Genealogy Books

Although Scots are known to have ventured to Latin America as early as 1540 (mostly as soldiers of fortune), emigration from Scotland to Latin America only began in earnest after Spanish power in the western hemisphere began to wane. Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, demobilized soldiers and sailors, Scots among them, flocked to aid the Latin American revolutionaries in their fight for liberty from Spain. Spain's ouster removed restrictions on immigration, with the result that Scottish passengers and investors flocked to the area. As early as 1825, for example, the Norval, the Symetry, and the Harmony set sail for Argentina with Scottish bricklayers, implement makers, blacksmiths, farmers, and other skilled tradesmen.

David Dobson's latest volume on Scottish emigration is the first work to enumerate the members of this 19th-century exodus. Dobson's findings are based on primary sources in Scotland, especially documents in archives, newspapers, and cemetery transcriptions. The settlers, with annotations, are listed in alphabetical order by surname. While there is considerable variance from description to description, each entry identifies the passenger by country (and sometimes city) of origin, a date when the immigrant was known to have resided in Latin America, and the source of the information. The majority of the entries also provide one or more of the following pieces of information: occupation, age, parent(s)' name(s), place of birth in Scotland, and date of arrival in Latin America. Researchers will be interested to learn that 19th-century Scotsmen turned up in a number of Latin American countries, including Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, British Guiana, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. In identifying more than 1,500 Scots immigrants to Latin America, Mr. Dobson's latest book does not purport to be the definitive work on its subject; nonetheless, it unquestionably breaks new ground for students of immigration and Scottish genealogy.

This latest contribution from Scottish genealogist David Dobson names some 3,000 Scots who settled in the mid-Atlantic colonies prior to the Revolutionary War. In point of fact, Scottish settlement in the Middle Colonies of America dates from the early 17th century, and Mr. Dobson demonstrates that even before the establishment of English colonies in that region in the 1660s, there were a number of Scots pioneers living with the Dutch settlers of New Netherland, and probably also in the Swedish settlements along the Delaware.

Scottish immigration to the Middle Colonies was at first small scale and sporadic, with the notable exception of Quakers and Covenanters who settled in East New Jersey during the 1680s. The immigration of Highlanders to New York began in 1738, and by the year 1742 over 400 people had arrived from the island of Islay led by Captain Lauchlan Campbell. The main phase of immigration from Scotland during the colonial period actually occurred in the aftermath of the French and Indian Wars and before the outbreak of the American Revolution.

In the main, several distinct groups of immigrants made up the Scottish inflow: settlers of the Argyle Patent in New York, Covenanters and Quakers in East New Jersey, Highlanders, and a rather large and unexpected contingent of discharged soldiers. As would be expected, these new immigrants came from all over Scotland. While the Lowland Scots integrated quickly with the existing population, the Gaelic-speaking Highlanders tended to move as a group and settle along the frontier. In the Revolution of 1776, however, many of them took up arms in support of the Loyalist cause and later found it expedient to move north to Canada.

This is another volume in Dobson's indispensable regional immigration series, which includes Scots in the Mid-Atlantic States, 1783-1883, Directory of Scots in the Carolinas, Scots on the Chesapeake, Scots in Georgia and the Deep South, and Scots in New England.

It is difficult to estimate with complete accuracy the number of Scots who came to this continent after 1825 because some Irish and Continental emigrants sailed from Scottish ports while some Scots departed via England or Ireland. We do know, however, that between 1825 and 1838 over 60,000 emigrants left Scotland bound for North America; from 1840 to 1853, nearly 30,000 emigrated there; and in 1881 alone, 38,000 left for the United States and 3,000 left for Canada, mostly via Greenock. The majority of these emigrants were skilled, educated workers from urban industrial backgrounds whose expertise was in great demand in the rapidly industrializing cities of North America. David Dobson, who is perhaps best known for his many volumes pertaining to Scottish immigration to America during the colonial and early federal periods, here builds on Part One of Scots in the USA and Canada, 1825-1875 with brief sketches of 1,100 additional Scottish men and women and their families who were part of this great exodus (see also Part Three and Part Four of this series).

For the most part, Dobson's findings come from Scottish newspapers like the Aberdeen Journal, Fife Advertiser, Scottish Guardian, etc. as well as from a handful of documents in the National Archives of Scotland. The Scottish expatriates identified by the compiler are arranged alphabetically and invariably give, besides the individual's full name, place of residence (country, state/province, or city), an identifying date and the source of the information. In addition, many of the entries indicate the individual's date of birth, father's name and occupation or place of residence, spouse, or the name of the vessel upon which he or she arrived. Part Two of Scots in the USA and Canada, 1825-1875, thanks to Mr. Dobson, brings to 3,000 the number of Scottish emigrants to North America during the middle of the nineteenth century whose identities would otherwise be lost to history.

The Collins Guide to Scots Kith & Kin is packed with all the information you need to find out if you are descended from one of the Scottish clans, or a sept of a Scottish clan. It is cross-indexed so you can look up surnames easily and find out when and where the surname lived in Scotland. A large, color fold-out clan map shows where the various clans lived. The clan location on the map is also included in the surname index. Because of its accuracy and ease of use, even the best kiltmakers have it on hand as their basic reference for tartan selections. There is no better value for your money than this little guide.

This is the third volume (fourth part) in a series compiled by Mr. Dobson to identify the Lowland Scots who migrated to the Plantation of Ulster (Northern Ireland) between 1575 and 1725--many of whose progeny may have emigrated to America. As he has for the prior books, the author here relies upon primary source material housed at the National Archives in Edinburgh, especially rent rolls, estate papers, church records, and port books. Other sources consulted include the Census of Ireland (ca. 1659), Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, and the Burgess Roll of Glasgow--different primary sources from the ones that figured in the previous books. Typically, each listing provides the Scots-Irish person's name, occupation, place of residence, a date, and the source. In all, Mr. Dobson has come up with an additional 1,250 mostly Lowland Scots who re-settled in Ulster.

I bought this for my nephew that is researching his Paternal family which were Scottish

This is part of a series by David Dobson designed to identify the origins of Scottish Highlanders who traveled to America prior to the Great Highland Migration that began in the 1730s and intensified thereafter.

The events leading to the Highland exodus are worthy of mention again. Much of this emigration was directly related to a breakdown in social and economic institutions. Under the pressures of the commercial and industrial revolutions of the 17th and 18th centuries, Highland chieftains abandoned their patriarchal role in favor of becoming capitalist landlords. By raising farm rents to the breaking point, the chiefs left the social fabric of the Scottish Highlands in tatters. Accordingly, voluntary emigration by Gaelic-speaking Highlanders began in the 1730s. The social breakdown was intensified by the failure of the Jacobite cause in 1745, followed by the British military occupation and repression that occurred in the Highlands in the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden. In 1746, the British government dispatched about 1,000 Highland Jacobite prisoners of war to the colonies as indentured servants. Later, during the Seven Years War of 1756-63, many members of Highland regiments recruited in the service of the British Crown chose to settle in Canada and America rather than return to Scotland.

Once in North America, the Highlanders tended to be clannish and moved in extended family groups, unlike immigrants from the Lowlands who moved as individuals or in groups of a few families. The Gaelic-speaking Highlanders tended to settle on the North American frontier, whereas the Lowlanders merged with the English on the coast. Highlanders seem to have established "beachheads," and their kin subsequently followed. The best example of this pattern is in North Carolina, where they first arrived in 1739 and moved to the Piedmont, to be followed by others for over a century.

Highlanders from particular counties in Scotland, moreover, settled in particular areas in the colonies; for example, the earliest emigrants from Highland Perthshire were Jacobite prisoners transported to South Carolina, Maryland, and the West Indies in 1716 and 1746. The next group from Highland Perthshire were soldiers recruited for regiments, particularly the Black Watch, that fought in the French and Indian War, some of whom settled in the colonies in the aftermath. Possibly influenced by their settlement, there followed families bound from Greenock to New York aboard ships such as the Monimia and the Commerce in 1775 to settle on the frontier. Most of them tended to be Loyalists at the outbreak of the American Revolution and consequently moved to Canada.

Another factor that distinguishes research in Highland genealogy is the availability of pertinent records. Scottish genealogical research is generally based on the parish registers of the Church of Scotland, which provide information on baptism and marriage. In the Scottish Lowlands, such records can date back to the mid-16th century, but in general Highland records start much later. Americans seeking their Highland roots, therefore, face the problem that there are few, if any, church records available that predate the American Revolution. In the absence of Church of Scotland records, the researcher must turn to a miscellany of other records, such as court records, estate papers, sasines, gravestone inscriptions, burgess rolls, port books, services of heirs, wills and testaments, and especially rent rolls. (Some rent rolls even predate parish registers.)

Mr. Dobson's series, therefore, is designed to identify the kinds of material that is available in the absence of parish registers and to supplement the church registers when they are available. Scottish Highlanders on the Eve the Great Migration, 1725-1775: The People of Highland Perthshire, is the second volume in the series, and as such it deals with the location from whence some of the Jacobite transportees of 1746 and most of the pioneer emigrants who sailed on the Commerce to New York in 1775 originated. While the present volume is not a comprehensive directory of all the people of Perthshire during the mid-18th century, it does pull together references on more than 1,200 18th-century inhabitants. Coverage extends to all regions within Perthshire. In all cases, Mr. Dobson gives each Highlander's name, a place within Perthshire (birth, residence, employment, etc.), a date, and the source. In some cases, we also learn the identities of relatives, the individual's employment, vessel traveled on, and so forth.

Scottish Highlanders on the Eve of the Great Migration 1725-1775: The People of Argyll is a straightforward listing of names and what few facts are known about the Scottish people of the county of Argyll, a location from which many pioneer emigrants came and later settled in colonial North Carolina, upper New York, Jamaica, and the Canadian Maritimes. A dry genealogical reference, Scottish Highlanders on the Eve of the Great Migration 1725- 1775 lists individual names, known relations, occupations, and parishes, and similar highly condensed information. A solid reference for amateur or professional genealogists tracing family lines.

This is part of a series by David Dobson designed to identify the origins of Scottish Highlanders who traveled to America prior to the Great Highland Migration that began in the 1730s and intensified thereafter.

The events leading to the Highland exodus are worthy of mention again. Much of this emigration was directly related to a breakdown in social and economic institutions. Under the pressures of the commercial and industrial revolutions of the 17th and 18th centuries, Highland chieftains abandoned their patriarchal role in favor of becoming capitalist landlords. By raising farm rents to the breaking point, the chiefs left the social fabric of the Scottish Highlands in tatters. Accordingly, voluntary emigration by Gaelic-speaking Highlanders began in the 1730s. The social breakdown was intensified by the failure of the Jacobite cause in 1745, followed by the British military occupation and repression that occurred in the Highlands in the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden. In 1746, the British government dispatched about 1,000 Highland Jacobite prisoners of war to the colonies as indentured servants. Later, during the Seven Years War of 1756-63, many members of Highland regiments recruited in the service of the British Crown chose to settle in Canada and America rather than return to Scotland.

Once in North America, the Highlanders tended to be clannish and moved in extended family groups, unlike immigrants from the Lowlands who moved as individuals or in groups of a few families. The Gaelic-speaking Highlanders tended to settle on the North American frontier, whereas the Lowlanders merged with the English on the coast. Highlanders seem to have established "beachheads," and their kin subsequently followed. The best example of this pattern is in North Carolina, where they first arrived in 1739 and moved to the Piedmont, to be followed by others for over a century.

Highlanders from particular counties in Scotland, moreover, settled in particular areas in the colonies; for example, the earliest emigrants from Highland Perthshire were Jacobite prisoners transported to South Carolina, Maryland, and the West Indies in 1716 and 1746. The next group from Highland Perthshire were soldiers recruited for regiments, particularly the Black Watch, that fought in the French and Indian War, some of whom settled in the colonies in the aftermath. Possibly influenced by their settlement, there followed families bound from Greenock to New York aboard ships such as the Monimia and the Commerce in 1775 to settle on the frontier. Most of them tended to be Loyalists at the outbreak of the American Revolution and consequently moved to Canada.

Another factor that distinguishes research in Highland genealogy is the availability of pertinent records. Scottish genealogical research is generally based on the parish registers of the Church of Scotland, which provide information on baptism and marriage. In the Scottish Lowlands, such records can date back to the mid-16th century, but in general Highland records start much later. Americans seeking their Highland roots, therefore, face the problem that there are few, if any, church records available that predate the American Revolution. In the absence of Church of Scotland records, the researcher must turn to a miscellany of other records, such as court records, estate papers, sasines, gravestone inscriptions, burgess rolls, port books, services of heirs, wills and testaments, and especially rent rolls. (Some rent rolls even predate parish registers.)

Mr. Dobson's series, therefore, is designed to identify the kinds of material that is available in the absence of parish registers and to supplement the church registers when they are available. Scottish Highlanders on the Eve the Great Migration, 1725-1775: The People of Highland Perthshire, is the second volume in the series, and as such it deals with the location from whence some of the Jacobite transportees of 1746 and most of the pioneer emigrants who sailed on the Commerce to New York in 1775 originated. While the present volume is not a comprehensive directory of all the people of Perthshire during the mid-18th century, it does pull together references on more than 1,200 18th-century inhabitants. Coverage extends to all regions within Perthshire. In all cases, Mr. Dobson gives each Highlander's name, a place within Perthshire (birth, residence, employment, etc.), a date, and the source. In some cases, we also learn the identities of relatives, the individual's employment, vessel traveled on, and so forth.

See also the first volume in this series, The People of Argyll and the third volume in the series, The People of Inverness-shire.

An outstanding book which takes up with more advanced ideas and techniques where their previous "Welsh Family History : A Guide to Research" left off. The book's chapters are on various subjects and have been contributed by the instructors of University of Wales, Aberystwyth courses on family history research in Wales. Topics such as religion, industrialization, and surnames are all dealt with from a genealogical research point-of-view. This is one of those books which you stay up late reading and mark up heavily with Post It notes for later reference. I've long been a fan of the Rowlands and their work such as their book "The Surnames of Wales".