Allinson History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsEtymology of AllinsonWhat does the name Allinson mean? The root of the ancient Dalriadan-Scottish name Allinson is the name for the son of "Ellis" or Ellis' son. Conversely, the surname could be is derived from "Alice" as in "the son of Alice." It is likely though that the name was derived from "Ellis" rather than the female personal name. 1 2 But Black goes on stating there is some dispute as to the origin: "On the other hand, with reference to Scottish Alison or Allison, Mr. L. A. Morrison in his The History of the Alison or Allison family in Europe and America, Boston, 1893, says that it is 'a fact beyond doubt that Alison comes from Alister or Alexander, and, further, that the Alisons are offshoots of the famous Clan of MacAlister" (p. 4), and that the origin of the name is due to two sons of Alexander MacAlister of Loupe who with some of their followers escaped to the parish of Avondale, Lanarkshire, during the War of Independence, and there later their name was changed from MacAlister to Alison (p. 18). He further states that 'the names Alison, Allison, Alinson, Allinson, and of Elison, Ellison, Elissen, Ellysen, are found thus spelled in the early history of some branches of the present Allison family. They are interchangeably mixed. The name was often spelled Ellison and Allison when referring to the same individual.' " 1 Early Origins of the Allinson familyThe surname Allinson was first found in the county of Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow, where they acquired some time before 1300 the territories of their family seat at Loupe. They were descended from Angus Mor MacDonnell, Lord of the Isles, their Gaelic name was MacAllister, and it is difficult through history to distinguish one name from the other. One of the first clear records of the family was "Patrick Alissone del counte de Berewyk rendered homage, 1296." 1 This is an early record of Patrick's swearing allegiance to King Edward I of England, shortly after his invasion of Scotland. Continuing, we found "Peter Alesoun was a witness in Brechin, 1490 (REB,, II, 134), Thomas Alesoun appears in Lochtoun, Scone, 1586 (Scon, p. 232), James Allasone was bailie of Ranfrew, 1688 (RPC., 3. ser. XIII, p. 243), and Gabriel Alason was bailie of the burgh of Dumfries, 1693." 1 Early History of the Allinson familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Allinson research. Another 42 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1314 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Allinson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Allinson Spelling VariationsThe translation of Gaelic names in the Middle Ages was not a task undertaken with great care. Records from that era show an enormous number of spelling variations, even in names referring to the same person. Over the years Allinson has appeared as Allison, Alison, Alinson, Allinson, McAllister, MacAllister, Ellison and many more. Early Notables of the Allinson familyMore information is included under the topic Early Allinson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Allinson family to IrelandSome of the Allinson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Many settled along the east coast of what would become the United States and Canada. As the American War of Independence broke out, those who remained loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these hardy Dalriadan-Scottish settlers began to recover their collective history in the 20th century with the advent of the vibrant culture fostered by highland games and Clan societies in North America. Highland games, clan societies, and other organizations generated much renewed interest in Scottish heritage in the 20th century. The Allinson were among the earliest of the Scottish settlers as immigration passenger lists have shown: Allinson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Allinson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4 Allinson Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century
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