tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9050870645639500682012-01-17T12:46:09.820-06:00McKane, McKain, McKeen, McKean, McCain, McCane, Antrim, Donegal, Tyrone, New Brunswick, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New England, Mississippi, Argyll, Ireland, Ulster, Scotland...BR McCainnoreply@blogger.comBlogger461100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-88657635788760547082012-01-12T10:30:00.000-06:002012-01-12T10:30:10.451-06:00

For all those McCains with Hamilton connections;  there is some very good research on going about Hance Hamilton who was the de facto leader of the Marsh Creek Settlement in the 1700s.  There are several McCain Hamilton marriages, both in the Colonies and in Ireland, and there was a very consistent and strong bond between these two families. The new research as peeled away some pseudo history

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-33172890096421854542012-01-12T10:12:00.000-06:002012-01-12T10:12:02.331-06:00

A short update for all our McCain families.  First, thank you to all the McCain gents that upgraded their DNA kits to the 111 markers.   This has been a great help in getting a much better idea of the chronology of our shared common ancestor.  We use the geneticists DNA logarithms to do the analysis.  Additionally, as the geneticists make progress in their research these logarithms are more

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-90463014142622525922011-11-28T09:35:00.003-06:002011-11-28T10:44:14.665-06:00

 Bruce B McCain's note to me about his recent trip to Ireland and his visit to many of our Irish cousins.   My wife and I had a fun trip to Ireland!  We did research in Dublin, Belfast, and Omagh, but the highlight of the trip was the time we spent near the Stranorlar/Lifford area of Donegal.  We spent a very pleasant time with Ivan Knox and his wife, Letitia.  Thank you for giving Ivan a "

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-67393485607476873282011-11-23T09:53:00.000-06:002011-11-23T09:53:57.866-06:00

Harold R McKeen III, or Sandy as he is known to his friends.   Sandy is the lucky McCain, he lives in Hawaii.

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-62396667559311003982011-11-22T16:30:00.003-06:002011-11-22T17:46:29.700-06:00

Dr Joe McKane of Glasgow, Scotland, is pictured here with his beautiful wife Julie on his arm.  Joe is a distinguished and well known physician in Scotland.  His line of McCains migrated from the St Johnston, Donegal, area to Scotland in the 1800s.  We all originally go back to the McCain, or Mac Eáin, family of Kilmichael Glassary Parish, mid Argyll.

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-56329509259715215122011-11-22T14:00:00.002-06:002011-11-22T17:26:07.310-06:00

 Jack McKeen and his lovely wife Dot are in the photo above.   Jack is of the New England and Nova Scotia branch of the family.   The McCains in that part of the world had an oral history of a historical McCain named 'William McKean the soldier' who was an early McCain in Ireland.  It took a lot of research and a lot of help from the DNA results, but eventually that early 'McKean' was located in

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-32035755393025960642011-11-21T08:18:00.000-06:002011-11-21T08:18:38.586-06:00

One of our distant cousins that was located via the McCain Family DNA Project is Garth Duncan of the Isle of Skye, Hebrides, Scotland.  His people are from Argyll.  His surname in Gaelic is Mac Donnchaidh, which was one of the surnames used by the descendants of Donnchadh Mór Mac Eáin (Duncan McCain) in the 1500s.   Gaelic surnames in mid Argyll were not fixed and changed several times from

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-5626173761652244612011-11-17T10:08:00.002-06:002011-11-22T21:35:02.446-06:00

 Barry R McCain I am often asked about tartans and is there a McCain tartan, etc.   No, there is not 'McCain' tartan.  The use of family tartans was a recent development in Gaelic society and took place long after our family left Argyll.  Family tartans as they are used today came about in the 1800s.  Prior to this time there were no clan or family tartan in general.  There were colours and

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-10532176998459532872011-08-23T11:03:00.002-05:002011-08-23T11:03:54.632-05:00

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-83427462616906976742011-08-08T11:07:00.001-05:002011-08-08T11:08:25.791-05:00

(article from the Donegal Democrat Newspaper 2000)SAINT JOHN (Canada) - Potatoes and the Irish love for farming have established a quiet, riverside New Brunswick town as the centre for one of the greatest food empires in the world. Harrison McCain, board chairman of the international McCain Foods Ltd., says this

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-73858808968727947102011-08-08T10:30:00.000-05:002011-08-08T10:30:43.477-05:00

The McCain DNA Project is asking all members of the 01 McCain family upgrade their DNA kit to the 111 marker level test.  This upgrade will allow a better understanding of the time to the shared common ancestor of the various branches of the McCain family.  To date, we know that one or more McCain men left mid Argyll to settle in Taughboyne parish in east Donegal.  The exact date of this

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-70337544066027911182011-08-03T10:45:00.001-05:002011-08-03T10:48:11.113-05:00

above, DNA results link the McCains to Kilmichael Glassary in mid Argyll As most of our clan now, especially those who are participants in our DNA project, the McCains are part of the paternally related Mid Argyll Kinship group.  The families in the group are Duncan (Mac Donnchaidh), Henry (Mac Eanruig), McAlpin (Mac Ailpín), McCain (Mac Eáin), McDonald (Mac Dónaill), and MacLea (Mac an Leagha).

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-63095898644588201502011-05-19T07:42:00.001-05:002011-07-05T15:05:57.194-05:00

The article below is from the Canadian Star newspaper.  One of the more interesting aspects of the McCain Family DNA Project was the discovery that the New Brunswick McCains, were the same family as the Mississippi McCains, the New England McKeens, and part of the same Mac Eáin family that originated in Kilmichael Glassary, Argyll so many years ago.  The McCains have several well known

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-9108174625723493742010-12-10T10:42:00.002-06:002010-12-10T10:45:42.725-06:00

Loch Ederline is located at the west end of loch Awe and the north end of Kilmichael Glen. This was the home of the McCain family for many years, circa 1400 to the 1570s. It is located in mid Argyll.

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-65799905006453450032010-03-14T17:43:00.004-05:002010-12-01T12:25:31.868-06:00

There will be a new series of Y chromosome DNA tests available from the Family Tree labs which has the potential to settle many research points concerning the McCains. The new series of test will basically qualify degree of cousin your matches are. The procedure is different in that it will use both Y-DNA and mt DNA testing (as I understand it).So, all the McCains from the Marsh Creek

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-67716930386342919962010-03-10T08:54:00.003-06:002010-03-10T09:10:25.564-06:00

The research on the McCain 'clan' is still ongoing and new data is being discovered. At present, the research is concentrating on land records, charters, man-rents, etc., from the Caimbeul and Scrymgeour families in mid Argyll. The McCain family can be followed through these records from circa early anno domini 1400s into the late 1500s. The exact date groups of McCains left mid Argyll from

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-55261274902406367922009-12-15T09:43:00.004-06:002011-05-19T09:08:44.346-05:00

In 2009 there has been some amazing, even stunning, information about the McCain clan revealed both with primary source finds and new Y chromosome DNA matches. There is a growing group of Gaelic families in the McCain Clan kinship group. Some of the surnames the McCain Clan share a paternal kinship with are Mac an Leatha, Mac Donnchadh, Mac Ailpín, and Mac Eanruig. All of these surnames are

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-64717296555417585492009-05-07T10:45:00.003-05:002009-05-07T11:07:57.573-05:00

No good deed goes unpunished. Clare Boothe LuceI took the common sense precaution of posting the above quote from Clare Boothe Luce as it is my observation that Mrs Luce was probably referring to working on family history and genealogy when she made the quote. I've been having the best time doing our McCain family research the last three months or so. Several things have made this so: there are

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-15777246172849268982009-02-17T15:48:00.003-06:002009-02-17T16:00:49.322-06:00

I think I should clarify some things about the poll. First, there is no wrong or right answer, the answer should reflect your family's sense of self and ethnicity regarding their McCain kin. All three answers are correct. You should tick the one you feel most comfortable using in describing your your McCains.All of the our McCains have ancestors that lived in Ireland, indeed, many that have

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-70557278551776856512009-02-16T14:04:00.006-06:002009-02-16T17:00:42.775-06:00

Bruce R McCain out on the west coast was kind enough to write an email with some interesting points, which I include below. <!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]--> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal,

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-38529311548767382492009-01-05T11:47:00.002-06:002009-01-05T11:48:25.133-06:00

Paul F McKean and his lovely wife, of Maryland. Paul was one of the early participants of our McCain DNA Project and descends from the Marsh Creek settlement McCains. The McKean spelling was common in the 1700s and Paul's family liked it some much that stuck with it.

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-20429715953181595232008-11-05T19:20:00.006-06:002011-05-19T09:03:13.917-05:00

This is Ivan Knox (left) with his son Andrew, showing their autographed photo of John McCain. Ivan's mother was a McKane from Drumboe, which is one of our McCains of course. Ivan's house in Corcam has become the de facto headquarters for McCains from both the USA and Canada that travel back over. I will be writing more about Ivan and the Knox family in the future as they are pleasure to be

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-27262008006463658572008-11-05T13:47:00.003-06:002008-11-05T13:55:08.218-06:00

One of the interesting aspects of our McCain Clan is we sent immigrants from Ireland in almost every generation since the early 1700s. The last McCain that immigrated out that I am aware of did so in 1979. Keith McKain of Pennsylvania, below, is a member of the McCain DNA Project, which confirmed his kinship to our McCain family. Keith is a descendant of William John McKain (1760-1827)

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-1190043884065904212008-11-01T12:35:00.009-05:002009-01-07T12:09:14.578-06:00

My older boy Donovan, dressed up as the Celtic Lord of the Wood, Cernunos! Nice costume.Barra, wearing his official wizard's hat on the Square in Oxford, MississippiMy younger son Conar.... Conar the Viking on Halloween night that is.Donovan and I enjoying a pint... Donovan got his free, he walked into the pub, went up to the barman and said, 'Trick or Treat,' and held up his functioning

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-16302216249558867832008-10-21T13:00:00.005-05:002011-05-19T08:26:04.950-05:00

Two more of our clan, this Frank and Gemma Anne McKane, these days of San Fransisco, California, but Frank was born in bonnie Scotland. Frank's originate in east Donegal. The line is that of James McKean who left Donegal circa 1846-47 and settled in the Renfrewshire mining are in the west of Scotland. We think they lived in the StJohnstown area prior to leaving for Scotland. When we began

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-17867044126358642192008-10-19T09:18:00.005-05:002008-10-19T22:01:55.904-05:00

above, Joyce McCain, Billy McCain, Jeanie McCain, and SJThe annual McCain Family reunion was held September 6, 2008 in Dover, Arkansas at the farm of Ken and Sudie McCain Rutledge. Attendance for the event was down from prior years at 70 attendees. The reunion organizers were Sudie Rutledge, Joyce and Jeanie McCain, and Sue McCain Lay. The event was advertized as McCain / Lay Reunion.In

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-85964855851887300532008-09-07T19:07:00.002-05:002011-05-19T09:06:03.459-05:00

Andrew McCain of New Brunswick, Canada; he is a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman, i.e. a Mounty. Andrew is one of our more accomplished McCains, not only a piper, but his work involves him in aspects of high level security for the Canadian government. Well done, Andrew! (I would say more, but it is all hush hush) The photo above was taken some years ago and shows four James McKanes, of

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-67115861636392669032008-09-07T18:26:00.002-05:002011-05-19T09:05:00.972-05:00

Conar McCain (on the right) and Donovan McCain, outside of Uptown Coffee House, Oxford, Mississippi, very late Friday night, or perhaps Saturday Morning, on the 5th or 6th of September anno domini 2008. They stayed out that late... making me uncomfortable, I mean Conar is 14, but he seems to fit in so well with the Ole Miss gang. What's a father to do? Fortunately, they are a good crowd usually

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-27341457966441691112008-07-28T08:51:00.001-05:002011-05-19T09:08:07.925-05:00

(above, Jonathon McKane with his grandmother and Barry R McCain, Drumboe, Donegal) Time for a little McCain News I think. I am back from my sojourn in Tyrone and Donegal. The one thing relevant to our McCain Family that struck me while there, is I need to do a lot more research in the Finn Valley and the Strabane area of Tyrone. There is a much large McCain presence there than there is in

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-20044887868155052622008-05-30T19:49:00.000-05:002008-05-30T20:03:50.402-05:00

Jim McKane and his lovely wife Suzanne. Jim is the webmaster of the Ulster Heritage DNA Project and the McCain DNA Project. In short, he makes the magic work, to use the over 50 year old speak.There is much to Jim, he's climbed Kilimanjaro in Africa and has 13 grandchildren to date; doing his bit to make sure we McCains not only survive, but prevail! I am jealous as I only have two

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-34419857092270044862008-05-30T18:00:00.000-05:002008-05-30T18:05:33.988-05:00

Two Mississippi McCains; Leslie GordonMcCain and son, Barry R McCain, circa 1958.

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-2619798462367498702008-05-14T09:52:00.001-05:002011-05-19T09:02:19.590-05:00

This photo is of the burial monument of Esther Hamilton McKean, Edith Annie McKean and James McKean and was sent to me by William Roulston, one of the organisers of the upcoming Ulster American History Symposium in Omagh, County Tyrone. The stone is located in StJohnstown, in east Donegal. It once again shows the close relationship between the Hamiltons and the McCains. I would say there are

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-23301492808240630182008-05-04T09:41:00.000-05:002008-05-30T20:30:39.807-05:00

John Cargill “Jack” MacKeen is a direct lineal descendant of settlers from the 1718 migration from Antrim to America, including both McKeen and Cargill lines. His immigrant ancestor, John McKeen, born 1700 in Ballymoney, Co. Antrim, arrived as a young man with his mother and siblings in Boston in August of 1718. This is a historically significant family in that it was the families of James and

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-1595600282048267072008-04-06T20:58:00.000-05:002008-04-06T21:09:59.542-05:00

Donovan McCain, Conar McCain perform on the Ole Miss Campus, Fall 2007, with Jesse Pinion on lead guitar. The song original, written by Donovan, notice the nice bass work by Conar, he's only 14, but already very good on bass guitar. Video curtesy of Jamie Johnson

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-80753632214233458312008-03-20T12:59:00.001-05:002011-05-19T09:07:35.546-05:00

The McCains are a small Irish clan that were for a long time an enigma. We knew who they are and where they lived, but much of their history was a mystery. There are several reasons for this. In the north of Ireland there are two Gaelic names anglicised as McCain and several non-related families have used this anglicised surname and their respective histories are sometimes confused with one

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-90801018480115871042008-03-05T07:48:00.001-06:002011-05-19T08:32:00.085-05:00

John McCain won the Texas Republican primary on Tuesday, 4 March and clinched the number of delegates needed to win his party's presidential nomination. Good to see the old Teoc McCain family doing so well and frankly, I think we shall need Senator McCain’s experience and wisdom in the coming years. Also a nod of thanks to Governor Huckabee for running a good and honourable campaign that kept

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-35568009420943809202008-03-04T09:55:00.001-06:002011-05-19T08:26:59.789-05:00

(left, Dr Joe McKane and sisters Mags and Mary) The Glasgow wing of our family include Joe McKane and his family and extended family. Now everyone read about Joe’s remarkable father, Francis McKane, and his ordeal of being a prisoner during World War II. The story actually continued on from there. Francis McKane was discharged on medical grounds in 1947, after being told he had only 6 to 12

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-77979928628031973602008-02-01T08:56:00.001-06:002008-03-05T11:32:57.744-06:00

As I have worked collecting McCain clan lore over the years, I have noticed how many McCains have served, often in harm’s way and dramatic fashion, in the military. Given our Gallóglaigh origins, perhaps something deep in our psyche leads McCain men to seek this path. Here is the very poignant story of one of our family, Francis McKane, his remarkable story: Francis McKane took the road of many

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-88490942595593068392008-01-29T17:42:00.002-06:002011-05-19T09:04:21.997-05:00

A photo of Donovan McCain of Oxford, Mississippi, playing an informal session with the great Seamus O'Kane, bodhrán player and maker from Dungiven, County Derry, Ireland. Seamus is a force in the music world of Ireland, his bodhrán unsurpassed in sound, and has a playing style unique and beautiful. He was very kind to two fellow musicians from Mississippi. We had a very lovely time playing this

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-44456960417883162012008-01-19T09:41:00.000-06:002008-01-19T09:49:21.452-06:00

This is a photo of two descendants of James and Sally King McCain. He was my great great great great grandfather. I was told he was born at sea coming to this country and referred to himself as a man without a country. I have found descendants of seven of the ten children of their son William Delaney McCain. I am still searching for descendants of his children James, John and Charles Vernon

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-80373143621179534522008-01-18T11:47:00.000-06:002008-01-18T11:54:21.523-06:00

John Clinton McCain and his wife Ellen Mayfield McCain, the photo taken circa 1930s in Edmond, Oklahoma. John was the only child of Lorenzo Bass McCain, who died at the end of the Civil War and was the son of William Calvin McCain of AL and the grandson of Robert McCain of TN. John and his family were Oklahoma 89ers who entered from TX and homesteaded near Edmond. John Clinton McCain is the

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-58730547130534503122008-01-17T09:24:00.000-06:002008-01-17T09:30:18.136-06:00

The Golden Wedding Anniversary photo of John Melbourne McCain and Ida Belle Dooley, taken on 13 October 1924 at their home in Pine Bluff, Jefferson County, Arkansas. Antrim McCains were early settlers in Arkansas and Texas. This photo sent in by Otis Evatt McCain, grandson of John Melbourne McCain.

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-82234977689090681782007-12-20T11:01:00.000-06:002007-12-21T17:18:58.405-06:00

Nollaig Shona Daoibh...The Clan McCain Blog would like to wish all our readers a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for anno domini 2008

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-40854778165679070792007-12-20T10:05:00.000-06:002007-12-20T10:23:35.662-06:00

The research into the origins of the McCain Clan of north Antrim continues to make progress. The research is now centred on a group of paternally related families in mid Argyll. It is a matter of waiting for certain DNA test to be completed and then to see if the results support the existing paradigm. This month yet another important DNA match came in that does strongly suggest that the McCains

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-91741558388821793052007-10-19T07:46:00.000-05:002007-10-19T09:11:34.247-05:00

The name Clann Mhic Eain means children (or descendants) of the son of John. Eain is a curious form of the more common Gaelic name Eóin that appears in Argyll and parts of northern Ulster circa mid 1400s onward. Eain is also spelled Eáin in modern Irish Gaelic. Gaelic manuscripts prior to the 1600s were written in literary Irish, both in Ireland and Scotland, and in those the name appears as Mac

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-905087064563950068.post-13179219785644350782007-09-28T08:38:00.000-05:002007-09-28T10:18:33.400-05:00

This will be my very rambling account of my long odyssey to locate the obscure origins of the McCain family of north Antrim. It has only taken me circa 35 years to do it. It took a lot of digging through primary source materials in several languages, Gaelic, Latin, Ullans, etc., and using Y chromosome DNA testing, but the journey has been a lovely adventure. I have no complaints. Mise le meas mór

BR McCainnoreply@blogger.com1