Project Goals
My initial personal goal was to examine whether or not the Wanton Walls family of David and Janet (LOCKIE) RUNCIMAN may be proved to be related to the Michigan families of James & Isabella and William & Mary RUNCIMAN. William & Mary RUNCIMAN do indeed have a full 37 out of 37 match. There is still money in the kitty to contribute to/or pay for a descendant of James & Isabella to join the project and be tested. If you think you qualify, we'd love to hear from you, as there is also some doubt as to whether William and James are brothers or cousins. Check out the recruitment pages for more details.)
The much wider goal is to examine possible relationships between other RUNCIMAN families.
If you are interested in mtDNA tests and can't figure out which project to join, anyone out there who can claim Bessie RUNCIMAN nee FAMILTON as their mother's mother's mother's.... is welcome to use this project's group discount (or any of the RUNCIMAN women's descendants for that matter).
Black's "The Surnames of Scotland" shows Runciman and Runcieman as the name of an individual who had charge of the 'rouncies' or hackney-horses and lists several early individuals from records:
- Patrick Runsyman indweller in Roxburghshire in 1488
- John Runsyman who witnessed an instrument of sasine in 1496
- James Runsiman & William Runsiman tenants in Birnie, Elginshire in 1565
- Johnne Runsyman reidare at Une, Aberdeenshire in 1574
- Alexander Rounseman tenant of the marquis of Huntlie in 1600
- George Runsieman in Newlandis 1633
- David Runsiman retoured heir of John Runsiman in Croylet in the regality of Kinross 1653
- Alexander Runchiman weaver in Bassiden 1666
In addition he lists RUNCIE and RUNCY as probably abbreviated forms of RUNCIEMAN and says that RUNCIE is one of the surnames of oldest standing in the parish of Cullen, Banffshire