SCOTLAND and Zachariah Connell

Question

I am helping my wife (Beverly), her sister (Eva Mae), and her brother (Richard) research their ancestors. Their father is Richard Chester Connell (1914-1979). I can trace his ancestors back to a branch of Zachariah Connell’s family tree as follows: 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·       <!--[endif]-->Zachariah Connell (1741-1813) and his wife, Rebecca Ann (1741-1805) (nee Rice), had a son John Rice Connell (1787-1852)

·       John Rice had a son William Connell (1798-1876)

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·       <!--[endif]-->William had a son Joseph Connell (c.1828- c.1902)

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·       <!--[endif]-->Joseph had a son John Connell (1871-1942)

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·       <!--[endif]-->John was Richard Chester’s father. 

I would like to trace Zachariah’s ancestors and Rebecca’s ancestors as far back as possible and was hoping that someone using WikiTree might know something about them. 

Importantly, Beverly’s, Eva Mae’s, and Richard’s DNA results indicate they have Scottish ancestors and not Irish ancestors. 

I think that Zachariah may be Scotch Irish (aka Scots Irish or Ulster Scots). Indeed, the book, “Centennial History of the Borough of Connellsville, Pennsylvania, 1806-1906”, which is frequently referenced in Zachariah’s Wikipedia entry, has several references to the Scotch Irish who settled in Virginia and Pennsylvania. On page 54, e.g., in describing Zachariah, it states, “He is described as a typical Scotch Sandy with red hair, brown eyes and a florid complexion, about five feet, nine inches tall, straight as a popular.” I do not know anything about Zachariah’s mother, Anne Williams and have no idea if she is of Scottish descent. 

One of Zachariah’s brothers, James Connell (1742-1777), married Anne Crawford, the daughter of William Crawford (1722-1782). In fact, when James passed away, she married another of Zachariah’s brothers, William Connell (1764-1825). On page 28 of the Centennial book, it states, “One of the most prominent figures among these pioneers of 1765 was William Crawford. He was born in what is now Berkeley County, West Virginia, in 1732. His parents were Scotch-Irish, and many of the virtues of that hardy race were accentuated in him.” There are several additional references to the Scotch-Irish and specific to Scotsman in the Centennial book (see, e.g., pages 135, 171, 308, 317, 338, 353 and 398). 

The following excerpt from Zachariah’s Wikipedia entry suggests that he may have had an ancestor who emigrated from Ireland: “Born near Winchester, Frederick County, Virginia in 1741,^[4] the son of James Connell^[2] (son of Thomas Connell of St. Mary's County, Maryland and Mary Ogden)^[5] and Anne Williams.^[2] Zachariah's earliest "Connell" ancestor to settle in America was James O'Connell (d. 1700)^[5] who emigrated from Ireland in 1678^[5] and settled in St. Mary's County, Maryland.^[5]”

Any details of the information in this paragraph as well as information about Zachariah’s ancestors and Rebecca’s ancestors would be greatly appreciated. 

I look forward to hearing from someone, 

Bruce 

Answer 1

Hi Bruce,

You may find that the prefix "O'" does not apply to your family, as that usually refers to Irish not Scottish or Scots-Irish. You're likely aware that surname spelling variations were common, so think phonetically when searching. Have you tried a cluster research method in which you look at neighbors, friends, etc. and the historical documents of the areas in which they lived, etc.?

I don't have any known familial connections, but have researched the places mentioned so I've some suggestions for your research:

For records in Scotland, check Scotland's People, the official database for Scottish records

If the Connell family was from County Down, see Ros Davies County Down website

For St. Mary's, MD join their message board; MD state archives .

They may be listed in:

Sharon J Doliante, Maryland and Virginia Colonials: Genealogies of Some Colonial Families, 1998;Jourdan, Elise Greenup. Early Families of Southern Maryland; Vol. 2, p. 176 [1993];Marshall, Mike. Early Colonial Settlers of Southern Maryland and Virginia's Northern Neck Counties https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I093304&tree=Tree1; Brumbaugh, Gaius Marcus. Maryland records, colonial, revolutionary, county and church, from original sources; Baltimore, Maryland Williams and Wilkins, 1915; p. 142 https://archive.org/details/marylandrecordsc01brumuoft/; and Carr, Dr. Lois Green. St. Mary's Mens Career Files; http://speccol.msa.maryland.gov/carr/

You mentioned that DNA has been tested. I encourage all of you to join FTDNA, if you've not done so already; and to check matches at any site where the DNA was tested.

Hope this helps!

Beth

Comments

<!-- x-tinymce/html -->Hi Beth -- thank you for these helpful suggestions. I'll start pursuing them. -- Bruce

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wishing you much success!