ELLIOTT FAMILY HISTORY: 1779 TO THE PRESENT It would appear that the name Elliott probably originated in Scotland and became prevalent in and around the neighboring four county areas of Leitrim, Donegal, Cavan and Fermanagh in Ireland sometime during the 1620-1640 time period. The majority of Elliott’s with two “t’s” appear to be from the six Counties of current Northern Ireland. Many Elliott’s, as well as others, were forced by the English to leave Scotland about 1603, and many went to Northern Ireland. In the mid 1700’s, many of the Scotch-Irish left in droves for America and Canada with promises from the British Crown for land. Our family probably went to Northern Ireland, possibly to Donegal, sometime before the 1770’s and this leads me to believe that there were at least three generations of our Elliott’s that were born in Ireland before emigrating to Canada. It is here in Donegal, Ireland that the earliest recording of an Elliott ancestor can be found, Francis Elliott, born about 1779 in Lynncrest, Ballyshannon, Donegal. It would also seem that many of these Elliott’s were Methodists, or Wesleyan Methodists in reference to John Wesley (1703-1791) the founder of Methodism. Many families gave the name Wesley as a first or middle name to many of their children. An interesting side note is that of a story, rumor, legend or whatever, that in earlier years the Elliott name or clan was known as the “thieves of the border.” This was undoubtedly in reference to the border between Scotland and England, and they were known as one of the notorious Border Clans and had formed a loose confederacy with the riding Clan’s of Armstrong, Nixon, Crosier and Knox. The “rustling” of sheep and cattle was probably a common occurrence. When Donna and I were in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland, we were told by an interesting woman who ran a Bed & Breakfast, who said that if they did come to Ireland from Scotland, “They probably stole the boat…” The next earliest record of our Elliott ancestors in Ireland besides Francis Elliott from Donegal, is that of a John Elliott (probably Sr.) who emigrated from Leitrim, Ireland, possibly sometime between 1838-1841 and immigrated to Ontario, Canada. John Elliott Sr. was born around 1800, probably in Ballyshannon, Donegal. He married Alice McSherry about 1827 in Donegal and Alice is believed to have been born around 1801. The exact date and place of Alice’s origin are unknown, although it was most likely in Ireland. Most of the people (the general population) of Ireland at this time were uneducated or had little education, and actual dates of birth and correct spelling of names was not uncommon. Because of this, wide variations can be found and a person’s age might be listed as “seventies” or “in his seventies.” The Elliott’s were farmers from the Province Leitrim in Ireland, and I doubt they brought any money with them as they emigrated during the great potato famine in Ireland. The best I can remember of stories of the early Elliott’s in the U.S.A., was that my grandfather, George W. Elliott and my grandmother, Alice Maud Beamish traveled a great deal before settling down in Los Angeles, California in the 1920’s. My father, Lorne W. Elliott, and my Aunt, Edythe Elliott traveled with them during this time. My grandfather was a jeweler, watchmaker and salesman, and was active in the Masonic Lodge. I believe he had owned or operated several stores in Canada and have photos of one store in Medicine Hat, Alberta. They lived at one time in Youngstown, Ohio where Grandfather George was once again active in a local chapter of the Masons, the Al Aziiar Temple. I have no knowledge of any specific business endeavors the Elliott’s pursued while traveling, only that they apparently owned or had interests in at least two concerns in either Texas or Florida that might have burned down or were lost due to weather catastrophes. One memory is that they had an interest in a type of ice cream venture, similar to that of Jolly Time or Good Humor. Robert L. Elliott