We have an ancestor, Mary Esler, who married a William Brown in Scotland possibly 1812 or so - spent most of their married life in Northern Ireland. I really have no hope of finding them, but wonder this: Is there a particular area of Scotland where an Esler family was usually found?
A search organization I retained in Belfast wrote to me: "'Esler' does not appear in George Black's "Surnames of Scotland" .. acording to NacLysaght's "Surnames of Ireland', it is an English surname. The "Dictionary of American Family Names" says Esler is an occupation name for someone who drove donkeys, from the middle high German 'ese' (donkey) and the agent suffix 'er'. This was no help at all.
If anyone here knows where Eslers in Scotland have been found, we would appreciate knowing that. Thank you.