The death records of Pierre Hannatorenha McGregor and Marie-Joseph place their birthdates circa 1725 and 1737 respectively. Because of their long life, though, it is possible their ages may be exaggerated. The couple has children regularly from 1764 [update: probably 1762] to 1778 (follow this link to see the family) so 1737 is not too early a birth date for Marie-Joseph. However, this would put her age as 27 when the first of these children is born, which is rather old for the time and culture. It is possible that Marie-Joseph is a widow when she marries Pierre Hannatorenha, or that this couple has children before 1764. These are things I still must check.

If it were not for the appearance of the surname McGregor, it might appear that this ascent reached the end of history (that is, written records) and that the rest is lost in the prehistoric Iroquois civilization. However, both issues are debatable. First, the establishment of the Iroquoian settlement at Kahnawake dates back to 1667. The available records of the parish St. François-Xavier de Sault-St-Louis begin in 1735, and, in the first generation or two, are very difficult to trace. The largest migrations of Iroquois to Kahnawake occurred from the time of Kateri (1690) to 17??. (See Kahnawake history.) It seems possible that there might be records in neighboring parishes. In particular, Lachine has a number of marriages of people coming from or going to Kahnawake, and the early register of Montreal supposedly has a number of Native Americans. Also, the use of the surname McGregor suggests that perhaps Pierre Hannatorenha has a European ancestry, at least in part, which may be traceable.

Beauregard prefaces her volume of marriages with two pages of notes on the origins of certain surnames in Kahnawake, which she says came from notes by Fr. Henri Bechard and Msgr. Forbes. In there, she states that McGregor was a member of a New Englamd family, probably Deerfield, who was adopted (along with a sister, Marie) by the Iroquois. 4

Unfortunately, I do not have access to either source to verify any of the information. The many sources on the Deerfield captives and the people there at the time of the 1704 raid do not have any McGregor. Compared to other Indian raids, the 1704 raid of Deerfield is one of the most completely documented. Furthermore, Pierre McGregor is not old enough to have been alive at the time of Deerfield, though it is possible that his father was.

However, James Devine throws some light on this in his book Historic Caughnawaga, in which he mentions that Forbes, who lived at Caugnawaga for 15 years and later become bishop of Joliette, studied the origins of the Indian families at Kahnawake, using "documents at his disposal" and the "traditions of the village." Forbes "became convinced" that surnames such as "Rice, Tarbell, McGregor, Hill, Williams, Jacobs, and Stacey" originated from captives carried to Kahnawake and adopted into the tribe. Some of these, such as Gill (Hill), Tarbell, and Williams, are widely documented. They can be found in Francis Parkman's work, A Half-Century of Conflict, Chapter 4, "Deerfield," near the end of the chapter. It appears, though, that the McGregor origins are still a mystery (or at least, they are not in Parkman, nor in compilations of Indian captives which are available to me; and no one has posted any information on the Internet, like much of the rest of French-Canadian ancestry)

So, where does this lead to?

There is no clear lead on the origins or ancestry of Pierre McGregor. As a result, I have formulated three theories on the origin of Pierre Hannatorenha McGregor.

1. Pierre Hannatorenha was from a family in Deerfield, but was adopted by an American Indian (perhaps adopted) in Kahnawake, through whom he received the surname of McGregor, due to his adopter's English origins.

   Commentary: this theory does not answer the question, where did McGregor come from? So it is not complete. However, it could lead to finding Pierre's ancestry.

2. Peter McGregor was from a New England family, but he was not captured in the 1704 raid at Deerfield, but rather a different (and probably later) raid. Further research: While this is the best theory of all, it also entails the most research. The two prongs of research are, 1) finding all the McGregor families in the English American colonies, from which Pierre could be a captive, and then 2) perusing the history of colonial America looking for all Indian raids in areas where these McGregor families live.
   To further this undertaking, I am compiling a list of Indian raids and a list of colonial McGregor families
3. Peter McGregor was a Scottish soldier who deserted or was discharged in America after the French and Indian War (Seven Years War).
   Supporting evidence: If Pierre McGregor is not a captive, we have to find some reason for him to have gone to Kahnawake. Since Kahnwake was a settlement of Catholic Iroquois within French Canada, it is unlikely to find a Protestant English settler just going there. Many Scottish Highlanders were Catholic, and unrest in Scotland since its annexation to England in 170? led to massive Scottish emigration. McGregors in particular were in a difficult situation, their clan and surname being outlawed during certain periods of the eighteenth century. The Scottish culture at the time is described by outsiders to be similar to that of American Indians. Kahnawake might have been an ideal place for a McGregor to go after the war, should one have been in the Scottish regiments sent to England. Perhaps coincidentally, but the first known child is born in late 1764 (or perhaps 1762) - almost perfect timing.
   Objections:
   1. There is no basis for this in any historical writing or record. This theory discredits Forbes
      The problems with Forbes' theory have already been pointed out. This theory assumes that Forbes' theory is a mistake of some kind. It is possible, if McGregor were a soldier, particularly a deserter, that the American Indians at Kahnawake might turn him into a war spoil.
   Further research: The further research that needs to be done is to find and search the muster rolls of the Scottish regiments who participated in the French and Indian War:
   • The Black Watch
   • Fraser's