Very Angry with nephew.

[Lallans]

I don't want to deviate the thread so soon in its existance but have to jump in and point out that The "English King" just referred to was a descendant of James VI and I and therefore as Scottish as he was English- even if he was German. And I have the historical accounts to show that the clans went out and found or purchased tartans of their own with no help or input from the King.

[scoutman77]

Ok, still learning here.

[macwilkin]

Am I wrong in my understanding that Tartans were assigned by the English king? My family doesn't have a Tartan, (although one has been registered a few years ago and I don't like that one anyway). If they did wear one, it has been suggested that it was someone elses. And an honorable discharge from the military here is subjective, I got an honorable discharge, but for a broken back not for retirement or time served.

Yes.

No. See:

http://www.albanach.org/sources.htm

Matt's article is a good place to begin for scholarly and reliable information on this subject.

T.

[Ryan Ross]

I honestly do feel that an immature attitude is present in several points made by the OP.

Inchessi, if what your nephew did in selecting a tartan associated with a name in his mother's line was really such a serious offence, I'm sure the Tartan Police would have already clapped him in irons.

[Lyle1]

Getting back to the original question, why don't you make copies of your genealogical documents and give them to any family member that expresses an interest. Electronic media is very popular, and scanning usually results in a better copy than photocopying and lasts longer, too. Even assuming that the niece or nephew who is likely to receive an honorable is at all interested, the information contained in the documents is more likely to outlive you if it is stored in more than one place.

As to the nephew' choice of tartans, that is his business, not yours, particularly since you are his uncle, not his father. Most importantly, are tartans and copies of copies of documents really worth being nasty to a member of your family?

[Tobus]

No. See:

http://www.albanach.org/sources.htm

Matt's article is a good place to begin for scholarly and reliable information on this subject.

T.

I'm confused by your response. He asked if he was wrong in his understanding of king-assigned tartans. I said yes (meaning yes, he was incorrect). You said no. Then you pointed to a source that shows that indeed his understanding was wrong.

Did you mean to say yes, or no?

[Chas]

It strikes me that there is some issue between your nephew and his parents, mainly his father (your brother). This being the case, I would advise taking a step back from the tartan issue and let them sort it out between themselves. Nothing is to be gained by other family members, outside the immediate family getting involved. It will only exacerbate the situation and family wounds can last for years.

As to family records, photocopies should be available to all family members.

Regards

Chas

[Ryan Ross]

I'm confused by your response. He asked if he was wrong in his understanding of king-assigned tartans. I said yes (meaning yes, he was incorrect). You said no. Then you pointed to a source that shows that indeed his understanding was wrong.

Did you mean to say yes, or no?

I was confused along the very same lines as you, I'm afraid.

As to family records, photocopies should be available to all family members.

Absolutely.

[Cygnus]

I understand where Inchessi is coming from - he has strong family traditions of which he is very proud, and he wants those traditions to continue. I understand his desire to keep original military documents in the hands of persons with military experience and (hopefully) respect for those sorts of things.

However, I also understand his nephew. The military isn't for everyone (me included) - my grandfather was a military man and served in WWII and Korea, but I know military service would be absolute misery for me. I am hugely interested in my family history, and I am the only one in my family that has any interest in the stories behind the people in the family tree. If I had expressed interest in learning more about a branch of my family tree but was denied that because of a conflict of personality (either with the person holding the records, military service, or both), I would probably drop it and focus all of my attention on another branch in a very un-military fashion. It seems to me this is what Inchessi's nephew did; rather than be confrontational, he decided to explore and embrace an avenue with less resistance.

As far as I can see it, there are two equally valid options:

Hang onto the records to show how very much you want family tradition to be upheld (and I wouldn't blame you at all).
OR
Provide copies of the records in question to your nephew and hope that he'll come to embrace some of the traditions of your side of the family.

I would be a bit concerned that some generation in the future won't have anybody in the service and that those very important documents will be lost, so I would at least give copies out to those you trust to treat them with respect.

Good luck with everything!

[Dale Seago]

I'm having difficulty following the OP's train of thought here. There appear to be two issues: The nephew's use of a "clan tartan", and acquisition of records pertaining to a family's military traditions and history. I don't see what the relationship is between the two, or why it should matter which tartan the nephew chooses to wear.

This results in the tone of the poster coming across not so much "Proud" as priggish. Perhaps some further clarification could be provided?