My Thomson ancestral
line came from Edinburgh, Scotland to America about 1685,
transported by Col. Ninian Bealle and settled on land in Scotland
Hundred near Bladenburgh, Md. Historical notes about Col. Ninian
Bealle indicate that he transported an entire Presbyterian
Congregation to America and that became the Presbyterian Church at
Bladensburg, Md. It seems possible that the congregation could have
been from Fife or the Firth of Fourth which appears to be the
location where he lived prior being transported to America.
Maryland documentation is specific in that
migrating ancestor William Thomson was a Gent from Edinburgh,
Scotland. His brother Walter Thomson was married to a Margaret and
was a merchant in Edinburgh, Scotland. Yet I can find no
documentation pertaining to Walter Thomson in the Scotland
documentation. ALso Walter's eldest son was William Thompson, a
mariner who sailed out of London, England. Walter and William's
brother Christopher Thomson was a merchant in Maryland and a trustee
of the Presbyterian Church at Bladensburgh, Md. I think that
Christopher owned property in Thompsons Town in that general
location of Maryland.
The Thomson y-dna profile matches that of the
current chief of Clan McTavish -1 marker.
The Thomson y-dna profile also matches the
Scottish Modal 47 which pertains to about 10-20% of all modern
Scotland. And -4 marker y-dna matches include a William McTavish
from Lanark, Scotland who migrated in the middle 1800 time span to
America. So it is fairly obvious that this group were descendants
from Clan McTavish.
In America in Scotland Hundred near Bladensburg,
Md. the Thompson property adjoined that of a George Thompson who
named his tract as Duddingston Manor and another tract as
Duddingston Pasture. This seems to be more than coincidental.
Migrating ancestor William Thomson was literate
and willed his divinity books to a grandson, therefore probably
studied for the ministry. I found several William Thomsons listed
as students in that time period in the University of Edinburgh but
nothing to identify any specific person.
I think it is very probable that these Thomsons
were cousins to or descended from Sir Thomas Thomson of Duddingston.
William Thomson was about 18 years of age at the time that property
was sold. But there is nothing to connect anyone, only the
Edinburgh, Scotland location and speculation.
The Thomsons in America were intermarried with
Angus McDonald, a Col. who was the Deputy for Lord Dunsmore in his
war against the Indians. Migrating ancestor William Thomson's
grand-daughter Ann Thompson married Angus McDonald. Both Angus
McDonald and my ancestor William Thompson, brother to Ann and
grandson of migrating ancestor William Thompson are listed in George
Washington's diary as dinner guests. The main reason for that is
that Angus McDonald owned property in Virginia and collected rent
for George Washington on properties that Washington owned there. A
transcription of a letter from George Washignton to Angus McDonald
is in my files and available on line with the original letter in the
possession of Hunter McDonald of Nashville, Tn. at last account.
The Thompsons were intermarried with the Van
Meteren and DuBois lines who settled in Ulster County, N. Y. because
of religious persecution and then migrated south. John Van Meteren
was married to Sarah DuBois and their daughter Rebecca Van Meteren
was married to Cornelius Eltinge whose half sister was married to
Nicholas Roosevelt, the patriach of Teddy Roosevelt and FDR.
Yacomintye Eltinge, the daughter of Cornelius and Rebecca Van
Meteren Eltinge was married to John Thompson, my 6th
great-grandfather. Migrating ancestor William Thomson and Ann
Chittham Thomson were my 7th great-grandparents.
Also in my ancestral lineage from my mother's
line are the Wigton, Scotland Walker line and others who migrated
with those groups. Religious persecution seems to be the general
motiviation with one ancestral line tracing back to Rev. Joseph
Alleine who was imprisoned in England for religious purposes and
whose daughter married Rev. John Rutherford with their daughter
intermarried with John Walker of the Wigton, Scotland Walker line.
Many of the notable historical figures in the
foundation of America are direct descendants from some of these
families including Gen. Sam Houston, Gen. George S. Patton,
Presidents Teddy Roosevelt, and FDR. Also from the Wigton, Scotland
Walker line was explorer Johnny Rutherford Walker. Dna testing has
connected them as well as documentation supporting it.
Just about all of these Scotts were Scottish
Covenanters and either escaped murder by migrating to America or
were banished.
The Thompson y-dna profile also matches that of
an Anderson and Tate group from Scotland and matches that of some
who lived in England near the Scottish border. There are matches to
a Robert Norton descendant from Yorkshire, England from a family
that was intermarried with the Stewart nobility. Also matching from
that location was a descendant from Henry Thompson, a persecuted
Quaker.
I would have thought that there would be a record
of merchants who operated in Edinburgh, Scotland. Walter Thomson,
the merchant, was survived by his spouse Margaret and an eldest son
named William and was deceased by about 1730. So it would seem
unlikely that there would be more than one Walter Thomson listed as
merchant in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The researchers seem to have lost track of the
Duddingston Thomsons and I think that our line could be them,
particularly with a y-dna profile matching that of clan McTavish.
But I would particularly like to connect to the earlier lineage of
Walter Thomson, the merchant, since that would seem to be
traceable. BUT since these were Covenanter Scotts it is possible
that all records about them were purged by Kings Charles II and
James II.
Your thoughts will be appreciated and at the
least you can have documentation showing where some of the
Edinburgh, Scotland Thomsons went.
