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 This volume contains a collection of anecdotes, official documents, and interesting letters from members of the Nevin family in Great Britain, together with early records of several families of the name now living in America.
The connection with the family whose record is given in volume two remains a mystery. A long and thorough search has failed to reveal any printed matter or family tradition bearing on the subject, with the possible exception of the belief that Daniel Nevin came directly from Scotland to America with his brother who settled in the Hudson Valley. Indeed a Daniel Niven did settle in Newburg, New York, and was the progenitor of a numerous and important family. This Daniel emigrated from Islay in 1765, some twenty-two years after our Daniel Nevin married Margaret Eagles in the Dutch Reformed Church, New York City. My opinion is that the tradition has confused the relationship and that our ancestor was uncle and not brother to that Daniel who settled in Newburg. In that case Daniel Nevin, our ancestor, was a brother of Malcolm Macniven of Cargostan, Islay.
The name Daniel, in Scotland, is synonymous with Donald, and it will be observed from the record which follows that there is not one single instance of the use of either of these names in the Lowlands but that Donald occurs frequently in the families from Perthshire and from Argylleshire - Highlanders all, and bearing the surname Macniven. This would appear to me to be rather conclusive proof that our family were of the Highlands - Macnivens of either Argylleshire or Perthshire. This I hope to prove at some future date.
The framework of Volume Two had been constructed by Franklin T. Nevin in his "Descendants of Margaret Williamson". It only remained to collect and arrange stray bits of biographical material from printed sources and from members of the family.
In spite of the tombstone inscription "born in the City of New York" Daniel Nevin was believed to be the immigrant ancestor until Doris Nevin discovered the marriage record of Daniel Nevin and Margaret Eagles of New York, the parents of Daniel of the Cumberland Valley, thus adding another generation of American ancestry.
I take this opportunity to thank those of the family, in America, in Scotland, and in Ulster, who have aided me in gathering this record; to the officials and assistants of the New York Public Library, the New Jersey Historical Society, the Van Wickle Memorial Library of Lafayette College, the Easton Public Library, and the Library of Congress, who have been most gracious in affording me all the sources at their command. The Charters and Testaments have been copied for me by Mr. John MacLeod, an accurate and conscientious searcher in H. M. General Register House, Edinburgh.
My object in this work has been to preserve in permanent form the history of an interesting family whose record is one of honorable achievement. If the book fails in this, the fault is mine alone.
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