Thomas McGinnis

Eric,

Can you give us a bit more information? McGinnis (and variant spellings) is an extremely common name in Co. Down. I can see at least 100 of them in the 1901 census of the county.  And it’s a large county. We need a bit more if there's to be any prospect of tracing him.

When was you ancestor born? Do you know his parents names, or who he married? When did he leave Ireland? What was his denomination and his occupation?

All I can find is he was born in 1710. He was married to a lady named Polly Ann but no last name was listed. He supposedly left Ireland and came to the US.

There are almost no records from such an early period, and not families here would know their ancestry back that far. Possibly DNA testing may be a way of matching with others who have additional information about where the family originate. Family Tree DNA reportedly has more people with Ulster roots than any other company. That obviously increases the chances of finding a match. You might want to try them or, if you have already tested, you can transfer your results to them for no fee.

The North of Ireland Family History Society are running an Ulster DNA project and can offer FTDNA testing kits at a reduced price.  http://www.nifhs.org (Go to DNA project on the website).

From the name, the location and the time your ancestor left Ireland (i.e. the 1700s) that tends to point to him being of Scottish origins. The majority of emigrants from Ulster in the 1700s were Ulster Scots (Scotch-Irish as they are known in North America). The native Irish didn’t start migrating in significant numbers till the 1800s. So you ancestor may have been Presbyterian. His family are likely to have moved to Co Down from Scotland some time in the 1600s.

He was from Down County Down we know this for sure. My other roots are McCarty and we do know his nam is as Donough MacCarthy. According to what we know he was from the area of Blarney castle:

I, too, am hoping for more information on Thomas McGinnis who reportedly was born in 1710 in County Down.  I am pretty sure the original poster is looking for my ancestor.  According to several researchers, Thomas McGinnis married an Anne (Polly) Patterson in 1738 in Dublin before emigrating to America sometime before 1743 when his first child was born there.  Some famly trees include 4 children and others have 6.  None of these have solid records to confirm they are correct.

I have done DNA testing to the BigY level and would love to know of any other McGinnis lines in Ulster that might connect with my own.  A DNA/Surname analysis has placed the origins of my McGinnis name somewhere just east of Derry, not far from the current Derry airport location.  That analysis probably relates to about 1000 years ago, not the early 18th century in county Down.

I hope this information might prove helpful.

Cheers,

David McGinnis

David the Thomas McGinnis you are talking about is my ancestor also. His son Edward was the branch of the family tree that my grandfather came  from. I wish I had had time last week as I was in Derry area. We were on a golf trip and ate at a restaurant in Londonderry. Hopefully I’ll be back over there to do some genealogy research. I also have ancestors from the south near the Blarney area. 

Eric - Two things.  First, have you done any DNA tests yet - especially Y-DNA?  I  have and woul love to compare with you.  Second, I am in contact with McGinnises from the Faughavale parish east of Derry where our ancestors supposedly came from about 1000 years ago.  One of them has a DNA test in process and it will be interesting to see if there is any potntial ancestry connections.  Going back that far - 5-6 generations of rmore will result in only small DNA segments in common.

If you want to continue our discussion on Thomas and his descendents, I would love to do so.  We can exchange emails, too.

Cheers,

Dave

Eric Hibler,

Good evening.  I believe we may have a common ancester in Thomas McGinnis.  I have attached a page from my McGinnis Ancestry.  Your Thomas McGinnis appears to match mine - name, birth, and County Down.  I hope this information is helpful to you.  Please share any information that you have learned. 

Cheers,

Chuck McGinnis

1. Thomas' McGinnis (???A) was born Abt. 1710 in County Down, Ireland, and died Unknown. 

Notes for Thomas McGinnis: It is believed that he came to America between 1730 and 17 40. He probably landed at Philadelphia and lived in souther PA or northern MD. He claimed that he could trace his ancestry into the 13th century which suggests that he descended from the major family of Magennis in County Down, Ireland. 
 

It is thought that his four sons moved to the wilds of KY in 1778, however the youngest son Neal may not have moved to KY until as late as 1798. There is no record that their father moved to KY and it is assumed that he died prior to 1778. 

***** Children of Thomas McGinnis are: + 2 t. John2 McGinnis, born 1740 in Southern PA or Western MD; died 1814-1818 in Mercer Co., KY. + 3 n. Thomas McGinnis, born December 19, 17 43 in Southern PA or Western MD; died April 22, 1832 in Mercer Co., KY. + 4 iii. William McGinnis, born 1750; died Abt. December 1786 in Mason Co., KY. + 5 iv. Neal McGinnis, born 1755; died 1820 in Mason Co., KY

I am trying to find primary source documents that support Thomas McGinnis in Southern PA/Western MD, Frederick County. I have found land records for the son, Thomas McGinnis and working on marriage/ church records from around this area. I should have even more information on this come Tuesday. I hope this helps as all I have found so far is a lot of speculation. I've also been searching ship manifests trying to find where he came over.

There aren't many shipping lists for the 1700s, so finding which ship he cma eon may be tricky.

Chuck McGinnis - I have commented on this series of notes earlier, and I believe myself to be descended from Thomas.  My ancestor is William McGinnis, born in 1750 who was later killed by Indians at his newly established home in Kentucky.  In my records, I have Thomas's death in October of 1777 in Frederick, Frederick County Maryland.  I got that information from a family tree develeoped by Ed Bartolucci, but have no physical records to support it.  However, I do have a land grant record to a William McGinnis in Virginia from 1749.  I suspect this is for another William McGinnis and not my ancestor because my ancestor went to Kenton Station in Kentucky  and was among a group of people who inhabited that area including the pioneer explorer and reknowned Indian fighter, Simon Kenton.  The sister-in-law to William married Kenton after one of his earlier wives died and they moved north into Ohio.  I have land records and other sources in Ohio in the early 1800s.

I have seen the same postings from other McGinnis researchers that comment on Thomas McGinnis being able to trace his ancestry back into the 13th century.  But, that same person includes other children in the Thomas McGinnis family; thus, it is my suspiciion that someone has combined multiple families named McGinnis and attributed them to the Thomas McGinnis and Polly Ann Patterson.  Again, Ed Bartolucci may be that source as he posted his McGinnis family many years ago (and when I contacted him, he was no longer looking into the McGinnis family line much).  Y-DNA is a way we can establish better family connections.  I (and my brother) have done the BigY tests at Family Tree DNA and we are lumped into a branch that includes men named Houtrouw and Leach, right next to a branch of all McGinnis lines.  Houtrouw was an adoped name, and he was born McGinnis.  The Leach connection has been in America since the mid-1700s but one of them told me that there is an old family story that their emigrants were orphaned children who became indentured to a Leach family, and subsequently took on that name.  But, they dod not have any actual proof of that storyl.  The next line of the big family tree with the group of McGinnis lines includes several McGinnis men with whom I am in contact.  Interestingly, one member of that group lives in the Faughanvale parish in County Derry - and his family has always lived there.  So, we think we are all likely to have come from that region originally.  Several of these lines come from a James McGinnis - but we have not established how James and Thomas (or William) may have been related.  So much more work to be done.

Cheers,

Dave McGinnis

Dave, I believe you are correct that 2 and maybe 3 trees have been lumped together. McGinnis is actually a fairly common Scottish Irish name! I live in Frederick county and I'm trying to find the Thomas McGinnis that died in Frederick county, I am getting a bit of help on that come Tuesday to figure out that did happen. It doesn't help that the McGinnis' that did pass through Maryland are fairly hard to trace as the last name was mostly spelled phonetically. While I am not sure of Thomas and Polly Ann, I am sure of an Edward born in Buffalo Creek VA and have record proof including pictures etc of the line of McGinnis' who went through Grainger TN and eventually in Wabash, IN. I will pass on whatever I find! 
 

Hey Family,

I too come from Thomas McGinnis, who bore Thomas T

It went upwards from me William Randolph 1970-present, to my Father William Thomas 1935-2009, to my Grandpa Thomas Randolph 1908-1971; who came from Charles Edward 1882-1963; from Thomas 1827-1915; from John 1790-1858; from Thomas T 1743-1832, who came from Thomas 1710. 
 

we went from Pennsylvania to KY to Ray County, Hardin, MO. 
 

I would love to hear if you find anything more. 

Hello,

It looks like this hasn't been updated in a while. I was hoping to find out more information on Thomas McGinnis's parents and ancestors in Ireland.

Joanie 

Dear William Randolph and Chuck McGinnis - I would like to ask if you have done a Y-DNA test from Family Tree DNA (FTDNA)?  If not, it would be wonderful to have you do one of at least 67 markers.  I descend from William McGinnis (1750-1786) who is a son of Thomas.  Unforunately, we do not seem to have any records of Thomas.  But, the Y-DNA can provide us a link that will prove our relationships.

On this note, I found a 5th cousin through Y-DNA in a man named Houtrow - not McGinnis.  He had been adopted.  After some work, we figured out that his father was a McGinnis and his 5th great grandfather was a brother to one of my male ancestors.

Please consider doing a Y-DNA test.

Thanks,

Dave McGinnis

Hi everyone,

I am part of Annaclone Historical Society ( based in a hamlet between Banbridge and Rathfriland) in County Down.   We have just completed a book on the history of the The Mag Aonghus Magennis and Guinness clan.   It provides an outline history of the Magennis Clan of Iveagh, the Gaelic lords who once held sway in the western part of County Down.  I am not a Magennis or any of the variations of the name but I along with others really enjoyed putting this book together.  What a fascinating family name.   check us out on facebook   Annaclone Historical Society   or Magennis/Guinness Clan - worldwide 

My Nan is robina McGinnis and I think she was William McGinnis niece .my Nan was an only child my Nan was born 3 June 1939 all I know is about 10 years a go I think we heard that William was living in Scotland owned a castle but died and I cant find any thing out bout the history 

Hello all - I want to update some Y-DNA information on my McGinnis lineage that is discussed in this message string.  It appears to me that there are two main McGinnis surname lines - one from County Down and another from County Derry.  I come from the Derry line.  We have 8 different lines of McGinnis descendants that are connected through Y-DNA going back to  ~1483 for a common ancestor.  That is, 8 different paternal lines that connect share a common ancestor around 1483.  Genetic variations occur on a regular basis that separate these lines into different paternal lines.  Out of the three main branches after 1483 two branches (emanating from ~1600 and ~1700) have McGinnis men whose family still live in Faughanvale Parish in Derry.  All of the others had families who emigrated to America in the early part of the 1700s.  Therefore, we can assume that all of these paternal lines originate in the Derry area when surnames were begun.

Finally, I contacted an expert in dating these genetic changes and he responded with the following message:

Took a look. In the block display the relationships you see are non-linear, as in they are not son...father...grandfather (linear) relationships, rather they are  innumerable paternal branches of the same patrilineal tree. So at most each SNP mutation difference that you see represents a generation (25 years). I can now walk back up the BigY block display and determine when each SNP mutation appears, with 60 SNP differences we have the M222 mutation appear, which equates to 500AD, so your paternal ancestor was living near Aileach in Inishowen in 500AD. I walk back further, and at 72 SNP differences, locations within Mainland Britain dominate, which means your paternal ancestor was in Mainland Britain in the first century AD (refugees from Roman Conquest...gradually retreating north as the Romans advanced), just beyond that >78 SNPs Mainland European locations dominate (50AD), at 200 SNP differences you have the first matches to males with origins in the Steppes of Russia (3000BC Yamnaya timeframe). The timeframe gets a bit wobbly as you move further back (think about it human populations are smaller as one moves back and hence Y-DNA SNP mutations would be rarer). 

So I can now accurately track your paternal ancestors journey through thousands of years! 

This suggests that the Scots-Irish probability is low and instead  suggests a long-term Irish genealogy.

Cheers,

Dave McGinnis