July 2019         Title    Past Issues

In this Issue:

  July Society Events   The Sunday Post
  President's Letter   June 2019 Genealogy Session
  Meet Our Members - Tim Timm   Snippets from Scotland
  Scotland's Hidden Gems   Coming Events - Valley & Nearby
  Research Your Scottish Ancestry   A Word from our Advertisers  

History of Scotland Series - July 11

Neil Oliver DVDThe July gathering of the Caledonian Society features the latest in the DVD series “A History of Scotland”, which has proved popular with members over the past few years.

This edition is entitled “Let’s Pretend” and tells the story of the 1707 Act of Union, under which Scotland and England were “united into one Kingdom by the name of Great Britain”.

The series is narrated by Scottish historian and personality Neil Oliver, currently President of the National Trust for Scotland. He has a highly personal presentation style which has been appreciated by CSA members.

The evening starts with a social half hour at 6.30 pm. The DVD will be shown at 7 pm and there will be short discussion afterwards.

6:30 - Social Half Hour - Cash Bar open
7:00 - DVD Presentation & Discussion
8:30 -Raffle and Adjourn

Society meetings are open to everyone. Members are free, and non-members are welcome at a charge of $10.00

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President's Letter
David McBee, President

Our next meeting will be on July 11th at the Irish Cultural Center on Central Avenue.  We will be viewing the next chapter in the Scottish History DVD, “The History of Scotland”, narrated by Scottish television personality Neil Oliver. This has been a very good series of videos with a deep perspective on the true history of Scotland.

I hope to see you at the Flagstaff Games on July 19th.  It will be cooler up there and the mountains are always homey. The Scottish societies within Arizona always try to support each other’s games - and we are not in charge at Flagstaff.

The Prescott Games are on September 28th this year. I will be at a wedding in Maryland, but I hope some of you can make a good showing for us up there in the high valley.

David McBeeWe will be taking the month of August off as it will be just too hot for kilted warriors.

We still need some social chair/volunteers to help put together our meetings and outings.  And I really need a treasurer.

Have a great summer and enjoy each other’s company as much as possible.

Slainte.

David

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Meet Our Members - Tim Timm - Athletic Director

Welcome to the CSA’s new Scottish Games Athletic Director Tim Timm, who has volunteered to take over from Michelle Crownhart.

Tim TimmTim has been competing in Highland Games athletic competitions since 2013, and is the founder of the Rio Salado Scottish Highland Athletics throwing club. He said he started the club to provide interested people with an opportunity to try out the sport, as there were no avenues locally for potential new athletes to try their hand.

Tim said. “I strongly believe in welcoming EVERYONE into the sport and putting the tools into their hands to be a successful athlete if that is their choice. My focus for the club and for the Phoenix games is to promote the sport and grow it.

“I ride into this AD position on the shoulders of the giants that came before me. I have a good solid base upon which to add on my own personal stamp and to continue the traditions and excellence that my predecessors have established.”

 


Scotland's Hidden Gems - Edinburgh's Lincoln Monument
Iain Lundy


The old Calton Burial Ground occupies a prominent location in Scotland’s capital Edinburgh. Stand on the hill and you can look west over the stunning city center, castle and all. Many of the city’s great and good have been buried here over the centuries – but one of the most noticeable memorials depicts the unmistakable figure of America’s 16th President Abraham Lincoln.

It was the first statue of a US President to be erected outside the nation’s borders. So why is the monument honoring Lincoln standing tall in one of Scotland’s most historic graveyards?

Civil War Memorial

The clue is in the name – the American Civil War Memorial, otherwise known as the Scottish-American Soldiers Monument. It was built as a tribute to Scots, specifically six men from Edinburgh, who left their native land to fight and die in Lincoln’s Union Army.

The statue was built following a fight by the widow of one of the men, Sergeant Major John McEwan, who was having trouble claiming her husband’s army pension. The statue was cast in the United States at a cost of $6,300 and paid for by industrialists John D Rockefeller and Scots steel magnate Andrew Carnegie.

The names of the six men who died are inscribed on the memorial, which depicts a slave being released from his shackles at Lincoln’s feet. A shield features a US flag wreathed in thistles and cotton. One of Lincoln’s quotes, “To preserve the jewel of liberty in the framework of freedom” is also inscribed on the monument.

Many American visitors to Edinburgh have found the statue a source of pride, and it should be on the bucket list of tourists with an interest in American history. The Lincoln memorial is surrounded by the graves of some notable Edinburgh men, including philosopher David Hume, whisky distiller John Haig, scientist John Playfair, architect Robert Burn, and publisher Archibald Constable.

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Research Your Scottish Ancestry

RObert WilbanksFraternal Orders: Societies of our Ancestors

by Robert M. Wilbanks IV, B.A.
Chief Genealogist & Historian, C.S.A.
genealogy@arizonascots.com

A very little used resource in the Family history hunt are records created by Fraternal Organizations. Like us, our ancestors were social, with a desire to connect with other people as part of a community.

They often found like-minded people to connect with, usually in order to help serve the community or society, to network in a particular industry, share common experiences, or just share interests. This social bond would eventually develop into formally organized Fraternal Orders.

A Fraternal Order is generally defined as “. . . an organized society of men (or women, or both) associated together in an environment of companionship and brotherhood.” Some examples of Fraternal Orders are Masons, Oddfellows, Knights of Pythias, Knights of Columbus, Woodmen of the World, Order of the Eastern Star, and much more. Some Scottish-American organizations include The Benevolent Order of Scottish Clans, Daughters of Scotia, and in Canada The Sons of Scotland. There are many different Scottish groups around the world that utilize the name Saint Andrew’s Society. Auxiliary societies were often formed for women and children.

Fraternal Orders eventually grew to become national, or even international, in scope. They could be found within a geographic region, with national, state or local groups, having monthly meetings, annual conferences, etc. These societies can be religious based, whether founded by the Jewish, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist etc, churches, or they can be politically based. There were also many professional or industry-based societies and they can be ethnic such as German, French, Irish or Scottish. So, your ancestors’ membership in any of these can indicate a character trait, skill, interest or a type of view or belief.

The types of information that can be found in these society records are varied, depending on the organization, and the type of information they considered important to keep. Most significantly, minimally, fraternal records can place your ancestor in a time and place. This is significantly important during the years between the census, or in areas where many other records were lost or destroyed. Other possible information found in these records can include age, residence, former residence, date of death, spouse or other family members or relationships, activities involved in, official roles, etc. Sometimes, these societies can have newsletters, with news about members. So, there is great potential for direct information, as well as implied information.
           
However, as these are often private and volunteer-based organizations, there can be issues regarding these societies, their records, their policies, access to records, and more. For example, first, what kinds of information or records did they keep? Were historic records retained or destroyed? Where are these historic records today? Are the records accessible? Open or Closed? Is there a contact person? Are they able to help? Are they willing to help? And more.

Of course, first, you will have to find out and confirm if your ancestor belonged to a Fraternal Order. Excluding direct knowledge provided by family members, direct or implied information in other areas of your genealogy research may provide clues to such memberships. Examples of what to look for include obituaries, which may state outright evidence of such a membership. Location of the burial, such as in a society’s section of a cemetery, or the design of the tombstone itself, can be clues to societal membership. County histories, noting such Fraternal Orders and local resident membership, can help. Other records that may provide clues, such as local directories, church histories, newspapers, and more.

Once you identify your ancestor’s possible society membership, then you will need to research the Fraternal Order itself, including its history, current status and location, etc. This will be an important part of your genealogy research. You will need to learn about national, state and local chapters, both current and historical, as well as learning about their records, where those records are currently stored, and who to contact regarding help or having access to the records, etc. Cyndi’s List is just one site that provides links to possible relevant websites for Fraternal Orders as a genealogy resource:  www.cyndislist.com/societies/fraternal/

Of course, like any other aspect of genealogy, the key is to know the right place and the right time to search your ancestor and the various Fraternal Organizations that may be associated with the ancestor’s place of residence. But the effort will certainly be beneficial when you find information about your ancestors that you couldn’t find in other more standard records and resources.

This is another of a series of articles in which I show you the basics of searching for your family history, discussing the use of family records, public records, and online resources nationally and internationally, etc. The previous articles are now available on the Genealogy Section of this website.   See “Genealogy” in the menu options at the top of the web page.


The Sunday Post
Iain Lundy

Generations of Scottish families grew up with the couthy, homespun Sunday Post newspaper as required weekend reading. Published by the Dundee-based company DC Thomson, it was once read by 85% of people in Scotland.

Regular columns over the decades include the HON man who travels around Britain’s towns – HON stands for Holiday on Nothing – and My Week by the generic Francis Gay, which contains slushy, sentimental stories.

Recently the paper’s staff, while searching through the archives, discovered a treasure trove of articles, including many from readers who used to write in with tips on running a household. They now form the basis of a book entitled Pass It On, and the company has launched a podcast with the same name.

The tips, which date back to the 1950s, include one from a Mrs. M. Martin from Linlithgow. It read, “Leave a peeled raw potato overnight in a tight-fitting pair of shoes. You’ll be surprised at the comfortable fitting afterwards.”

The podcast is available at podnews.net/podcast/1462631562

In the past couple of weeks, the paper has also launched a “bucket trail” in Scottish towns and cities featuring one of its most lovable cartoon characters, Oor Wullie.

Oor Wullie

Statues of Wullie sitting on his bucket in familiar pose have been dotted around the country and will be auctioned off at the end of August to support a range of Scottish charities. If you’re visiting Scotland before August 30th, make sure you get your tourist pic taken with a Wullie statue.

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June Genealogy Workshop Report

The June Gathering talk by the Society’s chief genealogist Robert Wilbanks IV was well attended and hugely interesting to all those interested in tracing their family history.

RobertThe talk was entitled “Understanding Research Facilities: Genealogy Research Anywhere” and Robert made the point that not all family research can be done on the internet. There is only a limited amount of information available online, and often it pays to check out local libraries, society records, and a variety of other resources.

You can download Robert's handout for the talk at:
Understanding Research Facilities: Genealogy Research Anywhere

All paid-up CSA members qualify for an hour-long one-on-one session with Robert to learn more about their genealogy.


Snippets from Scotland

BBC logo

Scenic drive ‘routes’ through remote countryside have been heavily promoted by Scotland’s tourist bosses – but are they causing a problem for the local communities?

www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-48794142

Scotch Whisky.com

New figures show an increasing interest in whisky tourism in Scotland. In 2018 there 2.05million visits to Scottish distilleries, a jump of more than 6% on the previous year. Most whisky tourists came from the US and Germany.

scotchwhisky.com/magazine/latest-news/26192/scotch-whisky-tourism-at-all-time-high/?utm_source=mailjet&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter-swc-26-06-2019-sw-2019-06-26

BBC logo

Relics dating to the 10th century have been discovered by a team of archaeologists in Edinburgh. The excavation work was at a city centre site being turned into a hotel by Richard Branson’s Virgin Group.

www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-48799286


COMING EVENTS and Highland Games in Arizona and Nearby


July 11 Society Gathering, History of Scotland DVD Series
ICC, Phoenix
July 19-21 Flagstaff Highland Games
Fort Tuthill, Flagstaff
August No Society Gathering in August 2019

September Possible Pub Crawl
Valley
September 28-29 Prescott Highland Games
Prescott AZ
October ScotsToberfest
Haus Murphy, Glendale
November 1-3 Tucson Highland Games
Tucson AZ
November (late) St. Andrew's Day event
ICC ?
December Christmas at the Castle
Irish Cultural Center
March 7-8, 2020 56th Annual Phoenix Scottish Games
Steele Indian School Park, Phoenix


Membership Reminder

Membership dues for 2019 are:
- - $30.00 single and $50.00 Family (at the same address)

It's easy - just jump to the Membership Page for information.


Society Gatherings
Membership gatherings are often held on the second Thursday of each month, many at the Irish Cultural Center, 1106 N. Central Ave., Phoenix - others around the Valley - usually beginning at 6:30 pm. Please check our website for further details.

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