About Alexander McNutt

http://www.macnauchtan.com/saugus/Early_McNitt_McNutt.html

Early McNitt and McNutt Families in America-Direct Line Last Update 05 Jan, 2001

1 Alexander McNitt 1656 - 1746. Born Laggan, Donegal, N. Ireland.

Came to Boston in 1720 with wife Sarah, and youngest son, Barnard and his wife. Settled initially with Ulster Scotch in Worcester area, then moved to Palmer, MA, before 1732 and died there.

Children of Alexander and Sarah McNitt

• 11 Alexander (McNitt) McNutt b. Laggan, Donegal, N. Ireland d. 1751 Virginia. m. N. Ireland, Jane. Came to Hagerstown, MD in 1735 and moved to Staunton, VA in 1744.
• 12 William (McNitt) McNutt b. N. Ireland. m. Londonderry, NH Jane Colbreath. Settled in Manchester, NH (c)
• 13 Abraham McNitt b. N. Ireland Settled at Pelham, MA (6)
• 14 Barnard McNitt b. N. Ireland ca. 1700. d. 1-16-1773 Palmer, MA. Came to Boston in 1720 with parents and first wife. m. 1728, Palmer (2) Jane Clark Settled at Elbow Plantation, Palmer in 1732 Town clerk 1741-50, 1755-61.

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http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mysouthernfamily/...

Alexander MCNUTT "the Immigrant" 1656 - 10 Feb 1745 ID Number: I78242

RESIDENCE: IRE and abt 1720 MA

BIRTH: 1656, Laggan, Donegal County, Ireland DEATH: 10 Feb 1745, Palmer, Hampden, Massachusetts RESOURCES: See: [S2979]

Family 1 : +Alexander MCNUTT "the Immigrant"

1. William MCNUTT
2. Abraham MCNUTT
3. Jean MCNUTT
4. Barnard MCNUTT
5. +James MCNUTT

"the Immigrant" Notes

"Migrated 1720 [with youngest son Barnard[ Laggan, Donegal County, Ireland to Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Settled Unknown 1732 Palmer, Hampden, Massachusetts.

Marriage 1 Sarah [?] b: 1660 in Scotland. Alias: Alexander /McNUTT/McNITT/MacNauchtan.

Children:

• 2 James MCNUTT b: Bet 1710 and 1717 d: 1749 + UNKNOWN ?
• 2 Alexander MCNUTT b: Abt 1692 d: Abt 1751 + [Jane ?] [or Moldred WELCH] b: Abt 1695
• 2 Barnard MCNUTT b: Abt 1700 d: 16 Jan 1773 + Jane [Jean] CLARK b: 19 Oct 1712 d: 1798
• 2 William MCNUTT b: 1694 + Jane COLBREATH b: 1694
• 2 Abraham MCNUTT
• 2 Jean MCNUTT b: Abt 1696 d: 1780 + Thomas BEARD b: Abt 1690 d: 18 Oct 1769.

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Burial record:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/130773535/alexander-mcnitt

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Birth date: Vital Records of Palmer, Massachusetts to the Year 1850 Publication: Boston: New-England Historic Genealogical Society, 1905 Page: p. 225 show Alexander McNitt born 1656/1657.

The International Genealogical Index shows an Alexander McNitt born 2 March 1656, but this has not been verified.

Death date: Vital Records of Palmer, Massachusetts to the Year 1850 Publication: Boston: New-England Historic Genealogical Society, 1905 Page: p. 225

Much has been written about the McNitt / McNutt clan particularly in "The MacNaughton Saga" by V.V. McNitt and many since then others doing genealogy research online. Most noteable today would be William McNitt of Michigan.

I found a website that shows Alexander's father as John MacNaughton, born circa 1630, died 1680, and John's father as John MacNaughton, born circa 1610, no death date given, and his father as John MacNauchtan, born circa 1540, whose wife was Anna MacLane, daughter, of Murdoch Gearr Maclean and Ann MacDonell, circa 1587. That John MacNauchtan was shown as son of Alexander McNauchtan, born circa 1490. Alexander is shown as the son of Gilbert MacNauchtan, born 1430, who is the son of Duncan MacNachtan born circa 1380, died circa 1440. Duncan is the son of Alexander MacNachtan born circa 1330 and Marion Cairdeney, who was the daughter of Duncan Cairdeney.

Marion Cairdeney was an ex-mistress of King Robert II. Marion Cairdeney may have had as many as eight children with King Robert II, but she was his mistress and never actually married to him. She had sons by both the King and Chief Alexander McNaughton. So the sons of Chief Alexander McNauchtan were half brothers to the sons of King Robert II.

Alexander MacNachtan (b. ca. 1330) was the son of Duncan MacNachtan, born circa 1310. He was the son of Alexander MacNachtan (born 1290, died 1351) and wife Christena Campbell, daughter of Dougal Campbell and (?) McNaughton, in 1350. Alexander MacNachtan died in 1351 at Lewis Island, Scotland.

He Chief Alexander MacNauchtan was a good friend of King Duncan and was awarded lands on the Island of Lewis in 1346. He died in 1351 while attempting to take possession. The charter indicates he had three sons, Duncan, Gilchrist, and John by a first wife, at present unknown. His second wife was Christina Campbell of Craignish. The next chief recorded is Alexander. Angus Macnaghten in his book explains this by saying that Alexander's son Duncan must have had a son named Alexander who became chief.

Alexander was the son of Duncan MacNachtan, born 1270.

According to Burke's "History of the Commoners" Duncan was one of thirty knights that set out with Sir James Douglas to take the Heart of King Robert I to Palestine by way of Spain in 1329. After Douglas was slain in a fight with the Moors in Spain Duncan was one of the knights that brought Robert the Bruce's heart back to Scotland. According to William Anderson in "The Scottish Nation" (Vol III, p.54) Duncan was a steady and loyal subject of King David II (successor to Robert I) who, as a reward for his fidelity, in the year 1346 conferred on Duncan's son Alexander lands in the island of Lewis, a portion of the forfeited possessions of John of the Isles.

Duncan was the son of Donald MacNauchtan, born 1250 and died 1314. He Chief Of The Clan. The Argyll pedegree suggests that he died in 1314 at the battle of Bannockburn.

Donald was the son of Gillchrist MacNauchtan who was the son of Malcolm MacNauchtan, born circa 1190. He The McNaughtons evolved from the ancient Pict royal family of Nechtan. What we often don't consider is that in the most ancient days the Pict royal families were also the source of the druid ollamh priests and priestesses. There is reason to believe some druidry may have yet been extant in the middle ages and that this may have been the source of some incidents and stories. For instance the 3 witches of the Shakespeare's story of MacBeth may well have originated in ancient stories about the Nechtans, in as much as some sources consider MacBeth a descendant of this family.

Steuart Macnaghten, in his GENEALOGY OF THE MAGNAGHTENS writes (over a hundred years ago): "Towards the close of the tenth century the northern Maomors made a sudden rising to expell the Norwegians; and the highland army stationed at Duncan's Bay head under the command of Melsnachtan and Kenneth, Maomors of Dala and Ross, were attacked by Sigurd, Earl of Orkney, who killed Melsnachtan. In 1077 the Saxon Chronicles inform us that Maolsnachtan, Maomor of Moray, sustained a complete overthrow from Malcolm III with the loss of his army and treasures; and finally in 1085 we find recorded the violent death of Maolsnachtan, Maomor of Moray, with that of Donald, King of Albin. This Maolsnachtan was cousin of the celebrated Macbeth, and son of Lulah, who after succeeding Macbeth on the throne for a short time, fell at Essie, and was interred beside him in the royal sepulchre at Iona. From the death of Maolsnachtan the powers and the consequence of the Maomors began to decline. Maolsnachtan leaving no children, Angus his sister's son was styled Maomor of Moray. The father of Angus was Head or Heth, a cousin of Maolsnachtan and son of Nechtan, who was the son of Gillechattan More, founder of Clan Chattan. The Pictish highlanders had constantly attempted to oppose the succession in this family of Kenneth MacAlpine and to introduce their own more ancient Pictish law; and three of the Maomors succeeded in attaining the thrown of Scotland. In fact during the tenth and eleventh centuries, until they sunk under the ascendancy of the line of Malcolm the third called "Canmore" they were the real sovereigns of the north; and from these ancient Reguli the oldest clans are derived. Malcolm the fourth in consequence to the frequent rising of the inhabitants and chiefs of Moray, ordained that all the latter should, within a limited time, remove to other parts of the kingdom. For this forcible transplantation of the rebel chiefs, the crown lands were principally employed. Thus in the twelvth century, a considerable grant of the crown lands of Strath Tay was bestowed on the Macnachtans, who being removed from Strath Spey, were then and for a long time afterwards designated "Thanes of Loch Tay"."

From Electric Scotland:

Clan Nachtan or Macnaughton is supposed by Mr Skene to have originally belonged to Moray.

The Skene MS of 1450 deduces the descent of the heads of the clan from Nachtan Mor, who is supposed to have lived in the 10th century. The Gaelic name Neachtain is the same as the Pictish Nectan, celebrated in the Pictish Chronicle as one of the great Celitc divisions in Scotland, and the appellation is among the most ancient in the north of Ireland, the original seat of the Cruithen Picts. According to Buchanan of Auchmar, the heads of this clan were for ages thanes of Loch Tay, and possessed all the country between the south side of Loch-Fyne and Lochawe, parts of which were Clenira, Glenshira, Glenfine, and other places, while their principal seat was Dunderraw on Loch-Fyne.

In the reign of Robert III, Maurince or Morice Macnaughton had a charter from Colin Campbel l of Lochow of sundry lands in Over Lochow, but their first settlement in Argyleshire, in the central parts of which their lands latterly wholly lay, took place long before this. When Malcolm the Maiden attempted to civilise the ancient province of Moray, by introducing Norman and Saxon families, such as the Bissets, the Comyns, &c., in the place of the rude Celtic natives whom he had expatriated to the south, he gave lands in or near Strathtay or Strathspey, to Nachtan of Moray, for those he had held in that province. He had there a residence called Dunnachtan castle. Nesbit describes this Nachtan as "an eminent man in the time of Malcolm IV", and says that he "was in great esteem with the family of Lochawe, to whom he was very assistant in their wars with the Macdougals, for which he was rewarded with sundry lands". The family of Lochawe here mentioned were the Campbells.

The website mentioned is "Main Database MacNutt-Murray History" at Alexander McNutt, ‘the immigrant’

From "Dunigall, Ireland". Aged 90 years.

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Mar 26 2025, 7:03:27 UTC

References

1. https://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:Alexander_McNutt_%289%29