completely lost the plot!!

[gloryer]

so for 20+ years I have had my tree on line and the McKerrow family go right back to the first one 1530 who is said to be the illegitimate son of James V. I have followed the male line to my grandfather Alistair McKerrow then my mum and her siblings all McKerrows. For the first time today I have seen several trees ( I think mostly american) that claim my McKerrow family turn into McCrae which really gives me a bit of a conundrum as I have been researching the McRae family as i believe my gggrandfather is a descendant of this family.
I have sent a couple of messages asking how the McKerrow family turn into McCrae. they also have a wife of John married to James..................
Confused!!!!!
I have seen the name as McQuarry but only today is it McCrae and then further down the line it becomes McCray

[gloryer]

No response from anybody and I am finding more trees with this on. It looks like one person has added it to their tree and the rest have just copied. I have messaged a couple more asking how they reach this conclusion........

[cbcarolyn]

I guess the further you go back the harder it is to prove things and the names are often written differently, I have not gone back that far on my tree. The Cornish arm of mine have many trees that go back a long way, but I have never looked at them closely.

[kylejustin]

I feel you will only find something like a pedigree to prove this, and even those are difficult sources.

my own family is traceable in contemporary scottish records from the 1820's forwards. But the clan genealogies are very detailed in a handful of manuscripts and published histories. They were compiled 1860's-1900, and riddled with mistakes, where you can use 19th century sources to prove information.

if you believe the manuscripts, compiled in the 18/19th centuries from oral tradition, there is some fantastical ancestry. Can most be proven? Not in the slightest.

mcrae is an old name, i don't think connected to mckerrow?

[GallowayLass]

For surname history, I posted a while ago that some library had now uploaded a free copy of Black’s Surnames of Scotland. It’s a standard work. I’ll see if I can find it.

UPDATE - link to post

https://www.familytreeforum.com/forum/research-advice/genealogy-news/1316519-standard-work-in-scottish-surnames-now-online

[jenoco]

One of my lines apparently goes back to benefactors (the Wests) of Christ's Hospital, London in the early 17th century. They had no children themselves and created scholarships for their poor relations; their charities still fund pensions for those with a proven blood relationship. Years ago I found my ancestor listed on the website dedicated to the West family but I've never been able to prove the connection myself. I can find some information, but no real proof although several trees have the link. So many seem to copy trees of others without any qualms.