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Skeleton is
found by Teresa Taylor, Inez Steed, Paula R. Gunnels and Ted Kelly!
Great prizes go to those who seek the boney person! Ms. Teresa Taylor of
Seattle, Washington, has won the tartan dog collar from Bonbright Woolens.
She is a Henderson, so soon her dog will be fashionably attired in
Henderson glory!. Mrs. Inez Steed of Artesia, New Mexico has won Scotland
Remembers the Alamo, a CD by Carl Peterson. The premium quality haggis
from Caledonian Kitchen goes to Ted Kelly of Gray Court, South Carolina.
From North Little Rock, Arkansas, Paula R. Gunnels gets the Celtic Goodies
from German Hill Farms. Subscriptions to Reunions Magazine go to Dr.
Thomas Kimes of Corpus Christi, Texas, Mrs. Lois Mann of Knife River,
Minnesota, Diane Black of Gearhart, Oregon, Evelyn Ross Hill of St. Marys,
Georgia, Mrs. Dorothy E. Millen of Vincent, Ohio, Mae Knight of Park
Forest, Illinois, Richard C. Hill of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Marva Ogle of
Howell, Michigan, Kay Fioreatino of Merritt Island, Florida and Mr. Carl
H. McCourtney of Gardiner, Maine.
How does one
hunt a skeleton?
Skeleton hunting is the easiest sport since Remote Control Racing. All
you have to do is search these pages for our little guy who is running
from his closet. Last time, he was in the Southwest Georgia Bank ad, page
24B! When you find him, you just send a pretty postcard to us with your
name, address and Clan affiliation (in case you win the tartan dog
collar). Send the location in The Family Tree where you espied the
elusive little guy.
Mail your
postcard to: Skeleton, PO Box 2828, Moultrie, GA 31776-2828.
Why would one
want to hunt a skeleton?
Some beginning genealogists fear finding "a skeleton" in their
genealogical closet. We just take the scary out of it...and let you find
him right away. In truth, everybody except Mrs. MacLeod, has not only
skeletons, but black sheep, n'er-do-wells, horse thieves and worse in
their family history. If you don't think so, just think about how we have
over 1,400,000 direct ancestors by the time we only go back 20
generations! It's just not possible for everyone to be a lace encrusted
aristocrat! We also have some really nice prizes at the end of this
hunt...and you don't have to wear bulky clothes and rubber boots or get up
before dawn.
Great prizes
next time
Next time, we have a very nice array of goodies! One fortunate hunter
will receive a Competitors Gift Portfolio from D. Bruce Bennett Celtic
Art! (This is a really lovely prize! There are three Competitors prints
bound in a dark green, heavy cover stock wrapper, with a vertical,
metallic gold strip of paper around it.) Another very lucky skeleton
hunter will win an unmatted and unframed Columba Hotel Flowers color
print from D. Bruce Bennett Celtic Art. Please visit
www.bennettcelticart.com to see samples of Mr. Bennett's work! You'll
get started hunting the boney fella right away when you see the beautiful
things he creates! We'll have another tartan dog collar from our friends
at Bonbright Woolens. (Be sure and include our favorite tartan on your
Skeleton hunt postcard!) Carl Peterson has been kind enough to let us give
away another one of his Scotland Remembers the Alamo CDs. Ten hunters will
receive subscriptions to Edith Wagner's most interesting reunions
magazine! And, as a special treat, we'll be able to award a package of the
famous and delicious Caledonian Kitchen Haggis to one of our hungry
hunters! So, intrepid hunters...now is the time to find the boney guy.
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
Enclosed is a clipping from a recent Family Tree warning about film damage
in checked through luggage. This article refers to information in 1999
issues of Popular Photography Magazine. The photocopies enclosed are from
the more recent 2002 August issue of the same publication (For a copy of
the article referred to please send a SASE to Film Travel Tips, The Family
Tree, PO Box 2828, Moultrie, GA 31776-2828.
There are several
points worth noting about film transportation in this article. The use of
lead containers to protect film is defeated by the increase in power by
the X-ray machines to penetrate the lead. Film (without lead shield) with
ISO of 1000 or lower passes unharmed through the security conveyor belts
for X-ray scanning whether once or twenty times (this has been confirmed
by the International Imaging Industry Association. Moreover no reports of
damage have been reported for ISO 1600. The bottom line is that exposed
film of genealogical importance whether of documents, tombstones, family
pictures, landscapes, etc. can be transported safely through airport
security systems in hand-carried luggage.
Sincerely, William K. Elwood, 755 Bravington Way, Lexington, KY 40503.
A new language emerges in the United Kingdom
When someone mentions the word Celtic, what do you think of in terms of
geographic places? Most will say Ireland or Scotland. Actually there are
seven Celtic nations today harboring the remnants and ancestors of the
once mighty Celtic race. At their peak the Celts dominated most of
Europe (except for Scandinavian) and countries as far east as modern-day
Turkey. In addition to Scotland and Ireland, there is the Isle of Man,
Wales, Cornwall in Southwest England, Brittany in Northwest France, and
Galicia in Northwest Spain. The language in each "nation" is a form a
Gaelic, somewhat archaic and removed from the typical Gaelic of Scotland
and Ireland. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of ancient
Celtic tongue around the British Isles. Based on the research, Britain is
about to get a new official language. It dates back to the 9th century
and is hundreds of years older than Modern English. What language am I
referring to? Cornish. Don't hold your breath if you are expecting
bilingual road signs around Southwest England, as is the case in Wales.
Rather, public bodies will have to protect and promote the use of
Cornish. It will be illegal for them to discriminate against Cornish
speakers and they will have a duty not to suppress the language. Its new
status is not yet official but St. Ives MP Andrew George says he has been
given the governmental nod and an announcement is forthcoming.
Thanks to The Palmetto and Thistle, PO Box 3325, Melbourne, FL 32902-3325.
Did you know?
True or false? The New York Yankees baseball team were originally known
as the Highlanders.
Answer: True. Hilltop Park, their first stadium, was built on one of
Manhattan's highest points.
Thanks to The Palmetto and Thistle, PO Box 3325, Melbourne, FL 32902-3325.
What letter is it?
One of the strangest letters is------which is actually a capital C. A
misreading of it lead to a controversy as to whether John Durant's wife
was Sarah Jooke or Sarah Tooke. Although the initial letter of her
surname in the 1684 marriage record did resemble both J and T it was
nonetheless C; her name was Sarah Cooke. Such misreading of records are
obviously disastrous to research.
Other early letter forms included: There is a chart with this!
Certain letters were formerly used interchangeably: i and j, i and y, and
u and v. Others could be easily confused: a and o, e and i, e and o, L
and S, and m and n. Whole words like seventy and twenty were often look a
likes. Numerals, too, resembled each other in certain forms, especially
the 1 and the 7.
Thanks to the Fairfield Genealogy Society Newsletter, Pampa, Texas.
Eleven days that disappeared
In 1752, everyone in the British Empire (including the colonies that would
soon become the United States) went to bed on September 2nd and woke up on
September 14th. September 2, 1752 was the day the British government set
to change the calendar that had been wrong since the time of Julius
Caesar.
In 46 B.C.,
Caesar's chief astronomer determined that there were exactly 365 1/4 days
each year. Caesar then devised a calendar of 12 months totaling 365 days
and, to take care of the 1/4 day, he invented the leap year which added an
extra day every four years. The problem was that the earth does not take
exactly 365.25 days to orbit the sun but rather 365.2422 days. After
several centuries, the calendar was seriously out of whack. Pope Gregory
XIII devised a correction in 1582 that solved the problem for most
Catholic countries, but the British refused to adopt the Gregorian
calendar for another 170 years by which time the deviation amounted to 11
days.
Those 11 days
vanished when the British Calendar Act decreed that September 2, 1752
would be followed by September 14, 1752. It appears there was rioting in
the streets by those who felt they had been cheated of 11 days. But the
earth continued orbiting around the sun just the same.
Adapted from an article by William Russell, Ed.D. in the Sacramento Bee,
September 1, 1990.
RICHARD MORRISEY (1793 - 1866) was born where? Arrival in Boston,
Mass., 23 December, 1823, craft George and Henry. Wedded JOHANNA HOLLAHAN
August, 1825 St. John, N.B., Canada. Also, MARTHA BAGLEY 1847, Clinton,
Maine! Constructed Holy Cross Cemetery, (Halifax, N.S., Canada) there
buried. RICHARD MORRISEY (1856 - 1929) wed MARGARET MANSFIELD, Canada.
Contact Richard Morrissey, 28656 Murrieta, Sun City, CA 92586.
The cup that cheers
Duncan Forbes of Culloden called it a "vile drug" and a "contemptible
beverage." The ministers of the Kirk were worried that it would corrupt
the morals of the poor. Doctors alleged that it caused tremblings and
shakings of the head and hands and nervous diseases. Of what were they
all talking?
TEA!
It's as much a
part of Scottish life now as whisky, but when it was first introduced it
was extremely expensive, exotic and a slightly dangerous drink. The
Scottish Establishment's objections to it made it the object of desire in
the early 1700s, particularly with women. The afternoon break was then
taken at four o'clock, and Scottish ladies would invite their friends to
take "the four hours" with them. They sat in the best bed chamber -
parlors being a much later innovation - and drank the fancy foreign drink
out of china cups, sweetening it with honey. Scotland being known as "the
land of cakes," they ate "teabread,", (fancy baking), as well.
Tea was hideously
expensive, costing four times as much as coffee beans. Much of this cost
was tax, introduced to protect Scottish brewers. The every day drink at
the time was ale, drunk by everyone at all times of the day, usually
warmed up for breakfast in the winter. Scotland's smugglers were quick to
see the opportunity offered by tea and the coasts of Ayrshire and East
Lothian quickly became busy. Although smuggling seems very romantic at a
distance, there was a great deal of violence associated with it and people
became concerned at its escalation to satisfy the taste for tea.
Times changed.
Tea came down in price, and became what is it is now, one of Scotland's
national drinks. The legendary Miss Cranston must take a great deal of
credit for that. By the end of the 19th century, Glasgow had become a
great center for the sale of tea. One of the tea merchants was a young man
named Stuart Cranston. He was very interested in blending different teas
and became known as the "Wizard of the Leaf." He decided that he would
sell more tea if he offered tastings of different blends at two pence per
cup. His sister Kate took up the idea and ran with it.
Miss Cranston
built up an empire of tea rooms in the city. Men had always been able to
meet their friends in pubs. Now women had someplace to go too. Tea at
Miss Cranston's became a Glasgow institution and is still enjoyed today at
Miss Cranston's Willow Tearooms. Glasgow was also the birthplace of Sir
Thomas Lipton who prospered and built up a fleet of 500 ships. His name
is still synonymous with tea in continental Europe. He had the water of
major cities in the British Isles analyzed so that the right blend could
be made for each place, corresponding to the different taste of the water.
A vile drug? Not
any more. It is definitely the cup that cheers. Duncan Forbes didn't
know what he was missing!
Thanks to Maggie Craig, Celtic Heritage, via The Bagpiper, PO Box 1364,
Easton, MD 21601-1364.
Jack Kelso Curry, 66, of Irving, formerly of Denton, died Tuesday,
August 6, 2002, at Baylor Medical Center in Irving. He was born September
4, 1935 in Milam County to O.J. and Mary Kelso Curry. On August 16, 1958
he married Louise Davis in Denton. He graduated from Denton High School,
the University of North Texas and Southern Methodist University Law
School. Mr. Curry practiced law for more than 20 years in Irving. He was
active in amateur theater, commercials and movies in the Dallas and Irving
areas. He will be missed by family and friends.
Herbert Earle Blackstock, 91, a farmer, died Monday, September 16,
2002, in Abilene, Texas. Herbert Blackstock was born April 15, 1911, in
Johnson County. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge No. 1114 in Fort
Worth and was a highly-decorated retired Air Force major. His friend and
family will miss him.
The Caledonain Society of Mississippi was saddened to learn of the
death of Sherwood Willing Wise on October 15, 2002. Sherwood and Tay have
been long time members of the Society and great supporters of the
Society's various efforts. He was involved in the Society, had a
distinguished academic career, worked for civil rights, had an exemplary
professional career, was involved in the community and his church, his
life has been on of service. On behalf of the Caledonian Society, sincere
condolences are offered to Tay and the rest of his family.
Seek birthplace of MALCOM MORRISON b. 1772 Scotland, d. 1852
Alabama. Was he born on the Isle of Skye? Was his father NORMAN
MORRISON? Ms. Claire Dixon, 120 Oakridge Dr., Warner Robins, GA
31093-2143.
MALCOM MORRISON b. 1772 Scotland, d. 1852 Alabama, married
ELIZABETH WILLIAMS. Was he the MALCOM MORRISON in Richmond Co., North
Carolina, 1812, as emigrated to America in 1802 (Scots in Carolinas, David
Dobson 1986)?? Dobson States he was naturalized 20 September 1813
Richmond Co. North Carolina. Where is record of naturalization? Ms.
Claire Dixon, 120 Oakridge Dr., Warner Robins, GA 31093-2143.
The South Central Clan MacLeod Piping Scholarship awarded to Jeremy
Freeman & Jeffrey Chapman.
The South Central Region of Clan MacLeod Society, USA, Inc., presented its
11th and 12th Piping Scholarship to the St. Thomas Episcopal School in
Houston, Texas, on October 17, 2002. The recipients of these awards were
Jeremy Freeman and Jeffrey Chapman.
The original
scholarship at St. Thomas Episcopal School was established by the late
Harry M. McLeod and his wife Gloria, through the Dunvegan Foundation, the
charitable arms of Clan MacLeod Society. In 2001, the South Central
Region donated funds to establish a second piping scholarship and a dance
scholarship at St. Thomas Episcopal School through the Dunvegan
Foundation.
Jeremy Freeman
was the winner of the first scholarship in 1993. He graduated from St.
Thomas, attended Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas, where he was in the
award winning Lyon College Pipe Band. Jeremy received his degree and
returned to St. Thomas to teach. Jeremy was the deserving 11th winner of
the 2002 South Central Clan MacLeod Scholarship. In the summer of 2002,
Jeremy competed in the U.S. Piping Foundation competition in Newark,
Maryland, where he won 1st place in piobaireachd and 4th in march,
strathspey and reel. Jeremy also competed at the Nicol-Brown Invitational
Amateur Competition in Hartford, Connecticut, where he won 1st place in
piobaireachd, 2nd in march, strathspey and reel, and 3rd in 6/8 marches.
He topped off the summer by competing in the Newton-More Highland Games in
Scotland where he won 2nd in the jigs and 4th in piobaireachd, strathspey
and reel.
Jeffrey Chapman
was the 12th winner of the 2002 South Central Clan MacLeod Society
scholarship. Jeffery is in the 9th grade at St. Thomas and is working
hard to become a participant in the World Championships in Glasgow where
the band travels to the competition in Glasgow again. The St. Thomas Pipe
Band under the direction of Michael Cusack has been a consistent winner in
this competition for several years.
The Clan MacLeod Society is honored to be associated with St. Thomas
Episcopal School and their outstanding dance and piping program.
The Harry M. McLeod Dance Scholarship awarded to Cumagun and Baras
The South Central Region of the Clan MacLeod Society, USA, Inc., through
their charitable arm, the Dunvegan Foundation, awarded their third annual
Harry M. McLeod Dance Scholarship at St. Thomas Episcopal School, Houston,
to Carla Gardner on October 17, 2002. This scholarship was established in
2000 to honor the late Harry M. McLeod, Past Regional Vice President of
the South Central Region. The previous award winners were Michelle
Cumagun and Katherine Baras.
Carla Gardner is
in the 7th grade at St. Thomas Episcopal School and lives in Ballaire,
Texas. She has had a very successful year in 2002, traveling to many
competitions all over the U.S. In these she either won the Championship
or was in the top 3 with competitors from all over the U.S. and Canada. In
April she won the 13 and under Championship at the Loch Norman Highland
Games in North Carolina. In May she was 2nd Runner Up at the Alma
Highland Games in Michigan, then at the U.S. Championship in August in
Denver, she won the 13 and Under age group with a First in the Sword,
Seann Truibhas, and Strathspey and Highland Reel, and a Second in the
Highland Fling. Carla competed at three major Championships in Scotland
where she returned home with 10 medals and a trophy.
The Clan MacLeod Society is proud to add the Harry M. McLeod Dance
Scholarship to Carla's other accomplishments.
More of ...Was your grandpa a "howdie" or a "leerie"?
Here are a few more old trades and occupations defined. Collier was a
coal miner, coal merchant, or one who works on a coal barges. A couper is
one who buys and sells; and could also be cooper or cuper, a barrel maker.
A cutler is a knife seller or sharpener. A fermourer was a farmer. A
litster was a dyer. Brewers were called maltman. The maker of shears or
scissors, a shearsmith, was called a scheirsmyth. A wobster was a
weaver. Also sometimes seen, is whitesmith (tinsmith) written as
whiteironsmith or whyteironsmith.
Thanks to Loretta Layman, 20 Persimmon Trail, Carroll Valley,
Pennsylvania.
William G.A. Shaw new Clan Shaw Armiger
On May 1, 2002, William G. A. Shaw of Issaquah, Washington was granted the
Name, Arms and Territorial Designation as the Representor of the House of
Shaw of Easter Lair by H. M. Court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms for
Scotland. Mr. Shaw inherits the title and arms as the Tanist of his
uncle, the late William Iain Gordon Shaw of Easter Lair and is the twelfth
of his line.
The Shaws of
Easter Lair are the senior armigerous family of the Shaws of Crathienaird,
a branch of the Scottish Highland Clan Shaw that settled in the Balmoral
area of Aberdeenshire at Crathienaird in 1633. In 1710 most of the clan
had emigrated en masse to the Glen Shee and Glen Isla area of Perthshire.
Clan Shaw is also a part of the great Clan Chattan, an ancient tribal and
military confederacy that lasted from 1291 to 1746.
This Clan Shaw
branch fought with the Jocobites uprising in 1715 and 1745 against the
Hanoverian government of both King George I and II. Emigrating from
Scotland to Canada in 1910 and to the Pacific Northwest of the USA a few
years later, the Shaw of Easter Lair family continues to maintain their
Celtic and Scottish Highland culture, history, traditions and links to
their clan lands of old.
Aside from tribal
duties as a gentleman of his Clan and now head of his Territorial House,
William Shaw of Easter Lair was appointed by John Charles Shaw of
Tordarroch, 22nd Chief of the worldwide Highland Clan, Family and Name of
Shaw as the Seannachaid or principal Bard, Poet and Historian in 1995.
Mr. Shaw is the GGG grandson of the Reverend William G. Shaw, Minister of
Forfar, who also served as Seannachaidh, 1860-1874.
Thanks to The Clan Shaw Society Newsletter, 1583 Huntington Dr. NW,
Marietta, GA 30066-5932.
Interested in Florida pioneers?
The Florida Pioneer Index is now online at Florida State Genealogical
Society's website:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~flsgs/pioneers/2001index.html. It lists all
recipients of a Florida Pioneer Certificate from 1979 - 2001. Each
Florida Pioneer who has been verified is listed by name along with the
name of the descendant who received the certificate, the year awarded, the
certificate number, and the FHL (Family History Library in Salt Lake City)
film number.
Thanks to The Heritage, PO Box 162905, Miami, FL 33116-2905.
Now you can buy yummy haggis at The Family Tree office in Moultrie!
Now, when you visit The Odom Library in Moultrie you may also purchase
some of the delicious Haggis made by Jim Walters and the Caledonian
Kitchen! You'll find a display just outside of Beth's office...and a good
supply of The Caledonian Kitchen's outstanding haggis just waiting for
you. At just $9.99 for three cans in a handsome box it's just right for
any Scottish gifting occasion or for just snacking at your own home!
Caledonian
Kitchen has also made an offer that will help The Family Tree! When you
visit their website
http://www.caledoniankitchen.com and order haggis and mention The
Family Tree, that earns our little paper $1.00 for each box o' haggis
purchased.
Thanks to Jim and The Caledonian Kitchen!
Matau book presented
in memory of Dennis Garland Matau
Helen M. Powell, PO Box 068, Teaticket, MA 02536-2068 has donated, in
loving memory of her brother, Dennis Garland Matau, a copy of her book,
Matau Family and Related Lineages, with a Brief History of Romania 82 BC
to 1990 AD to The Odom Library in Moultrie. The book is hardcover, 291
pages, printed on acid-free paper with an appendix, bibliography and
index. It was typewritten by the compiler. Regular price is $39 which
includes shipping. Please send check or US Postal Money Order. Please be
sure and print name and address.
The book includes Mataus in
Indiana, Massachusetts and Washington State. There are also Matau -Powell
family photos. The Powell family came in the 19th century from Wales. In
the book you'll find information on the families Newman, Elmore, Gibson,
Huffman, Carson - from Virginia and Missouri. You'll find the Trest and
Ulmer families from South Carolina and Mississippi. If you would like to
order a copy of the book, contact Mrs. Powell at the above address. |
