Runciman

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About us

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. This goal was met early on in the project with a descendant of William & Mary RUNCIMAN having a full 37 out of 37 match with a descendant of David and Janet RUNCIMAN,
The paper trail between them was eventually found to back up those dna results, which by then, had been expanded to include two other distinct lines.

Check out the Wanted! pages of the RUNCIMAN One Name Study for unrepresented known family lines.

The much wider goal is to examine possible relationships between other RUNCIMAN families, a growing number of whom are now documented in the One Name Study lineages section.

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.

WorldNames Public Profiler shows instances of all the variant spellings listed for the project, but none for these variants found in OPR and Census data: Rounseman, Runshiman, Runsieman, Runsiman, Runsoman, Runsyman, Runchiman, Runchyman, all of which have been added to the dustbin of history.