The Status of the McWh*rter Database
- February 2002
Volume 6, Issue 1 (February 2002)

What Is the Correct Way to Spell McWh*rter?
Volume 6, Issue 4 (November 2002)

McWh*rters in the United States in 1880 - Part I
Volume 7, Issue 2 (February 2003)

McWh*rters in the United States in 1880 - Part II
Volume 7, Issue 2 (May 2003)

The Status of the McWh*rter Database - February 2002
(Reprinted from the McWh*rter Genealogy Newsletter)
Volume 6, Issue 1 (February 2002)

     The beginnings of the McWh*rter Database were described in the very first issue of the McWh*rter Genealogy Newsletter in February of 1997.

“Over twenty-five years ago when I began inquiries into my own ancestry I harbored the naive assumption that since McWhirter was such an “uncommon” surname other persons of the same surname must be related. Therefore, as I stumbled across McWh*rters in census records, articles, books and other reference material I began to photocopy and “shoebox” the information even if I could make no connection with my immediate family.”

“As my knowledge and understanding of genealogy in general and McWh*rters in particular grew I came to realize that my particular family of McWhirters represented but a small part in the much larger world of McWh*rters.”

“Nevertheless, when I came across McWh*rter related material my curiosity continued to be fueled by the “possibilities” of a connection somewhere, and the material was saved notwithstanding its lack of any immediate relevance. For almost twenty years the MCWH*RTER DATABASE consisted of a few manila folders with various scraps of paper “shoeboxed” for future reference.”

“With the arrival of the family’s first computer and the help of the software program, Brother’s Keeper, that began to change. Not only did I reorganize my own genealogy, but I decided to “organize” those scraps of paper in the “shoebox”. Some of the pieces of information came together as the data was entered, but for the most part the McWh*rter families seemed to lack much in the way of kinship.”

“In January of 1993 I became a member of Prodigy and its Genealogy Bulletin Board proved an eye opening experience. Not only were there other McWh*rter descendants online, but they were engaged in an ongoing exchange of information about their McWh*rter ancestors.”

“At first I found myself asking questions rather than responding to others. But I soon found that some of the material I had accumulated over the years was of help to others. And each time information was exchanged I carefully entered all the information in the computer. By late 1993 the MCWH*RTER DATABASE held over 2,000 references to various McWh*rters and close relations. Still a bit naive, I felt that a substantial number of ALL McWh*rters must be accounted for.”

     By the time of publication of the Newsletter’s first issue in 1997 the Database had grown from 2,000 names in 1993 to just over 15,000 names. Today the McWh*rter Database contains over 28,800 individuals.

     In 1997 just over 200 unconnected McWh*rter families (plus a few isolated individuals) comprised the individuals in the McWh*rter Database. I thought back then that as new information and new names were added in the coming years the number of unconnected pieces would surely be reduced. Today there are over 400 unconnected McWh*rter families in the McWh*rter Database and hundreds of individual McWh*rters who have yet to be placed in any of the families.

     I no longer speculate on just how many individuals will ultimately be included in the database. I’ve vastly underestimated the number every time I’ve engaged in such speculation. I do know that the number of McWh*rter familiy pieces to be connected in the puzzle has doubled along with the growing base of information. The job of connecting the dots is now twice as large a task as when the Newsletter began five (5) years ago.

     As of the beginning of 2002 a relatively few McWh*rter families accounted for the majority of the individuals in the database. In fact the ten (10) largest families accounted for over 16,600 of the 28,500 individuals contained therein.

    The largest family of the McWh*rter Database continues to be that originating with Moses McWhorter of Lancaster co., PA [db#3677][Family #6]. Moses is first found in Lancaster co., PA about 1750. Over 4,200 individuals in the database are connected to Moses including 2,685 direct descendants and 1,526 spouses spanning 12 generations.

    The 2nd largest family of the McWh*rter Database may actually be a part of  the largest. David McWhorter [db#118][Family #7] married Mary Posten [db#119] in 1766 in Lancaster co., PA. Their family recorded in the database numbers over 2,850 members including 1,822 direct descendants and 1,047 spouses spanning 10 generations.

    The 3rd largest family of the database is that of John McWhorter [db#708][Family #2] of Albemarle co., VA. There is some speculation that John removed to VA from Yellow Beeches Creek in Lancaster co., PA, but evidence is lacking. John’s family numbers in excess of 2,300 including 1,430 direct descendants and 902 spouses spanning 11 generations.

     The 4th largest family of the database is that of Thomas McWhorter [db#33][Family #5] of New Jersey and possibly Orange co., NY. Although conjecture has often linked Thomas to the family of Hugh McWhorter of New Castle co., DE, evidence again is lacking. Thomas’ family numbers over 2,100 individuals including 1,282 direct descendants and 837 spouses spanning 12 generations.

    The 5th largest of the families in the McWh*rter Database is that of Robert McWhorter [db#5964][Family #11] of Bucks co., PA. Some of the early connections here are rather tenuous. Again, speculation links Robert’s family to that of Thomas [above], but real evidence has yet to be uncovered. Robert’s family appears to include over 1,950 individuals including 1,192 direct descendants and 795 spouses spanning 11 generations.

     The 6th largest family of the database is also the largest able at this time to trace its beginnings back from the new world to Scotland. Gilbert McWhirter [db#491][Family #27] lived in Ballantrae, Ayrshire, Scotland. Gilbert’s family includes over 1,570 individuals [ed. Note—more are being added] including 1,024 direct descendants and 550 spouses spanning 9 generations.

    The 7th largest family of the database is probably also the most recognized here in the United States. Hugh McWhorter [db#1][Family #1] supposedly came to New Castle co., DE from co. Armagh, Ireland about 1730. His son, Alexander McWhorter [db#3], a well educated pastor in Newark, NJ, played a prominent role in the American Revolution. Although many McWh*rters in the USA try to connect to the family of Hugh, the vast majority will find no connection. Hugh’s family exceeds 900 including 540 direct descendants and 380 spouses spanning 11 generations. His family may be larger than currently assumed as it appears that the presently unconnected families headed by Hugh E. “Hughey” McWhorter [db#6859][Family #3] and Hance McWhorter [db#476][Family #1a] are probably part of Hugh’s legacy. The evidence, however, is still lacking.

    The 8th largest family of the database is that of another Hugh McWhorter [db#3227][Family #9] who emigrated to SC from Ireland about 1790. Hugh’s family numbers over 800 and includes 547 direct descendants and 208 spouses spanning 9 generations.

    The 9th largest family of the McWh*rter Database is that of Andrew McWhirter [db#21216][Family #10] of Colmonell, Ayrshire, Scotland. Only the 2nd of the ten (10) largest with roots traced back to Scotland from the new world, Andrew’s family contains over 480 individuals including 314 direct descendants and 169 spouses and spans 10 generations. This is also the family of yours truly [Alan McWhirter—editor] and Douglas McWhirter of Toronto, Canada who is organizing the Gathering in 2003 in Ayrshire.

    The 10th largest family is that of John Houston McWhirter [db#12701][Family # 191]. John’s family lists almost 300 individuals including 159 direct descendants and 137 spouses spanning 6 generations.

[More on the ever expanding database in future issues]

What Is the Correct Way to Spell McWh*rter?
(Reprinted from the McWh*rter Genealogy Newsletter)
Volume 6, Issue 4 (November 2002)

  From time to time I have gotten emails and various other communications letting me know that I am spelling the surname improperly [occasionally in no uncertain terms]. More often, I have simply received inquiries about the origin or original spelling of the surname. So to further flame the passions of those who think they already know the answer and to try and shed some light on the issue for the merely curious, I will try and let you know what I have discovered during my own research.

  During the last 400 years as surnames have found their way into written records the McWh*rter surname has been spelled, or at least recorded, in dozens of different ways. To be sure, many of the variations are the artful creations of census takers and the like, but quite often the spelling of the surname has simply differed from country to country, place to place, and immediate family to immediate family. Furthermore, the spelling of the surname has sometimes changed from  one generation to the next within the same family.

  But, is there a correct spelling of the surname? Is there an original spelling of the surname? Which of the spellings is most commonly used today?

  The earliest recorded usage of the McWh*rter surname that I have been able to find came in 1385. At that time “Duncan M’Churteer”, son and heir of “Patrick M’Churteer”, alienated to Sir Thomas Kennedy, Lord of Dalmortoun, the “the whole land of Dalelachane”. This land had been granted to Patrick, son of the late Michael, harper of Carrick - [In the recorded latin—”Patricio filio quondam Michaelis Cithariste de Carryk”]. The land of Dalelachane had been granted to Michael in 1346 by King David II.

  If the 1385 recording of “M’Churteer” is the original, or at least the earliest known recording of the surname, is that the correct way to spell it? I have little doubt that in 1385 “M’Churteer” was merely the best effort of some unnamed scribe who tried his best to put a Gaelic word and pronunciation into the English language. Other early recordings of the surname lead to the conclusion that others made similar efforts with dramatically different results.

  In 1526 a “Gilbert Makrutur” and “Andro McRutur” were respited for murder. “Donald Makcruteracht” was a witness in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright in 1531. In 1532 “Andrew Makrutour” was a juror on an assize in the bailliary of Carrick. In 1568 “William McInchruter” was noted as a servant of a John Grant. In 1672 there was listed a “John M’Chruytor” in Auchaharse and an “Archibald M’Chrytor” in Craillmorrull.

The only thing consistent in the early spellings of the surname is the inconsistency with which the surname was spelled. This lends great support for the conclusion that there was no original or correct way to spell the surname! McWh*rter is Gaelic. Early efforts to spell the Gaelic surname phonetically in English were inconsistent at best.

  Nonetheless, as time has gone by a few of the dozens of spelling variants have taken hold while most others have fallen by the wayside. It has, however, been an evolutionary process.  Using the Index of Scots Origins, I was able to search for all the various spellings of the surname that occurred in the Old Parish Registers of Scotland from 1553 to 1855, the Birth, Marriage & Death records of Scotland from 1855 to 1899, and the 1891 Census of Scotland.

  In the Old Parish Registers [OPR] prior to 1600 the only recording of the McWh*rter surname I could find was “McQuhorter”, found merely 2 times. Prior to 1600 no record has been found of the surname spelled “McWhirter”, the spelling that has gained near total prominence in Scotland in the present day.

  Between 1601 and 1700 the McWh*rter surname is recorded more often, 71 times in fact in the Old Parish Registers. In recording the surname 71 times the various scribes spelled the surname 22 different ways.

  “McChurter” was the most common spelling of the surname in the OPRs during the 17th century. But this spelling still accounted for only 16 of the 71 recordings (a mere 23%). “McWhirter”, which ultimately became the spelling of choice, was second, but was recorded only 11 times (16% of the total). “McQuater”, with 8 recordings was third most common.

  Other spellings found in the 17th century OPRs included “McWhorter” (5), “McQuhirter” (5), “McQuatter” (3), “McWhortor” (3), “McQuirtor” (3), “McChurtor” (3), “McQuhorter”, (2) and the following variations only once each: “McQuarter”, “McWharter”, “McWhortur”, “McQuhirtor”, “McQuerter”, “McQuhortor”, “McQuhatter”, “McWhirtur”, “McWirter”, “McQuhirtter”, “McWhurtur” and “McQuhertor”.

             The earliest OPR recorded usuage of the “McWhirter” spelling occurred in Kirkmichael where on 4-Jan-1649 a “John McWhirter”, son of a “David McWhirter”, was christened. The “McWhirter” spelling appeared again in Loudoun in 1677, Barr in 1690 and 1692, Dailly in 1693 and 1695, Sorn in 1695, Minnigaff in 1696 and Straiton in 1697.

  During the 18th century the variation of spellings began to change dramatically. The “McChurter” spelling, the most common spelling   during the 17th century, was never found again during the next 300 years of records! “McWhirter” began to emerge as the most common form of the spelling of the surname.

  From 1701 to 1800 I found 677 instances where the surname was recorded. “McWhirter” accounted for 340, or roughly half of these recordings. The expanded acceptance and usage of “McWhirter” over the course of the 18th century, however,  was a gradual one.

  The second most common spelling in the OPRs during the 18th century was “McWhirtor” found on 83 occasions, or 12% of the time. “McQuater” was third, found on 66 occasions, or 10% of the total. “McWhorter”, the most common spelling of the surname in the modern day United States,  was only fourth in 18th century Scotland, found on 60 occasions or 9% of the total. There were still 24 other spellings of the surname found during the 18th century including “McWhortor” (26 times), “McQuatter” (21), “MacWhirtor” (12), “McQuirter” (10) and “McWherter” (10 times).

  Some of the spellings of the 17th century disappeared entirely in the 18th, but new versions appeared. These included “MacWhirter”, “McQuaters”, “McQuatters”, “McQuirter”, “McWherter”, “MacWhirtor”, “McWiter”, “McChruiter”, “McWhurter”, “McQuhater”, “McWhortir”, “McQuherter” and “McQuhirtir”.

  During the first half of the 19th century the number of recordings of the surname grew considerably. Between 1801 and 1854 [just prior to the beginning of civil registration in Scotland] there were 964 recordings of the McWh*rter surname in the OPRs. There were more than 43% more recordings of the surname in the 1st half of the 19th century than there were in the entire 18th century.

  It was during the first half of the 19th century that the “McWhirter” spelling easily became the dominant and generally accepted spelling of the surname in Scotland. “McWhirter” was found in 781 of the 964 recordings or 81% of the time. Only “McQuater”, found on 94 occasions, or 10% of the time, was found more than 20 times. And the third place finisher with 20 occurrences was “MacWhirter”!

  Whether to the creative credit of recording scribes, or as a result of their failings, new versions of the surname continued to turn up in the records of the OPRs during the first half of the 19th century. Found for the first time in the OPRs are “McWhirtir”, “McQwarter”, “MacWherter” and “McWhertor”.

  From 1855 to 1899 the birth, death & marriage records of the new civil registration of Scotland provide an additional picture of the McWh*rter surname usage. Although this time period of 44 years represents less than half a century, the number of McWh*rters recorded grew dramatically and the acceptance of “McWhirter” became overwhelming. Between 1855 and 1899 the surname is found 2517 times. “McWhirter” is the spelling found on 2148 occasions, or better than 85% of the time. “MacWhirter” is found on another 29 occasions giving these two variations nearly 87% of the total.

  “McQuater” remained the second most common spelling at 202. With “McQuatter” found 47 times, “McQuaters” found 39 times and “McQuatters” found 27 times, these four variations represent almost 13% of the total. Only 8 other variations of the surname are found recorded from 1855 to 1899, a mere 25 recordings, or less than 1% of the total. Only one new spelling variation appears in the latter part of the 19th century that being “McWhirther” which appears but once.

  From this survey of past OPR and civil records it seems clear that the current dominance of “McWhirter” as the accepted spelling of the surname has been an evolutionary one. During the period of this evolution most early spelling variations disappeared entirely. “McChurter”, the most common spelling found in 17th century OPRs disappeared entirely by 1700. “McWhirtor”, the second most common spelling during the 18th century, is found only 12 times after 1800 and never again after 1854.

  “McWhorter”, the 4th most common spelling of the 18th century, all but disappeared in Scotland after 1800. That spelling of the surname, however, became the most common spelling of the surname in the north of Ireland and the United States and just may be the most common spelling of the surname throughout the world at the present time. That, however, is a story for another day.

  I began this article with three questions. Is there a correct spelling of the surname? Is there an original spelling of the surname? Which of the spellings is most commonly used today? I will leave it to each reader how they wish to answer these questions, but my own conclusions are as follows.

  If “correct” is used to mean something other than most accepted, I think there is no correct spelling. Given the troubles inherent in trying to reduce a Gaelic surname to the spellings of the English language, I think that many of the early efforts of various scribes can claim equal weight for being both original and correct.

  Which of the spellings is most commonly used today? Well that depends! It depends on what country you reside in and even what section of that country you may be from. And that, as I have said , is a story for another day!

McWh*rters in the United States in 1880 - Part I
(Reprinted from the McWh*rter Genealogy Newsletter)
Volume 7, Issue 1 (February 2003)

Have you ever wondered how many McWh*rters there really are in this world? Have you ever wondered how the McWh*rters are distributed across the globe?

Well, in October-2002 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints made available over the internet their transcription of the 1880 United States Federal Census and the 1881 Census of Canada. Free internet access to these two treasure troves of information coupled with their simple search mechanisms allow us to create a landscape portrait of the United States and Canadian McWh*rter populations over 120 years ago. We may not yet know with any certainty how many of us there are in today’s world, but we can now state fairly accurately how many of us there were in 1880/81.

Although the survey I conducted of the 1880 US census does not yet take into account every variant spelling of the McWh*rter surname that creative census takers may have devised, a search for all the common spellings reveals 2,884 individuals residing in the United States in 1880 who bore the McWh*rter surname. No doubt there were many more, thousands more, who may have been born a McWh*rter, but at the time of the census bore a different married surname.

Of the 2,884, 2,292 (79%) were listed as “white”,  524 (18%) were listed as “black” and 68 (2%) were listed as “mulatto”. The extent to which the McWh*rter surname had grown and flourished in the United States during the preceding 150 years can best be visualized by comparing the number of McWh*rters residing in the United States in 1880 to the number of those residing elsewhere in the world at the same time.

In 1880 there were 2,884 McWh*rters resident in the United States. According to the 1881 British census [also available online] there were 121 McWh*rters in England. The 1881 Canadian census reveals 76 McWh*rters resident in Canada. I have no comparable figures for McWh*rters in Australia or Ireland around 1880, but in the 1891 census of Scotland [albeit 10 years later] there were 831 McWh*rters. Census records anywhere are of course neither complete nor completely accurate, but they do give us a good estimate of the worldwide disbursement of McWh*rters at the time.

In the 150 or so years since the first McWh*rters started arriving in the British Colonies in America the surname spread with great rapidity. Although the great majority of McWh*rters in the US in 1880 were lineal descendants of those who immigrated from Scotland, Ireland & England, many individuals of African Ancestry, former slaves themselves or descendants of slaves, took the surname from former masters. An unknown number of those McWh*rters described as “black” or “mulatto” are both lineal descendants of immigrant McWh*rters and also former slaves or descendants of slaves.

In 1880 McWh*rters were scattered across the United States. I found McWh*rters in the census records of 36 different states. Although 100 years earlier most US McWh*rters had resided in VA, SC, NC & DE, by 1880 more than half of the total were living in five different states, GA, TX, AL, KY & TN. [A chart howing the complete distribution of McWh*rters throughout the country in 1880 is shown below.]

More than 90% of those McWh*rters described as “black” resided in the states of GA, AL, MS, SC & TX.

Although one might think that this plethora of McWh*rters resulted from a continuous flow of immigrants from the “old country”, the 1880 census records tell a quite different story. Of the 2,884 McWh*rters residing in the US in 1880 only 82, or less than 3%, were born outside the United States. Of these, 41 were born in Ireland, 27 in Scotland, 10 in Canada and 4 in England.

Clearly the explosion of McWh*rters in the US came from burgeoning families of early immigrants rather than a mass migration of new McWh*rters from the old world in the thirty or so years prior to 1880.

A closer examination of the 1880 census records also provides insight into the migration patterns of McWh*rters during the preceding 20 to 40 years. For instance there were 329 McWh*rters resident in Texas in 1880, but only 188 had been born there. Over 40% of the McWh*rters living in Texas at that time had been born somewhere else!

Arkansas had 102 McWh*rter residents in 1880, but only 45 [less than half] were born there. Kansas had 46 McWh*rter residents, but only 6 had been born in Kansas!

On the other side of the equation was South Carolina. Of the 234 McWh*rters listed in the census born in South Carolina only 134 still resided there. Of the 275 McWh*rters born in Tennessee only 211 did not migrate elsewhere. Of the 105 born in Pennsylvania only 73 remained. And of 257 born in Kentucky 35 now resided elsewhere.

Percentage wise the biggest loser was Virginia. Of the 41 McWh*rters born in Virginia only 13 remained in 1880. Where did they go? Of the 41 McWh*rters born in Virginia, 13 still lived there, 7 lived in West Virginia [split off from Virginia during the Civil War], 6 are found in Kentucky, 3 in TN, 3 in TX, 2 in MO, 2 in SC, 2 in MS, and one each in GA, OH and IN. My those McWh*rters got around!

This article provides but a quick snapshot of the McWh*rters in the United States in 1880. The census records [and the ability to search them easily over the internet] provides much more information about them. How old were they? What were the most common first names they used? Did families stick together or spread out across the continent?

In future issues I will try and address some of these other questions.