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Archiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2004-02 > 1075836091


From: "Mark MacDonald" <>
Subject: RE: [DNA] DAVIDSON CLAN ORIGINS - MacPHERSON or COMYN
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2004 13:21:36 -0600
In-Reply-To: <20040203183119.82064.qmail@web21506.mail.yahoo.com>


Doug
He still can and should do a study primarily using just Davidsons and
MacPhersons of which there are many. If they match, then the historians
were accurate unless the Comyns are deeply related to both within the
last 1500-2000 years. To determine the general position of the Comyns
for that limited purpose, test other Comyns. If you ask them, they may
come from interest in their own clan. If the Davidsons and MacPhersons
don't match, then the clan historian may be on to something. It isn't
perfect as a proof but in a number of the alternatives you would get a
clear answer. Alternatively you may find something interesting about the
relationships among the three extended families and will simultaneously
learn about the internal structure of each clan..

We can't assume that the old historians are right. They are simply
guideposts for interpreting data and generating hypotheses like this one
of the Davidsons.

Mark MacDonald
National Historian
Clan Donald USA
-----Original Message-----
From: doug mcdonald [mailto:]
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2004 12:31 PM
To:
Subject: Re: [DNA] DAVIDSON CLAN ORIGINS - MacPHERSON or COMYN


--- jimbettyd <> wrote:
> At this point I have done no testing. I have only
> one question that I feel DNA testing might be of
> significant value:
>
> It is widely accepted that the father of the Scot
> Davidsons is one David Dhub of Inverness. Who David
> was is the question. Traditional history has placed
> him as the fourth son of Mhuiah Mor, the McPherson
> about 1250. However, a more recent thought,
> supported by the current Clan historian is that he
> was a younger son of John Comyn who was murdered by
> Robert Bruce

The known male line of this John Comyn is extinct. The
male line of his known ancestors is likewise thought
to be extinct. So there are no living male descendents
to test for a match.

All this is common knowledge. People working with
such lines should check the common reference works
of medieval aristocracy before worrying about DNA
tests. It took all of 2 minutes for me to ascertain
this both from the Scots Peerage and from
www.genealogics.org.

Doug McDonald

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