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Messages - JimBlack

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Scotland / Re: Looking for ideas to trace my Black surname from Scotland to the U.S.
« on: Monday 17 January 22 14:55 GMT (UK)  »
I know how you feel BillyF.  It's been all John, James and William for my Black men for over 200 years! Have you done any Y DNA testing?  That might prove interesting, especially if some Americans share your DNA.

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Scotland / Re: Looking for ideas to trace my Black surname from Scotland to the U.S.
« on: Monday 17 January 22 14:43 GMT (UK)  »
Thanks for that info aghadowey.  I'm pretty sure John B. is the first son of John since he was born within a year of John's marriage.  But then again you still can't be sure.  Yes, the middle initials have always interested me but I don't know what they refer to.  John B's first son was also John B. so that's another thing.  My guess is that they refer to the mother's maiden name but who knows.  Samuel A.G.'s initials are also a mystery but they may refers to his mother's family since that name was Gray.  It's all guesswork really.  I am hoping that the Y-DNA analysis leads to some clues so I can better define the time frame of the name change from Rankin to Black.

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Scotland / Re: Looking for ideas to trace my Black surname from Scotland to the U.S.
« on: Monday 17 January 22 12:54 GMT (UK)  »
That's what I was thinking also.  His oldest son was John B. Black and his other son was Samuel A.G. Black.  He didn't have any daughters.  My understanding is that the first son is named after the grandfather so I assume that the person I am looking for in another John Black, born around 1780.  Do I have that right?

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Scotland / Re: Looking for ideas to trace my Black surname from Scotland to the U.S.
« on: Monday 17 January 22 02:02 GMT (UK)  »
This is my problem.  No I don't have anything on his parents at all.  Hopefully I can come across someone who has been researching my surname in Scotland and who knows of an ancestor who came to America at that time.

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Scotland / Looking for ideas to trace my Black surname from Scotland to the U.S.
« on: Sunday 16 January 22 13:12 GMT (UK)  »
Hi everyone.  New guy here.  I've been researching my Black surname for over 30 years and can't get past a John Black (1803-1856), who was a successful shop owner in New York City and who was apparently born there.  My paper trail says his parents were born in Scotland but I've exhausted the searches on the big genealogy sites for legal docs, immigration, census, etc.  I've also checked ScotlandsPeople and many other sites, including many ship passenger lists.

My Y-DNA test connects me with the Rankin surname from Argyll (Glencoe area) so there was a name change, likely in the 1700s.  My Black ancestors may be highlanders from that area but they also may have moved to the south before emigrating to America in the late 1700s.  They may have also emigrated to Nova Scotia initially but that hasn't turned up much info either.  And yes, it's even possible they were Ulster Scots before coming to America but there is no evidence of that.

Of course there are many Blacks in Scotland in the late 1700s, and plenty in New York City then also, but making the connections has been quite difficult.  If anyone has any ideas on how I can make the Scotland-USA connection, or has looked into the Black or Rankin names, I'd love to hear your comments.  I have checked the SIT on this site and will email some researchers soon.

Thanks for reading.  I have a lot of info on all my other family lines going back hundreds of years but my direct paternal line has been the hardest nut to crack!

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