As you may have noticed, things have been slow on the landing for a while, as I was going through some major life changes. Behind the scenes, I have been corresponding with some folks looking for their family members, but not much has been happening here on the dock. I think the dust has settled now–I’m retired, I’ve moved, my 6th book has been published and the 7th is underway. Retirement + Covid19 = more time than I ever could have imagined while teaching. So, I think it’s safe to say: I’m back.

If you have requested specific help from me and not received a reply, please resend your request USING THE CONTACT TAB. It is very hard for me to pick up the strands of your search from a comment on the website. I’ll remind you that I am not a genealogist & can’t do your basic research for you, such as searching online records, nor is there a place on this site for ongoing genealogical discussions. What I can offer are general suggestions about the sources you might consult and, once in a while, advice on where and how your search may have gone astray. In addition, if you are African American and think your family has Magruder ties, of blood or history, I will do my best to connect what you have dug up so far with my resources.

Don McGruther & Sue Emerson have re-released their popular book & CD set, full of information about McGruthers/McGruders/Magruders in Scotland & America. Don attended last spring’s Southern Maryland Genealogy & History Fair, where people got pretty excited to get their hands on this info. Nearly every family represented at the fair had intermarried with Magruders in Maryland–not surprising, since Alexander arrived in the colony about 20 years after its founding. For his book, Wha’s Like Us, Scottish researcher Don McGruther combed historical records for every trace of our family name from its 14th c (& maybe even 13th c) origins up to the 19th c. The book includes Alexander the Immigrant’s antecedents, as well as much more info & context. The book is sold as a package with Sue Emerson’s CD, in searchable PDF format, Magruders In America, a heroic attempt to trace every documented descendant of Alexander down to nearly the present day. The CD has two documents on it, Magruders In America and Updates which amount to about 1,700 pages each, or 3.3 million words. If interested in purchasing the set, please contact Sue Emerson at fossilsue(at)comcast.net.