McSwan History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe McSwan family comes from the ancient Scottish Dalriadan clans of the mountainous west coast of Scotland. The name McSwan is derived from Suibhne, an old Gaelic forename which probably means good-going or well-going. The Gaelic form of the surname is Mac Shuibhne. Early Origins of the McSwan familyThe surname McSwan was first found in on the Isles of Skye and Lewis (Scottish Gaelic: Leòdhas), where they were originally a branch of the MacDonalds of Clanranald. But although the MacQueens held lands of Garafad on the Isle of Skye for several centuries it is likely that the first MacQueen was the Lord of Knapdale in Argyllshire who held Castle Sween. Early History of the McSwan familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our McSwan research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1411 and 1743 are included under the topic Early McSwan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. McSwan Spelling VariationsSpelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. McSwan has appeared in various documents spelled MacQueen, MacQueon, MacSween, MacSwene, MacSweyne, MacSwan, MacCunn and many more. Early Notables of the McSwan familyNotable amongst the Clan from early times was MacQueen of Pall à Chrocain, a legendary Highland deer stalker popularly believed to have slain the last wolf Tarnaway Forest in the province of Morayshire in 1743. Apparently, he received a message from his chief, the Laird of Clan Mackintosh, that a black wolf had killed two children. He arrived late for the meeting, received a tirade from his chief only to reveal from under his garment the head of the wolf. He described the event as... Migration of the McSwan family to IrelandSome of the McSwan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Dalriadan families proliferated in North America. Their descendants still populate many communities in the eastern parts of both the United States and Canada. Some settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists, in the wake of the American War of Independence. Families on both sides of the border have recovered much of their heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name McSwan or a variant listed above: McSwan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
McSwan Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include: McSwan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
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