Scottish Tartan
The Site for All Things Scottish
|
|
Genealogy Scottish and Irish Roots Family History has
for some of us a different, less formal connotation than Genealogy, which has
all of the ear marks of a science and thus is more like homework or a school
assignment. But whatever you call it,
tracing your roots, finding our where you came from, is a fascinating
occupation. Some times the
push and pull of every day life distract me, and I forget how enticing is the
call of my ancestors. I even like
other peoples’ ancestors. A few weeks ago, I
was out for dinner with friends and we engaged in conversation with the table
next to us. The gentleman was very
proud of his Scottish heritage. His
mother knew for a fact that he was descended from Black Douglas. His name was also Stewart Douglas that had
other connotations for me since I have Stewarts of Galloway in my
lineage. Then, too, Castle Douglas is
near where my cousins reside (Dalbeattie, Gatehouse). Anyhow when I got home, I researched Black
Douglas. It was fascinating to know
that James Douglas was one of Robert the Bruce’s Lieutenants. His was one of the signatures on the
Declaration of Arbroath, the declaration of Scottish Independence on April 6,
1320. Black Douglas also carried
Robert The Bruce’s Heart to the Moorish Holy Wars. He died during that trip.
I could hardly wait to run into Stewart Douglas again and give him all
the information I had gathered. Another time my
friend, Carol and I were out to lunch at the Country Club when we spotted a
woman with a tartan scarf. We debated
what the Tartan was, and Carol was brave enough to go and ask. It was Stewart of Appin. While she didn’t really know too much
about her family, her husband was
Nicholson from the Isle of Skye and very well versed in family history. Even down to the tidbit that it was a
Nicholson who rowed Bonnie Prince Charlie in the boat as he was leaving
Scotland (personally there are some of our MacInnes who thing that was one of
theirs). Nevertheless it was grist
for another bout of research. It does
help to always carry the Concise History of Scotland in your purse! Last night I met a
family of Irish extraction who weren’t really clear on where they came from
exactly (after all there are thirty-two counties to choose from!) but what
was great about their story was the lilies.
It seems that they were in possession of some lilies that have
traveled through time for at least 100 years, being planted and replanted in
each succeeding new homestead. Of
course, the topic came into the conversation because a late spring frost was
expected and the lilies required some attention to keep them safe. But what a great nod to their ancestors, a
bit of living history! Anyhow, if you are
stuck or if you have no idea where to begin, we will be happy to help. We charge $25.00 to get started, and that
is primarily to get the records. We
can continue in increments as long as you would like us to and as long as
there is recorded history. We will
not take your money unnecessarily. A
written record of our search will be sent to you along with any documentation
that we acquire. Since we make
frequent trips to Scotland and Ireland, we do research into churches and
other archival data on scene as well as online data. If you want to get
started, use our buy now button and
we will proceed. If you would like to email us, please do at |
|
|
|
