My name is Jim McQuiston. Welcome to my family history site for the names of McQuiston, McQuistian, McQuistion, McQuesten, McQuestion, McQueston, McChristian, McCuistion, McCuiston, and other spellings.
Before the reader travels further into our family history, there are some important points to understand. Many bits of our legacy have been recorded all over the United States and Canada, in Scotland, Ireland and England, and even in unsuspected places like Jamaica, Egypt, Switzerland, and other countries. Leona McQuiston did her best, back in 1937, to collect all the information she could without the help of the computer or internet, and in many cases, not even a telephone. She had help from Ed McCuistion, and many localized family historians. In 1975, Carleen (McCuistion) Daggett published another book in which she added some important information.
For all of my life, since I was a teenager, I have held onto every bit of family history I could find. I am now 60. Along the way I started this and other related website, and wrote four books. One that is currently available online is "Captain Jack McQuesten: Father of the Yukon." Another was a booklet on our relationship to Andrew Jackson, called "Guilford Gold." It was limited in production and small. A third was actually a 200 year history of a church our family had a serious role in establishing. The final book "McUisdean" was a hardbound, limited edition, general history of the family entitled McUisdean. It sold out immediately. That was eight years ago and for eight years I've been asked periodically if I could reprint it.
My writings also contain a couple thousand web postings, plus I have written several newsletters and articles for Highlander magazine, and for the Scotch-Irish Society's newsletter, along with countless long, long answers written for specific family members.
As you read my writings here, and in other areas, you won't find anything seriously incorrect with them. However, as I stated, they were built hierarchical, and the next new attempt on my part will try to include all that really matters, in one set of comprehensive reports, available for the first time, all available entirely through this website.
Because there is so much information, and the way people are beginning to look at books and booklets of information is changing, I am going to attempt to reproduce comprehensive e-published files of each part of our story, to be downloadable either as e-pub files for iPhone/iPads, as Kindle files, or as PDFs that can be read on any computer. The cost of producing print books is just too prohibitive for the return, and having items spread across the internet can be confusing. Once an e-pub file is created it should have all that I know about that subject in it. However, if something dramatic comes along, I can always update or edit the file.
As you read my writings here, and in other areas, you won't find anything seriously incorrect with them. However, as I stated, they were built hierarchical, and this new attempt on my part will try to include all that really matters about each facet of our history, in one set of comprehensive reports, available for the first time, and all from this website.
I hope to have a good start on this by this autumn if all goes well. In the meantime, feel free to read this site and any other articles with my name on them as a background. Once the rewrite is finished, it is my hope that you will want to discover it all again chronologically and in detailed reports of each aspect of our history.
I am currently working on the technical parts of this - learning to create e-pub files and how to best distribute them. Stay tuned!!
I have chosen the name Mountain Echo for this website and the online PDF files posted here. The name comes from a newspaper that Luther McQuesten once ran, in Boulder Creek, California, near Santa Cruz. Luther found himself short on paper one week and printed an edition of the paper on broad leaves from a nearby tree, just so that he could say he never missed an issue of the Boulder Creek Mountain Echo. The name Mountain Echo fits this family well as we originally came from the islands and the Highland mountains of Scotland.
I have been publishing this web site since 1996. It has gone through a variety of transitions and will, no doubt, change in the future. I have been studying our family history for a very long time. I returned, in August 2006, from my third visit to Scotland. In 2005, I visited Northern Ireland, and I have been up and down the east coast of America, and to Alaska and the Yukon, visiting family history locations, for the past several years. I have collected a library of a few hundred books on Scottish, Irish, and early American history, which pertain to our family history, in one way or another.
Several men, from most of the various spellings listed above, participated in a Clan Donald DNA project, which proved that all of these names are the same name, and the same family, despite differences in spelling or pronunciation.These names all derive from a man named Uisdean McDonald, who ruled Clan Donald, or the McDonald family of the Isle of Skye, located off the western coast of Scotland. Uisdean was chief roughly from 1469 (or possibly earlier) until he died, in 1498. His sons became McUisdeans, and his successors ruled over what became known as Clan Uisdean. Uisdean was historically known as Hugh of Sleat, in most English writings. He is the progenitor of Clan Uisdean, and of our family name.
In 2009 Clan Donald declared the McUisdean name as a "clear subset" of Clan Donald, and a separate analysis shows a 72% probability, based solely on DNA statistics, that we are of Clan Donald stock, and a 72% probability that we descend from Colla Uais, as written in the family history so many years ago.
The ancient "Black Book of Clanranald" describes the descendants of Hugh of Sleat as Siol Huistiuin, or "Race of Hugh". It also records Hugh's first four sons as -
Eoin mac huistiuin, or John McUisdean, the very first of our name.
Domhnall gallach mc huisdiuin, or Donald McUisdean, from whom most members of our family most likely descend.
Domhnall hearach mc huisdiuin, or Donald Harris, from whom many Harris/McUisdeans and MhicCuithean/McQueens most likely descend. (see below)
and, Giolla asbuig mc huisdiuin, or Archibald McUisdean, the black sheep of the family.
There were a least two more sons, and at least one daughter, of Uisdean McDonald.
Caisteal Uisdean was the last castle built on the Isle of Skye, by one of Hugh's descendants, and it still carries our original name of Uisdean. It is located on the Trotternish Peninsula of Skye, whereas Hugh of Sleat ruled from the Sleat Peninsula of Skye, at Dunscaith Castle.
Clan Uisdean still exists in Scotland and is led by Sir Ian Macdonald, a direct descendant of Uisdean. In America, Clan Uisdean, USA, Inc. represents the various spellings of this name. In 2000, I met with Lord Macdonald, Chief of all Macdonalds, and himself a descendant of Uisdean. A year or so later, I emailed a few times with Sir Ian Macdonald, Chief of Clan Uisdean, and premier Baron of Nova Scotia, Canada.
The McUisdean name spread to Northern Ireland, about 1565, and then back to southwestern Scotland, about 1641, and during this period it developed into the more modern spellings mentioned above. I will use the spelling McUisdean when collectively referring to this group of names, except when naming a specific person, family branch, or event in history.
Currently, in Scotland and Ireland, all family members that I have found use the spelling of McQuiston.
Ian McQuiston is a leader in the preservation of Northern Ireland historic architecture, having served as Chairman of the Historic Buildings Council, Director of the National Trust in Northern Ireland, a member of the Heritage Lottery Fund - Northern Ireland Committee, and a member of the Historic Monuments Council. I have emailed a few times with him.
Billy "Twister" McQuiston is a former Ulster Defense League member who preaches peace throughout Northern Ireland in conjunction with a former member of the IRA.
Another Jim McQuiston is engaged in the preservation of Dundonald Castle, in Scotland. I met this Jim McQuiston during our 2006 visit to Scotland.
All three of these men live in what could be described as the heart of McUisdean territory in these two countries.
In addition, the McQuiston Church, in Belfast, has the distinction of having the largest Presbyterian congregation in Irish history, with 1610 children in their Sunday School program, at one point. The old McQuiston School, in Belfast, founded at least by 1880, has now become the Belfast School of Music. At Troon, Scotland, home of the world's first "open" golf tournament, one of the trophies is the "McQuiston Cup".
Clan Donald lists "MacQuistan" as a sept or branch of the McDonalds of the Isle of Skye.
They also list "MacCuithein" from Skye, or from the nearby islands of Benbecula or South Uist. According to Clan Donald this name derives from "Clann ic Cuithein" of Skye, which would essentially be Clan Uisdean, McUisdean, or McQuiston. The MacQueens of Benbecula and South Uist (part of Clanranald) are originally Skye MacCuitheins, or members of Clan Donald North. The McQueen name derived from MacCuithein, and several McQueen men matched McUisdean men in the Clan Donald DNA project.
There is a very small hamlet just north of Caisteal Uisdean, on the Trotternish Peninsula, named MhicCuithein, which is translated into English as Macquien. Tradition says that members of the line of Hugh of Sleat's third son, Donald Hearrach, or Donald Harris, moved back to Skye, from the Isle of Harris, and this is most likely the small village they founded. A substantial percentage of Harris entrants to the DNA project also matched McUisdean DNA.
In "The Celtic Monthly" of 1905 the subject of the McQueen name came up and the author states that there is no connection between the typical McQueen families that originated with either "McConn" or with Clan Chattan, and the Skye McQueens that originated with MacHuisdean. The author states, "As regards the latter name, Dr. MacBain says it is the diminutive of Hugh, namely Hucheon or Gaelic Huisdean, still found in the Skye name of MacQuien, sometimes rendered as MacQueen."
I found that Dr. Alexander MacBain was a well-known Scottish historian of that era, and he is saying that the McQueens of Skye are really the McHuisdeans of Skye, which matches with what I had conjectured about this town, located just a short distance up the road from Caisteal Uisdean.
Finally, Clan Donald lists the name MacUisdean from Skye, and states that it is "Gaelic Mac Uisdean - 'son of Hugh' - 3rd son of Alexander, Lord of the Isles. Hugh became 1st of Sleat and ancestor of the High Chiefs. Skye - Clan Donald NORTH." This record is proof positive that our parent clan considers McUisdean as representing the descendants of Hugh of Sleat, or Uisdean McDonald. This has been the McQuiston family tradition for a long time.
At left is the front of McQuiston Church, located in the Castlereagh area of Belfast, Northern Ireland. I visited this church in 2005 and was given an old brick from its walls by the pastor. At center is Caisteal Uisdean from the Isle of Skye. I visited this castle in 1999, 2000, and 2006. At right is the road sign to the village of MhicCuithein, located just above Caisteal Uisdean. Five members of the McUisdean family, including myself, rode down through this very small village in 2006. This area was most likely settled by descendants of Hugh of Sleat's third son, Donald Hearrach.
Click on the link shown above to go to a page listing the various Mountain Echo newsletters, which I have so far produced. I have many new things to add to this site and will be constantly working on it. Below, a link is provided to each of my early postings to avoid an extremely long scroll bar caused by all the great information we now have available. I may slowly convert these earlier linked articles to Mountain Echo PDFs, as time allows.
If you wish to comment you can email me or simply use this submission form.
During 2007, I worked on a book about Captain Jack McQuesten: Father of the Yukon, Father of Alaska. It is now finished and available online through Amazon, Barnes Noble and other dealers, or directly from me. Email me with questions. In conjunction with the book I went to Dawson, in the Yukon Territory, in mid-August, to unveil a $3500 plaque in Jack's name. It was paid for with donations from Clan Uisdean, USA members; by myself; by Jack's grandson, Walter McQuesten; by Yukon historians Ed and Star Jones, and their friends Jane Lind and John Eidt, and Bob and Mary Majni; and by the Yukon Order of Pioneers. The book followed shortly thereafter. No funds from the Clan Uisdean USA, Inc. treasury were used for the book although costs related to the plaque were, in part, paid for by the clan.
You can find out more about Captain Jack and the book by going to the following link.
I am also working on a more general site called Scotch-Irish.net. You can visit that site at:
A great source of information that I've used extensively is the search tool from Google called books.google. It allows me, and others, to view otherwise inaccessible books published before 1923, many published in the 19th century or earlier. They are searchable for versions of our name and I have found many great little stories to weave into our greater tapestry. Captain Jack will soon be available on books.google in a limited fashion, to introduce others to this great family hero. I also subscribe to an online newspaper archive, which allows me to search for stories on the family in many old newspapers and documents.
I suspect there is not another website that is as comprehensive as this one, where the names derived from McUisdean are so thoroughly investigated. I hope you enjoy my research, which is offered to the family free of charge.
Most recent update - September 16, 2008.
To contact me about our family history, write to: Jim McQuiston
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