching high. Searching low. I’ve been researching Alexander Sutherland for some time now; I can’t seem to get the man out of my head. I have been scouring the internet for anything to do with the Sutherland surname. Alexander would be my 4th great grandfather who was born June 3,1743 in Sutherland, Caithness, Scotland, and died in the year 1843 in Grayson County, Virginia. I know that he married Margaret Elizabeth Bryan, who was from Culpepper, Virginia sometime in the year of 1784. I’m not sure of the exact date, but I do know it was supposedly during that year. Alexander’s father was Samuel J. Sutherland born 1717 in Scotland and his mother was Jane Barbour born 1719, also in Scotland.


I have heard a few different stories as to how he came to the United States. While in Scotland he served in the British Army. One side of the story tells us that he switched sides and fought for the Revolutionary forces, and another story says that he deserted the British Army, (or even right after the war) to settle in the rugged mountains of Virginia. In my own opinion, I believe he and another man may have deserted and come through the lines of the American Revolutionary soldiers and ended up coming to the mountains of Virginia by way of North Carolina, as the border was very near but were first in Wythe County, Virginia.Wythe County is where he would have met Margaret Elizabeth Bryan, his future wife. Margaret was the sister of a man that Alexander had befriended. Back then the mountains were considered a wilderness, untouched by the people as far as farming and settling this land. Later, Alexander married Margaret, whom the family called “Peggy” (Peggy Bryan). They may not have married in Culpepper, Virginia but in Wythe County. I just have to find proof if there is any.  


I imagine that I will have a pretty difficult time finding any legal documents because at that time during the war, many of the homes and even the courthouse itself, was in fact, burned to the ground. So any records they may have had, were destroyed. 


During the time that Alexander came to America, the Scotland Clearances were in full force; so Alexander inevitably felt that he should join the British Army and come to the states to escape the risk of starvation. The Clearances was the clearing of people from Scottish lands so that sheep could be raised instead. It sounds horrible to let your own people die of starvation in order to raise sheep. The clearances took place in the Highlands, which is where some of the Sutherland family comes from. Some from Caithness; but most others came from the coast to coast band across Scotland.


The Sutherland family actually had their own clan; the Sutherland’s were also intertwined with the Campbell’s, since the Countess of Sutherland married into the Campbell family. 
I recently received an email, name is private, sorry. But in this email, I was told that the Campbell’s are now very close to the Queen of England; and that the original Sutherland Duke was killed by his wife and her family- whose last name was Gordon and the Sutherland Castle is now Dunrobin. But Sinclair Castle, near Edinburgh, is where a lot of Sutherland information is now.


I will definitely be investigating the link between the Sutherland and Campbell families. It seems an interesting story as to how or even why the Sutherland Duke was killed by his own wife and her family. Were they the devious sort, marrying their daughter to a titled man and then killing him off so they could gain his property and the castle itself? Very interesting indeed!


Image Source: Lemons
Photo Credit: Photographer~ James and James