Identity in the Scottish Diaspora

[Reiver]

As best I can...

"In America and Canada hyphenating citizenship and a selected ancestor's place of birth is frequently, but not always, the norm. That's combining heritage and citizenship; I understand the fact but not yet the reason."

I hardly know anyone that hyphenates in this manor...actually, no one personally unless you were discussing their origins and they would say......Oh, Italian roots but not Italian American.

"The question that I asked earlier is why? What's the difference that makes this the way in the new land of North America and not in the new land of Scotland?"

One would have to live both places and know them intimately to know both sides of that story.

"I have heard that America is a big land and that's the reason. That would seem to me to be saying that a move from Florida to California five generations ago results in the hyphenated Floridian-Californian. I don't know; does it?"

Yes, generally. I'm simply an American but when we talk locally even tho I live in Arizona it is common to say 'but born raised in Indiana'....

"Is it a need for deeper roots than those to be found in NA after even as many as five or ten generations? If so, why is the selected ancestry Scottish and not another of the myriad genealogical lines?"

Name mostly...most here have a Scots name and, as my cousin David (the genealogist in the family ) had his DNA done his pathway led from Africa (as we all do) to the northern portion of the British Isles by DNA markers. The pathway indicated across Eurasia was thousands of years ago.....he had it done by the National Geographic Genome experiment and a private firm and they both had the same results. Finally, many know the name of the individual that first came to the Colony/US....in our case Jerome Scott but I'll not bore you with the details.

"Is it an admiration for earlier times in Scotland? An admiration for the Scotland of today? A feeling of spiritual connection and, if so, with what aspect of 'Scottishness'?"

It is simply where they came from and I enjoy the history of the whole deal. However, I do have an admiration for those living/surviving on the borders thru to the 1600's...they had to be stalwart people and that tenacity didn't hurt any when they came to the Colonies. So, yes, a certain admiration. Perhaps they still are