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Menzies

Clan Menzies and Septs
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Minnis Results: Test results are known for twelve applicants; the administrator from the John Minnis branch of North Carolina, his second cousin two times removed, another suspected cousin from James Minnis of South Carolina, two from the John Minnis branch of Ireland, one from the James Minnis branch of Scotland, and a MINISH, all from the USA; one from New Zealand who matches a known descendant of Daid Minnis of Ulster, and three from England, all with an Ulster background. Minish did not match but the first two had an 11/12 marker match. The suspected cousin does not match. The New Zealander exhibits no connection. The three from England at 12 markers are very probable matches and show a connection with the administrator and his cousin. The John Minnis of Ireland descendant has a 25/25 marker match with the latest applicant; paper trail shows them to be 4th cousins 1 time removed. Their MCRA is Thomas Minnis, 1791 TN-1863 MO, grandson of Samuel Minnis b. abt 1725 County Down, IRE. This compares with a 34/37 marker match with the Scottish descendant and the latest applicant 24/25. There is a great probability that the three have a common ancestor in the last 600 years. The question remains as to where in the United Kingdom this ancestor lived. It may be Ireland but more likely is England or the border counties.

Menzies Lineage Notes:

Note: The Menzies Norman line is paternally extinct due to debt (with Durian Scheme losses and some predatory wadsetting by neighbors in some cases); dismantling of clan cultural unity with the loss of the Gaelic fosterage system (In Loco Paternis) due to the Statuates of Iona in 1609; throwing in alliances with Jacobites, or simply lacking a male heir to pass on the cadet line, most likely tied to debt and the failure to pivot to revenue generation of the Industrial Revolution while trying to keep up with resource barons who dominated this new era. To be fair, Mal adaptation affected all Scottish clans and killed them with far greater efficiency than other causes often cited in popular narratives.

The only cadet branch that escaped total collapse was the Culdares line, due to a Deed of Entail from 1697 which protected assets from being leveraged to pay off debt. When the last male of that paternal line died, assets went to the Stuarts of Cardney, who were related through a marriage in the 1730’s. That was the line that petitioned and won the right to be the new clan chief in the 1950’s, provided they change their surname to Menzies.

Lineage 1/ R1B/ 

Lineage 2/ E-MZ62/ Confirmed Menzies genetic family: ancient line composed of eleven paper trail family trees that share a common ancestor estimated after 1400, meaning that they have been Menzies at least that long. Tenant farmers most likely living in the Glen Quaich and Amulree areas in the southern ends of the Menzies estates. Entirely possible this line was descended from either Asturian and Galician (Spanish) Roman Auxiliary troops stationed along the Gask Ridge system in Perthshire whose descendants blended with the local population. Also entirely possible it was brought via a founder from sea trades. Either way, E-A130 marker upstream from MZ62 doesn’t connect again with anyone until 250 BC. It’s definitely the only E-A130 marker anywhere in that part of Scotland. E-A130 can be found in later around areas of previous Roman settlements that arrived later much South in places like Dumfriesshire. E-A130 is found in high concentrations in Northwest Spain and Portugal.

Lineage 3/ R1A-YP327/ Confirmed Menzies genetic family: Gael Norse in origins. Came to Scotland around 800 AD. Same R1A lineage that became the Donald’s and Doughalls. Includes four Menzies paper trees.

Lineage 4/ R-BY186274/ Confirmed Menzies genetic family: Strathclyde Menzies. Artisan, farmers and miners who lived in the Southern Uplands corridors near Enoch in places like Lanark, Douglas, Thornhill, Leadhills, Sanquahar. Came to dominate the Southwest as far as Greenock in Renfrewshire and even into the Kintyre peninsula. Composed of nine family tree branches separated by a common ancestor estimated to have lived 1500 AD. Had been in Scotland’s southwest estimated for the last 800 years.

Lineage 5/ I-A19429/ Needs a match to confirm genetic family.

Lineage 6/ R-S22763/ Needs a match to confirm genetic family.

Lineage 7/ R1B/ Confirmed Menzies lineage/ Supposed Comrie Cadet line, although more testing is needed to confirm. Two family tree branches separated by a common ancestor estimated at 1375 AD, which year after the date claimed by DP Menzies in his “Red and White Book of Menzies” as the founding of the Comrie group. DP has made plenty of questionable claims though, so more testing and evidence will be needed to support the Comrie label.