The book Decendents of John Douglas of Middleborough Massachutes. He was 11 years old(1695) when he went to London, where his Uncle who had a thriving business offered his inheritance to John, as he had no children. John did not find his Uncle, so went down to look at the ships. He was grabbed on a man of war ship, and ended up in Boston-indentured. He did buy a farm in Middleborough Mass. I found him arriving on a ship when he was 11 (1706)? There is a William Douglas & Christian Jargon-wife in Lanarkshire, Might be son of Duke Wm Douglas-Hamilton & Dutchess Anne Hamilton Douglas.

Marilyn,

This story appears in a number of different guises in a number of different families. That is not to say it is not true, but that we need to question it.

The book Descendents of John Douglas of Middlesborough also has questions about the accuracy of the contents. Now, I have not studied it, but can only report what others tell me, so advise caution.

I always tell people that the contents of the Douglas Archives are not necessarily accurate, and that they should use the information as a starting point so that when they go looking for birth/death/marriage certificates, they know what to look for.

Even then, they need to tread with caution - my father's birth certificate was changed 3 times!

As for John, if he was 11 in 1695, would he be 17 in 1706? did it take him 6 years from London to America?

As for being the son of the Duke of Hamilton - that seems unlikely as he would probably not have gone to London on his own to seek his inheritance.

Sorry to sound so negative! It is tricky, this genealogy business, isn't it?

Country Scotland

To whom it may concern I am also looking to trace the line of John Douglas as that is where my family line comes from. I hit a brick wall when i encounter him due to lack of records. The family tree i have shows a John Douglas b. 1/22/1695 d.1788 married to a Eunice Ratliff Rattleleaf b.1697 d.1990 this couple had a son also named John. and this is where my line is supposed to tie in. i was trying to find out if i have the correct info and how i am connected to the Douglas Family. I have searched for a long time and it is a tricky thing to find all the correct people so any help is appreciated. Thank you

Country USA

All I knw about the Ratcliffs is that they were related to the Dewentwaters (Jacobean Uprisings). A Derwentwater daughter married, and came to America after her Derwentwater dad was executed as a traitor (hung, drawn, quartered)in London. her husband and she came to Virginia and settled on land by the James River. It may have been in Fluvania County; but I'm not sure. The book I read said that it was written from a true story about the Derwentwaters.

Country United Sates

Sir James Radcliffe, Bt., third Earl of Derwentwater, was beheaded, February 24, 1716, for his part in the 1715 rising; he was only 27 years old.

There is a poem about his death:
Derwentwater's Farewell

Re-reading Judy's post, I wondered if she might be referring to Charles Radclyffe, who was executed in 1746. He was the youngest son of Edward Radclyffe, 2nd Earl of Derwentwater and Lady Mary Tudor.

James' daughter did not emigrate. Charles had two daughers: Mary, by his wife Charlotte Maria Livingston, who married Francis Eyre, and Jane or "Jenny", born by his mistress, Margaret Snowden.


Devil Water is a novel about Jenny.

This is from an earlier post:
All I knw about the Ratcliffs is that they were related to the Dewentwaters (Jacobean Uprisings). A Derwentwater daughter married, and came to America after her Derwentwater dad was executed as a traitor (hung, drawn, quartered)in London. her husband and she came to Virginia and settled on land by the James River. It may have been in Fluvania County; but I'm not sure. The book I read said that it was written from a true story about the Derwentwaters.

The Earl of Derwentwater's family name is Ratcliff (spelling varies). ie, 'the Derwentwaters' are actually 'the Ratcliffs'.

The Earls of Derwentwater are well referenced in the internet, eg on Wikipedia.

I can trace my family from John Douglas (middlebourogh) and a native american wife.
The parents of John Douglas of Lanarkshire Scotland seem to be a question on some of these. He was a young boy sent by his father to england to inherit his uncles fortune because his uncle had no decendents of his own. Can anyone jump in here to tell me about his parents

Jennifer,
It seems as though John Douglas had many children. We may be from the same decendents of John. I need to check the records from my grandfathers family to find out if John the son of John Douglas of Middlebourough is also where my family line comes in.

I have a copy of "The Douglas Geneology" by John Lufkin Douglas published in 1890 and started in 1867. It is very detailed and covers all the John Douglas line from his birth in 1695 in Scotland to unkwnown parents, arrival in Boston at the age of 12 and marriage to Eunice Rattleleaf (Ratliffe)around 1719. Three sons: Elijah 1720 m. Phebe Taylor and later Elizabeth Estes; John 1722 m. Mary Braley; George 1724 m Patience Caswell.

Elijah moved to Maine after the death of his first wife, oldest son and two daughters. John married Mary Braley in 1751. Their offspring:
John March 11, 1752 married Lydia Southworth
Ephriam about 1754 unmarried, died in Revolutionary War
Mary about 1757 married Libbeas Simmons
Elizabeth in 1760 married Ephriam Reynolds
Sarah about 1763 unknown if she ever married
Phebe about 1767 married Roland Homes
Elisha June 12 1771 married (1) Celia Oskin (2) Hannah Russell
Hope that helps on the second son of John, John. I do not have anything on the Scottish parents of John Douglas, first of this line of Douglas.

Possibly son of William, b1640 (or 1659) in Scotland

Some think this might be him:

John Douglass age 12, was captured in London on the wharfs by a ship that was leaving. I don't know where his folks originally came from , he had a rich Uncle with a shop in London, who offered him his inheritance if he would come live with him(as he had no issue) The ship came into Boston area , John went to Middleborough bought a farm in the sixteen shilling purchase. John's son Elijah moved to N Yarmouth (now Harpswell Maine (somewhere around Portland)) Bought Birch Island with Benjamine Winslow.

John and Eunice m in Jamestown RI not Middleborough. There are sons, Hugh and Elisha not mentioned here. DNA testing of a descendant of John and Eunice show very close links to the William Douglas of New London family. How did a 12 year old boy get to London England from Lanarkshire on his own? James Douglas was a wealthy merchant in London at the time John was supposedly "shanghai-ed". I can find no family for this James Douglas. Can anyone else find out who James was related to?
Betsey