My Scottish 3x great Grandfather immigrated to America from
Ireland just prior to the Revolution, and, subsequently, served throughout the
war.
Isham could neither read, nor write, and due to his thick
accent, it is apparent that no one could be absolutely sure what his surname
was. Somewhere along the way, perhaps when he enlisted in the Army, it was
determined that his last name was “McDaniel.” However, and for whatever reason,
his son, William, began using the surname of “McDonald,” and it has been thus
throughout the multiple generations which have followed my namesake; (for these
first and last names are common to both of us).
But in reference to my immigrant ancestor, I definitely had “the
last word,” since when I organized a gravemarking ceremony for Isham a decade
ago, I ordered and installed a VA headstone which bore the McDonald
nomenclature.
Speaking of my family surname, my wife and I recently
experienced an unsettling scenario. We have planned a trip to Scotland and
Ireland in a few months, and, as a result, we submitted the necessary
documentation and applied for the requisite passports.
Interestingly enough, when the passports arrived in the mail, we
discovered that whomever had accomplished them had left a space between ‘Mc’
and ‘Donald;’ (though my accompanying birth certificate does not include this
space). To complicate matters, our airplane tickets indicate a small ‘d’ in the
Donald suffix. And to “put a cherry on top,” when we applied for a PSA
Pre-check to expedite our check-in at the airport, my surname was entered as
“McDonald.”
Unfortunately, we have been informed that our passports and
tickets must match exactly, by letter and space, or we “just ain’t gettin on”
that airplane. Thus, we are presented with a dilemma which must be reconciled
before we leave for Europe.
Pt. 2
Strangely enough, the foregoing spellings of the McDonald
surname are all correct.
Mc Donald, McDonald, Mc donald, Mcdonald, Mac Donald, MacDonald,
Mc Donnell, McDonnell (or McDonald with a couple of small dashes under the ‘c’)
are all proper and allowable spellings. (And as a matter of fact, at one time
or the other, I have used three of the nine variations of the name).
Did I mention that the “Mc” prefix and the “Donald” suffix of my
last name mean, “Son of Donald?” (Well, they do). Exactly like, (for example)
the Israeli prefix and suffix of, “Ben Hur.” (Son of Hur).
Most believers are familiar with a verse in the last book of the
New Testament which infers that every man, woman, boy and girl who acknowledge
Christ as their Savior will be assigned a different name by which they will be
known and addressed “on the other side.”
The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of
my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God
and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem, which is coming down out
of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. (Romans 3:12)
And while I don’t necessarily wish to surrender the name and
accompanying spelling with which I have become so familiar, it will be
refreshing to avoid the inherent confusion of a surname which can conceivably
be written in such a myriad of ways.
“I will write on them the name of my God.”
(and)
“I will write on them my new name.”
I think I will be real fine with that.
By William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from "(Mc)Donald's Daily Diary" Vol. 76. Copyright pending
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