Quote Originally Posted by Joshua View Post
Great post as always. Now you've given me some food for thought, as I have traced my paternal lineage to an Urquhart and several MacIntyres and McKayes - but my surname is Davis... (Granted, my father was adopted by his maternal uncle and was raised with the maiden name of his mother).

The tartan you see in my avatar is Davidson - although as of my most recent digging I've found my "old world" ancestor to be one David Ap Ieuen, a Welshie in the 1660's who had many children in his homeland, all of which anglicized their surnames to "Davis".

I've been torn. Do I raise my son to wear the Davidon tartan, knowing full well that the "Davis" line of my family is about as Scottish as Chopsticks? Or do I wear the Saint David's Tartan of Wales and enjoy the fact that I am 1) Acknowledging my genealogy, and 2) Still enjoying wearing the kilt?
Yes, that kind of thing happens frequently, Joshua. I think it a shame that the name-reiver lists of the 19C are still touted as real after so many proofs against them. Be that as it may, you are descended from a Welshman with the superb surname "Davis". Be proud of it and know for certain that your Davis ancestors did not wear the Davidson tartan.

If you wish to continue to wear Highland dress, however, and to promote its wearing wih some familial attachment in your own family, you might want to contact Urquhart of Urquhart. Or you could wear the ne Welsh tartan.

Unlike Jock who is a Highland resident but doesn't bear a Highland surname, I wear Davidson because that is my name. The tartan Jock does wear has a different family connection for him than his surname, as will yours if you cheose Urquhart, but if he didn't have that connection he could look to the district in which he lives and wear the Lochaber with some degree of comfort.

In my case (again) I also wear the tartans of the Mackintosh and Clan Chattan because of my place of residency in Scotland (and family connections), and the Maple Leaf due to my Canadian residency.

It`s not as confusing as it all seems, in other words.

As for Clan Associations there are many in Scotland, all of them connected to clan chiefs and their families. I can`t think of a single example of a bunch of MacOnions going out and forming their own association without the active support of Hamish MacOnion of that Ilk. I guess the real reason for that is that we live our heritage on a daily basis, not just at the weekend.

Rex