History

The MacDonell's of Keppoch and Garragach were also known as the Clan Ranald of Lochaber, and descend from Alastair Carrach, third son of John, first Lord of the Isles. He acquired his lands through the marriage settlement of John and his second father-in-law, Robert II when his estates were agreed to be apportioned between the children of both his marriages. Alastair fought alongside Donald of the Isles at the Battle of Harlaw in 1411, supporting his claim to the Earldom of Ross. For his part in 1413 in the insurrection led by Donald Balloch on behalf of the 3rd Lord of the Isles, he was forfeited and some of his lands in Lochaber were bestowed upon Duncan Mackintosh consequently leading to a long feud between the two clans.
   In 1493 on the final forfeitude of the Lord of the Isles, the MacDonell's maintained their position in Lochaber. Donald, 3rd chief was killed in battle with Dougal Stewart, 1st of Appin. John, 4th of Keppoch was deposed by the clan for delivering up one of the clansmen to the Mackintosh chief of Clan Chattan. His cousin, Donald Glas was elected chief and his son Ranald, chief after him was beheaded at Elgin in 1547 by the Earl of Huntly for his part in the rebellions at that time. His descendant, Ranald, 9th also spent most of his life as an outlaw. Alastair, 12th chief was murdered in 1663 and is commemorated at Tobair-nan-ceann, the "Well of the Heads" near Invergarry where the heads of the seven murderers were washed before being placed before Lord MacDonell of Invergarry. A statue was later placed at the spot by Col Alastair MacDonell of Glengarry in the 19th century. Coll, 15th held off the government and the Mackintoshes for over 40 years by sword in Lochaber and his son Alexander, 16th, despite at being old by 1745 was one of the first to join Prince Charles. He died Culloden but the last chief of the MacDonell's of Keppoch in the direct line did not die till 1889.
  One may envision that our ancestors were involved in these battles or events referenced above. If you are a romantic of history and are confident of the Phillips' heritage, then the only conclusion would be, they were. This was the price paid for the privilege of living on the lands and the enjoyment of the food and security provided to your family by the Chief of the Clan.
The earliest records found on this lineage of Phillips comes from information provided by Richard Phillips, Jr., from research he has conducted: He indicates “the marriage of John*Philp, born Abt. 1780, Master Mariner and Elizabeth (Betsey) Crichton, (daughter of Peter Crichton and Margaret Beggs in Dundee, Angus, Scotland.) were married on May 31, 1812 when John was 32. Elizabeth was born about 1791 and she died on December 8, 1859, in Musselburgh, Scotland. She was buried in Inveresk Churchyard. Scotland. John died in 1855. During their marriage, they had six children: Peter Chrighton (1815-1893), Elizabeth (17 Jan. 1814–unk), John (31 Aug. 1817-unk), Alexander (16 Dec. 1818-unk), Margaret(30 Jun. 1821-unk), Magdalene (13 Apr. 1826-unk).”
“Peter Chrighton Phillips, Shipwright was born July 5, 1815 in Dundee, Scotland. He was baptized on July 13, 1815. Peter and Mmargaret Forbes, dame of Rob Forbes, were married on February 21, 1839 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland. Margaret was born March 1821 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland.”
  At present, information on the clan Margaret Forbes was from has not been found. We do know, from documentation of her marriage to Peter, as was recorded, her father was Rob Forbes and the "Great Hall of the Clans" list a Clan Forbes. We can only assume they were members of this clan. Forbes Clan of Aberdeen around 1300: John de Forbes held the lands in early 1300, his grandson Alexander fell defending Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness against the forces of Edward I.

After reading the insert above, I hope you are not thinking the Phillips' were slaves of the Clan MacDonell. The word sept means, according to Webster: "An old Irish clan or tribe ruled by a patriarch. Any similar group, especially one localized and based on common descent in both male and female lines." Not only was this done in Ireland, it was the way of all clans and or tribal units throughout the ancient world. This was the only way small family units could survive.
² The difference between clans, families and Sept is the source of many questions as is the question phrased in one way or another, which asks, "to which clan do I belong?" There are many definitions of clans and families as there are people. It should first be recognized that a clan or family is a legally recognized group in Scotland, which has a corporate identity in the same way that a company, club or partnership has a corporate identity in law. A clan or family is a “noble incorporation” because it has an officially recognized chief or head who being a nobleman of Scotland confers his noble status on the clan or family, thus making it a legally and statutorily recognized noble corporation often called “the Honorable Clan…” A name group, which does not have a chief, has no official position in the law of Scotland. The chief’s Seal of Arms, incorporated by the Lord Lyon's letters Patent, is the seal of the corporation, like a company seal, but only the chief is empowered by law to seal important documents on behalf of his clan. A clan as a noble incorporation is recognized as the chief’s heritable property - he owns it in law and is responsible for its administration and development.

*(The spelling of the name Phillips varied as recorded by the church scribes. It was spelled like they heard it as it was spoken in the heavy Gallic accent.)

Who belongs to what clan is of course, a matter of much difficulty, particularly today when the concept of clan is worldwide. Historically, in Scotland a chief was chief of "the country". He was chief of his clan territory and the persons who lived therein, although certain of his immediate family, would owe him allegiance wherever they were living.
  A chief was entitled to add to his clan by the adoption of families or groups of families to membership of his clan, a good example being the "boll meal Frasers". Equally, a chief has and had the power to expel or exclude particular persons from membership of his clan and this included blood members of his family. It was his legal right to outlaw certain persons from his clan. This is accepted in the modern sense to mean that a chief is empowered to accept anyone he wishes to be a member of his clan or decree that his clan membership shall be limited to particular groups or names of people. All persons who bear the chiefs surname are deemed to be members of his clan. Equally, it is generally accepted that someone who determines to offer their allegiance to the chief shall be recognized as a member of that clan unless the chief has decreed that he will not accept such a person's allegiance, thus, if a person offers his allegiance to a particular chief by joining his clan society or by wearing his tartan, he can be deemed to have elected to join that particular clan and should be viewed as a member of that clan unless the chief particularly states that he or his name group are not to be allowed to join the clan. It should also be said that the various Sept lists, which are published in the various Clans and Tartan books, have no official authority. They merely represent some person's, (usually in the Victorian eras) views of which name groups were in a particular clan's territory. Thus we find members of a clan described, as being persons owing allegiance to their chief "be pretence of blood or place of there dwelling". In addition to blood members of the clan, certain families have a tradition (even if the tradition can with the aid of modem records be shown to be wrong) descent from a particular clan chief. They are, of course, still recognized as being members of the clan.
  Generally speaking, if a person has a particular Sept name which can he attributed to a number of clans, either they should determine from what part of Scotland their family originally came and owe allegiance to the clan of that area or, alternatively, if they do not know where they came from, they should perhaps owe allegiance to the clan to which their family had traditionally owed allegiance. Alternatively, they may offer their allegiance to any of the particular named clans in the hope that the chief will accept them as a member of his clan.

Principal Cadets And Septs Of The Clan "Ranald Of Lochaber, Also Known As The MacDonalds/MacDonnells/MacDonells Of Keppoch.

Principal Cadet Families: Bohuntine Dalchosnie Murlagan Tulloch Cranachan Achnancoichean Gellovie Tullochrom Clianaig Aberarder Fersit Tirnadris Killiechonate Inch Inverroy.

Principal Septs: MacDonell MacGilp MacKiliop MacGillivantic MacGlasrich MacMichie MacPhilip Michie Philp MacRonald Michieson Rainnie Mechie Philip Rennie Meekison Philipson Ronald Reynolds Reynoldson Ronaldson Mekie Phillip Ranald Michael Phillips Ranaldson MacKerrachar Burke Boyle Kelly Kennedy MacBride O'Donnell Doyle Drake.

"The most numerous and widespread of the clans, the Clan Donald is one of the families, who, while using different surnames or different methods of writing the same surname, have an identical genealogical derivation. Of these, the families of MacDonald or McDonald, and MacDonell or McDonnell, are the most important. The mode of writing is immaterial, the name is the same; they are of one stock; and the story of Clan Donald is the story of their ancestors. As told later, the Clan derived its generic name from Donald, the grandson of Somerled: and hence the name MacDonald, or son of Donald, Mac, or the Gaelic Mhic, signifying son. By abbreviating the prefix to Mc and M' many families write the name McDonald and M'Donald. The surname MacDonell, McDonnell, McDonell, and other forms and methods of writing this name, came first into use, when Aeneas MacDonald of the Glengarry branch was, in 1660, raised to the Peerage of Scotland by the title of Lord MacDonell. In the earlier chapters the family name has been written in its unabbreviated form, MacDonald, although, even in those bygone days the shorter forms of Mac were frequently used; and any record of names in Scotland of today will indicate that the prefix is quite as frequently Mc as Mac. In the case of the modem families descended from the Clan, the mode of orthography has been followed, which, from long usage, the families have rightly been in the habit of using.
The important position occupied by the Clan Donald and its branches invests the narrative of its rise and history with unusual interest to all, but more especially to those of the Clan, who may well refer with pride to their noble descent from the independent rulers of the island principality, the Kings of the Isles. The early history and descent of the Clan are involved in the cloudy shades of antiquity; and its origin is connected with many of the most interesting questions of Scottish ethnology.

¹ The spelling of the Clan name differs in the history time line, Clan MacDonnell also appears at times as Clan MacDonell and becomes a part of Clan MacDonald which becomes known as Clan Ranald of Lochaber.
² Excerpts from an article titled: Clans, Families and Septs, written by Ser Crispin Agnew of Lochnaw BT, 13 August 2001.
³ Written by Henry Lee (copyright 1920)

It is well documented in several books written on the history of Manatee County, that Spaniards and Cubans used the area in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. They setup fishing camps along the Manatee River where they would process their catch and live during their long fishing expeditions before returning to Cuba and other Caribbean Islands.

The first documented arrival to the area in the early 1800’s was Capt. William Bunce; he was a resident of Hillsborough County. He built a fishing camp, commonly referred to as a rancho. He established his business at the mouth of the Manatee River. The rancho employed over 100 runaway slaves and Native Americans. In the 1840’s the U.S. government embarked on a campaign to remove all Native Americans from Florida and in doing so, destroyed Bunce’s rancho.

At the end of the Second Seminole War in 1842, Congress passed the Armed Occupational Act, which enabled settlers to claim 160 acres of land (at a cost of $1.25 per acre, $200.00!) if they could bear arms and live on the land for a minimum of five years. This act opened the floodgates and the population began to swell. However, the Third Seminole War broke out a few years later. Billy Bowlegs led this war; the war made life hard for many. Several of the new pioneers of the area gave up and left. Those who were able to survive would be joined by an influx of pioneers seeking a better life.

As the population increased named settlements were established, i.e. Manatee Village, Braden Town, and Palmetto. New business, schools, churches, and places of entertainment were built. Packing houses, shipping wharfs and steamships became the hub of business. Farmlands expanded, producing sugar cane (for sugar and syrup), citrus, cotton, tomatoes, celery, and strawberries. Boardinghouses sprang-up around the county in the early growth of the twentieth century due to the increase demand for laborers on the farms and in the citrus groves not to mention the building industry.

By 1910, Manatee Counties Town Centers had the needed profession required to provide for their populations survival and growth, i.e. Doctors of Medicine and Dentistry, Pharmacist, Blacksmiths, Engineers, Merchants of every type. All the basic needs were provided for that were available during this time period. Manatee County was one of the primary centers of growth from 1850 on. It became know throughout the South as an area of opportunity to earn a good living, if you were willing to work hard.

If you are truly a history buff and enjoy reading about the history of Manatee County, I recommend the following books:

Images of America Manatee County, by Jim Wiggins:

ISBN 978- 7385-5313-9

The Singing River, A History of the People, Places and Events Along the Manatee River, by Joe Warner: