JAMES WALTON IAN MacGREGOR
MATERNAL GRANDFATHER
JAMES WALTON IAN MacGREGOR
MATERNAL GRANDFATHER
My maternal grandfather (James Walton Ian MacGregor) was born on 12 August 1884 in (we think) Glasgow, but the family moved to Edinburgh (or it may have been the other way around... details are sketchy), then emigrated to the U.S. His parents were killed in the Great San Francisco Earthquake. The reason for such little information being available is that he was gone by the time my mother was about seven or eight, and since he had fallen prey to "the drank," was spoken of infrequently. He served in the Spanish American War as a Captain in the Army, and again in the First World War (Private, promoted to Corporal, promoted again to Sergeant while serving in France from September, 1918 through June, 1919). He was in the American Expeditionary Forces, Army Engineers, 605th Division, Company "C." He served in the Washington Barracks until June, 1918, and was transferred 28 June 1918 to Camp Forrest, Georgia. When enlisting during WWI (in Baltimore, MD on 08 March 1918), he chose to go in at a lesser rank, saying he could never again order a man to go to his death. His "Soldiers No." (Walton I. MacGregor) was 655957, and he received $43.90 per month for his efforts. Captain of the 605th Engineers was R.B. Tinsley ; all under the command of Col. Earle; Col's. Adjutant: Cpt. James J. Murphy.
Now... WHY has she given all this information, you might ask? Well... I'm hoping that in someone's surfing, someone might have a missing piece or two to add to the puzzle! Just e-mail me if you think you might have any useful info in tracing this line.
My maternal grandmother (who we all called "Nanny") was born Mary Ellen (May) Elizabeth Browne in a little township (she called it Kilkerry) which doesn't even appear on the County Kerry (Ireland) maps any longer (at least not on the ones I have). Her mother, Ismey Theresa Fitzgerald (d. 1916), married Patrick Browne (d. 1901). Nanny's grandmother, Ellen Duffy, married Edward Fitzgerald, which accounts for our connection with that Irish Clan. Nanny also emigrated to the U.S. (as did my paternal grandfather from Calabria, Italy—way down south at the tip of the boot—and my paternal grandmother, who was from a teensy spot at the Northern Italian/Swiss border).
With a few exceptions, spelling variants are omitted, but are accepted. M', Mc and Mac are considered interchangeable. Many names were adopted as a result of proscription, and some families retained the new names when proscription was lifted in 1774, while many others re-adopted their rightful name of MacGregor.
So take a look at the names below. Who knows? We just could be related somehow! (It gives one pause...)
Alpin/MacAlpin • Fletcher/MacLeister • Greer/Grier • Gregg/Grigg
Gregor/MacGregor • Gregorson • Gregory • Gregson • Greig
Gierson • Grigor/MacGrigor • Gruer/MacGruder/MacGrowther
King • MacAdam • Macara/Macaree • MacChoiter • MacNie • Malloch
Neish/MacNiesh • Patullo • Peter(s)/MacPeter(s) • Petrie/MacPetrie
DESCRIPTIVE/PATRONYMIC
Bain • Black • Macaldowie • MacAndrew • MacConachie
MacEan • More • Roy • White/Whyte
Aliases—accepted names of other
Clans where documentary material
shows a MacGregor's connection:
Campbell • Drummond • Gordon • Grant • MacAlaster
MacEwan • MacPherson • Menzies • Murray • Stewart
Names for which there is a tradition of
MacGregor connection, but for which there
is currently little documentary evidence:
Argyl • Arrowsmith • Begland • Bowmaker • Brewer
Caird/Macnocaird • Callendar • Clark • Craigdallie • Crerar
Crowther • Denison • Docherty • Dowie • Fisher • Gair
Goodsir • Grayson • Gudger • Guiness • Kirkwood
MacAngus/MacInnes/MacCanish • MacGeach • MacGrew • Macinstalker
Nucator/MacNucator • Orr • Peat • Peterson • Stalker
Stringer • Tainsh • Tossach • Walker • Weliver
Okay! So who broke my counter ALREADY?!?
