ScotlandThe 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.
The 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).
This 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, 1689, 1688, 1715, 1745, 1745, 1784, 1932, 1675, 1700, 1776 and 1783 are included under the topic Early McFerson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The 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.
Notable amongst the Clan at this time was James 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...
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 migration to Canada +Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
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