RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 30, 2005

KINSEARCHING

by

Marleta Childs
P. O. Box 6825
LUBBOCK, TX 79493-6825
[email protected]
 

      Emigration authority David Dobson has completed another volume in his series concerning ties between inhabitants of Scotland and of the New World: SCOTTISH SOLDIERS IN COLONIAL AMERICA, PART THREE. As his work demonstrates, Scottish soldiers played important roles both in defending the American colonies and in settling them.

     Although some Scots served in the colonial militia units of New England and possibly of Virginia in the seventeenth century, the British government sent such Scottish regiments as Fraser's Highlanders and the Black Watch to serve in the New World in the mid-eighteenth century. As a result, the French and Indian War (known in Europe as the Seven Years War), 1756 - 1763, led to significant recruitment in Scotland, especially in the Highlands, for service in the American colonies. The experience gained by these soldiers influenced both their own and other Scots' decision to settle in America. Another major incentive for the move was the allocation of land to former military personnel in the war's aftermath.

     When the American Revolution took place, Scottish soldiers and former soldiers fought on both sides. After the conflict ended, a number of Scottish Loyalists settled in Canada in what became New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec.

     By delving into manuscripts in the Acts of the Privy Council and the Calendar of British State Papers and into Scottish and American newspapers, Dobson gleaned information on approximately 750 men that were not found in his first book (actually parts one and two combined into one volume) of this set. While details about individuals vary, the entry about each man usually provides some of the following: name, rank, military unit, dates and campaigns of service, place of birth, time of arrival in North America, civilian occupation, date and place of death, and the source of the data.

     An interesting example is John WRIGHT, "born in High Calton, Edinburgh, during 1728, an army sergeant who fought in the French and Indian War and in the American War of Independence, witnessed the death of Wolfe on the Plains of Abraham, died in Joppa, Edinburgh, in 1838, father of a Roman Catholic priest in Montreal." Another fascinating sample is Angus McINTOSH, "enlisted in Inverness during 1740, a soldier of the Black Watch, imprisoned in the Tower of London on a charge of mutiny, transferred to Oglethorpe's Regiment in Georgia in 1743, a Presbyterian."

     The material on Angus McINTOSH shows that he did indeed come to America. Though not all of the soldiers themselves settled in the American colonies, data on them often provide useful links as in the case of John WRIGHT and his son in Canada. As usual, David Dobson's SCOTTISH SOLDIERS IN COLONIAL AMERICA, PART THREE will make a valuable addition to library genealogical collections.

     The 76-page paperback arranges surnames of soldiers alphabetically. It includes an introduction concerning historical background, maps, illustrations, and a list of the references that Dobson consulted for this particular volume. To the book's price of $12.50, buyers should add the cost for postage and handling charges. For U. S. postal mail, the cost is $4 for one book and $1.50 for each additional copy; for UPS, the cost is $6 for one copy and $2.50 for each additional book. The volume (item order #9812) may be purchased by check, MasterCard, or Visa from Clearfield Company, 3600 Clipper Mill Rd., Suite 260, Baltimore, Maryland 21211 (toll free phone 1-800-296-6687; fax 1-410-752-8492; website www.genealogical.com).

     Charles N. Ferguson, 811 South Market, Shawnee, OK 74801 is seeking information about the following SMITH individuals who lived in Red River County, Texas, in 1840: Samuel, S., Sampson, Tilman, J. E., E. M., Clib (?), John T., Louis, Henry, Britton, Ensingn (?), and Colman.

     In earlier times the term "cousin" indicated just about any degree of relationship by blood or marriage outside the immediate family. The term, especially in New England, may have sometimes referred to a niece or nephew.