Fergus(s)on of MoulinSo Who Do We Have Here?
This site contains family lines descending from Fergus(s)ons originating in an area around Moulin, Perthshire, and the related families of their descendants. The oldest proven ancestor is Thomas Fergusson (c1760-1844) whose double headstones may be found in the Moulin Kirkyard, Perthshire, with other family members.
The Fergussons
To quote Sir James Fergusson of Kilkerran (The Fergussons, 1956): "It is improbable that the Fergussons had any single common origin. As far back as we can find enough evidence on which to base theories, we notice at least five main groups of Fergusson existing independently - two in the south-west, one in Argyll, one in north-eastern Perthshire and Angus, one in Aberdeenshire - not to mention others in Balquhidder and Strathyre, in Fife, and in Ross-shire. These groups were so widely separated that they never could and, in fact, never did regard themselves as one clan in the same sense as, for example, the Campbells, Macdonalds and Macleans of the Isles, Macleods, Grants or Munros.
A clan, as regarded by the King, the Privy Council, and Parliament in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, was a group of families and their adherents occupying a defined region either in the Highlands or along the English Border, many of them - but by no means all - claiming descent from a common ancestor, and all owning allegiance to one chief (who was not necessarily their landlord), and expressing it by submitting to his jurisdiction in peace and rising at his summons to follow him in war. A clan included many who did not bear the same name as the chief and his relatives.
Applying these standards, we can trace at least three and perhaps four groups of Fergussons who lived in the style of a clan under their respective chiefs before the eighteenth century."
In fact, the Fergus(s)on DNA Project has to date identified more than twenty different genetic families of men whose name is Fergusson, Ferguson or some variant - in total there may be more than thirty different Fergus(s)on families of independent origins.
Adam Fergusson, Minister of Moulin (no relation) in the later 1700s stated "there are other two Heretors marching with one another in the parish of Mouline of the clann, but not from the same stem with the Baron and the Descendants of Adam: viz. Balledmund and Pitfourie" - was he referring to the line documented here?
How Do These Family Names Join Up?
The first group of names listed in the header above all relate to this Ferguson line in a manner shown in the relationship chart and detailed family line discussion in Family Lines - Direct - head there for a full explanation.
You will find other family names in the Surname Index - these are ancestors of spouses of the living. While it may seem sensible to keep these in a separate database, it is difficult to split these apart in anything other than an arbitrary fashion. A good example would be the village of Black Notley, in Essex. Certain Forsaith relatives may be traced back to here - and certain relatives of my sister-in-law also come from here. Did they know each other? Almost certainly! For these and other reasons, all the names of our current families have been kept in the one database, even though the relationships may not, at first, be clear. To assist in understanding the connections, a number of pedigree charts have also been created and may be explored by following the links from the Surname Index entries. Also, consider the Family Lines - Indirect page for more detail of connections by marriage from the current (living) generations.
Research Background
The family research recorded on these pages was first initiated by my father in the 1960's. It was immediately clear on reviewing his lengthy paper scrolls that this was not the right way to create records with any hope of them being kept current or correct. Since then a variety of computerised methods have been used to record and extend the family research. This has led to over 5000 entries in a TMG database, of which only about half appear here. The discrepancy is due to the need to preserve the privacy of the living - anyone wishing to know more about generations later than those presented here is most welcome to contact me directly for further information (click on the 'Research by......' entry in the footnote below to send me an email).
Errors and Omissions
Yes, there will be many, as family research is an inexact process which attempts to correlate information of a vague and often contradictory nature. The information presented here has been mined from a variety of mainly publicly available sources, as documented in each person entry - where no source is stated, the information has come by word of mouth from a variety of family sources, which may be suspect. Feel free to contact me with more exact information and we can work together to improve this resource for all. Just click on my name below to send me an email.
