Frequently Asked Genealogy Questions
By Dixie McCaskill Lewis, FSA Scot Migration Director Clan MacLeod, USA
Updated October 21, 2002
Q: My name is Cloud but I can’t find my name on your website.
A: Cloud can be English but it can also be a derivative of MacLeod for many folks, for many different reasons, dropped the Mac. You must do genealogical research to discover your routes.
Q: Do you have any information on Daniel McLeod?
A: I have over 167 Daniel McLeods on the database. Please give dates of birth and death, places of birth and death, spouses name or any other clarifying information.
Q: My name is Thurmond. Am I a sept of MacLeod? I heard I was.
A: Thurmond is another name for Norman. If your roots trace back to Scotland, you are probably Norman and a sept of MacLeod.
Q: Is M’Cleoid the same as MacLeod?
A: Yes. A surname can be spelled any way you can pronounce it; hence, MacLeod is Lowd, MacCloud, McLoud, etc.
Q: My grandmother’s name is Libby but I don’t see her on the index.
A: Libby can be Elizabeth. So can Bet, Beth, Bess, Bessie, Betty, Liz, Lizzie and Betty.
Q: Is Sandy the same as Alexander?
A: Yes. So, for example, are Nancy the same as Agnes, Polly and Mary, Morag and Sarah, Anguish and Angus, Ian and John.
Q: My parents and grandparents are both deceased. How can I find any information on my family?
A: Begin by getting a death certificate from the place where your father or grandfather died and estimating the death date. Then write to the Bureau of Vital Statistics in the capitol city of the state in which your ancestor died. This gives another generation as well as birth date and place for the deceased. Then go to census and backtrack.
Q: I am writing a book on MacLeods and want information on all of them on your database.
A: Information on the database is only for personal use and not for profit. Further, it is impossible to reproduce large files from the database.
Q: My fourth great grandmother was a McClure. Can I join Clan MacLeod?
A: Yes. It doesn’t matter how long ago the Scottish connection appears.
Q: What does it cost to get information from MacLeod genealogy database?
A: Nothing except considering membership in Clan MacLeod Society.
Q: What do I get if I join Clan MacLeod?
A: Wonderful camaraderie at Games and Gatherings, a feeling of belonging that cannot be matched, kinship, the opportunity to keep your heritage alive, genealogy, news, and a place at all Games.
Q: My name is Rossi. From research, I feel that the name was originally Scottish but Rossi is an Italian name.
A: Rossi could be a derivitive of Raasay….after the MacLeods of Raasay. More research is required.
Q: Can you do my genealogy for me?
A: Genealogical research is not something Clan MacLeod can do, but we will guide you as you do your own research.
Q: At what point should I hire a genealogist?
A: When you have searched every possible source in America and/or Canada and found nothing new, you might consider getting a Scottish genealogist to search for you there. Ask for the fee and contract only for 3 hours at a time. Review the report and consider whether or not you want more research. Names of genealogists are listed with Register House in Scotland or you can check out Scottish Roots by Alwyn James. Give information only on the earliest known ancestor.
Q: Why must I know history and geography in order to do research?
A: Events give clues of where to search and geography provides long-ago place names. Counties, states and countries changed lines and names often over the years.
Q: How can I know which John McLeod of Richmond Co. is mine when there are 16 of them listed in a census index for that county?
A: You can’t. You can surmise. Always note “it seems that” before stating a theory and do not give anything as fact if there is no hard proof.
Q: I’ve found lots of genealogical information to be wrong. What is one to do?
A: Written genealogy is not to be considered perfect. It is simply a basis for further research.
Q: I was told we are related to George Washington. How can I find out if I am?
A: There is usually a kernel of truth in family tradition. However, it must be proven or disproved.
Q: What happens to information I send in to the Migration Project?
A: For the USA, the material is either added or entered as a new family group. Then, it is sent to Ellen Payne Odom Genealogical Library in Moultrie, Ga. for safekeeping.
Q: What is the Migration Project?
A: The project contains two parts. One part deals with publications in Scotland about the genealogies of MacLeods and septs there. The other deals with the genealogies of MacLeods in the various countries. Genealogy and migration, in these instances, are synonymous.