s newfangled family tree section b march 2012 sar/dar

Beth’s Newfangled Family Tree Section B March 2012

Volume V No 10 Beth’s Newfangled Family Tree Section B March 2012

Just visit http://www.electricscotland.com/bnftabout the first of each month to see a new issue of BNFT - always FREE

At the Sarasota Scottish Highland Gamesand Celtic Festival, Sarasota Fairground,Sarasota,Florida, Feb. 4, 2012, Barbra RossBartz, Southeast Regional Commissioner forthe Clan Ross Society and member of theDaughters of the America Revolution (DAR)and the Revolutionary War Society, is dressedas Betsy Ross and is surrounded by DAR andSAR (Sons of the American Revolution)members.

John Dryud, in the Revolutionary Uni-

form and member of the SAR, stands nextto Col. Dan Kennedy, Headmaster of theSarasota Military Academy (wearing sun-glasses). His wife, Mary Kennedy, standsbeside him. In the red shirt is SAR mem-ber, Tom Thompson. On the first row isMyakka Chapter of the DAR Regent Bar-bara de Riemacker (in colonial dress) andwearing a hat in back is DAR member JudyLindaur. In the middle of the picture is

SAR/DAR recruit members at 2012Sarasota Games. What a great idea!

Continued on page 11


Clan BairdSocietyWorldwide

Wrex Diem, president2200 South Osseo RoadOsseo, Michigan 49266(517) [email protected]

www.clanbaird.net

Next Coastal Georgia Genealogical Society Meeting Sunday March 11th, St. Simon’sIsland, Georgia Our speaker will be Sara Rupnik and her topic is “Writing Our Lives.” Sheteaches memoir writing classes among others, and will help us describe our familymembers in ways that are “both vibrant and honest.” Don’t miss this outstanding talk andmini-workshop.


Come - Join the Forresters!Membership is available for all spelling variations

of Forrester: Forrester, Forester, Forrister, Forister,Forest, Forrest, Foster, Carstarphen, etc.

Contact: Ben Forrester,Membership Chairman

1034 Blue Heron Drive - Commerce, GA 30529Phone: 706-335-7688

Email: [email protected]

CLAN FORRESTER


50th Anniversary Celebrationto be held at Glasgow, KY Highland Games May 30 - June 3, 2012

The games are held at Barren River Park

Registration should be in no later than two week prior to the event

We will plan arrival at the Ramada Inn, Bowling Green , KY on Wed., May 30.

Registration for the 50th Anniversary Celebration

will be $93.50 per person

This will include entrance to the games on Saturday & Sunday,

plus transportation to and from the games.

Send Registration & check made to: McDuffie(ee) Clan Society to

David N. McDuffie, 27 Aberdeen Ct., Newnan, GA 30263

Registration needs to be returned by 1 May 2012

McDuffee Clan Society of Americaof Clan Macfie


SAVE THE DATE – April 20-22, 2012set for 19th Annual Rural Hill ScottishFestival & Loch Norman Highland Games

HUNTERSVILLE, NC: The 19th AnnualRural Hill Scottish Festival and LochNorman Highland Games are set for April20-22, 2012. The Advance 2-day (Sat. &Sun.) discount ticket is $25.00 and includesadmission to the Saturday night concert.Complete information and advance ticketpurchases are available online atwww.ruralhillscottishfestivals.net.

Fun for the entire family, the Festival &Games weekend offers professional Scottishheavy athletic competition, amateur heavy ath-letics, piping and drumming, highland dancing,Scottish country dancing, children’s activities,demonstrations and RuralHill’s famous historic en-campment. Returning thisyear are the “Kids Zone”and the popular CelticRock Music Stage includ-ing the Saturday eveningconcert.

Festivities will be-gin with the Fridayevening traditional“Call of the Clans.” Fri-day and Saturday eve-nings will once againhost Scottish countrydancing at HopewellChurch. Saturday will offer one of the high-lights of the Games - the Professional Scot-tish Heavy Events. Note: Professional ath-letes are by invitation only. “Class A” amateurheavy athletic competition will take place on

Saturday with the remaining amateur classescompeting on Sunday. Professional demonstra-tions will also take place on Sunday.

For complete information on the 19th An-nual Rural Hill Scottish Festival and LochNorman Highland Games, please visit ourwebsite at www.ruralhillscottishfestivals.net.Proceeds support the preservation of HistoricRural Hill.

Celebrating 250 years in 2010-2011,Rural Hill is located at 4431 Neck Road (offBeatties Ford Road) in Huntersville, 28078.The former homestead of Major John andViolet Davidson, the 265 acre site is main-

tained and promoted byRural Hill and featuresannual events such asthe Rural Hill ScottishFestival and LochNorman HighlandGames, the Rural HillAmazing Maize Mazeand the Rural HillSheep Dog Trials. Ru-ral Hill Inc. is a non-profit organizationsupported throughmembership and dona-tions, and with pro-ceeds from its events

utilized for the preservation of historic Ru-ral Hill and its education efforts. For moreinformation on events or for financial sup-port accepted securely online, please visitwww.ruralhill.net.


Clan Crawford Association

803-425-5316 or [email protected] orwww.clancrawford.org

Incorporated to serve our members worldwide to preserve our legacy.Our Associates can assist you with surname related activities including events,

DNA genealogy, heraldry, surname history and more.Ralf Smart, Director, SE

Who Do YouThink You Are?This populartelevision showhas returned.Look at your NBCstation at 8 PMFriday, Showswill follow thefamilies of BlairUnderwood,Reba McEntire,Rob Lowe, HelenHunt, RitaWilson, EdieFalco, RashidaJones, JeromeBettis, JasonSudeikis andPaula Deen.


Another great idea!Canadian Timmy Connelland his “Wednesday Afternoon Boys”

I volunteer at ourBoyne LodgeSenior’s Home, andhave a “men’s” groupevery Wednesday (Ifigured I might aswell become accus-tomed to the place!).Anyway, I have eightor 10 fellows, mostlyin their eighties andnineties, and I gett h e mbuilding

doll houses with me.I’ve attached a couple of photos

of our accomplishments! I get thebasic kits, and then we sand,paint...paint some more...assemble,put all the wee shingles on (over athousand!), put the windows anddoors in, then we raffle them off!

These are large qualitydollhouses, with kits running around$200 - $300. They are very popularand we have no problem selling tick-ets.

This is something my fellows really like, be-cause it is especially for MEN! And I get to jokeand kid with them while we work away on things!

So far we have completed a “Large BarnDollhouse”, complete with stalls, loft, and slidingdoors, as well as a “Country Church Dollhouse”.The church is also complete with pews and an al-ter, and a family member of one of my men madeus a perfect little bible to place on the pulpit.

Unfortunately, this gentleman passed awaylast week. His family sent Joan and I a very nicecard; they said the building of the dollhouses wasa great delight for their dad, and he would bringeveryone down to the activity room to show themwhat projects we were working on.

He was very proud of our projects.We are about to start on “Victoria’s Farm-

house”, the biggest of our projects yet!Unfortunately, at present, I have some health

issues to deal with, and it has been holding us up.Our last project, The Church, was won by,

believe it or not, out ofall the hundreds of tick-ets, I picked one of myvery own men! A veryquiet, lovely man, by thename of Leo Peters.

Mr. Peters hadnever won anything inhis life...until now! Al-though he doesn’t havegrandchildren, he iskeeping the little churchin his room until he candecide what he wants to

do with it.This is the first time anyone has done a project

“just for men” at this senior’s lodge. In most ofthese places, the women outnumber the men, andmost activities are geared towards crafts, baking,games, and such. Here, we “MEN” get out the sand-paper, paint brushes, glue, and tools, and do wood-working!

The biggest problem I have is trying to limit

Timmy Connell



Clan BellInternational

Visit our Web site:

clanbell.org

President:William H. Bell2322 Shadow Hill DriveRiverside, CA [email protected]

Membership Secretary:Alta Jean Ginn12147 Holly Knoll CircleGreat Falls, VA [email protected]

This old West Marche Clan, one ofBorder clans since the early 1100s,were retainers of the Great House ofDouglas and also allied with the bestborder families through blood andfriendship. Their land holdings wereextensive, and to survive, they engagedin the “rieving” of the period and par-ticipated in many battles against theEnglish.

After William Bell, called Redcloak andChief of the Clan died in 1628, the chiefship became dormant, and without leadership, theBells ceased to exist as a viable clan.

Clan Bell International (CBI) in the United States represents Clan Bell world-wide with a coor-dinated network of 20 International Representatives, each representing the Clan in their own coun-try.

CBI is a charitable organization of Scottish descendants and friends of Family/Clan Bell dedi-cated to the study of Bell genealogy and Scottish history and the perpetuation of family tradition.

CBI cordially invites membership inquires from persons Named Bell (all spellings), their de-scendants and friends. Quarterly newsletter published. Tents hosted at major Scottish festivalsfrom coast to coast.

Declared “unruly” by the ScottishParliament, many of the Clan emigratedto the Ulster Plantation after 1610.


We felt great about last year’s games even though we were down approximately 10% inoverall attendance. The board has decided to be proactive and has done something to help ourgeneral public next year in these hard economic times.

Our general manager and assistant general manager have been meeting with hotels in Booneand Blowing Rock in hopes of working out a partnership.

We are working on coordinating a 3 day discounted hotel rate from our participating hotel partners.I am happy to report that our first lodging partner has signed up with us. The Village Inns of

Blowing Rock have offered a 17% discount on a three night stay during the weekend of the Games.Check our website for a link to our lodging partner’s page (www.gmhg.org). We hope that

this is just one of many that will sign on and become a partner with the GMHG to help keep ourattendance up at this wonderful event.

GMHG plans to off set the $15 daily trip from Boone for Friday, Saturday and Sun-day by reducing it to $10 per round trip or if you have a 4-day advanced ticket the ride toand from the mountain (between the Caldwell Community & Technical College parkinglot and MacRae Meadows) will be completely free and subsidized by GMHG.

We hope this will help keep our numbers up and allow families to stay for the entirety ofthe Games. Plus we hope that this will take care of some of our parking problems on MacRaeMeadows.

Also, one of our Board Members, Royce McNeill, is having some health issues and wouldappreciate you remembering him in prayer.

We have just found out that the Broyhill Center has closed down and we will be forced tohave the Patron/Sponsor reception at Camp Yonanoka in Linville. This is the only place locallythat can host such a large event.

Since the costs are higher we need an exact count for attendees. Thus we must haveyou RSVP if you plan on attending. Tickets to this event will not be released until wereceive your RSVP. Any additions must be approved by our ticket coordinator, FrancesFletcher. No tickets will be sold at the door.

There will not be a dance band at this year’s reception due to our 2011 survey responses.We plan on revisiting our entertainment and lengthening our current performers and put-

ting the money saved into improving the cuisine at this event.At this coming years Patron/Sponsor reception we will again have world class entertain-

ment. The Blue Ridge Brass and Montreat Scottish Pipes and Drums will perform as well as theGrandfather Mountain Highlanders Pipe Band. Other performers to be announced later.

See you in July at Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. Ross

A messagefrom the GMHG

president, Ross Morrison


THE CRAWFORD SURNAMEY-DNA PROJECT

You are cordially invited to participate in theCrawford surname Y- DNA project.

Information, listing of current results,and signing up for testing can be accessed at —

http://www.clancrawford.org/home.htm

To contact the project coordinator, e-mailKevan Crawford, Ph.D. at:

[email protected]

How to orderA Historical Handbook to Scotland

by Duncan MacPhailEvery Clan Tent needs one of these!

You may order, if you’d like to use a creditcard, from http://www.amazon.com

or a USPS Money Order or Check $25.00 includes s/hfrom Beth Gay-Freeman,

102 Lakeside Drive, Walhalla, SC 29691

Let us know what you’d like to read aboutin this publication.

Would YOU like to write an article?Contact [email protected]


Openingsfor PipingStudents

Ages 7 through 14No experience necessaryClasses held in Vista, CA

on Monday eveningsFor more information call

(858) 592-9228Or E-mail:

[email protected] background

on instructor CampbellNaismith

Go to:Vortexstreetmusic.com

president of the Saramana Capter SAR,Charles Riegle. The lady next to him inthe red shirt is DAR member, AliceHornback.

The DAR and SAR members were at-tending the Sarasota Scottish HighlandGames to recruit members of the respec-tive organizations from the Scots attend-ing the event.

On this day, the SAR recruited five pro-spective gentlemen and the DAR recruitedseven ladies.

SAR/DAR, continued from page 1


“Cuimhnich Air Na Daoine• Macneil• MacNeil• Macniel• MacNiel• Macneill• MacNeill• MacNeillie• Macneal• MacNeal• Macneale• MacNeale• MacNeilage• Macneilage• MacNelly• Macnelly• MacNeally• Macneally• Mcneil• McNeil• Mcniel• McNiel• Mcneill

• Oneil• Oneill• Nelson• Neilson• Nielson• MacGougan• Macgougan• MacGrail• Macgrail• MacGugan• Macgugan• MacGuigan

• McNeill• Mcneal• McNeal• Mcneale• McNeale• McNeilage• Mcneilage• McNelly• Mcnelly• McNeally• Mcneally• Neil• Neal• Neall• Neale• Neill• Niel• Niell• O’Neal• O’Neil• O’Niel• O’Neill

o’n D’thainig thu.”

• Macguigan• McGougan• Mcgougan• McGrail• McGraill• Mcgrail• Mcgraill• McGugan• Macgugan• McGuigan ...and• Mcguigan

Clan MacneilAssociationof America

If you are a Macneil or any of thefollowing “Sept” names, then you

have found the clan

President C. McNeill Baker, Jr.6959 Almours Drive

Jacksonville, FL 32117-2628

that you are looking for.

whom you have come.Remember the men from

clanmacneilua.us


If you’d like to be remindedwhen a new issue of

Beth’sNewfangled Family Tree

is “up” here,all you have to do is visit

www.electricscotland.com/maillist.htm

That’s Alastair’s ElectricScotlandnewsletter

sent free each Friday..but it is also where the new issues

of BNFT are announced!

Gotta Query?Send it to

[email protected]

the size of my group! Beth, some of my fellowsare blind, others have severe arthritis, some arestroke victims, but they all contribute in some wayto our projects. Even if blind, they can still sand apiece of wood; I make a point then of letting them“feel” what we are building. If they can’t do any-thing but watch, I’ll assign them as “crew boss”,or “engineer” for the project. Of course, the bestthing is I get them socializing and enjoying some-thing.

Of course, I get as much enjoyment out ofthis as anyone. It’s a great feeling to see someone,who has otherwise been unhappy, finally smile andtake an interest.

That’s Timmy Connell on the left and oneof his guys, Cliff, working on the barn house.

Here’s Leo and Timmy Connell workingon the church house.

The finishedbarn house.

Doll houses, continued from page 7


We have some particularly lovely estate and antique jewelry that would be wonderful for any occasion!!


1320 Declaration of Arboath facsimilecopy presented last St. Andrew’s Day toUS National Archives

The 1320 Declaration of Arbroath wasScotland’s declaration of independencefrom England and is often considered tohave geen an inspiration for the Americandeclation that followed in 1776.

A rare facsimilie copy of the Decla-ration of Arbroath waas presented on St.Andrew’s Day, 30 NObvember 2011 tothe US National Archives by the Scot-tish government’s Culture and ExternalAffairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop.

Ms. Hyslop met representatives of theCongreassional Friends of Scotland Cau-cus and crossed the Potomac to take part inAlexandria Virginia’s annual ScottishChristmas Walk Weekend.

The facsimile copy of the declara-tion was printed in 2000 using platesengraved in 1815. The copy brought tothe US National Archives is one of only100 copies made.

With thanks to Six Nations, OneSoul, The Newsletter of the CelticLeague American Branch.

Arbroath Abbey in Angus, Scotland

Sir William Wallace letters to go ondisplay in Scotland in April of 2012

Two letters belonging to Sir William Wallacewill go on display for the first time in Scotland inApril, probably at the National Library.

One is a letter from the King of France bidding hisagents in Europe to give aid to Sir William as he jour-neyed to Rom to place Scotland’s cause before the Pope.

The other is the famous 1397 Lubeck Letter in

which Wallace and Andrew Moray announced to themerchants of the powerful Hanseatic port of Lubeck that,in effect, a liberated Scotland was open for business.

The letter bears Wallace’s own seal as Guard-ian of Scotland.

With many thanks from Six Nations, One Soul,The Newsletter of the Celtic League American Branch.


The Elliot Clan Society is a worldwide organi-zation, with active branches in Australia, Canada,New Zealand and the United States. In accordancewith Scottish Clan Law, Clan membership includes

all Elliots, Elliots, Elliotts, those of whose mother or grandmother was sonamed and their spouses. This also applies to Elliots of known Scottishdescent.

If you are a person of Scottish ancestry bearing the name Elliot, Elliottor Eliott (Including the spouse or descendant of such person) and wish tojoin the Elliot Clan Society, please fill out the membership form. Thoseforms may be found on the “Official ECS Website” at:

www.elliotclan.comFor US residents, please make sure that you send your completed

ECS USA membership forms to the Membership/Treasurer. Once youjoin the Society, you will receive periodic newsletters from the ECS USAand our Parent Society in Scotland. The newsletters will inform you ofScottish festivals in your area and other announcements of importance toour Clan. Membership allows you to meet other Elliots with similar inter-ests who share our Scottish heritage.

Contact Patricia Tennyson BellEmail: [email protected] or writePatricia Tennyson Bell, Treasurer/Membership Chair2288 Casa Grande StreetPasadena, CA 91104

Elliot Clan Society, USAMembership Information 2012

(Fortiter Et Recte)Boldly and Rightly


Calendars and Genealogical Research

Calendars provide a method of measur-ing time and allow people to record and cal-culate dates and events. Genealogists en-counter problems with differences in datescaused by the changeover from the Juliancalendar to the Gregorian calendar in 1582.Individual countries, depending on theirpolitical and religious view of the Papacyand Pope Gregory, adopted this changeoverat different times. Researchers must consulthistorical sources in Europeand the British Isles to de-termine which calendar wasbeing utilized during a spe-cific time period. Germanyis an example of a countrywhere the Protestant andCatholic regions utilizedtwo different calendars si-multaneously during thishistorical period.

Most of the civilized world adopted theJulian calendar (named in honor of JuliusCaesar) around 45 BC. This calendar com-puted the solar year, the time it takes forthe Earth to revolve around the sun, as 365days and six hours. Three years each ofwhich consisted of 365 days were followedby a fourth or leap year of 366 days. By theJulian calendar, March 25 was the first dayof the year. During the Middle Ages, as-tronomers and mathematicians becameaware of discrepancies in the Julian calen-dar. Dates were ahead of actual time by tendays. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII commis-sioned a new calendar which became

known as the Gregorian Calendar. This newcalendar changed the first day of the yearto January 1 and moved the current dateahead 11 days to make up for lost time.

While the Catholic countries of Europeadopted the Gregorian calendar as soon ascopies of the Papal decree reached them,Protestant countries refused initially to adoptthe change. Protestant states of the HolyRoman Empire, by the order of the Diet (Par-

liament) at Regensburg,dropped 11 days fromthe 19th to the 29th of Feb-ruary 1700, so that Feb-ruary 18th immediatelybecame March 1st. Scot-land which was still con-sidered a separate king-dom before its unionwith England underJames VI, converted in

1603 by order of the Privy Council.The Gregorian calendar was not fully

adopted in Colonial America until the mid-1700s. Until the new Gregorian calendarwas adopted and the dates adjusted accord-ingly, New Years Day occurred in March.The designation of the New Year in Colo-nial America was used for the first time inthe General Court of Connecticut as “this20th day of March, 1649-1650” or 1650 byour present system of dating. This style ofdating prevailed for almost 100 years. Dueto an error in the Julian calendar, the dates inall months between 1600 and 1700 were car-

Bryan Mulcahy, Reference Librarian



CLAN KEITH SOCIETY USA, INC.Cordially invites membership inquiriesfrom all descendants of the Keiths andClan Septs: Austin, Dickson, Falconer,

Alice M. Hattenbrun, SecretaryThe Clan Keith Society, USA, Inc.

119 South RD., Kensington, NH 03833

www.c lankei thusa.orgClan Keith USA 2012

Annual General MeetingApril 21st at the 19th

Rural Hill Scottish Festivaland Loch Norman Highland Games

Huntersville, North CarolinaAll members are encouraged to come

and form a clan voting quorum!

If you see the Clan Keith Society USA,Inc. tent at a Highland Gamesnywhere...be sure and come by to visit

Hackson, Harvey, Haxton, Hervey,Hurry, Keith, Kite, Lumgair, Mackeith, Marshall,Urie, Urry,etc. (many spellingvariations)


Calendars and Genealogical Research, continued from page 17ried forward eleven days. Thus, July 10 wasreally July 21 according to our present sys-tem of dating. In 1752, the British Parliamentchanged the calendar from the old style tothe one used today, and changed the date onSeptember 3, 1752 (oldcalendar) to September14, 1752 (new calendar).Eleven days were thuseliminated.

Another confusingissue resulting from theswitch was the practiceof double dating.Double dating was usedthroughout the BritishEmpire to clarify datesoccurring between 1 January and 24 Marchon years between 1582 and 1752. In theecclesiastical or legal calendar, March 25thwas recognized as the first day of the yearand was not double dated. Researchers ofColonial American ancestors will often seedouble dating in older records. Doubledates were normally identified with a slash

mark (/) representing the Old and New Stylecalendars, e.g., 1690/1691. Even before1752 in Colonial America, some educatedclerks knew of the calendar change in Eu-rope and used double dating to distinguish

between the calendars.This was especially truein civil records, but lessso in church registers.Researchers will oftensee this type of doubledating in New Englandtown records, courtrecords, church records,and wills, or on colonialgravestones or cem-etery transcriptions.

The system of double dating ended in 1752in the American colonies with the adoptionof the Gregorian calendar.

Bryan L. Mulcahy, Reference Librar-ian. Fort Myers-Lee County Library, 2050Central Avenue, Fort Myers, FL 33901-3917. Tel: (239) 533-4626. Fax: (239) 485-1160. Email: [email protected]

Remembering Rick Rescorla: Rick Rescorla,the Cornishman who died leading the evacuation at theWorld Trade Center, has a monument erected to him in hisbirthplace of Hayle, Cornwall.

The San Francisco Opera commissioned and performedan opera, Heart of a Soldier, based on his last days.

Perhaps the most touching remembrance, though ,was that of the Cornish Heritage Society East, who gathered last Septem-ber 11 at Canal Park in Wharton, New Jersey to commemorate Rick with amoment of silence.

With thanks to Six Nations, One Soul, from the Celtic League Ameri-can branch.


Clan Home Society(International)Cordially invites membership inquiriesworldwide from all HOME, HUME & SEPTS

For information and application, write to:

Camille Simmons, President1205 Avery Way

Kernersville, NC [email protected]

Information aboutThe Clan Home Air Force,contact [email protected]

Clan MacCord Society

McFettridge and Kane.Contact

Ronald JohnMcCordPresident/Chief1805 Mews DriveWilmington, NC 28405Ph. 919-256-3798 [email protected]

Invites for membership all spelling variations anddescendants of McCord (a)(e)(y).Also McCourt, McChord, McCoard, Cord(e), McCart,McCort, Cort(e)(s) and Flynn,


Athelstaneford: Birthplace of theScotltish Flag

The saltire, the oldest flag in the Brit-ish Commonwealth, has its origins in abattle, which took place at Athelstanefordin East Lothian, some 20 miles east ofEdinburgh. In the mid-eighth century at thesite of the village, Saxon King Athelstan wasat the head of a large army when he met aforce of Scots/Picts led by King Angus.

Seeing he was outnumbered, Angusprayed to St. Andrew, and just before thearmies clashed, a saltire appeared, createdby clouds, which formed a cross against the bluesky. Angus realized this represented the cross onwhich St. Andrew had been crucified and took itas a sign that his forces would be victorious. Withrenewed heart, Angus and his forces took the battleand the day.

It was Skirving who wrote “Hey! JohnnyCope,” the song about another East Lothian battle– the rout of the Hanoverian Army led by Sir JohnCope by Jacobites at Prestonpans on September21, 1745.

Most Scots are familiar with the words of thechorus:

“Hey! Johnny Cope are ye wakin’ yet?Or are your drums a-beatin’ yet?If ye were wakin’ I wad wait,Tae gang tae the coals in the morning.Skirving’s song subsequently became a paean

to the 1745 Uprising. Sir Walter Scott later said ofits popularity: “Perhaps there is no lyric whichcontains to this day so familiar lines as those ofSkirving.”

Skirving had a caustic sense of humor, andhe delighted in pricking the pomposity of others.A Lieutenant Smith, an officer in Cape’s army, tookoffence at one of the stanzas of another ballad onthe battle entitled “Tranent Muir,” in which the poetsatirically wrote that the officer “never fought whenhe had room to flee, man.”

When Smith sent a letter challenging him toa duel, Skirving calmly read it and said to the cou-

rier: “Gang awa’ back and tell Mr. Smith that Idinna ha’time to come to Haddington tae give himsatisfaction. If he likes to come to Garleton, I’lltak’ a look at him. If I think I’m fit to fecht him, I’llfecht him; and if no’ I’ll just dae as he did, I’ll runawa’.”

Another example of Skirving’s wry wit oc-curred during a visit to Edinburgh, when he wentto rent a field for his sheep while awaiting auction.The poet always dressed in homespun clothes thatwere almost threadbare, and when he took posses-sion ofthe field, the sight of this shabby outfitcaused the auctioneer to ask who was his security.

Skirving gave the auctioneer an impish lookand replied, “King George the Second.” When thisretort was greeted with loud laughter, Skirving rum-maged in the tail of his coat and produced a stock-ing leg, which was bulging with gold sovereigns.The crowd fell silent as he handed these to the auc-tioneer and added, “There’s jingling Geordie. He’smy security.”

However Skirving’s wit was out-matched oneday in Haddington when, on seeing Reverend JohnBrown riding by on a horse which was lame, hecalled out, “Mr. Brown, the legs of the lame arenot equal.” The Reverend Brown completed thequotation from thebook of Proverbs in his riposte:“So is a parable in the mouth of fools.”

Adam’s son, painter Archibald Skirving, wasborn at Athelstaneford in 1749. His father sent him



Clan SkeneAssociation, Inc.

The Clan Skene Association, Inc., invites membership from SKENE and septs CARISON,CARNEY/CARNIE, CURREHILL, DYAS, DYCE, DYER,

HALL, HALYARD/HALLYARD,MacGAILLARD, RENNIE & SKAINS.

Dorna Comp, president 103 Sumners Alley Summerville, SC 29485

Arms ofDanus George Moncreiff Skene of SkeneChief of the Name and Arms of Skene to the right.

Alastair McIntyre writes: For some time I’ve beeninterested in those many famous Scots at home andabroad and have produced numerous biographies andautobiographies with the intention of seeing if there anycommon threads that we can learn from.

I believe I have found common threads and in thisvideo I discuss those.

http://www.electricscotland.org/showthread.php/2629-Education

Famous Scots at Home and Abroad

March was named for the Roman God “Mars”


to Rome, where he studied at the atelier of David,and stayed in the Eternal City for seven years. Laterhe moved to London where he created chalk andcrayon portraits and painted miniatures in water-color. He returned to Scotland at the start of 19thcentury and remained in the capital until his deathin 1819.

Archibald is most famous for his portrait ofRobert Burns, created in 1801, fives years after thepoet’s death. The por-trait is thought by someto be a better likenessof Scotland’s nationalbard than that ofAlexander Nasmyth(1758 – 1840), whopainted his portrait ofBurns from life.

In a letter to a friendin 1816, Sir Walter Scottwrote of the importance ofSkirving’s portrait and ex-pressed a desire for it to remain in Scotland. “Mr.Skirvingof Edinburgh, an unrivalled artist as a painter in crayons,is going to London with the only good portrait of Burns. Ithink you will like to look at it, and perhaps you may beeven disposed to purchase it, provided the artist’s inten-tion of selling it holds good until he gets to London… IfSkirving does sell it, which appears to me very problem-atical, I wish this unique representation of our great poetto fall into good hands.” Happily, Scott’s wish was real-ized – the portrait is now on display at the National Gal-leries of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Athelstaneford has connections with poetRobert Blair and playwright John Home, who wereboth ministers in the village. Robert Blair (1699 –1746), whose poems included “The Grave,” min-istered to the parish and is buried in the church-yard. Blair was succeeded as minister by JohnHome (1722 – 1808), who wrote two of the 18thcentury’s most celebrated works, Agis, and TheTragedy of Douglas. In 1746, a year before his or-dination, Home fought on the Hanoverian side atthe Battle of Falkirk. He was captured by theJacobites and imprisoned at Doune Castle, from

which he and several accomplices made a daringescape. Home cut blankets into strips and twistedthem into stout ropes, then he and the others low-ered themselves 70 feet and made their flight tofreedom. Home was never caught and a year laterhe entered into the ministry of Athelstaneford.

In 1787 Home’s Douglas was performed at theCanongate Theatre in Edinburgh where it enjoyed greatsuccess. Sir Walter Scott later said, “It had no equal

modern and scarcely asuperior in ancientdrama.” The play was sowell received that afterthe opening perfor-mance, an enthusiasticmember of the audiencecalled out: “Whaur’s yerWillie Shakespearenoo?”

An earlier Scot-t ish wr iter, poetDavid Lyndsay (1490

– 1555), author of the Three Estates, was bornin Athelstaneford, as was soldier and later FieldMarshal Sir John Hepburn (1598 – 1636),founder of the First Royal Scots Regiment. Un-til the late 18th century the village was little morethan a hamlet adjo ined by farming land.Athelstaneford owes its present development toSir David Kinloch of Gilmerton, who built cot-tages to form its main street in a line east to west.By 1792 the village included the present churchand a school. Shortly after completion, the par-ish minister was moved to write: “There are fewplaces in Scotland that enjoy greater advantagesthan Athelstaneford, and none in which thepeople, in general, are more comfortable, con-tented or happy.”

He could equally have added proudly that noother place in the land can claim to be the birth-place of the saltire – national flag of Scotland formore than a thousand years.

Written by: Robert B. McNeillWith many thanks to The House of Scotland

Newsletter, San Diego, California.

Birthplace of the Scottish flag, continued from page 21


The Story of the Tay BridgeIn 1879, the Tay Rail Bridge was the longest bridge in the world,

spanning two miles across the Tay estuary.On the evening of 28th Cecember 1879, the central part of the

span - the so-called high girders - suddenly collapsed,leaving a gap of well over a half-mile.

Most disturbing was that the two-year-old-bridge collapsed while anexpress passenger train from Edinburgh was making its way across.

The resulting accident claimed the lives of the victims, making it themost catastrophic structural failure in Britain’s history.

Surprisingly, until now, there has been no memorial or monument tothe victims. The Tay Rail Bridge Disaster Memorial Group was recentlyestablished to ensure that a proper and fitting memorial to the victims

of the 1879 bridge disaster is constructed.

Become a Friend of the TrustThe aim of the Trust is to raise funds to erect a monument to the

Victims of the Disaster. The monument will be sited on Riverside Drive,Dundee, with a complimentary plaque on the Wormit side.

At the time of the completion of the monument, a publication on thehistory of the disaster, the victims and the story of the monument willbe issued to the Friends of the Trust. (For Friends for Live or those

with at least 2 years friends donations.)In addition to becoming a Friend of the Trust,

donations are always welcome.Corporate donations are especially welcome.

We will keep you informed of any special events and fundraisersconnected with the Trust. This will be by email only, so please ensure

you give us your email address when you make a donation.Please visit our website:

www.thetaymemorial.comHave you any stories to tell of the disaster?

Have you any other material connected with the disaster?Please contact [email protected]

We would love to hear from you.


Between the Ochils and the ForthA Description, Topographical and Historical of theCountry between Stirling Bridge and Aberdour

David Beveridge (1888)

PREFACE IN the History of Culrossand Tulliallan the author endeavoured topresent a monograph of two Scottish par-ishes occupying a somewhat secluded situ-ation on the northernshore of the Firth ofForth. He also sought toexhibit a picture of thedomestic life of a bygoneday, as elucidated fromthe kirk-session recordsof the two parishes, andthe minutes of towncouncil of the ancientburgh of Culross.

The present undertaking may becharacterised as having to a considerableextent a similar object in view, though theillustration of the themeby extracts from the mu-nicipal and ecclesiasti-cal archives has notbeen attempted.

A much wider field,however, is included,and at the same time aminute and careful de-scription has been fur-nished as far as possibleof every locality andevent of interest belonging to the district

http://www.electricscotland.com/history/ochils/index.htm

continued on page 26

under notice.It is a region which, though neither in-

accessible nor remote, is still comparativelyunknown to, and unvisited by, the majority

of Scottish tourists. Yetit is connected withsome of the most impor-tant events in Scottishhistory, and as regardsnatural beauty, it will inmany places vie in rich-ness with the finestspecimens of Englishrural scenery.

Whilst the work in question aims ratherat a picturesque and historical delineationof that portion of the upper shores of theForth lying between Stirling Bridge and

Aberdour, than at theformal and business-like character of aguide-book, it is never-theless hoped that in thelatter capacity it maynot be found wanting inattraction or devoid ofpractical utility. Thedistances between thedifferent places have allbeen set down with spe-

To read more about Mr. Beveridge’s article, visit


Aberdour in Scotland

Stirling to Aberdour, continued from page 25

cial care, as ascertained both by personalinvestigation and a careful comparison withthe maps of the Ordnance Survey. The lineand direction also of the varous pub1icroads, as well as the principal inns in thedifferent towns and villages, have all beenindicated.

The author has trodden himself almostevery foot of the district, with the most ofwhich he has been familiar from childhood,and he has, moreover, quite recently madea pilgrimage through and investigated theparticular localities with great care andminuteness. He would thus fain hope thatthe completed work, the outcome in greatmeasure of these wanderings, may proveinteresting and useful both to travellers andgeneral readers.

Of late years locomotion by means ofbicycles and tricycles has come greatly intovogue, and one of the results has been thatthe old coach-roads, long deserted, haveagain been largely utilised. For travellers onsuch vehicles it is also hoped that this workmay be found to contain some useful infor-mation and directions both as to the line ofroute and the objects of interest by the way.

Rosehill, Torryburn, May 1888.

“John, if I were a sheep, I wouldlie on the other side of the hill.”

“Ah,” said the shepherd, “but ifye was a sheep, ye wad hae mairsense.”

Auld Scottish Humor ca 1920

I found a small treasure-troveof these cartoons from around 1920in Scotland on ElectricScotland.com

Humor changes...but the delightfulwatercolours remain as fresh as if theywere done yesterday.

We’ll revisit ElectricScotland.comto find a few more of these each issueso long as the supply lasts.

The cartoons are from a bookcalled “Thistledown” written by Rob-ert Ford who published these booksbetween 1913 and 1921.

Your ed.


Literary Quotes about Whisky – Part 1References to whisky flow through the pages

of prose and poetry, both old and new, at a deli-cious pace. The following ar-ticle is the beginning of a shortseries, using others’ referencesto wine and spirits as a spring-board to learning more aboutThe Water of Life.

“Wine is bottled poetry.”- Robert Louis Stevenson

Scotland’s most famous

The Whisky Corner

Ray Pearson, Anaheim, CAThe Whiskymeister

Literary Quotesabout Whisky - Part I

drink has long been a muse for poets. Throughverse, ingredients are exalted, secrets and myster-ies of its creation are admitted, descriptions of birth-places define localities, and, above all, the soul ofthe spirit and country soar.

Robert Burns, no stranger to the strong drinkof his native Scotland, wrote in John Barleycornwhat is probably the most recognized homage toScotch whisky. Here is alesser-known work, whichglorifies the love imbibershave for “good old Scotchdrink”:

Scotch DrinkRobert Burns,

Scotland’s Bard (Selected verses, Stan-

dard English Translation)Let other poets raise a fracas

About vines, and wines, and drunken Bacchus,And ill-natured names and stories torment us,And vex our ear:I sing the juice Scotch barley can make us,In glass or jug.

O you, my Muse! Good old Scotch drink!Whether through winding worms you frisk,Or, richly brown, cream over the brink,In glorious foam,Inspire me, till I lisp and wink,To sing your name!

Let husky wheat the hollows adorn,And oats set up their bearded horn,And peas and beans, at evening or morning,Perfume the plain:Blessings on you, John Barleycorn,You king of grain!Moving forward about 300 years, accom-

plished poets continue to praise both the foiblesand satisfactions associated with drinking Scotch.From its misty Gaelic beginnings, to its sensorydelights, Britain’s Poet Laureatedescribes her drams of Scotch:

DramsCarol Ann Duffy, Poet Laure-

ate of the United Kingdom (Se-lected verses)



The love of the names, like Lagavulin,Laphroaig,

Loosening the tongue.Beautiful hollow by the broad bay, safe ha-

ven,Their Gaelic namings.It was Talisker on your lips,Peppery, sweet, I tasted, kisser.First, the appearanceThen the aroma, mouth-feel;Lastly, the finish.Under the tableShe drank him, my grandmother,Irish to his Scotch.Barley, water, peat,Weather, landscape, history,Malted, swallowed neat.The perfume of place, seaweed scent on peaty air,Heather dabbed with rain.Liquid narrative of scots and Gaelic,Uttered on the tasting tongue.Places, as well as people, have always played

integral roles in the history and fame of Scotchwhisky. Two of today’s leading brands of singlemalts are eulogized in verse by authors who havelong since accompanied the ethereal journey of“the angels’ share” heaven-bound:

Anonymous, Historical PoemsGlenlivet it has castles three,Drumin, Blairfindy and Deskie,And also one distillery,More famous than the castles three.… and about Glenfiddich, founded by the

Grant family:Lord grant guid luck tae a’ the Grants,Likewise eternal bliss,For they should sit

among the sa’ntsThat make a dram like

this.Among contemporary

wordsmiths, poets, andsongwriters, Robin Laing isone of the most-recognized.Robin has written three books

about whisky, and recordedeight CDs, three of them ex-clusively about whisky. Withequal ease, Robin uses his slywit, cutting-edge humor, andtear-jerking nostalgia to makehis points about the history,fortunes, and sheer magic ofScotch. Here is a sampling:

Bruichladdich (“brooick laddy”) Robin Laing, Scotland’s Whisky BardCommissioned to celebrate the reopening of thedistillery

(Selected verses)One day as I was walking by the shores of

Loch Indaal,I met a man with sadness in his eyes.The story was as haunting as the lonely sea-

birds’ call,And he told me of the day he wept and walked

away,As he watched the fire at Bruichladdich die.He told me of a place once would never sleep,With hiss of steam and clang and furnace roar.How that sleeping beauty lies trapped in slum-

ber deep,With moonbeams full of dust, and gates &

chains of rust,And ghosts that wander the Bruichladdich

floor.And the moon smiles kindly on the western

seas.Perfume tumbles on the midnight breeze,And standing on the island of distilleries,You can almost see the coast of heaven.More Than Just a Dram, Robin Laing,

Scotland’s Whisky Bard(Selected verses)Take clear water from the hillAnd barley from the lowlands.Take a master craftsman’s skillAnd something harder to define,Like secrets in the shape of coppered stillsOr the slow, silent, magic work of time.


Ray Pearson, continued from page 27


Bring home sherry casks from Spain,Sanlucar de Barrameda,And fill them up againWith the spirit of the land.Then let the wood work to the spirits’ gainIn a process no one fully understands.Oh, the spirit starts out clear,But see the transformationAfter many patient yearsWhen at last the tale unfolds.For the colours of the seasons will appearFrom palest yellow to the deepest gold.When you hold it in your handIt’s the pulse of one small nationSo much more than just a dram.You can see it if you will -The people and the weather and the land.

Ray Pearson, continued from page 28

The past into the present is distilled.Poets, with their

fingers on the pulse ofthe subject, have raisedtheir personal paeans toScotch whisky to glori-ous heights. They haveblessed JohnBarleycorn, the king ofgrain, taken us to partsof Scotland where thereis a perfume of place,seaweed scents on peatyair, or heather dabbedwith rain, and to an is-land of distilleries

where you can almost see the coast of heaven.

CALLING ATHLETES for the 19th

Annual Loch Norman Highland Games HUNTERSVILLE, NC: The 19th Annual Rural Hill Scottish Festival and Loch Norman Highland Games iscalling for athletes to come participate in the competition and camaraderie April 21 & 22, 2012. The traditionalScottish athletic competitions called the “Heavy Events” include stone throws, weight throws, hammer throws,caber toss, sheaf toss, and similar traditional feats of strength. Professional athletic competition will be Saturdayand Sunday, with “Class A” amateur heavy athletic competition on Saturday and the remaining amateur classescompeting on Sunday.

Professional demonstrations will also take place on Sunday. Note: Professional athletes are by invitation only.For event information and registration details, visit www.ruralhillscottishfestivals.net. Highland Games are away of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage, especially that of the Scottish Highlands. Certainaspects of the games are so well known as to have become emblematic of Scotland, such as the bagpipes, the kilt,and the heavy events, especially the caber toss. While centered on competitions in piping and drumming, danc-ing, and Scottish heavy athletics, Highland Games also include entertainment and exhibits related to otheraspects of Scottish culture.*

Professional athletes returning in 2012 are crowd favorites Eric Frasure and Larry Brock. Frasure holds the worldrecords for the 56 lb Weight Toss and Sheaf Toss, and the North American record for the 22 lb Hammer Throw. LarryBrock is the 2010 IHGF World Champion and holds the American record for the 28 lb Weight for Distance.

Fun for the entire family, the Rural Hill Scottish Festival & Loch Norman Highland Games weekend offersprofessional Scottish heavy athletic competition, amateur heavy athletics, piping and drumming, highland danc-ing, Scottish country dancing, children’s activities, demonstrations and Rural Hill’s famous historic encamp-ment. Returning this year are the “Kids Zone” and the popular Celtic Rock Music Stage including the Saturdayevening concert. The Advance 2-day (Sat. & Sun.) discount ticket is $25.00 and includes admission to theSaturday night concert. Complete information and advance ticket purchases are available online atwww.ruralhillscottishfestivals.net. Proceeds support the preservation of Historic Rural Hill.


San Diego Tartan DayThere’s a wee bit o’ Scot in everyone!

Eighth Annual Tartan Day/San Diego FestivalBalboa Park, International Cottages

San Diego, CASaturday, April 7, 2012

11:00 AM – 4:00 PM Free Admission

The San Diego Tartan Day Steering Committee invites you to join a celebration of Scottish heritage – and tartans,

the national fabric and symbol of Scotland.

You can find your own tartan too, at theScottish Clan & Tartan Information Center.

* Explore displays by many Scottish organizations from all overSouthern California, including individual Scottish clans

* Eat traditional Scottish fare, including the world’s best bangers,and mouthwatering home baked desserts, all at reasonable prices.

* Enjoy music and dance from 11:00 – 4:00 PM featuring some ofsouthern California’s most exciting Scottish entertainers:

House of Scotland Ceilidh BandHouse of Scotland Pipe Band

San Diego School of Highland Dancing

For more information, contact [email protected] call (619) 425-3454

Thanks to these wonderful Scottish organizations:House of Scotland, St. Andrew Society of San Diego, San Diego Burns Club

North County Scots, 42nd Black Watch Highland Society, Clans of the HighlandsSan Diego Scottish Highland Games, Scottish Clan & Tartan Information Center

San Diego School of Highland Dance SD-Edinburgh Sister City Society

s newfangled family tree section b march 2012 sar/dar

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