trying to find out if I do have Scottish or Irish heritage

[TheOfficialBren]

A word of caution- www.surnamedb.com got the origins of my name totally wrong!

They partially stabbed in the right direction with my surname but it was vague and generalised. I rate it 2 1/2 stars on the accuracy front.

Angela, there is no substitute for good geneological research. Be aware, however, that in many cases records get lost.

For example, the 1840 US Census was lost in a fire. I mean the records for literally the entire US population...gone...destroyed...burnt to a crisp!

Sadly, in the US many lines are untraceable passed a certain date (1840) and an amount of either acceptance or reasonable deduction based upon the 1830 and 1850 censuses must be made.

The lucky ones are folks who have only been here since the late 1800s onward.

Also, spellings sometimes changed in many cases, especially in the hill country where literacy was minimal.

Census takers usually jotted down their notes as best they could. In the early days they knocked on your door and anyone could answer their very brief questions. They were seldom thorough.

Another thing to consider: in the early days of the US, there was no immigration in the modern sense. One disappeared from the parish records in the old country and popped up without notice in the new country. Sometimes people intentionally concealed their national origins (the Irish, Chinese, and Germans [to name a few]did this a LOT during some of America's less admirable periods) by switching names altogether or fibbing about their birthplaces. A Schmidt might say he was a Smith, for example.

Lastly, many names were documented phonetically. The census taker would say, "what is your name?" The reply might be "Colbert" (pronouncing the "T" in the British fashion). They might ask for the spelling. If none could be provided they might jot down "Kolbert" (spelled in the German fashion).

I picked an unusual surname to illustrate my point (we spell it with a "C" and pronounce the "T" in the British fashion in my family).

Best of luck.

CORRECTION: 1890 census burnt in a 1921 fire, NOT 1840 census. The point still stands, though.