This is why I pay Ancestry the big bucks

For many years now I've known my great-grandmother's maiden name of CRUICKSHANK must've originated in Scotland, but I couldn't find the missing link that stretched from the family in Enmore, Somerset, England, back to somewhere in Scotland. My 5x ggf married Betty COLLARD in Enmore in 1772, but there was no record of his birth around there, and I had no specific area to attempt to find him in.

Enter Ancestry DNA. I had a match with a women from the USA, Jean, who had another Jean in her tree, Jean Cruckshank, born in 1644 in Botriphnie, Banffshire, Scotland. I'd never heard of the place before now, but sure enough, it does exist, and I'm sure it's lovely. Thanks to DNA being what it is I knew this was a real connection, not just a stab-in-the-dark-and-hope-it-fits type of result.

I thought I'd find out as much as I could about my William CRUCKSHANK in Enmore so I was well equipped for the search, hoping to find something (anything!) that would show me where he was born. William appeared in a search relating to his son, James, being given Freedom of the City of London papers in 1820, after becoming a Clerk and Solicitor.

Attached to this beautiful document was another lengthy one requesting permission to be admitted, and down the side of all the curly writing was this gem:

It describes James as "Son of William Cruckshanks of Botriphnie, Bamffshire, Scotland, Farmer".

BINGO!!

I'd found the missing link, and of course happy-danced around for the rest of the evening, and there's even still some movement today. This hobby/addiction gives me such a buzz. I just love it!