From Northern Ireland, to Nutfield Genealogy

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Many of the descendants of Scots Irish settlers, and local New Hampshire folks, read my blog, but it seems that I have quite a few readers from Northern Ireland. I recieve a lot of comments from folks over there, and also quite a bit of email. Here are a few emails from Northern Ireland I would like to share for St. Patrick's Day.

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1 November 2010

"I know of the Nutfield, Londonderry, McKean family as that is my family. I headed up the McCain family DNA project. The family came over in 1718 as you know, I work mainly on our history in Ireland and Scotland pre1600. An amazing amount of data collected on this family via DNA testing. My Mississippi McCains, which includes my cousin Senator McCain, and the Nutfield McKeens are the same family; we discovered that early on the testing. The common male ancestor circa mid 1600s. I also located where the family lived in Argyll, they migrated to Ireland circa 1570s. There was a influx of what is called Redshank Scots into east Donegal in the 1500s, and the McCains were one of those families.

I am doing an interview with the BBC this week in fact about the McCain family. On the Kist o'Wurds Program, BBC Northern Ireland, on Friday. I am finishing up a book, a memoir, called, 'Finding The McCains.' They have an interest in it.

Our McCain family stays in touch with one another, I often get emails from my New England cousins. I've been over to Ireland many times to visit our McCain cousins there also. Very dramatic how DNA testing can add to family history.

Send me a note some time.

Cheers,
Barry R McCain
Ulster Heritage
http://www.ulsterheritage.com/ (the Ulster Heritage Website)
http://uhblog.ulsterheritage.com/ (the Ulster Heritage Magazine)"

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[Also, on the same day from Barry McCain]

"....attached a photo of Barry R McCain, Ian McKean of Porthall, Donegal, and Ivan Knox (his mother a McCain in our line) of Corcam Donegal. After 279 years, I reunited the McCain family, it was a lot of fun also. The Y chromosome DNA testing is an excellent tool. It will prove kinship, in a black and white manner, brutally honest. The Mississippi McCains descend from a Alexander and Hugh McKean living in Donegal settlement PA Colony, circa 1722.

We received the DNA from the New England McKeens and the kinship was proven; it was very close kinship chronologically. Given the early date of the Donegal settlement, it appears Alexander and Hugh were on the 1718 fleet that came into Boston. DNA test are not perfect, as it can not tell between 1st cousins and brothers, as the DNA is so often identical; but the geneticists are make so many advances I expect pretty soon they will sort that one out also. The Nutfield settlement sent families to the PA Colony early, so that link pretty easy to establish…

Stay in touch,
Barry"

UPDATE
On 11 January 2012 I received a comment from a reader regarding this McKeen DNA project:


"Unfortunately, the DNA project led by Barry McCain has proven that William McKeen is not grandfather to Thomas McKean the Signer. There is the possibility of a link further back that DNA testing may eventually uncover, but at this point the current link, as described in oft repeated family writings, is invalid."
Jack MacKeen
jmackeen@verizon.net


(see comment section below)

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19 January 2011

"Funny coincidences. I am working on a paper on the 1718 emigration to NH, to be given in March to the Family History Society in Belfast, Northern Ireland. One of the main topics will be Robert Dinsmoor and his family's story; I was searching the web for an image or two to show them and found your (very interesting) blog. Amazed that you were thinking about him in New Hampshire, at the exact same time that I was thinking about him in Ireland. The whole story is full of interest. Anyhow, now that I'm talking to you, may I use one or two of your images in a Powerpt presentation? They'll not be re-published; just flashed up for a minute/ And if I can help you with any Ulster background, do get in touch

I was going to comment on your blog, but it won't let me without a profile; not to worry, hope this reaches you. Your site is very impressive, and I think I should have got in touch with you before I wrote the paper! Maybe we can talk more about these matters

best wishes
Linde Lunney
I now live in Dublin, but I grew up in northern Ireland. my mother is from Aghadowey. When I get through that, I will catch up with your blog properly. talk more sometime soon
Linde
http://www.1718migration.org.uk/ (The Scots Irish Journey To the New World website)"

[Linde Lumney is referencing a blog post from 17 January 2011 about the Windham, New Hampshire poet Robert Dinsmoore http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/01/amanuensis-monday-robert-dinsmore.html I have changed the settings on my blog so anyone can leave a comment, even anonymously. Linde Lumney has send quite a bit more email since January.]

Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo