More McCord Ancestry notes

And notes from McCord Ancestry sites:

JOHN DUNCAN MCCORD

John, was born about 1660, and was in the siege of Derry (now Londonderry, Northern Ireland) with King William's men in 1689, and was in many other battles. John's wife was Mary McDougal. John became clan chieftan at the death of his father. They moved to Ireland about 1688 as part of the great Ulster Plantation, when Scots and Englishmen were sent to oust Irish landowners. These McCords settled in Stewartstown, CountyTyrone. "

JOHN DUNCAN MACKORDA

JOHN TOOK OVER THE CLAN CHIEFTAN AFTER THE DEATH OF HIS FATHER, JAMES MACKORDE. JOHN FOUGHT IN MANY WARS BEFORE HIS OWN DEATH. EMIGRATED TO COUNTY TYRONE ULSTER PROVINCE IRELAND WITH HIS SEVEN SONS.

THEY SEEMED TO CHANGE THE SPELLING OF MACKORDE TO MACCORDE AROUND 1705.

ANOTHER VERSION COMES FROM AN OLD MCCORD NOTEBOOK WRITTEN BY A T. J. MCCORD FROM SPLIT LOG,MO. (SOMETIME IN THE 1800s) IT STATES THAT JOHN DUNCAN DIED IN 1715 AND IT WAS THEN THAT  HIS SEVEN SONS MOVED TO IRELAND AND DROPPED THE "A" FROM MACCORD AND CHANGED IT TO MCCORD.

They moved to Ireland after 1689,  Stewartstown, County Tyrone, Ireland shortly after the Battle of Killiecrankie (1689), John (McCord, son of James McCord of the Isle of Skye) and his wife, (along) with his infant brother James McCord, left Scotland, settling in Stewartstown, County Tyrone, Ireland, where, it is said, they had relatives.

About John

 After his father was killed in the Battle of Killiecrankie in Scotland in 1689, John took the rest of the clan and moved them to Ulster in Northern Ireland. They lived here until about 1740, when they came to America.

Dundee's Rising in Scotland

On 16 April 1689　John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee, raised James' standard on the hilltop of　Dundee Lawwith fewer than 50 men in support. Although Presbyterian historians later labelled him "Bluidy Clavers" for his vicious persecution of　Covenanters, he has also been called "Bonnie Dundee". (This was from a song written by SirWalter Scott in 1830.) James had already arrived in Ireland and his letter was on the way promising Irish troops to assist the rising in Scotland.

At first Viscount Dundee had difficulty in raising many supporters. The ineffectiveness of the Williamite commander Major-General　Hugh Mackay　of Scourie encouraged support. Two hundred Irish troops successfully landed at　Kintyre　to add to Dundee's forces. Dundee also received support in the western　Scottish Highlands　from both　Roman Catholic　and　Church of Scotland　clans.

By July the Jacobites had eight battalions and two companies, almost all Highlanders. Dundee gained the confidence of the　clans　by cultivating the allegiance of each Highlander and respecting the precedence of the clans. He realized that to them, the cause of Jacobitism was secondary. At a time when infantry were trained to fight in formation, the Highlanders' method was more informal. They set aside their　plaids　and other encumbrances before the battle, and dropped to the ground to avoid enemy volleys. After quickly returning fire, they pursued their foes, screaming in the　Highland charge. They used heavy　broadswords　and　targe　(shield), or whatever weapons they had, including pitchforks or　Lochaber axes(a combined axe and spear on a long pole). Such a charge was devastating to troops struggling to reform their lines, or fix the recently introduced 'plug' bayonets.

The Highland charge (and troop strength) defeated a larger lowland Scots force at the　Battle of Killiecrankieon 27 July 1689. About one-third of the Highlanders were killed in the fighting, and Dundee died in the battle. At the street fighting of the　Battle of Dunkeld　on 21 August, the Jacobite Highlanders were decisively defeated by the　Cameronians. Much of the North remained hostile to the English government. Expeditions to subdue the highlands were met with a series of skirmishes.

notes taken from McCord sites. 7/13/2010

Much of this information above is covered in Michael McCord's 1996 book, The McCord Saga.  In it he goes generation by generation,  using as source LDS information often, with many "unknown" wives and children listed.  But my ancestor John McCord, born around 1702 is included as a son of John Duncan MacCord or MacKorda (BIRTH 1660 • Argyle, , Skye, Scotland, DEATH 1715 • Stewartstown, Tyrone,  Ireland) and his wife Mary MacDougall.  John is their fourth son, with William, James and Benjamin being older.

This book is quoted HERE at Family Tree Maker.

Here's what is said about John McCord:

6. JOHN4 MCCORD (JOHN DUNCAN3 MACCORDE, JAMES DUNCAN2 MACKORDA, JOHN1) (Source: McCord Family Assoc. Web Page.) 

was born Abt. 1702 in Ireland or Scotland, and died 1762 in Paxton, near Derry, PA.

He married UNKNOWN.   More About JOHN MCCORD:

Church: 1733, Spring Creek Presbyterian Church in Derry, PA (now Hershey, PA)

Emigration: 1720, from Ireland (family originally from Scotland)

Settled: Aft. 1720, Hanover Co., PA (which was originally in Lancaster Co., PA)

I like hearing there's a McCord Family Assoc. Web Page...but I don't know where it is.

So my ancestor, John is first generation in America, and was born either in Ireland or Scotland (as just mentioned above, but not in my ancestry tree.)  His father James Duncan McCord had changed his name from MacKorda when moving to Ireland.  

Now Ancestry has added enough information that I see the next generation back gives a title of Sir James Duncan MacKorda, Clan Chief.  He's the one who died at the battle.  But there seems to be a little information that his father had been a John MacKorda, born around 1600 in Argyle, Isle Skye, Scotland, where he died in unknown year.  His wife was Mary Allison (1602-?_)

Now James MacKorda married Mary Sarah MacDougall of the clan MacDugall (22 FEB 1664 • Argyle, , Skye, Scotland - 1725) Here's a portrait of someone in the tartan of that clan...perhpas Mary Sarah, perhaps not.

I must stop this never ending search for the next believable ancestor.  

Today's quote:

No matter how brave, strong, or levelheaded we are, sometimes we all get scared.

 

Scottish ancestors Sir James MacKorda, Clan Chief

The history of the McCord family goes back to Scotland where a Clan Chieftan, James MacKorda died in the famous Battle of Killekrankie Pass in 1689, and his son John Duncan MacKorda/McCord (1660-?) who had married Mary McDougal. Their sons William, Robert, David and John came to America around 1720-38.   Some of them went to Lancaster county PA, while other McCords also immigrated to New York, South Carolina and Virginia.  (From: http://thewommacks.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/James_MacKorda_Descendants.156162820.pdf

-----------------------

From: Family Tree - this resource has many generations of James and John McCorda given, but I can't locate mine (yet)

And this document relies upon a source which is considered secondary. A  primary source is a birth or death certificate, a will, a marriage record, a journal, letters, a document of property sale, or other legal documents.

So there was a famous battle in Scotland, which I'd never heard about, so I go to trusty internet to search for information about it.  Wikipedia says this:

The Battle of Killiecrankie (Gaelic: Blàr Choille Chnagaidh) was fought between Highland Scottish clans supporting King James II and VII and troops supporting King William of Orange on 27 July 1689, during the first Jacobite uprising. Although it was a stunning victory for the Jacobites, it had little overall effect on the outcome of the war and left their leader dead. Their forces were scattered at the Battle of Dunkeld the next month.

For more details here's the link.

And I don't know much more about the battle than I did before, actually.  I'd have to learn a lot more about Scottish/English history before these politics and military forces were understandable for me.  I have enough trouble with our American Revolution!

Pass at Killkiecranky

Clan Name: McCord 

Tartan: McCord

Origin of Name: from the Scottish "MacKorda" 


McCord, originally spelled MacKorda, was a Highland clan originating on the Isle of Skye on the west coast of Scotland.

Although John is the first recorded MacKorda, his son James Duncan MacKorda was the first Clan Chief of the MacKorda Clan. James was born 1620 in Scotland, and died July 27, 1689 in Killiekrankie Pass, Perhshire, Scotland, during the last great charge by the Highlanders.

Around 1670 the spelling of the family name was changed to MacCorde. The clan then emigrated from Scotland in the late 1600's to County Tyrone, Northern Ireland (Ulster)where, in 1715, the spelling was finally changed to McCord.

The McCord's are among the people refered to as Scotch-Irish. The term Scotch-Irish denotes only that they were in Northern Ireland for a time. Very little intermarriage occurred between these Scotch and the native Irish of Ireland. The Scotch and Scotch-Irish peoples, heritage, and culture were then, and are, entirely separate and distinct from that of the Irish of Ireland. During the late 1700's and early 1800's many of the McCords went on to settle in America and Canada. Source: "This was taken from "angelfire.com"

Not exactly a primary source, but information that is interesting!

I'll have to continue this sharing of information tomorrow!

Today's Quote:

The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated (this land), far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.  Abraham Lincoln

John McCord 1702–1762

Mary McCord McElhany's father John was probably born in 1702 in Stewartstown, Ireland. His parents were from Argyle, Skye, Scotland however.

John McCord

Birth 1702 • Stewartstown, Tyrone, Ireland

Death 1762 • West Hanover, Dauphin, Pennsylvania,

Some information is available on Stewartstown, County Tyrone, Ireland.

 The castle Stewart was probably there when his family immigrated from Scotland.

This Presbyterian Church may not have been built at that time however, but having Scotch parents they would have belonged to that church.

Stuart Hall was made into a postcard later on, but it is possible that it was there when the McCords lived in Ireland.

And this is a more modern aerial view of Stewardstown, County Tyrone, Ireland.

His ancestry information is pretty confusing.  One source says he was born in Scotland.  And it says he died in Paxton, near Derry PA in 1762.  It does have information that he joined the Presbyterian Church in 1733 in Derry, PA (now Hershey).  It has no information on his spouse or his mother.  But it does say he had a son, William, born in 1740 in Ireland, who died Sept. 9, 1806 in Erie PA. (Source: http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/s/t/e/Dana-L-Stearley)

A modern designed tartan plaid for the McCord family

John McCord and his brothers, David and William were some of the earliest settlers of central Pennsylvania.  As early as 1750 he and his brothers names appear on tax lists of Derry and Hanover townships, Pennsylvania.  In 1756 the McCord Fort stood in the settlement of Conococheague.  In the same year it was burned by the Indians and twenty-seven persons were either killed or carried into captivity.  No authentic record of the family exists beyond their settlement in Sherman's Valley, now Perry County, Pennsylvania, when they built their house prior to the Indian War of 1755-1763.  The house was standing a few years ago (written in 1905) and bore its marks of bullets fired by the enemies of the white man.

 In this valley dwelt the families of Robinson, Black, Moorhead, Fisher, Crawford and McCord who intermarried at an early period.  Their farms were located on the west side of the Susquehanna river along the Swatara and Manada creeks. The most desperate Indian outrages were perpetrated and at one time the valley was almost deserted by the settlers.  After the French and Indian War, the savaages moved on and gradually the old Scotch-Irish families returned.  Some of their cabin homes were not destroyed, but the majority were in ashes.  That of the McCords escaped the fire and hatchet of the redskin.

In the burial grounds of Derry, Hanover and other of the Presbyterian churches of central Pensylvania, lie the remains of many who bear the name and who doubtless descendants of the original families that have settled, and who were closely connected by ties of blood.

from  "History of the Families of McKinney, Brady, and Quigley" by Belle McKinney Hays Swope, published Newville, Pennsylvania, 1905

---------------------------------------------------

So John McCord settled (where his children were born) in what would later become West Hanover Township, Dauphin County, PA.

Did I mention that one source says he married a woman named Anne in 1725 in Pennsylvania?  I don't know who she was, nor if they had any children.  Oh, she was killed in the Indian attack on Fort McCord.  The plaque memorializing that has her as Anne, wife of John McCord.

Monument for Fort McCord

Anne wife of John McCord among those killed

Ancestry trees also has him marrying about 1741 to Mary MacIntyre in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  She was probably born in 1712 in Derry, Ireland, and they had at least 4 children.  This seems to be the most popular description of his family.

But there are many different possiblities from different trees.  One said she was Mary McCarty born in 1722, another had her as a completely different name.  Unfortunately my 7 times great grandmother didn't get any records written about her, but I am sure she was a real woman, who had all the joys and activities and sorrows of any woman of her times.

And it's always possible that some old records will be found that talk all about Mary McCord, mother of all those people that would eventually bring about me and my own children and grandchildren.

Derry Session House and Enclosure — at 248 East Derry Road, Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. This is a 1740s Presbyterian Church enclosed in a 1927 (renovated 1999) glass building, built originally by Milton S. Hershey, next to his home High Point. Note that both the church and the glass enclosure are on the NRHP, since November 21, 2006.

An interesting oral history is also on Ancestry (transcribed as J.T. McCord's book.)  There don't seem to be any similarities to my tree beyond the immigrant John McCord. The lineage that is followed in this record are descendants of Robert McCord.

Next I'll look at the earliest records I have of the McCords, who were MacKorda or MacCorda in Scotland.

Today's Quote:

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." Henry David Thoreau