GENEALOGY

Welcome to Jeffrey McEachin's Genealogy Page. I am mostly interested in the McEachins of Jeff Davis, Telfair, & Appling Cos. in Georgia and of Robeson, Hoke, & Scotland Cos. in North Carolina; as well as the Beasleys of Bulloch Co., GA. Other names & places pop up, of course.

If you have a related trees on the web, or corrected genealogy data, please email me at jdm@synthcom.com.

McEACHIN

In 1765, the brothers John and Patrick Henry (also known as Peter or "Para Ban") McEachin set forth from Kintyre in Argyllshire, Scotland. The ship probably sailed from Campbeltown, the largest town in Argyll and a thriving port where many ships embarked for the New World. After a few years they settled in upper Robeson Co., NC, and their descendents eventually spread throughout the South, mainly in GA and MS, but also in SC, AL, TX, and elsewhere.

How many other McEachin lines are there? An Alexander McEachin landed in NC around 1815. There is at least one Canadian McEachin line, which I believe wound up in Michigan. There are several lines of African-American McEachins. If you have information on any of these, please let me know.

Occasionally the surname McEachern is confused with McEachin, even though their Gaelic roots are different. Even members of our family have confused them. Hank C. Burnham (longtime McEachin researcher and my 4th cousin): "Grannie Mims was Allie Jennett McEachin, one of her brothers was Cecil Hector McEachin, a sister Nora Inez McEachin. <But her other> sister <was> Emma Virginia McEachern and two brothers Andrew Guy McEachern and Wilbur Washington McEachern. The latter three siblings of Grannie Mims were convinced that we were supposed to have been McEacherns, thus they changed the way the name was spelled. The person in our family that started all of this was Alice Claire McEachin (ern), the youngest child of Daniel Corneilus McEachin and Mary Etta Dyal. She changed the spelling of her name as well.". It's my guess that one of them wrote the "McEachin Family of Georgia" history, as the name is spelled "McEachern" throughout it.

Here is an excerpt from "The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning, and History", by George F. Black, Ph.D. (New York Public Library; 1946):

"MacEachan, MacEachain, MacEachen, MacEachin, MacAchin, MacEchan, MacCeachan.
G. MacEachainn 'son of Eachan', g.v. The MacEachans of the present day are said to be MacDonalds, but many of them in Arisaig and Uist so long used their patronymic as their surname that the practice has become settled. The late Allan R. MacDonald of Waternish says it is very doubtful if the MacEachens are really MacDonalds, and that there is good reason to believe that they are really MacLeans (The Truth About Flora MacDonald, p.14n). Gillecrist Mecachin witnessed a charter by Roger de Scallebroc of lands in Carrik in the reign of William the Lion (Melros I, p.26). In 1505 'a respit was maid to J. Makachyn and to Donald Moyl Macachane for all crimes etc. done in ony tyme bigane' (RSS, I, 1174). Andrew M'Cachin was rector of Ardmuchy, 1506 (ER, XII, p.709), and Archibald McCachin was a tenant in Colonsay in same year (ibid). Neill Makachyn and Malcolme Makachyn, 'his bruder', were killed in 1508 (RSS, I, 1709). Alexander M'Quuichin of Dalquhat was outlawed in 1528. Satisfaction was to be rendered to the kin of Donald Ballo McAuchin, 1532 (RSS, II, 1525). John M'Gauchane was burgess of Edinburgh, 1540 (ibid, 3773), and William Reoch M'Aychin gave his bond of manrent to the earl of Huntlie, 1543 (SCM, IV, p.260). Gillespik M'Kouchane was in Mergmonogach, Kintyre, 1605 (HP, III, p.81), Angus McAchane alias McAllaster is in Islay, 1614 (Cawdor, p.232), Ard McKukan appears in Nether Lorn, 1692 (Commons, p.33), and Ewan McEachan or McAihan was a tenant under Chisholm of Erchles, 1721 (HP, II, p.297). Many MacEachans emigrated to Nova Scotia and to Prince Edward Island and their descendants are now numerous there. McAchine 1635, Makcachane 1605, McEachan 1718, M'Eachine 1705, MacIkin (in Polloundowie) 1662, M'Kiachan 1724. ALso Englished Auchaneson. See also MacGeachan."

HISTORIES:

I have a few photocopies of copies of copies of documents of unknown origin in my posession, relating to the history and genealogy of the McEachin family, which I believe were composed in the early 1900's. I have taken the liberty of editing them for spelling, grammar, and format (to make relations of the same generation more explicit), but I have tried to preserve the name spellings unless obviously wrong. My comments are in brackets <>.

Memoranda of the History and Family of Peter MacEachin

The McEachin / McEachern Family of Georgia

The McEachins and McNeills of North Carolina

Hank C. Burnham wrote a 12 page McEachin history for the Jeff Davis Co. GA Cen-Silver Anniversary book. Here it is:

The McEachin Family

MY FAMILY TREE:

Here is a PRELIMINARY tree. I'm still working on the sources and dates for some persons, so I advise against incorporating any GEDCOM data into your tree until things are a bit more stable.

McEACHIN LINKS:

Here is a list of Family Trees which contain McEachins. Please email me if a link goes bad (and they will).

Here is a page with information on the McNeill-McEachin Cemetery in Scotland Co. NC. While you're there, be sure to to look around Myrtle Bridge's site - it has lots of good information on Cape Fear NC area Scots.

Here is an 1884 map of Robeson Co.,NC, which has family farm locations noted on it. The area described in the first paragraph of the McNeill History is in the top left corner - look for Bethel Church. Note the large number of McEacherns in the area - I wonder if any of them were McEachins, with the spelling being changed by the mapmaker, because they are surrounded by names that the McEachins intermarried with - McNeill, MacLean, Graham, Currie, and Purcell.

Here is some information on McEachins in Kintyre in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Here is the online magazine of the Kintyre Antiquarian & Natural History Society. Lots of good info on the history of Kintyre here.

Here is an essay on the possible derivation of McEachin & related surnames.

Here is another related essay.

Here is the aforementioned Alexander McEachin's family tree.

COMING SOON:

Hank Burnham has a wealth of McEachin genealogy information, which I hope to incorporate into this site in the not-to-distant future. Hank has been at this over 18 years, which is 18 years longer than I have. He has a lot of great stories that were told to him by Grannie Mims, which I hope to convince him to write down. :-)

Pictures!

CREDITS and CONTACTS:

Here is a list of McEachin researchers and relatives to whom I am indebted.

BEASLEY

Nothing on the Beasleys yet...

Copyright ©1999 Jeffrey D. McEachin.

Verbatim copying and distribution of this document permitted for non-commercial use, provided this notice is preserved. Owner's permission required for other uses.

Page last updated 10/28/99.