| ![Show Contents]() McFerson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
Scotland
Etymology of McFersonWhat does the name McFerson mean? The roots of the ancient Scottish name McFerson are found among the people of a tribe known as the Picts. McFerson is a name for a parson. The Gaelic forms of the names are Mac a' Phearsain and Mac a Phearsoin, which mean son of the parson. This was the surname of various ecclesiastical families in Scotland and is descended from a Chief of the great Clan Chattan ('tribe of the cats'), called Gille Chattan. This Chief can, in turn, be traced back to Feachar the Long, King of Lorn who died in 697 AD. The Clan's original territories were in Stratthnairn, Strathdearn and Badenoch from whence they long contested the leadership of the Clan Chattan with the MacKintoshes, who also claimed descent from the Gille Chattan through a female heiress. McFerson Coat of Arms CreationThe Macphersons carry a cat as their crest, and their motto is " Touch not the cat bot (without) a glove." The story is that young Angus Oig Macdonald went over to Ireland to help an Irish king, and there he got the king's daughter in marriage. While the clansmen after the nuptials were waiting to return to Scotland, there came into the camp an Irish piper, a Macneil, who managed to smuggle himself into one of the boats. A black cat followed, and when a Highlander tried to catch and throw it overboard, he got badly scratched for his pains, and the piper gave him the advice which became the motto of the clan, and the black cat accompanied them to Scotland. This piper when in Scotland took to preaching, married, and settled among the Argyllshire MacDonalds. His sons were known as Mhic a Pharson, and thus the Clan Macpherson originated. The clan has a galley in its coat of arms, perhaps in memory of the trip to Ireland, or perhaps to their being once driven by stress of weather on to the coast of Caithness. They also carry a dagger, point up, for killing the Cummings, and " a black cat for luck " has been a proverb, for the Macphersons have been lucky since they settled in Scotland. They are a branch of the great Clan Chattan. 1 Early Origins of the McFerson familyThe surname McFerson was first found in Inverness, where they were hereditary keepers of the sacred stone of St. Catan, and early Chief of the Clan Chattan. The MacPhersons are sometimes called the Clan Mhuirich, 'the children of Muredach,' from an early Chief of the Clan, Duncan (the Parson) who was imprisoned with the Lord of the Isles after the Battle of Harlaw (1411). Early History of the McFerson familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our McFerson research. Another 524 words (37 lines of text) covering the years 1490, 1528, 1600, 1645, 1672, 1675, 1688, 1689, 1700, 1715, 1745, 1776, 1783, 1784 and 1932 are included under the topic Early McFerson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. McFerson Spelling VariationsThe appearance of the printing press and the first dictionaries in the last few hundred years did much to standardize spelling. Prior to that time scribes spelled according to sound, a practice that resulted in many spelling variations. McFerson has been spelled MacPherson, McPherson, MacPhersone, Mac a' Phearsoin (Gaelic) and many more. Early Notables of the McFerson familyJames MacPherson (1675-1700), the Scottish outlaw, famed for his Lament or Rant supposedly written on the eve of his execution, a version of which was rewritten by Robert Burns; and Colonel Duncan MacPherson, the Clan Chief, who commanded a battalion in North America from 1776 to...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McFerson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| McFerson migration to the United States | + |
The expense of the crossing to the North American colonies seemed small beside the difficulties of remaining in Scotland. It was a long and hard trip, but at its end lay the reward of freedom. Some Scots remained faithful to England and called themselves United Empire Loyalists, while others fought in the American War of Independence. Much of this lost Scottish heritage has been recovered in the last century through Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important, early immigrants to North America bearing the name of McFerson:
McFerson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- John McFerson, who landed in North Carolina in 1740 2
McFerson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- M McFerson, aged 22, who arrived in North Carolina in 1812 2
- William McFerson, who landed in New York in 1824 2
| McFerson migration to Canada | + |
McFerson Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century- Mr. Thomas McFerson U.E. who settled in Marysburgh [Prince Edward County], Ontario c. 1784 3
| Contemporary Notables of the name McFerson (post 1700) | + |
- Theodore R. McFerson, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Evansville, Indiana, 1873-77 4
- Charles McFerson Mannon (b. 1876), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1916 (alternate), 1940 5
| McFerson Motto and War Cry | + |
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Touch not the cat bot a glove
Motto Translation: Touch not the cat without a glove
War Cry: "Craigdhu."
- Polson, Alexander, The Romance of Scottish Crests and Mottoes. Inverness: Walter Alexander, Inglis Street 1929. Print
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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