Restalrig – Loganalogy- Your Family Historian

Logan Family Genealogy: Tracing Scottish Nobility from Restalrig to Pennsylvania

Uncovering the Royal Connections of the Logan Clan from Medieval Scotland to Colonial America

Discovering Royal Lineage in Logan Family History

The Logan family genealogy reveals a fascinating connection to Scottish royalty that spans centuries. Through meticulous genealogical research, we’ve uncovered how Walter Seth Logan Sr. maintained “a close kinship” with James David Logan, William Penn’s trusted secretary. This connection has led us down a remarkable path of Logan family history that traces directly back to King Robert II of Scotland (1316-1390).

James David Logan: Penn’s Secretary and Royal Descendant

James David Logan’s maternal lineage creates an extraordinary genealogical bridge to Scottish nobility. As the 9th great-grandson of King Robert II of Scotland through his mother Isabel Hume, James represents a direct link between Colonial American history and Scottish royal bloodlines. His father, Patrick Logan, descended from the powerful Logan family of Restalrig, though the exact connection remains one of genealogy’s most intriguing puzzles.

The Logan Family of Restalrig: Medieval Scottish Nobility

Origins and Rise to Power

The Logan genealogy in Scotland centers around the historic Barony of Restalrig, near Edinburgh. The Logan family were wealthy landowners who possessed the Barony of Restalrig from the 14th Century and lived in Lochend Castle. Their rise began when Sir Robert Logan married Katherine de Lestalric, inheriting vast estates that would define the family’s legacy for generations.

The original Logan family castle stood on the site of what later became Lochend House, commanding views over Lochend Loch. This strategic position near Edinburgh made the Logans influential players in Scottish politics and society.

The Lestalric-Logan Connection

Before the Logans controlled Restalrig, the area belonged to the powerful Anglo-Norman Lestalric family, who arrived around 1166 during the Norman expansion into Scotland. When Sir John de Lestalric died in 1382, his daughter Katherine inherited the estate and married Sir Robert Logan from Ayrshire. This marriage united two significant Scottish families and established the Logan presence at Restalrig.

The Logan family had previously supported Robert the Bruce, a loyalty that cost them their Ayrshire lands when Edward I of England forfeited their properties. Dominus Walter Logan was captured by the English in 1306 and executed at Durham, demonstrating the family’s unwavering commitment to Scottish independence.

Robert Logan of Restalrig: The Monastery Founder

Sir Robert Logan (d. 1439) and his wife Dame Katherine made lasting contributions to Scottish religious life by founding the monastery of St Anthony near South Leith Parish Church. They also established a chapel at Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood Park, whose ruins still attract genealogists and historians today.

This Robert Logan also inherited Fast Castle and border lands as the “nephew” and heir of Elizabeth Martene, Lady Fastcastle, widow of Cuthbert Home who fell at the Battle of Flodden Field. By the 1570s, the Logan family controlled half of the Fastcastle lands, sharing ownership with Sir George Ogilvie of Dunlugus.

The Gowrie Conspiracy: A Dark Chapter in Logan Family History

The most dramatic episode in Logan family genealogy occurred in the early 1600s with the Gowrie Conspiracy. Sir Robert Logan of Restalrig (d. 1606) became posthumously entangled in accusations of plotting against King James VI of Scotland.

The Bizarre Trial of a Dead Man

In 1609, three years after Robert Logan’s death, suspicions arose about his involvement in the failed 1600 plot to assassinate King James VI. In an unprecedented legal proceeding, Logan’s body was exhumed from his tomb at South Leith Parish Church and brought before the court. Unable to defend himself, the deceased Logan was found guilty on questionable evidence, and his vast estates were forfeited to the Crown.

The trial’s circumstances suggest corruption, particularly involving the Earl of Dunbar, who owed the Logan estate substantial money and stood to benefit from the forfeiture that absolved his debts while allowing him to keep the Restalrig lands.

Impact on Logan Descendants

The forfeiture devastated the Logan family for years. Logan’s children faced severe restrictions – they couldn’t own land, hold office, or enjoy basic freedoms. The Crown seized nearly 30,000 pounds (equivalent to millions today) from the Logan estate. While the family name wasn’t officially outlawed, their social and economic status plummeted dramatically.

A Reversal of Attainder in 1616 allowed Robert’s minor children to resume normal lives, though they could inherit nothing from their father’s estate. The three eldest sons – Robert, George, and John – remained excluded from this clemency.

Later investigation revealed that Logan had been wrongly accused based on forgeries created by his secretary, George Sprott, vindicating the family’s reputation posthumously.

Connecting American and Scottish Logan Lines

The genealogical challenge lies in definitively connecting Walter Seth Logan Sr.‘s line with James David Logan’s Scottish ancestry. Both men lived in Colonial Pennsylvania, with only 25 years separating their births, suggesting a family relationship waiting to be documented.

Ongoing Genealogical Research

Contemporary Logan family researchers continue investigating these connections. The complexity arises from the multiple Robert Logans of Restalrig, each with numerous children from multiple marriages. Several Logan sons were exiled to Ireland following the Gowrie Affair, potentially explaining how the Logan line reached Colonial America.

Logan Family DNA and Modern Genealogy

Modern genealogical research benefits from DNA testing and digital records that weren’t available to earlier researchers. WikiTree currently tracks over 10,000 Logan family profiles, providing unprecedented resources for connecting Logan family branches worldwide.

Research Tips for Logan Family Genealogy

Key Records to Search:

Scottish parish records from Edinburgh and surrounding areas
Irish immigration records (post-1609)
Colonial Pennsylvania land records
Logan family wills and estate documents

Important Logan Family Locations:

Restalrig and Lochend, Edinburgh
Fast Castle, Scottish Borders
Ayrshire, Scotland
Chester and Philadelphia Counties, Pennsylvania

The Logan Legacy: From Medieval Scotland to Modern Times

The Logan family story exemplifies how genealogical research can uncover remarkable historical connections. From medieval Scottish nobility through political persecution to Colonial American success, the Logan family journey illustrates the broader patterns of Scottish emigration to America.

Understanding these connections helps modern Logan descendants appreciate their heritage while contributing to ongoing genealogical research. Each newly discovered document or DNA match brings us closer to solving the puzzle of how Scottish nobility became American pioneers.

Continuing the Research

Logan family genealogy remains an active field of research. Archives in Scotland, Ireland, and America continue yielding new information about family connections. Digital genealogy platforms make collaboration easier than ever, allowing researchers worldwide to share discoveries and theories.

The connection between Walter Seth Logan Sr. and James David Logan may still be waiting in an unexplored archive or family Bible. For Logan descendants and genealogy enthusiasts, the search continues, driven by the compelling evidence that these Colonial Pennsylvania Logans shared more than just a surname with Scottish royalty.

This post updates and expands on earlier Logan family research with current genealogical findings and digital resources. Have you discovered Logan connections in your family tree? Share your research in the comments below.

Sources and References
1. Scotclans.com – “The Logans of Restalrig”http://www.scotclans.com/the-logans-of-restalrig/
2. Electric Scotland – “The History of Leith; The Logans”http://www.electricscotland.com/history/leith/5.htm
3. Scottish Places – “Famous Scots: Robert Logan of Restalrig”http://www.scottish-places.info/people/famousfirst1326.html
4. Historical Records of Scotland – Parish records and estate documents from Edinburgh Archives
5. Stephanie Logan Falls – Logan family researcher and genealogist (personal correspondence and research)
6. WikiTree – Logan Family Profiles and DNA Connectionshttps://www.wikitree.com
7. Scottish National Archives – Forfeiture documents and court records related to the Gowrie Conspiracy
8. Leith Parish Church Records – Burial and family records
9. Colonial Pennsylvania Land Records – Chester and Philadelphia County archives
10. Burke’s Peerage and Baronetage – Scottish noble families genealogy
Image Credits:
• St. Anthony’s Chapel photographs: Historical Scotland

Special Thanks:
• James Logan (genealogical cousin) for ongoing Scottish archive research
• Logan family researchers worldwide contributing to collaborative genealogy projects

The Legacy of a Scotch-Irish Pioneer

John Logan was born in 1699 in Ahoghill, Antrim, Ireland¹. (It is referenced that his father was from Restalrig, a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland.) Restalrig is notable because my mother shared that my father named his ranch in Washington State “Restalrig.”

John Logan arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1717 and married Margaret Carr in 1723. Margaret, born in Massachusetts about 1703, remains a subject of ongoing research. The gap between John’s arrival and their marriage—six years—is a mystery still waiting to be unraveled. Together, they had eight children: seven sons and two daughters.

Service During the American Revolution

Two of their sons, John and Mathew, served under General George Washington during the battle for New York City in the American War for Independence. After the Continental Army became surrounded, Washington orchestrated a strategic nighttime evacuation to Philadelphia. John and Mathew likely endured the hardships of Valley Forge later on.²

Roots in Voluntown, Connecticut

John Logan founded the Logan family in Washington, Connecticut, and was descended from a lineage of Scotch barons. Their ancestral home, Logan, in Ayrshire, lent its name to the family. John immigrated with a group of Scotch Presbyterians led by Reverend Samuel Dorrance, a University of Glasgow graduate. After facing numerous challenges, the group traveled from Marblehead Harbor and Boston to Connecticut. There, they purchased Volunteer Grants in Voluntown and established the Presbyterian church on Ekonk Hill.³

The Scotch-Irish Influence in Connecticut

“John Logan, the founder of the Washington family, was descended from a long line of Scotch barons deriving their name, Celtic in origin, from the ancestral home, Logan, in Ayrshire. He came from the north of Ireland with the Gordons, Kassons, Keigwins, Parkes, Wylies, and other Scotch Presbyterians, under the leadership of Reverend Samuel Dorrance, a graduate of the University of Glasgow.

Their party, after experiencing a great many unusual difficulties, came from Marblehead Harbor and Boston to Connecticut, and buying up the Volunteer grants at Voluntown, forming the nucleus of the Presbyterian church Ekonk hill.”³

The Rising Sun Inn and the Logan Legacy

In 1748, John Logan built the Rising Sun Inn at 6 Romford Road in Washington, Connecticut. Originally a 1-1/2-story, five-bay lean-to house, it underwent significant renovations in the early 19th century. Matthew Logan, John’s son, expanded the house, adding three bays to the north, raising the roof to two stories, and incorporating a ballroom. The surrounding property features a historic barn, and photographs from the Sunny Ridge Historic District highlight additional barns that once stood behind the house.

A black-and-white postcard from July 1913 depicts the Logan Homestead—formerly the Rising Sun Inn—with its clapboard façade, dark trim, and multi-paned windows. The Gunn Historical Museum archives this image, offering a glimpse into the home’s storied past.⁵

Interesting Note: The Rising Sun symbol was associated with Edward III and appears in the arms of Ireland. It also served as a favorable omen for businesses and inns during that era.⁶

*The Church on the Green: The First Two Centuries of the First Congregational Church*
*at Washington, Connecticut*

We are related to the Hollister family. A Hollister Logan lived at the Logan homestead. I have a letter from her (actually, a friend wrote it for her as she was in her 90s.)

*The Church on the Green: The First Two Centuries of the First Congregational Church*
*at Washington, Connecticut*

Family Connections and Tragedy

John married Dorcas Root around 1771 after the death of his first wife, Margaret. Dorcas was previously married to John Royce; he died in 1760. Their daughter, Azubah, married John Logan, Jr. This makes John and Dorcas my double-sixth great-grandparents.

Dorcas died on 07 January 1777, at age 58. John Logan, Sr. passed away on 2 December 1777, at age 77, in Washington, Connecticut, during a year marked by a smallpox epidemic. His grandson, Matthew, also died that year at age 2. While it’s uncertain if smallpox caused their deaths, it remains a likely possibility.

The Logan Lineage

The Gunn Historical Museum in the Washington Green Historic District holds numerous Logan artifacts, photographs, and stories. My connection to John Logan was confirmed through DNA testing, initially via a Yahoo group and later through collaboration with a distant cousin—the President of the Clan Logan Society International. Together, we aim to uncover the link between John Logan and his Scottish origins.

Logan name variations include Loban, Lobban, Loben, Logan, Logane, Logen, Loggan, Loggane, Loggans, and Login.

Discover more about the Lowland Logans by clicking below:

Learn about the Connecticut Logans: https://amzn.to/4cyG14M

The Logans of Scotland by James C. Logan. ↩︎
The Logans of Scotland by James C. Logan. ↩︎
A National Register of the Society, Sons of the American Revolution, Volume 1 ↩︎
A National Register of the Society, Sons of the American Revolution, Volume 1 ↩︎
The Sunny Ridge Historic District archives. ↩︎
Jacob Larwood and John Camden Hotten’s History of Sign Boards, p. 118. ↩︎

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Logan of Restalrig: Theories on Our Scotch-Irish Heritage

Featured Image above created by ChatGPT- Not actual Logan shield or colors.

Below are the actual Clan Logan crest and tartan.

At my sister’s request, I am writing about some theories on where John Loggan, our American immigrant, might have come from. We know from records that he “was descended from a long line of Scotch barons deriving their name, Celtic in origin, from the ancestral home, Logan, in Ayrshire.¹” We also know from these same records that he was Scotch Presbyterian.

In January 2013, a gentleman emailed me and told me of a website called “clanlogansociety.com” now Clan Logan Society International, and “electricscotland.com,” of which he was Vice President. His name is James C. Logan. At the time, we had no idea if we were related, but he gave me some information on some interesting Logans. Since then, we have found that we share the same 3rd great-grandfather, Lemuel H. Logan. James has done an extensive search on this line using records as well as DNA. There is a DNA Pre-1900Logans Project that uses numbers to distinguish families. Ours is Limb 1, #1034.

DNA links John Logan #1034 directly to the Gawn Logan family #1032, which suggests our Logan line immigrated from Scotland to Ireland where they lived perhaps several generations before moving on to Connecticut.

They are no doubt closely related. With the differences in age, it could well be that Gawn is actually descended from John, and the connection has not yet been identified. Alternatively, Gawn may descend from a brother or some other near relative of John.

John arrived in the Colony of Connecticut in about 1729 or so with enough wealth to purchase a farm. James thinks the funds came from his inheritance or possibly a sale of a land grant in the Ulster Plantation. DNA indicates that we are related to some Logans from Ayrshire, Scotland. He found a Walter Logane who left Ayrshire about 1610 for the Ulster Plantation and obtained a land grant in 1617. He thinks Walter may be John’s great-grandfather.

“Sir Hugh Montgomery, 2nd Viscount Ards, received his land grant from King James I of England (James IV of Scotland) on the condition that he settle English and Scottish Protestants on their estates. Sir Hugh returned to Braidstane [in Ayrshire] during the winter of 1605/06 with the purpose of inducing his neighbors to join him. The surnames of the Scots who took letters of denization in 1617 include Catherwood, Boyle, Harper, Barkley, Moore, Hunter, Thompson, Logan, Crawford, Agnew, Adair, Wilson, Williamson, Cunningham, Cathart, Maxwell, Allen, Fraser, Aiken, McDowell, Harvy, Semple, Anderson, Kennedy, Martin, Speir and Montgomery.²“

“All the substantial persons – Persons of this class generally took out letters of denization soon after they came to Ireland. The following received such letters of denization in 1617, the majority of them having settled on Sir Hugh Montgomery’s estates, probably ten years prior to that date. Viz.” John Wyly of Ballyhay………………… Walter Logane of Proveston……………..Alexander Speire of Gray Abbey. – fm. Calendar of Pat. Rolls, James I, pp. 326339³. ” (Interesting to note is that the name Wyly is one of the families with whom John came to Connecticut with.)

So, yes, indeed, we are related to the Scottish Logans — and most probably to the Logan of Restalrig, as some of this family moved to Ayrshire after the last Baron of Restalrig (the 7th Baron) was deprived of his title and land holdings by a huge miscarriage of justice which can be read about here.

“During the reign of Robert the Bruce, the barony of Restalrig, on which the town of Leith is built, passed by marriage into possession of the Logans, and soon afterwards occurred the most heroic episode which stands to their name. Sir Robert and Sir Walter Logan were two of the knights who accompanied the Good Sir James of Douglas in his expedition to bury the heart of King Robert the Bruce in the Holy Sepulcher. On the plain of Granada, when the little body of Scottish knights found itself hemmed round by Moorish spears, and Douglas, throwing his master’s heart far into the press, rode after it and fell, Sir Walter and Sir Robert fell with him.⁴“

You can read all of their researched articles on Restalrig or the History of the Logans

Another interesting read is The Logans of Restalrig-Scot Clans

Logan_by_R_R_McIan — “Logan”. A Victorian-era, romanticized depiction of a member of the clan by R. R. McIan, from The Clans of the Scottish Highlands, published in 1845.

Again, genealogy is documenting records from person to person. There is a huge gap of missing sources from our John Loggan b. 1699 to the 7th Baron of Restalrig, Sir Robert Logan b. 1555, but there are a lot of remarkable concurrences of events happening here to suggest we are on the right track.

A National Register of the Society, Sons of the American Revolution, Volume 1 By Sons of the American Revolution, Louis Henry Cornish, Alonzo Howard Clark ↩︎
Jonathan Bardon, The Plantation of Ulster, Gill Books, Dublin, 2012, ISBN 978 07171 5447 0, pp. 77. Perceval-Maxwell, M., The Scottish Migration to Ulster in the Reign of James I., Belfast, 1973, pp. 57. ↩︎
Sir Hugh Montgomery, The Montgomery Manuscripts, (1603-1706), Archer & Sons, Belfast, 1869 (from the library of the University of Toronto), pp 5, 94, 117, 322. ↩︎
https://electricscotland.com/webclans/htol/logan2.html ↩︎

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