Am I a Scot?

[SteveB]

Hello Stephen, and a warm Celtic from Boston, Massachusetts.

I am an American of Scot, Dutch, Irish, German, French, English descent. I am proud of my heritage of plain American mongrel. I do hold a special place for my grand-mother's roots to clan MacNeil. The chase of genealogy is as addictive as the kollecting of kilts. Our forum here is primarily about the wearing of the kilt. Welcome to the rabble. If the Cunningham side of your family is the one of your personal best interest, then wear the Cunningham tartan. For the beginning kilt, look to any of the forum sponsors, as all have great customer service. Peruse the sites and get into a kilt, then proudly go forth.
I have made note of your ancestor trace back to Scotland, and congratulate you on getting that far back. I will keep it in mind as I dig through the auld archives in Scotland in my research journeys.
As my avatar shows, I wear the Highland dress proudly. I do this as an everyday kilted person here in Boston. I am one of several guys in a kilt that ride the public transit here. We are getting known by our tartans.
Slainte

[Phil]

from Scotland (Edinburgh to be exact). Why don't you come and live and work here, raise a family maybe, pay some taxes ? Then you will be a Scot.

[KFCarter]

Hello and welcome from Savannah, GA. Proud to be a product of the American melting pot; prouder still that many of my "ingredients" came from Scotland.

[Flag Folder]

A Very Warm and Sunny Welcome from the HIgh Desert of Southern California.



Bruce, another American mongrel of Scots-Irish Bavarian descent.

:ootd:

[Donnie]

[mrtackytn]

Welcome to X-Marks - from Music City, USA -Nashville, TN !!
As far as DNA & Kilts go . . . if ya got 'em, wear 'em !!!

[BEEDEE]

from coastal North Carolina. Don't forget that primarily the clans are of highland origin, families are lowland, but both are Scots.

Brian

[ghostlight]

Welcome to the rabble from another American with Scottish ancestors!

[Mike S]

Absolutely, you are an American of Scottish descent. The Clan system was in point of fact a feudal, martial assemblage more than anything else. People of no relation came into the "fold" and swore allegiance to the chief and the clan, often taking the surname of the ruling family. The idea that there is a long standing heraldic blood tie among each and everyone sharing the same superficial name is in fact Victorian fiction.

Long story short, your maternal DNA plays every bit as much a part in your family history, heritage, and rightful claim to it, as the paternal.

[StevieJoePayne]

Again, thank you each and all. As you imagine, I was elated finding my link to Scotland. I have always been sensitive to the feelings expressed by many who claim, with authority, to be Scot. Often they also suggest and sometimes quite declare that you can't be a Scot unless you can trace your male ancestor. That just seems not fair to me and I like the more liberal interpretation that says that my grandmother many generations ago is a much a Scot as was her father, which makes me at some level a Scot-American. This was why I posed the question as I did not want to step on anyone's kilt. I bought some music of the pipes and I am looking at buying a chanter and taking some lessons. I live near Tulsa and there are a few pipers there. I have met a few but it's often difficult to really get to talk to them. Again, thank you for your kind replies.

Stephen