The origins of the Wishart family tree database began with a chance encounter in 1974, when the late Jack Wishart (WIS0001) – an officer in the Royal Army Educational Corps, was posted to the Ministry of Defence in London and attended a diplomatic reception in Lancaster House. While chatting to a colleague, Major David Boobbyer, he inquired about his unusual name. Major Boobbyer replied that it was Cornish and there were few of them about. Jack said something similar about Wishart, and how the English can neither spell nor pronounce it properly – they say Wise Heart or WishART, whereas the Scots say WISHart. Major Boobbyer demurred, explaining that a neighbour of his was a Wishart and they both knew how to pronounce it correctly.

This chance remark by Major Boobbyer inspired Jack to write to the neighbour expressing an interest in where he came from and whether they were related. The neighbour turned out to be Scott Wishart (WIS0042), a retired pharmacist from Montrose in Scotland. He gave Jack his family tree, which had been compiled by a relative, and his brother’s address in Perth. So, on his next return to Scotland, Jack visited Scott’s brother David Wishart who readily volunteered more Wishart data.

Jack also quizzed his father about their forebears and began visiting New Register House, Edinburgh to search the statutory records of births, marriages and deaths for Scotland. Gradually he sketched out the details of his family. However, one name eluded him – his grandfather’s twin brother (and it took him until 2005 to find him)! Jack trawled wider and wider, collecting all the Wisharts he could find, and so the family database was started.

In 1976, Jack joined the Society of Genealogists in London and spent his lunch hours there, garnering more data on Wisharts (Jack asserts that working in the Empress State Building in Lillie Road was reason enough to lunch elsewhere). Initially he collated his data by drawing little trees and hanging names from branches, but this method quickly became impractical. As he had recently worked in in Army Intelligence at that time, he decided to employ hush-hush Intelligence procedures – he transferred his data to record cards, one card for every Wishart, and he now has over 21,000 cards. Therefore, if your name is Wishart, chances are you’ve a card in his file!

Each time he created a tree, Jack had to extract the cards relevant to the branch, lay them out in the right order, and then laboriously transcribe them to paper. This might seem clumsy and time-consuming in the computer age, but it was simple and allowed for missing branches to be slotted in easily as new data were submitted.

Postings to Cyprus, Edinburgh and the USA followed, and at every opportunity Jack garnered more Wishart data. When he had assembled a few thousand names he was able to exchange his data with others who had collected several generations. This added to his base, and Jack was soon corresponding with fellow Wishart enthusiasts throughout the world, amassing more cards with each new contact. Those who corresponded with Jack will doubtless recall his thorough, questioning approach, and many will be grateful for the extra details he has been able to add to their own family trees.

In 1995 Jack bought the Family Tree Maker program, and over the next two-decades produced more than 130 trees in electronic format. Sending a family tree to a fellow Wishart became so much simpler and more informative than it was when he used only record cards. After Jack’s sudden passing in 2015 the baton was passed over to another Scott Wishart (WIS006o) who had worked alongside Jack for many years on the family trees and had helped him create the popular Wishart Newsletters. The database now contains somewhere in the region of 26,000 Wisharts and following a major consolidation and restructuring of the trees in early 2019 there are currently 137 different genealogies.

Some variations on the name of Wishart are as follows:

UK, Rep. Ireland, Commonwealth, USA: Wishart, Wisheart, Wishert, Wishard, Wiseheart, Wisehart, Wiscard, Wissard, Wysard, Wysart, Wyscard, Wyschard, Wischeard, Wischert, Whichard, Wycharde, Wyscharde, Whisker, Wichard, Vicharde, Vizard

France: Guiscard, Guichard, Giscard

Benelux: Vis card

Italy: Guishard, Guiscardo

We believe the name is descended from Tancred de Hauteville La Guiscard of St. Lo (near Coutances in Normandy, France). See Wishart History for some more information. If Guiscard is written in script, it can easily be mistaken for Wiscard.

If you would like us to check your Wishart ancestry, download the Wishart Family Tree form, complete it offline and submit it by email. To download the form, click DOWNLOAD now.

Please note that the family trees are not posted online for various reasons. This is just a list.

WIS0001 – Robert Wishart (c.1756), ploughman & Ann Henderson. Likely the son of Alexander Wishart and Janet Marshall (WIS0035) and connected to multiple other trees. Y-DNA connection to WIS0077.

WIS0002 – John Wishart (c.1718), flax dresser & Elizabeth Mercer.

WIS0003 – Andrew Wishart (c.1709), sailor & Margaret Tod.

WIS0004 – James Wishart (c.1605), farmer & Margaret Laing. Son of John Wishart of the Fifeshire Branch of Wisharts in David Wishart’s 1914 tree.

WIS0005 – John Wishart (c.1780) of Falkland, Fife & Mary Marshall.

WIS0006 – William Wishart (c.1763), freestone quarrier of Logie Pert & Mary Mitchell

WIS0007 – James Wishart (c.1739) of Aberdeenshire & Isabel Johnston

WIS0008 – William Wishart (c.1723), farmer of Old Machar, Aberdeenshire and Mary Galatian.

WIS0009 – William Wishart (c.1771), mason of Old Deer, Aberdeenshire and Katherine Willock. Likely son of James Wishart (WIS0007).

WIS0010 – James Wishart (c.1759), weaver of Dunnichen, Forfarshire & Elspeth Brown. Likely the same James Wishart from tree WIS0105, who was previously married to Mary Low. Y-DNA connections to WIS0002 (possibly),WIS0038 & WIS0040.

WIS0011 – James Wishart (1700s) of Norfolk County, Virginia. Y-DNA connection to WIS0024 and WIS0051.

WIS0012 – William Wishart (c.1820), tailor of Kincardine, Perthshire & Margaret McKay. Likely the son of William Wishart, weaver of Kincardine & Janet Aitken (WIS0089).

WIS0013 – James Wischart (c.1607), burgess in Paisley, Renfrewshire. Y-DNA Connection to WIS0099 c.1700.

WIS0014 – Wisharts of Pitarrow tree that includes the martyr, George Wishart.

WIS0015 – James Wishart (c.1766), farmer of Tulliallan, Perthshire & Catherine Forsyth. Likely the son of Andrew Wishart, farmer of Culross (WIS0089).

WIS0016 – William Wishard (1729), farmer of Thornhill, Perthshire & Susannah Lytle. Y-DNA connections to WIS0052, WIS0079, WIS0081 & WIS0100.

WIS0017 – John Wishart (c.1757), barman of Ayton, Berwickshire & Margaret Dunlop.

WIS0018 – George Wishart (1737), cotton weaver of Govan, Lanarkshire & Grizzell Robertson. George is almost certainly the George who was previously married to Agnes Lyle in tree WIS0013.

WIS0019 – James Wishart (c.1761), crofter in Fetteresso, Kincardineshire.

WIS0020 – Alexander Wishart (c.1666), tenant in Kirkcaldy, Fife & Helen Clark. Y-DNA connections to WIS0022 and WIS0060.

WIS0021 – George Wishart (c.1758), butcher of Arbroath, Forfarshire & Mary Greig.

WIS0022 – Robert Wishart (c.1848), farmer of Aberdeenshire & Ann Kennedy. Y-DNA connections to WIS0020 and WIS0060.

WIS0023 – James Wishart (c.1750), joiner of Cults, Fife & Elizabeth McLaren. Y-DNA connection to WIS0071.

WIS0024 – Henry Wishart (c.1729), carpenter of Marylebone, London & Catherine Kennier. Y-DNA connections with WIS0011 and WIS0051.

WIS0025 – Logie Branch of Wisharts from David Wishart’s 1914 book.

WIS0026 – James Wishart (1793), blacksmith of Dundee, Forfarshire & Jean Mitchell. James is likely the son of James Wishart & Mary Low, WIS0105.

WIS0027 – Robert Wishart (c.1730) of Pathhead, Fife & Isabel Craig.

WIS0028 – David Wishart (c.1766), farm servant of Auchterderran, Fife & Janet Robson or Robertson.

WIS0029 – John Wishart (c.1786), farm labourer of Kingsbarns, Fife & Elizabeth Laing.

WIS0030 – Alexander Wishart (c.1690), mariner of Crail, Fife & Catherine Martin.

WIS0031 – David Wishart (c.1700) of Markinch, Fife & Margaret Heugh.

WIS0032 – Alexander Wishart (c.1813), blacksmith of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire & Christina Mackie.

WIS0033 – James Wishart (c.1785), joiner of Pitlessie, Fife & Mary Baxter.

WIS0034 – Alexander Wishart (c.1758), army officer, possibly of Aberdeenshire & Mary McGregor.

WIS0035 – Andrew Wishart (c.1658), shoemaker of Kinglassie, Fife & Katherine Bains.

WIS0036 – George Wishart (c.1697), shipmaster of Bo’ness, Linlithgowshire & Elizabeth Watchman/Elizabeth Short.

WIS0037 – Walter Wishart (c.1753), carter of Arbroath, Forfarshire & Helen Anderson.

WIS0038 – James Wishart (c.1759), farm servant of Stracathro, Forfarshire & Janet Beverly.

WIS0039 – Andrew Wishart (c.1697) of Orkney, Scotland and Unknown Stewart.

WIS0040 – John Wishart (c.1743), linen weaver of Fettercairn, Kincardineshire & Isabel Findlay.

WIS0041 – Thomas Wishart (c.1767) of Newcastle-upon-Tyne & Alison Stuart.

WIS0042 – James Wishart (c.1693) of Fettercairn, Kincardineshire & Isobell Davidson.

WIS0043 – Merged with WIS0040

WIS0044 – John Wishart (c.1729) of Loftus, North Yorkshire & Ann.

WIS0045 – Thomas Wishart (c.1746), mariner of Newburgh, Fife & Janet Duncan.

WIS0046 – Merged with WIS0047.

WIS0047 – John Wishart (c.1750), workman of Kennoway, Fife & Grizel Hogg.

WIS0048 – John Wishart (c.1783), plasterer of Edinburgh, Midlothian & Agnes Lamb.

WIS0049 – Robert Wishart (c.1749) of Northmavine, Shetland & Ann Winchester. Y-DNA connection to WIS0110, WIS0120 and WIS0128.

WIS0050 – Joseph Wishart (c.1740) of Dunbartonshire & Jean Stewart.

WIS0051 – Wisharts of Tabusintac, New Brunswick. Y-DNA connection to WIS0011 and WIS0024.

WIS0052 – John Wishart (c.1720) of Franklin County, Pennsylvania & Agnes Hilton. Y-DNA connection to WIS0016, WIS0079, WIS0081 and WIS0100.

WIS0053 – Thomas Wishart (c.1550), skipper of St. Andrews, Fife and Agnes Stevenson. Part of the Fifeshire Branch in David Wishart’s 1914 book.

WIS0054 – David Wishart (c.1770), weaver of Dunfermline, Fife & Marion Ferguson.

WIS0055 – James Wishart of Ulster, Ireland & Dorothy. James is likely Michael Wishart (WIS0077) lighthouse keeper of the Bell Rock lighthouse and born in Strathmiglo, Fife (c.1783).

WIS0056 – John Wishart (c.1766), landgrieve of Carnbee, Fife & Janet Duncan.

WIS0057 – George Wishart (c.1720), weaver of Wemyss, Fife & Janet Cree.

WIS0058 – John Wishart of Kincardine (c.1700), Perthshire & Mary Drummond.

WIS0059 – David Wishart (c.1810), mariner of Liverpool, Lancashire & Ellen Tyrer.

WIS0060 – John Wishart (c.1740), cook of Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire & Margaret Jamieson. Y-DNA connections to WIS0020 and WIS0022.

WIS0061 – James Scotland Wishart (1851), papermaker of Penicuik, Midlothian & Mary Paul Crichton.

WIS0062 – James Wishart (c.1827), blacksmith of Edinburgh, Midlothian & Elizabeth Donaldson.

WIS0063 – James Wishart (1742) of Houghton-Le-Spring, County Durham & Isabella Davison.

WIS0064 – Henry Heinrich Weisshardt (c.1708) of Germany & Elizabeth.

WIS0065 – William Wishart (c.1777), pensioner of Hull, East Yorkshire (formerly Scotland) and Mercy Ingram.

WIS0066 – David Wishart (c.1714) of Burntisland, Fife & Isobel Stanhouse.

WIS0067 – James Wishart (c.1755), cooper of Montrose, Forfarshire & Mary Gibb (also Elizabeth Edmund).

WIS0068 – William Wishart (c.1748), soldier of North Carolina (formerly Virginia or Scotland) & Elizabeth Ellis.

WIS0069 – Alexander Wishart (1754), ships carpenter of Auchterderran, Fife & Grace Reid. Likely the son of Alexander Wishart & Janet Marshall (WIS0035).

WIS0070 – James Wishart (N/K), seaman of Fife & Magdalene Mitchell.

WIS0071 – Abraham Wishart (c.1765), farmer from Ulster, Ireland. Y-DNA connection to WIS0023.

WIS0072– James Wishart (c.1761), ploughman of Arbuthnott, Kincardineshire & Ann Wylie. Y-DNA connection to WIS0097.

WIS0073 – Thomas Wishart (c.1770), farmer of Dumfriesshire & Elizabeth Wilson. Very likely part of tree WIS0101.

WIS0074 – Robert Wishart (c.1776), crofter and fisherman of Nesting, Shetland & Agnes Greig.

WIS0075 – David Wishart (c.1717), slater of Kirkcaldy, Fife & Katherine Robertson.

WIS0076 – James Wishart (c.1777), blacksmith of Old Deer, Aberdeenshire & Euphemia Webster.

WIS0077 – Robert Wishart (c.1685) of Strathmiglo, Fife & Christian Couper. Connected to tree WIS0004 and Y-DNA connection to WIS0001.

WIS0078 – John Wallace Wishart (c.1790), engineer of Ontario, Canada (formerly Scotland & Mary Gillespie.

WIS0079 – Merged with WIS0057.

WIS0080 – John Wishart (c.1814), drayman of Inverkeithing, Fife & Helen Bett.

WIS0081 – Alexander Wishart (c.1787), general labourer of Dunfermline, Fife & Euphamia Laing. Likely the son of Alexander Wishart & Margaret Hart (WIS0100). Y-DNA connections to WIS0016, WIS0052, WIS0079 and WIS0100.

WIS0082 – Nicol Wishart (c.1650) of Orphir, Orkney & Margaret Newgar.

WIS0083 – George Wishart (c.1742), workman of Kirkcaldy, Fife & Elspet Ness/Margaret Baxter.

WIS0084 – James Wishart (c.1811), customs house officer of London & Jane Leming/Margaret Walker/Catherine Elizabeth Edman/Julia Hanna Edman. Son of John Wishart, tailor, and likely part of tree WIS0101.

WIS0085 – Charles Wishart (c.1747) weaver of Glamis, Forfarshire & Mary Stirling. Likely part of the Logie Wisharts (WIS0025).

WIS0086 – Patrick Wishart (c.1620) of Kettle, Fife. Likely connected to the Fifeshire Branch of the Wisharts in David Wishart’s 1914 book.

WIS0087 – David Wishart (c.1816), flaxdresser of Montrose, Forfarshire & Sophia Gold.

WIS0088 – John Wishart (c.1768), latterly of Renfrewshire & Marion Beith.

WIS0089 – Andrew Wishart (c.1729) farmer of Culross, Fife.

WIS0090 – John Wishet (c.1812) of Bavaria, Germany & Nancy.

WIS0091 – John Wishart (c.1680) of Markinch & Janet Brown.

WIS0092 – David Wishart (c.1755) of Tranent, Haddingtonshire & Elspeth Bisset.

WIS0093 – Thomas Wishart (c.1781) linen weaver, latterly of Dunfermline, Fife & Isabella Whitehead.

WIS0094 – Andrew Wishart (c.1718) of Flisk, Fife & Isobel Wilkie.

WIS0095 – James Wishart (c.1771) of County Tyrone, Ireland & Margaret or Mary. James had a brother, John, who was married to Ann or Agnes.

WIS0096 – John Wishart (c.1793) joiner of Cults, Fife & Janet Kinnear.

WIS0097 – Alexander Wishart (c.1760) of Logie Pert, Forfarshire & Margaret Smith. Y-DNA connection to WIS0072.

WIS0098 – Robert Wishart (c.1762) carrier, latterly of Kennoway, Fife & Margaret Kellock.

WIS0099 – James Wiseheart (c.1675), tailor of Dublin, Ireland & Ann. Y-DNA connection to WIS0013.

WIS0100 – Alexander Wishart (c.1755), agricultural labourer of Aberdour, Fife & Margaret Hart. Y-DNA connections to WIS0016, WIS0052, WIS0079 and WIS0081.

WIS0101 – Thomas Wishart (1635), shoemaker of Kinglassie, Fife. Connected to the Fifeshire Branch as documented in David Wishart’s 1914 book. Thomas reportedly lived until the age of 124. This is the largest tree in the database.

WIS0102 – James Wishart (c.1813), farmer of County Tyrone, Ireland & Susan Finnison.

WIS0103 – John Wishart (c.1788), merchant seaman of Lerwick, Shetland & Barbara Panton.

WIS0104 – Robert Wishart (c.1749) of Portmoak, Kinrossshire & N. Haillie.

WIS0105 – James Wishart (c.1759), flaxdresser of Brechin, Forfarshire and Mary Low. James is probably the same James, progenitor of WIS0010.

WIS0106 – William Wishart (c.1745), mason of Cumbrae, Bute & Margaret Dyer.

WIS0107 – Merged with WIS0038

WIS0108 – James Wishart (c.1750), seaman of Stromness, Orkney & Catherine Hammiger.

WIS0109 – John Wishart (c.1792), flaxdresser of Montrose, Forfarshire & Mary Booth Reid.

WIS0110 – Alexander Wishart (c.1740), seaman of Perth, Perthshire & Elizabeth or Margaret Frazer. Y-DNA connection to WIS0049, WIS0120 and WIS0128.

WIS0111 – John Wishart (c.1743) of Kettle, Fife & Agnes Airmot. Likely connected to WIS0086.

WIS0112 – William Wishart (c.1801) flesher of Fetteresso, Kincardineshire & Margaret Greig.

WIS0113 – Revd. John Wishart (c.1774) of New Jersey (formerly Scotland) & Seruel Barnes.

WIS0114 – George Wishart (c.1806), blacksmith of Inverness, Inverness-shire & Janet Grant.

WIS0115 – George Wishart (c.1799), teacher, formerly of Londonderry, Ireland & Letitia Robertson.

WIS0116 – George Wishart (c.1831) of Orkney (latterly Westchester County, New York) & Mary.

WIS0117 – Colin Wishart (c.1765), shoemaker of Montrose, Forfarshire & Christina Adam.

WIS0118 – George Wishart (c.1774), cooper of Inverness, Inverness-shire & Mary McDonald.

WIS0119 – Robert Wishart (c.1758), farmer and fisherman of Northmavine, Shetland & Elizabeth Robertson.

WIS0120 – Jerome Wishart (c.1710) of Aithsting, Shetland. Y-DNA connections to WIS0049, WIS0110 and WIS0128.

WIS0121 – John Leslie Wishart (c.1840) hawker of Edinburgh, latterly Swansea, Glamorganshire & Emma Davies/Elizabeth Prust. Son of a farm bailiff named John Wishart.

WIS0122 – David Wishart (1794) farm grieve of Tulliallan, Fife & Janet Bishop. David is likely the son of Alexander Wishart (WIS0069) and Grace Reid.

WIS0123 – John Wishart (c.1744) of Inverness-shire & Katherine Fraser.

WIS0124 – James Wishart (c.1799), blacksmith latterly of South Shields, County Durham & Jane Lawson.

WIS0125 – Robert Wishart (c.1746), handloom weaver of Paisley, Renfrewshire & Mary Howieson. Possibly connected to WIS0013.

WIS0126 – Thomas Wishart (c.1769) of Sandwick, Orkney & Mary Brown.

WIS0127 – David Wishart (c. 1762), weaver of Fettercairn, Kincardineshire & Catherine Milne.

WIS0128 – William Wishart (c.1750) of Shetland & Margaret Stove. Y-DNA connections to WIS0049, WIS0110 and WIS0120.

WIS0129 – George Wishart (c.1824), carting contractor of Arbroath, Forfarshire & Margaret Watson.

WIS0130 – Andrew Wishart (c.1776), weaver and soldier of Lanarkshire & Jane Key or Kay.

WIS0131 – Thomas Wishart (c.1807) farmer of Kennoway, Fife (latterly Wisconsin) & Euphemia Wilkie.

WIS0132 – Alexander Wishart (c.1810), mason of Pittenweem, Fife & Margaret Anderson.

WIS0133 – Fifeshire Branch of Wisharts as documented in David Wishart’s 1914 book.

WIS0134 – John Wisheart (c.1750), latterly of Washington County, Pennsylvania & Sarah Stewart.

WIS0135 – John Wishart (c.1769), mason & shoemaker of Kennoway, Fife, & Catherine Craig.

WIS0136 – James Wishart (c. 1774) of Fettercairn, Kincardineshire & Ann Dunbar.

WIS0137 – James Wishart (c.1759), weaver, latterly of Glasgow (Calton), Lanarkshire & Mary Crocket. Possibly the James Wishart born in Wemyss in 1759 to Robert Wishart & Isabel Cree.

© Scott Wishart, May 2025