Family Tree
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN The trip of a lifetime led to an amazing discovery.
Exciting was the word in 2016 when my daughter, Sherry, invited me to join her on a trip to Scotland. She was attending a conference at the University of St. Andrews in Fife, and she knew I wanted to learn more about my Scottish ancestor Ninian Beall, a lieutenant colonel in the Scottish Army.
After arriving in St. Andrews, we connected with my friend Helen and her sister Cathy, who live in Scotland. They took us to several small fishing villages nearby. It was a great surprise to find that one of the villages, Largo, was the birthplace of my ancestor.
I told my friends that Ninian had immigrated to America in 1652. He served as a military officer in Maryland and for his service was given some 800 acres of land near Washington, D.C. He named his land grant the Rock of Dumbarton in what is now Georgetown (said to be named after his son George). It remains a local landmark.
While at Largo, I shared my curiosity about where the name Dumbarton came from. Cathy knew the name; she lived across the river from Dumbarton Castle, and said she’d take me there.
While my daughter was at the conference, I took the bus to Glasgow and met Cathy. The day was windy and wet, but while touring the castle I discovered that the grounds had been used as a military base in the 1600s. Col. Beall may have been stationed there, which would explain why he chose that name for his new home across the ocean.
Traveling to Scotland, where my ancestor lived, was a wonderful experience to share with my family.