Help with clan sept

[Steve Ashton]

One of the hardest myths to dispel is the one - That if your people came from Scotland, you have a Clan affiliation.

The truth is a little less romantic. The Clan system was a Highland thing. The Highlands of Scotland are in the North and West of the country. Most of the East Coast and from the town of Stirling south are the Lowlands. Most of the population centers are in the Lowlands and the vast majority of Scots are not part of the Clan system, and/or do not have a Highland Clan affiliation.

You can be 100% Scottish, born and raised in Scotland and not be part of a Highland Clan.

The whole idea of Septs today is a recent idea. In truth each Clan Chief may accept, or not, those names or people who can be considered under his or her Clan. There is no single 'Official' Sept list.

The only way to know for sure would be to do your genealogy. This is not something that is done by typing your last name into a computer. It is a paper chase. Establishing a trail of birth certificates, marriage licenses, tax records and any other piece of paper in an unbroken trail from you back to your ancestors.

All of this is made harder by changes in names and changes in spelling of names. You have to remember that prior to very recent times most people did not read and write. Names were spelled phonetically.

And people move around. More so since the Industrial Revolution.

Some people spend a lifetime searching their ancestry. It is a rewarding, and very surprising at times, hobby. One of the best sources of help with compiling your genealogy may be the records held by the Mormons.