Happy St Patrick's Day to everyone who is Irish, descended from the Irish, or just wishes they could be Irish. I am lucky enough to be part Irish, and although I have always been proud of my ancestry this year it is especially meaningful. The reason is that just a few days ago I happened to meet a cousin of mine (specifically a third cousin in my maternal grandfather's family) and through an exchange of family history, I now have traced my Irish ancestors back over a thousand years!

Obviously it is too much data to present in this simple article, but for those who are related to my branch of the Frazer family, here are a few highlights:



  • My great grandfather, George Robert Frazer, was the first of his family born in Canada, in 1877. Unfortunately his mother died when he was just seven years old, and he was raised by a foster family and didn't know much of his own ancestry.

  • George's parents were William Frazer and Mary-Jane Wilson. William was born around 1833 in Boyle, Roscommon, Ireland to a family of wealthy landowners. For unknown reasons, he and a brother migrated to Canada (the brother continued to New York where he became a wealthy orchard owner). Family oral history claim that William was a druggist, but all formal records claim he was a labourer.

  • William's parents were Archibald Frazer and Jane White. Apparently Archie Frazer owned a large swath of land in Roscommon, Ireland.

  • Before Archie, there was about 150 years of Frazers being wealthy landowners in Roscommon although the records are not really clear about dates and places.

  • The Frazers came to Ireland in 1649 from Ayrshire, Scotland. James Frazer, the 9th Laird of Knock, was summoned by the Presbyterian church and others to renounce King Charles and different religious beliefs. Instead he and his three brothers fled to Sligo, Ireland and were hunted for three years as fugitives. It was James' younger brother Edward Frazer who was my ancestor.

  • His great-great-great grandfather was John Frazer, 5th Laird of Knock, who married in to the Stuart family, although the connection to the royal family is not known yet.

  • The first Laird of Knock was John Frazer, who was granted the land and title in about 1400AD by the Scottish Royal House of Stewart (possibly the land was given to his father, Hugh Frazer, by Robert the Bruce himself). Before that, the Frazers were minor nobles in Fife, Scotland.

  • Tracing back through the generations, the records get less reliable. However there are suggestions that among the ancestors were warriors who accompanied William the Conqueror in 1066AD from Normandy. Another branch of the ancient Frazer family can be traced back to Robert the Bruce (aka King Robert I of Scotland), Lady MacBeth, King Lulach the Fool, King Kenneth I/II/III, King Donald I/II, and a host of other Scottish kings.

As always, I am happy to discuss the family history and share information and photos with anyone who is interested.