The Scottish Tartans Museum * 86 East Main St, Franklin NC 28723 * (828)524-7472 * tartans@scottishtartans.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| According to the Governor's office, North Carolina has
more residents of Scottish descent than any other state in the Union.
We are very proud of this fact, and this is one of the reasons why the
Scottish Tartans Society chose to locate its American museum in our state.
One reason why NC has such a large concentration of Scottish people is
because it received a double dose of Scottish immigrants.
The coast of NC was heavily settled by Gaelic speaking Scots Highlanders. The 30 odd years following the Battle of Culloden is known as "The Clearances." During this time, families left the Scottish Highlands in extraordinary number, due to a combination of political, economic, and social changes occurring after the Jacobite uprisings were quelled. Many came to Canada, Australia, and America. The Cape Fear River Valley was one of the main locations that these Scots came to in NC. For a while, there were many Gaelic speaking communities in this area, and even today it retains a strong association with its Scottish roots. Western North Carolina, the mountainous region where our museum is located, saw the introduction of Scots in different manners. The Scottish Regiments marched through here during the Revolutionary War. Montgomery's Highlanders still are remembered in the area. |
 |
 |
The very first Highland Scots preceded the soldiers
by many years, however. The first European to come into Macon County,
NC, where our museum is located, was Sir Alexander Cuming, a Scottish Baronet
who negotiated with the Cherokee in 1730 and convinced them to side with
the British in the French and Indian War. Highland Scots came in
larger numbers after that, primarily as traders to the Cherokee.
Many Highland Scots took native wives and raised their children as Cherokee.
This is why you find many Cherokee natives today in NC with Scottish surnames.
John Ross was one of the greatest Cherokee chiefs, leading the band during
the Trail of Tears.
Here you see a Highland trader haggling with a Cherokee. Typically the Cherokee would exchange deer skins for goods such as rifles, metal knife blades and axe heads, and smaller conveniences such as tableware, clothing, and musical instruments such as the Jew's Harp. |
It was not the Highland Scots who were the final settlers of the Western NC region, however. The Scots-Irish, or Ulster Scots, were the primary ethnic group to come to the mountains. These families were primarily of Lowland Scot descent, and here you can see a map showing where various families held land in NC, identified by the tartans that represent their family ties to Scotland. The migration pattern that ultimately led to the North Carolina mountains began in southern Scotland with the border families, sometimes known as the Border Reivers. These families had a lawless reputation, courting both Scottish and English kings for favour along the turmoil filled border. When King James IV inherited the English throne from Elizabeth and became King James I in 1603, the border became less significant, and the border families lost their political advantage. King James, a Protestant King despite his mother's devout Catholicism, was also attempting to exert authority in Ireland. He had little chance of success of having his authority recognized while Ireland remained Catholic, however, so he decided to introduce the Protestant faith into Ireland. He did this primarily by moving the Protestant Scottish families from along the border region (and a few English families from south of the border as well) into northern Ireland, the area known as Ulster.
This plan proved unsuccessful as resentment was strong on both sides. For the most part, the Scots did not want to be moved, and the Irish did not want the Scots living among them. What resulted were small, isolated Scottish Protestant communities and small, isolated English Protestant communities, living among the Irish Catholic communities who more or less avoided each other. When they did interact, it was most usually with violence. We can still see the results of this 400 years later with the troubles in Northern Ireland today. This is why many Scottish families began to leave Ulster and settle in North America. Migration continued, and in the eighteenth century, economic depression, bad harvests, and overpopulation caused over 250,000 people to leave Ireland. This was a long migration, spanning about 150 years. You had some families leaving Ireland after living there for a few years, and some leaving after living there for several generations. When they came to America, they were known as the Scots-Irish, meaning Scottish people who had been living in Ireland. It does not mean of mixed Scottish and Irish blood. In Ireland itself they were known as Ulster Scots.
Several ports saw a large influx of these Scots-Irish. Charleston, SC was one. The majority came first to Pennsylvania. These were farmers who sought open land, however, and they did not stay in these major cities for long. Most moved to where the frontier was at that time--the Appalachian mountains. Many finally settled in western North Carolina.
| The majority of people living now in western NC are
of Scottish descent. Because of the large influx of Scottish immigrants
to both ends of the state, it is almost a certainty that native North Carolinians
have some degree of Scottish blood running through their veins.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|