The Clans of Scotland

“Tracing a single Native American family from the 1780’s through the 1920’s posed a number of challenges,” for Claudio Saunt, author of Black, White, and Indian: Race and the Unmaking of an American Family. (pg. 217) A family tree is comprised of genealogical data that has many branches that take form by twisting, turning, and attempting to accurately represent descendants from the oldest to the youngest. “The Grayson family of the Creek Nation traces its origins to the late 1700’s, when Robert Grierson, a Scotsman, and Sinnugee, a Creek woman, settled down together in what is now north-central Alabama. Today, their descendants number in the thousands and have scores of surnames.” (pg. 3)

Imagine what if much of today’s freedoms that we take for granted were never even there to begin with? In Ireland this is what most of the people were realizing when the Government was starting to take control. The Government was getting irritated and wanted to get rid of all Ireland’s language and culture. During the 1800’s Ireland was a thriving culture with much going on. Ireland had many things coming to an end and also starting a new beginning. One new beginning was the organization of the Gaelic League that people looked to for support of their Irish culture and heritage (Bottigheimer 213). The Gaelic League was an invention by two men who had an idea and wanted to preserve the Irish language and culture was dwindling away.

Everyone’s surname has a history behind it, some surnames have been around since the very beginning of Christ and some have been moulded and reformed over the centuries. The Millar Clan has had quite a journey from Scotland all the way down to Southern Africa, to me. Some say it was originally another surname and some say that it was all made up, but I have researched the true and factual origin and formation of the Millar surname. Which I will give a brief over view to how it came to be today all the way up to me, Zane Millar.

In eighth grade, I was assigned to trace back my heritage. Growing up, I knew little tidbits like the fact that I am Irish and, therefore, cannot tan. But past that, my knowledge was quite limited. I reached out to extended family, on the hunt for my ancestors. Because much of my family past had been documented, I was able to trace back to the 1600s. On my father’s side, he came from Irish farmers who came to America in the late 1800s. My mother’s family was a mix but mainly English who came i...

People study history because they wish to strengthen human connections. The same can be drawn about the pursuit of genealogy. Whether it be connections to nobility, to a specific ethnic group or a specific event in history, there are diverse motivations to study genealogy According to Francois Weil, “Genealogy provides a powerful lens to understand personal and collective identities.” In essence Weil’s Family Trees: A History of Genealogy in America is a study of American identity over a span of four centuries through a discussion of genealogy and family history.

History is a vast collection of stories and perspectives from the beginning of time to the present day. Many people have only cursory knowledge of history and some of its important turning points. Few people stop to think about the experiences of those who lived through that history and what it must have been like during that time. Even fewer may be aware that they may have ancestors who were a part of that history. Through the combined methods of formal genealogy and historical research it is possible to see one’s own past come alive. This paper examines the ancestry of the 21st century history student ad uncovers the connections to past events in North American history.

Reid, J. (1970). Chapter five a family writ large —the clans. A law of blood: the primitive law of

Events in the past have affected modern day Scots. When these events first occurred in Scotland, the Scots kept these memories and traditions with pride that stayed with them throughout years. As more and more generations pass, the sense of Scottish pride stays with them as they teach it to their children. The generations that followed Prince Charlie’s legacy grew up with Scottish patriotism. The families that survived the famine learned and passed on the ideal to not waste resources. Scottish emigrants kept their Highland culture by publicly showing their Scottish roots. The stereotype of Scots were caused by the pride that had been brought down from generation to generation that still live today.

The legacy the Celts and their culture have bestowed upon the face of civilization is powerful and enduring. With their rich and intriguing history, and their complex and beautiful beliefs, they have been a great influence in many aspects of present day life, from their art and innovations, to deeply rooted traditions modern humanity still

Ancient Celtic society was a little bit different from those of today. They were governed by a council of nobles; the king was not the law maker, but rather law applier. Their religion and believes also differ from those of today. They had a polytheistic religion which included the existence of more than one divine-being just like Greek or Norse mythology. Women were prominent in the society, they had more rights than that time Roman and Greek women did. They lived on better conditions than most of the modern world women live today. They went to fight in the battle while other society’s women looked after their children, cleaned their houses and cooked for their husbands. Ancient Celtic women did all of those things, too, except for these ones; they could own their own property, get a divorce, choose their own husband, be a judge, doctor, teacher, poet, a druid; briefly they even have chance of getting a job . Little girls were trained to fight with weapons like swords. Even in Ireland of 1940’s, women were responsible for the care of vegetables, pigs and some farmer animals, just a few of women worked outside and they lost these jobs on marriage.

In the beginning of the play Macbeth and Macduff are very similar in many aspects including rank, leadership, belief, and loyalty. But as the play unfolds, Shakespeare reveals these two characters are as different as night from day. In this essay I will compare and contrast the characters of the murderous Macbeth, and the forthright Macduff. I will consider their status within the Scottish society and the depth of their intelligence. I will also evaluate their actions and their relationships with other characters, including their families and I will discuss their degrees of ambition.

Every family has a unique background that influences the way they live and interact with other people. My parents, who emigrated from Ireland to the States with my three brothers in 1989, brought over their own Celtic folklore and traditions that have helped shaped the way our family operates and lives. One aspect of folklore that has helped shape my family dynamic is the Celtic cross—both its background and what role it has played in our lives. The Celtic cross has an extensive history in relation to Ireland, but it has a simplistic meaning in my family. The Legend of Finn MacCoul is another piece of folklore that has a different- but no less important- meaning in my family than its origins in Ireland. Although this story has been around for thousands of generations, my parents developed it into making a tradition of telling the folktale as a bedtime story. This story is interesting because there are two different versions—the more popular version and the one my father tells. Both of them promote important lessons that were fundamentals for my siblings and me. Although the Celtic cross and the Legend of Finn MacCoul have important roles in Irish history, these Celtic pieces of folklore have taken on a different meaning in my family because they have been brought over to the United States and have contributed to morals and values of my family.

In No Great Mischief, the family blood line introduced in the novel dates to the MacDonald’s, who are the most numerous of the great Scottish Highland clan. The MacDonald clan became powerful through their ability to train their men into great fighters and being frequently battle tested. The Scottish Highlanders played pivotal parts in the political up risings of Scotland's history. One of the up risings that was outlined in No Great Mischief was the massacre at Glencoe in 1692. The massacre of Glencoe as the narrator tells it was that this branch of the MacDonald clan was set upon by troops whom they had quarrelled with for two weeks under order...

Henderson, Ailsa. Hierarchies of belonging: National identity and political culture in Scotland and Quebec. McGill-Queen's Press-MQUP, 2007.

In No Great Mischief, Alistair MacLeod proves to the reader that it is impossible to talk about the Scottish-Canadian heritage without mentioning tradition, family and loyalty. MacLeod wrote this book about loyalty to family tradition. It is common to talk about these three things when one describes his family or his past in general, but in this book, MacLeod has included every single intricate detail about each one of the three aspects.