McPhail Family Website
Alexander McPhail was born in 1716 in Argyllshire, Scotland. He married Margaret Inch (1717 - 1779) in 1737.
Alexander's great-grandson, Rev. Donald McPhail (1799 - 1877), emigrated from Scotland with his Father, Malcolm McPhail (1768 - 1821),
and Malcolm's family in 1810, when Donald was eleven years old.
Their ship landed at Black Point on the shores of Prince Edward Island, a region now known as the Argyle Shore. Malcolm and his family were among the first settlers of that region. He acquired a 100 acre plot and built the McPhail family homestead there. What is now known as the Argyle Shore Cemetery was originally the McPhail family burial ground. The earliest surviving burial stone belongs to Christy Campbell (1801-1832), wife of Colin MacPhail (1793-1871).
Donald married Mary Currie (1806 - ~1881) in 1827, who also sailed from Scotland on the Spencer with her family in 1806. Donald and Mary were among the pioneers that settled with the McPhail Clan in PEI, that later branched out to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Maine, and far beyond.
The McPhail name split into MacPhail through several branches of the family tree. Within individual families, some used the 'Mc' prefix while others used 'Mac'. The prefixes “Mac” and “Mc” both derive from the Gaelic word meaning “son of.” This naming convention developed independently but in parallel across Gaelic-speaking regions, primarily in Ireland and Scotland. There is no evidence that 'Mc' and 'Mac' align with different heritages, although tradition once held that the 'Mc' prefix aligned with Roman Catholic families and the 'Mac' prefix was used among Protestant families. Consequently, the majority of McPhail families in P.E.I. switched their surnames to the "religiously correct" MacPhail variation in the period from 1840 to 1900. There were those McPhails who's loyalty to honour and tradition outweighed their sense of religious correctness, and as I describe on the previous Genealogy page, some tensions between and within families ensued.
It is also worth noting that virtually all the McPhails who emigrated from Scotland spoke Gaelic. Few spoke English when they arrived at the Argyle Shore, and fewer still could read and write in English. Indeed, the school at Argyle Shore, as did many P.E.I. schools in the early to mid 1800s, taught pupils in both Gaelic and English in an attempt to preserve sacred traditions while assimilating immigrating families into the new culture. By the early 1800s, Gaelic was the third most spoken language in British North America.
The officials who recorded and preserved the names of those disembarking from sailing ships spoke predominantly English, and Gaelic names were often misspelled and sometimes corrupted beyond recognition in translation. These mis-recorded names became the formal record, and the Gaelic speaking immigrants commonly accepted the translations on faith. For this reason, you will see variations in names (Christine, Christian, Christiane, Christina) that may not accurately reflect their ancestral roots.
Fortunately the Gaelic spelling of McPhail would have been Mc Phàil,and the pronunciation would have been "mahk FAHL", not "mack FAIL". These similarities would have permitted the family name to survive English immigration officers in most cases, however there are suspected McPhail / McPhee crossovers. It is also fortunate that the McPhail clan was a religious people. The church recorded births, baptisms, and deaths. Many parish records from as far back as the mid 1700s have survived, although there was a gap in the church records from 1783 to 1793.
The discussion of my branch of the McPhails would be incomplete without a recognition of the ancestors of Mary Currie (1806 - ~1881). As an infant, Mary sailed with her family aboard the good ship Spencer from the community of Scalasaig, on the island of Colonsay, to the Argyle Shore in 1806. Colonsay is a small island about 20Km south of Mull. Her parents, James Currie (~1776 - 1843) and Nancy McDuff (~1787 - 1882 -- She was later known Ann McPhee -- her name a victim of English speaking immigration officials) settled in the Argyle Shore. She married Donald McPhail(1799 - 1877 -- the great-grandson of Alexander McPhail). The union of Donald and Mary represents the genesis of my McPhail line in Canada, as commemorated in the McPhail Coat of Arms.
I am Alexander's great-great-great-great-great grandson, and I am the keeper of this record. The historical record goes back even further than Alexander, but the references become less reliable and their linkages to this family become more tenuous. I start with Alexander as his life and his descendants are reasonably well documented. Alexander's unconfirmed ancestors are:
Select a view for the McPhail Family below
Descendants of Alexander McPhail
Download the PDF
View the McPhail coat of arms
Read why the McPhails emigrated from Mull to PEI.
Their ship landed at Black Point on the shores of Prince Edward Island, a region now known as the Argyle Shore. Malcolm and his family were among the first settlers of that region. He acquired a 100 acre plot and built the McPhail family homestead there. What is now known as the Argyle Shore Cemetery was originally the McPhail family burial ground. The earliest surviving burial stone belongs to Christy Campbell (1801-1832), wife of Colin MacPhail (1793-1871).
Donald married Mary Currie (1806 - ~1881) in 1827, who also sailed from Scotland on the Spencer with her family in 1806. Donald and Mary were among the pioneers that settled with the McPhail Clan in PEI, that later branched out to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Maine, and far beyond.
The McPhail name split into MacPhail through several branches of the family tree. Within individual families, some used the 'Mc' prefix while others used 'Mac'. The prefixes “Mac” and “Mc” both derive from the Gaelic word meaning “son of.” This naming convention developed independently but in parallel across Gaelic-speaking regions, primarily in Ireland and Scotland. There is no evidence that 'Mc' and 'Mac' align with different heritages, although tradition once held that the 'Mc' prefix aligned with Roman Catholic families and the 'Mac' prefix was used among Protestant families. Consequently, the majority of McPhail families in P.E.I. switched their surnames to the "religiously correct" MacPhail variation in the period from 1840 to 1900. There were those McPhails who's loyalty to honour and tradition outweighed their sense of religious correctness, and as I describe on the previous Genealogy page, some tensions between and within families ensued.
It is also worth noting that virtually all the McPhails who emigrated from Scotland spoke Gaelic. Few spoke English when they arrived at the Argyle Shore, and fewer still could read and write in English. Indeed, the school at Argyle Shore, as did many P.E.I. schools in the early to mid 1800s, taught pupils in both Gaelic and English in an attempt to preserve sacred traditions while assimilating immigrating families into the new culture. By the early 1800s, Gaelic was the third most spoken language in British North America.
The officials who recorded and preserved the names of those disembarking from sailing ships spoke predominantly English, and Gaelic names were often misspelled and sometimes corrupted beyond recognition in translation. These mis-recorded names became the formal record, and the Gaelic speaking immigrants commonly accepted the translations on faith. For this reason, you will see variations in names (Christine, Christian, Christiane, Christina) that may not accurately reflect their ancestral roots.
Fortunately the Gaelic spelling of McPhail would have been Mc Phàil,and the pronunciation would have been "mahk FAHL", not "mack FAIL". These similarities would have permitted the family name to survive English immigration officers in most cases, however there are suspected McPhail / McPhee crossovers. It is also fortunate that the McPhail clan was a religious people. The church recorded births, baptisms, and deaths. Many parish records from as far back as the mid 1700s have survived, although there was a gap in the church records from 1783 to 1793.
The discussion of my branch of the McPhails would be incomplete without a recognition of the ancestors of Mary Currie (1806 - ~1881). As an infant, Mary sailed with her family aboard the good ship Spencer from the community of Scalasaig, on the island of Colonsay, to the Argyle Shore in 1806. Colonsay is a small island about 20Km south of Mull. Her parents, James Currie (~1776 - 1843) and Nancy McDuff (~1787 - 1882 -- She was later known Ann McPhee -- her name a victim of English speaking immigration officials) settled in the Argyle Shore. She married Donald McPhail(1799 - 1877 -- the great-grandson of Alexander McPhail). The union of Donald and Mary represents the genesis of my McPhail line in Canada, as commemorated in the McPhail Coat of Arms.
I am Alexander's great-great-great-great-great grandson, and I am the keeper of this record. The historical record goes back even further than Alexander, but the references become less reliable and their linkages to this family become more tenuous. I start with Alexander as his life and his descendants are reasonably well documented. Alexander's unconfirmed ancestors are:
- Angus born 1690
- Paul born 1655
Select a view for the McPhail Family below
Descendants of Alexander McPhail
Download the PDF
View the McPhail coat of arms
Read why the McPhails emigrated from Mull to PEI.