Scottish Immigrants, What Is YOUR Tartan?

JPK Huson 1863

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
Feb 14, 2012
Location
Central Pennsylvania
Been slowly collecting pics of Scots and Scottish immigrants- a good chunk of the gene pool is Scottish, my grgrandmother remembered speaking Gaelic around the house in Prince Edward Island. The names there are Stuart and Buchanon- wish you could tell which tartans are which. Yes- tartans ARE ' real' despite their Americanization.

As a matter of fact, what is yours?

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My husband has been trying to trace his Scottish ancestry, and the tartan. His Scots family name is Hullihen, which the Irish part pronounces Hool-i-han. The Scots pronounce it Hully-en.

These pics are really fascinating. :thumbsup:
 
My husband has been trying to trace his Scottish ancestry, and the tartan. His Scots family name is Hullihen, which the Irish part pronounces Hool-i-han. The Scots pronounce it Hully-en.

These pics are really fascinating. :thumbsup:

I'll look for it, Diane! Mom would know- she has the old books, pre- Americanization, kitchy- in point of fact, I know the first tartan I posted is the Royal Stewart and she'll take my head off if it's not the right one. So shshhhh. These Scots- little scary. I have the MOST uncomfortable torture chamber known to man, a poncho woven from black sheep, circa Isle of Skye- from before the Stewart/Stuarts came over here, or to Nova Scotia, let's see- my grgrgrgrgrandparents came there? ( name change was an awfully long story ). They did sheep for centuries. Also have the spinning wheel, what's left of it. Just so old it's kind of leaving the planet piece by piece all by itself. After making it to NS, the Scots tended to remained insular, so it's not tough to look into records- and it's like that for a few more generations.
 
Great pics, JPK. A visit to Prince Edward Island was one of our favorite trips ever.Lots of very sweet people.
 
Two Scots - Irish Surnames that are big in my family, the one is my Surname Martin
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Hunting Version of Martin
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Other big Family is McClelland

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Yes, the tartan-plaids being distinctive per clan is ' new' if one is ok with early 1800's being new- but the garment was this massive piece of woven cloth which was worn wound around the body It served as garment, protection, and traveling house- ever been up on the moors where you swear every, single gust of wind knew exactly where it could cause the most discomfort? Scotland is NORTH of all that, times 8. Little chilly, boggy is spots- you required a veritable Winnebago of a garment to go anywhere, much less drive sheep to market many miles from home.

And it was still a far cry from the cutsie stuff it became later ( although I'll defend that, too ), although there's no definitive answer on how the kilt became short. A few different stories, all told with authority AND sources so I don't personally know which is which. Scottish clans were still pretty fearsome entities in the early 1800's, I can see where having ' colors' would have caught on like a smouldering bog. And like the Irish when they made their way to America- I do not see a thing ' wrong' with celebrating one's heritage- no matter how many little twists and turns various legends ( not to mention gene pools ) have taken through the years.

Ever try to keep trimming your hedge, in front of your house so it's the same shape, remains the in the same place as when you planted it? Every year, lop off and trim, keep it contained, ensure nothing spreads to look untidy? You can't. Its' a living thing not a decoration- they die.( have a wealthy friend who did exactly this with some expensive, rare bush- then complained to the nursery owner when it died after a few years ).You can't KEEP nationalities the same, transplanted into new soil, the new country- the DO spread and grow out of enthusiasm, for one, and spreading OUT because all of a sudden there's room for the branches to reach for sunlight. Purists are just, plain wrong, is the thing- even the ones left in the Old Countries. I think the Irish and Scots back across the pond should get a HUGE kick out of their cousins over here, what happens ( like I told Pat earlier ) when the Irish, for instance, were able to be FREE, employ their magic- like dropping a Mentos in a bottle of hi-octane Coke.

Sorry for the pithy little lecture- just love this stuff, fell free to tell me to shush, already.
 
On the list I made of my ten favorite nonfiction books, I placed How the Scots Invented the Modern World by Arthur Hermann. If you're of Scottish descent, reading that book will give you more pride than most beautiful tartan ever made.
I've had this old print of an 1893 painting in my office for many years. It's titled "Meeting of Burns and Scott, Sciennes House, Edinburgh", and depicts the only meeting between Robert Burns and young Walter Scott in 1787. I've always liked it because it represents the near high point of the Scottish Enlightenment, when late 18th century Edinburgh was an intellectual and scientific hotbed of the western world. Depicted in the painting are Adam Ferguson, Robert Burns, Walter Scott, Dugald Stewart, Joseph Black, MD, Adam Smith, John Home, and James Hutton.

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