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Orkney & London Roots

To contact me:

E-mail: marion.mcleod@btinternet.com

MY FAMILY HISTORY - My family origins are from Orkney, Scotland and Norfolk, Suffolk, London, Surrey & Somerset, England, UK. The main family names being researched are shown below on this page and there are photographs and outlines of some of the families in the family pages. Just click the bars on the left of each page to access the start of each family’s story. The bare bones of the complete family trees for each of these families and other associated/connected trees and photographs can be viewed at

http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/m/c/l/Marion-A-Mcleod and some old photos of people I cannot identify [with Orkney connections] plus my photographs over the years of various scenes and views of Orkney can be viewed at

People http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/21009959

Scenery http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/21009958

Orchids http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/21009957

Old photos http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/21018288

I also have several other family trees connected to my families and I welcome contacts from anyone with an interest in any of the names and families or anyone who can help with information connected to them - reach me by clicking the email link at the top of the pages.

SURNAME ORIGINS IN ORKNEY, SCOTLAND

WISHART; HARCUS [Westray & Eday]; PATERSON [Westray]; REDLAND; SMITH; SINCLAIR; RENDALL [Westray]; TAIT; SCOTT; GROAT.

OTHER NAMES, FAMILY TREES AND INFORMATION: - SPENCE; LAIRD & WARDS & KENNEDY; ODDIE; LAUGHTON; FOUBISTER; MATCHES.

SURNAME ORIGINS IN SUFFOLK, NORFOLK, LONDON, SURREY & SOMERSET, ENGLAND

BROOM[E] [Suffolk; Surrey; London]; ABEL [Suffolk, Norfolk; London]; HIGGS [Lambeth & Battersea areas of Surrey & Upton-on-Severn]; MUNDEN [Somerset; Newington & Lambeth areas of Surrey].

OTHER NAMES, FAMILY TREES AND INFORMATION: - COTMAN; RACKHAM; NEEP; PAUL; PORRET; HORTH [all Norwich & Norfolk]; LEECH/LEACH & BAKER [Clopton, Suffolk]; BALDRY [Clopton, Suffolk & Lambeth & Battersea, Surrey]; KING [Bungay, Suffolk]; DANIELS & STAPLES [both Lambeth, Battersea or Surrey areas]; WISEMAN & HARRISON [both Essex].

BACKGROUND COMMENTS

The initial research into the Smith, Harcus, Paterson, Wishart & Redland families in Orkney was tentatively started by my late uncle, James Smith Wishart, who also compiled a Dictionary of old Orkney words. He left me both his research and the dictionary to continue his work in my generation and then pass it on the the next generation. As a child I used to spend many hours each weekend helping him as he made up index cards for his Dictionary. Each word or phrase was entered on a separate card with an explanation and derivation of the word/phrase and a sentence or story showing how it was used. These were all cross-referenced with any connecting cards and also entered in a large set of ledger books. He would often open a very large box of old photographs, letters and postcards and go through them all with me, telling me stories about the people, until I could recite the names of the people in the photographs when he held one up—although I had no idea who most of these people were at the time. He instilled the interest at an early age and, although I never had time to do any proper further research until about 15 years ago, I can still hear him telling me the old stories or conjure up the photograph image of the person whenever I look at my family trees.

The research into my English lines was started by my late mother many years ago, in the mid 1960s, before the days of computers and the Internet. She had some family information about her Broom[e] ancestors originating from near Rendham in Suffolk and her Abel family originating in Bungay, Suffolk but she had not managed to trace the families. I managed to pick up from her notes and take the research much further. She had not delved into her other family lines though and these proved to be as interesting and the research is continuing on these.

Thanks to numerous families and other researchers who have given me information to update their sections of the trees. Thanks also to the voluntary and paid researchers in Norfolk and Suffolk who helped with advice and helped point me in the correct research directions in two counties that I do not know and have never visited. Thanks must also go to the invaluable services of the Orkney Library Archive department and their staff who have helped with the Orkney family research.

Please contact me if you think you have any connections to any on the lines in my trees or if you want any more information on any lines.

Website contents & photos © Copyright Marion McLeod

Last updated December 2008