Disproven MacGregor Myth
Location: Colony of Virginia
Surnames/tags: MackGayhe MacGregor
It would seem that the idea that William MackGayhe (abt.1618-abt.1675) was a Macgregor is a legend or theory, but has been found to be false. He has therefore been detached from Patrick Aberach MacGregor (abt.1581-abt.1661) and Marion (MacDonald) MacGregor (abt.1598-1678).
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Related Profiles
See:
- William MackGayhe (abt.1618-abt.1675)
- Thomas (MackGehee) Mackgahye (abt.1659-bef.1727)
- William (MackGehee) Macgehee Sr. (1672-1748)
Review
Note: the US Southern Colonies Project received a message on 2 December 2023 discussing the MackGregor myth and concurring that it is disproven. That message is currently being reviewed and new information provided there will be incorporated into the profile. Spratlin-29 00:39, 6 December 2023 (UTC)
From MackGayhe-1 on 19 Dec 2023
A previous version of this profile claimed, without source, that he was Chief of the Clan MacGregor. The former text also included that during 1603, James, as King of Scotland, issued the Act of Proscription against the MacGregors. This is also the year that one Patrick MacGregor of Glenstrae was born. [What relevance to this profile is unclear.]
Those who believe there is a link between the MacGregors and the Mackgahyes believe it's possible the English Civil War could have embroiled William Mackgahye, but not Thomas, who was born during it. William, if he was a royalist, might have fled Scotland to avoid execution, or been transported as being too lowly to need hanging (though being transported might have complicated his obtaining land...). To avoid prosecution, it is believed that James [MacGregor?] changed his name to William MackGahye and emigrated to the Virginia colony in 1653.[citation needed]
This is why one may see online trees with the name "William James".
The below is from Walter McGhee: "Several McGhee/McGehee researchers (e.g., Jane Grider) have theorized that the immigrant William MackGehee was actually Patrick MacGregor who changed his name upon arriving on American shores in the late 1600s. Much of this research was conducted in the twentieth century when DNA testing was unavailable. And much of it has been regurgitated by others. In May of 2015, I submitted a DNA sample to FamilyTreeDNA, in Houston Texas, for analysis. My DNA is unique because I am a direct male descendent of William MackGehee. I ordered the Y-DNA37 test and my Kit No. is 420879. Since then, my DNA has been matched with 38-people whose surnames are MaGee, McGee, McGehee, and McGhee, plus 3-people whose surnames are Jackson, Thayer, and Friedl. There are no matches with anyone named MacGregor.
"In July 2023, I reviewed these results with a Y-DNA specialist (Casimir) at the FamilyTreeDNA company. Casimir helped me identify Haplogroup SNPs (“snips”) that are shared with the 38-matches, and specifically with 3-people who had ordered the more thorough Y-DNA700 analysis, (Scott McGhee, Steven McGehee and M.L. McGehee II). Their shared Haplogroup snips (going back to 1600) are R-BY93216, R-BY172925, AND R-FTA23373. We searched for these snips in the FamilyTreeDNA-MacGregor Group Project (2149 members). We identified 2-shared snips (R-BY172925 and R-FTA23372), one for an individual estimated to be born in 1759 and another born in 1838. These two individuals, and thus me, have only one common ancestor in the MacGregor Group Time Tree, estimated to be born in the year 200. There was no other MacGregor ancestor identified.
Together, Casimir and Walter McGhee concluded that William MacGehee (or MackGahye) was not actually a MacGregor, debunking the Patrick MacGregor theory.
Disproven James MacGregor Myths
In the latter half of the 16th century, this branch of the Clan led such wild and hunted lives in the misty mountains that they became known as MacEagh or "Sons of the Mist." It may be that it is from this Gaelic patronym that James MacGregor took the name MacGehee.
From MackGehee-12 on 19 Dec 2023
[See additional content in Origin of Thomas McGehee.]
According to Glenncourt,[1] Thomas was born to the immigrant William MacGehee (aka James MacGregor) after 1653 in New Kent County, Virginia, and died 27 July 1727 (actually the date of his will) in Prince (sic) William County, Virginia.
Disproven MacGregor Myth
The Legend of Thomas McGehee
McGehee family legend has long held that Thomas Mack Gehee was originally James McGregor, of the Clan Gregor, and that his father was Patrick McGregor, a chieftain of the McGregor clan, and that they together fought with Montrose in the so-called Montrose Rebellion (see Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and Undiscovered Scotland: The Ultimate Online Guide: Timeline: 1640 to 1660). The family originated as McGregor in Scotland, came to Virginia, and changed their name to MackGehee. The reason for the name change was an on-again, off-again prohibition of the Clan Gregor name by the government.
From MackGehee-3 on 19 Dec 2023
[There does not appear to be an content related to this myth in this profile.]
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