My ancestry is mostly Scottish with a tiny bit of Irish. Although I remember hearing/reading that there might be some more to mix in like some Cherokee or other European nationalities, but I can't be sure of that. My dad always says I'm 1/64th Cherokee but I haven't seen the documentation to prove that.
The most I know about concerning my family is that supposedly one side of my family has been traced back to Scotland and is part of the Douglas clan. It seems the Douglasses have some interesting and possibly important history:
I have a question: what is the proper way to trace your lineage? Is the "correct" way to go through your father, then his father, his father, etc? The interesting thing to me is that really, there are infinite lines of family history depending on what parent you follow.
Quote: The name is said to be derived from the Gaelic "dubh glais" meaning "dark water" but the origins of the line are lost in time. It is thought that a Flemish nobleman may have accompanied King David I on his return from England but the first documented Douglas was a William de Douglas in the 12th century in Morayshire. In time, four main branches of the family evolved -
The "Black" Douglases of Douglasdale in south Lanarkshire
The "Red" Douglases of Angus and Fife
The Douglas earls of Morton in Dumfriesshire and
A branch in Drumlanrig in Nithsdale in the Scottish Borders who became the marquesses of Queensberry.
The first Douglas to stride across the stage of Scottish history was Sir William Douglas who fought and died for William Wallace. His son, Sir James Douglas was a supporter and lifelong friend of Robert the Bruce. "Good Sir James" died taking Bruce's heart on a crusade to the Holy Land. The 2nd Earl of Douglas died at the Battle of Otterburn in 1388 as his army defeated an English force led by Prince Henry "Hotspur". In 1402 the 4th Earl was defeated by the same Henry Hotspur at the Battle of Homildon Hill.
The Douglas family grew in power and by the 15th century they were seen as a threat to the monarch. The 6th Earl Douglas and his brother was invited to the infamous "Black Dinner" at Edinburgh Castle with the 10-year-old King James II. They were seized and beheaded. The 8th Earl suffered the same fate in 1452, this time at the hands of King James II himself.
William, the 11th Earl of Angus became 1st Marquess of Douglas and was a supporter of King Charles I during the Civil War. A number of Douglas titles later devolved to the Dukes of Hamilton and the eldest son of the Duke is now given the title of Marquess of Douglas.