In January, 1997, I began exploring my family history - the Coghill family tree. I started with a little green book written by my grandfather's brother, George Clarence Coghill (generation 12 in my "pruned" tree below). George's book begins with his grandfather and my great-great-grandfather, Alexander (gen10) but his details are sketchy and much information is missing. It was a great starting point for me, but it left me wanting more...

Using library resources, genealogy archives and the internet, as well as mailing many letters to other Coghills - some "family" and some not - I have been able to greatly expand my particular branch of the family tree along with several other related branches not listed here. I consider my role as amateur genealogist to be rather small. I have merely recieved the "parts" from others with "some assembly required". Nevertheless, it has been great fun. There is still much to do and I certainly owe much to all those who have contributed to the overall picture.

During the course of my digging, I have found that there are actually two distinct Coghill families: the English and the Scottish. Some claim that they are related if only one could go back far enough, while others have told me that the origins of the two families are completely separate. The evidence that I have found so far leads me to believe that the latter scenario is more likely.

Anyway, I am certain of my Scottish anscestry. Since there are several good books available listing the English Coghills back to the early 1100s in Oxfordshire, England but no such books (that I am aware of) on the Scottish Coghills, it is my intention is to compile, eventually, all the Scottish branches into a book and make it available to the family. Anyone who sends me mail (email or snailmail) will be kept apprised of my progress from time to time.

My anscestors, originally of Norse/Viking stock, settled in the northern end of Scotland somewhere between 900 and 1100AD. Our family was most prominent in the old County of Caithness, mainly in the parishes of Wick, Olrig, Thurso, Bower, Canisbay and Watten before emigration began to Canada, Australia and the United States. Variations of the family name in old parish records were many (Cogle, Coggle, Cogil, Coggill, Cogile, etc.) The tree below has been stripped of its branches and shows only the barest minimum of my direct line. I would love to hear from you if you think there is even a remote chance that we could be related.

Other surnames that figure prominently in our Coghill tree include:

Bain, Bruce, Buchan, Budge, Dinsmore, Doull, Dunnet, Gardiner, Gunn, Hall, Henderson, Irvine, Iverach, MacDonald, Malcolm, Manson, Marsh, Masson, Matheson, Maxwell, McLean, McKay, McKenzie, Miller, Mowat, Murray, Oman, Petrie, Ross, Sinclair, Smith, Spice, Stoner, Sutherland, Swanson, Taylor, Waters, Watt

Lana, also, has done some work on the Malcolm family tree but seems not to have caught the genealogy bug like I have. Her tree goes back to the mid 1700s in Scotland. If you are just starting out in search of your family roots be sure to check out the link below to many different Canadian genealogy and history sites.

Canadian Genealogy and History Linkpage

1	Thomas Coghill
	(c1583)
	Scotland (until generation 11)

2	Alexander Coghill
	(c1608)

3	William Coghill
	(c1633)

4	David Coghill
	(c1658)

5	Alexander Coghill
	(c1683)

6	David     Alexander     Christopher     Alexander
	(c1702)   1704          (c1706)         1708
                                                & Helen Oman ->

7	Alexander     Patrick   Donald        Margaret      Helen
	1732          1733      1736          1738          1743
	Thurdistoft   Murkle    Thurdistoft   Thurdistoft   Mossedge
	& Janet Buchan ->
	& Marion Swanson ->

8	Helen         Alexander     Charles       David         Richard   John
	1764          1767          1770          1773          1775      1777
	Thurdistoft   Thurdistoft   Thurdistoft   Thurdistoft             Thurdistoft
	                                          & Elizabeth Swanson ->

9	Alexander   Alexander   Donald     David      Janet      William    Alexander   Elizabeth
	            1791	1794       1796       1797       1800       1802        1806
	            Aucorn      Knockdee   Knockdee   Stemster   Stemster   Bowerton    Knockdee
	                                                                    & Isabella McKenzie ->

10	Elizabeth   Isabella   Mary   David   John   Alexander
	                              1828    1830   1832
	                              Wick    Wick   Wick
	                                             & Margaret Masson ->

11	Isabella   Margaret   Alexander   James      David      Margaret   Matilda   John      David     George
	1859       1861       1863        1865       1870       1872       1875      1876      1878      1883
	Aberdeen   Aberdeen   Aberdeen    Aberdeen   Aberdeen   Aberdeen   Toronto   Toronto   Toronto   Toronto
	                                                                             & Alice Hall ->
	                                                                             & Jessie Watson

12	Albert    Annie     George    John      Cecil     Alice
	1899      1901      1904      1906      1910      1914
	Toronto   Toronto   Toronto   Toronto   Toronto   Toronto
	& Elsie Stoner ->

13	Dorothy   Marjorie   John      Alice     Clara     Audrey    David     James
	1922      1923       1924      1926      1928      1932      1934      1940
	Toronto   Toronto    Toronto   Toronto   Toronto   Toronto   Toronto   Toronto
	                                                                       & Sharon Spice ->

14	Andrew      Brian       Jeffery     Janet
	1963        1966        1969        1971
	Kitchener   Kitchener   Ingersoll   Chatham
	& Lana Malcolm ->

15	Alexander James		My younger brothers also have children:
	1996
	Ingersoll		Brian:	 Sydney Cora 1997

				Jeffery: Nathan Scott 1988
					 Samantha Anne Marie 1990
				         Jessica Lee 1997