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 Donald Whyte
Born: 1926 in Newtongrange, Midlothian
First Books: Scottish Surnames (Birlinn, 1996) and Scottish Forenames (Birlinn, 1996)
Awards: Awarded honorary fellowship of the Society of Genealogists for his contributions to genealogy (1999)
Donald Whyte was born in Newtongrange, Midlothian in 1926. As a young teenager he began his working life on a farm near Dalkeith, ploughing and doing odd jobs, and when his family moved to Kirkliston in 1941, he took up similar work on a farm at Almondhill.
After leaving Almondhill, Donald worked as a truck driver for eight years, and, for a short time, at Edinburgh airport, but in his free time he was becoming more and more involved in genealogy.
He pioneered the family history movement in Scotland, initiating the Glasgow and West of Scotland Family History Society, as well as the Aberdeen and Dumfries and Galloway Family History Societies. He also assisted in the formation of the Highland Family History Society. He was a founding member of the Scottish Genealogy Society which was established in 1953, and was elected as the society’s vice president in 1983. He became a member of the London-based Society of Genealogists in 1981, was elected as a fellow in 1986 and then made an honorary fellow in 1999 – the only one of three. He is considered to be one of the world’s leading authorities on genealogy and heraldry.
Donald has contributed to numerous publications on genealogy, including Genealogy Digest, the Genealogist Magazine, the Scottish Genealogist, Family Tree Magazine and Gaelic Gleanings. His books include Scottish Forenames (Birlinn, 1996) and Scottish Surnames (Birlinn, 1996).
Donald is a member of the following societies:
Scottish History Society
West Lothian History and Amenity Society
The Scottish Record Society
The Scottish Historic and Research Society of the Delaware Valley
Glasgow and West of Scotland FHS – founder member and vice president
The Heraldry Society of Scotland
The Scottish Records Association
Aberdeen and North East Scotland FHS – founder member
Tay Valley FHS – founder member and vice president
Highland FHS – founder member
Association of Scottish Genealogists and Record Agents – president
Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia
Borders FHS – advisor and founder member
Dumfries and Galloway FHS – founder member and honorary member
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