McGilvra Family History
As with
most family histories, recent events and names can be gathered
with relative ease. Obtaining information from further in the
past becomes difficult to gather, and prove, with any high degree
of accuracy. Family stories and myths are somewhat accurate but
they are not always possible to substantiate through records.
Physical records may not be available for many reasons; loss,
never written, written but illegible, unknown location , indeed a
veritable set of obstacles that increases in proportion to the
length of time you wish to go back into history.
There may be a number of family stories or myths that don't quite
agree for many reasons. Written by different people, at different
locations and times; stories and their interpretations being
written and embellished by authors who include their own thoughts
as to what may have been.
This history section attempts to incorporate all known family
histories, various investigations and other gathered data. The
purpose is to place before the reader a composit of what has been
found at this point of time. It should be used as a starting
point for further investigation into this McGilvra Family.
This section is dedicated to historical information that has been gathered over time by many members of the family.
The selections currently available have been graciously submitted by cousin Mary Lou MacGilvra McKibben. Much of her early information came from Annetta McGilvra Ainslie who was the grand daughter of George Buell McGilvra, and Karen McGilvra Hunt the 4th. great granddaughter of John and Jenet McGillivray.
- "Who Were John and Jenet McLeod McGillivray", by Mary Lou MacGilvra McKibben, 3rd. great granddaughter of John and Jenet McGillivray.
- "Research report" on possible origions of the family line in Scotland. Professional Genealogist John Kitzmiller, II was engaged to perform the research.
- "A Family Sketch" by George Buell McGilvra, great gandson of John and Jenet McGillivray.
- "McGilvra
Family History" by Elva Lucia Todd
Camden. Done in 1978, 3rd. great granddaughter of John
and Jenet McGillivray, with sections added to and
corrected by Mary Lou MacGilvra McKibben.
- "McGilvras and Culloden" by Ralph V. Litchfield. Letter written to Paul H. McGilvra concerning McGilvra history, landholdings, Battle of Culloden and other interesting items.
- "The Clan MacGillivray" by Don H. McGilvra. A short history of the MacGillivray clan in Scotland. Includes a short Bio of Donold H. McGilvra, maps and clan badges drawn by him.