2011 July - Clan MacRae

CLAN MacRAE SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA
306 Surrey Road Savannah Georgia 31410-4404
Sgurr Uaran
August 2011
Volume 35, Number 2
The President’s Letter
Online at www.macrae.org
G
Hugh MacRae II, PresidentEmeritus
John M. MacRae-Hall, President
PO Box 404
Westminster, SC 29693- 0404
Valerie R. See, Secretary
PO Box 2282
Snohomish, WA 98291-2282
Laura Belle Macrae, Treasurer
306 Surrey Road
Savannah, GA 31410-4407
Larry W. Cates, Genealogist
6819 Red Maple Drive
Charlotte, NC 28277-2214
CIVILISATION75@YAHOO.COM
Larry T. McRae, Editor
5108 Huntcliff Trail
Winston-Salem, NC 27104
MCRAELT@GMAIL.COM
Tel: 336.245.8969
Inside this issue:
Notes and Correspondence
Upcoming Events
Alex Beaton
Sheriffmuir
A Celtic Music Cruise
2
At the Games, at the Games
Colorado
California
Grandfather Mountain
4
A Report from Canada
6
Duncan and Powell McRa,
South Carolina Planters
8
Lt. Col John McCrea’s Statue
11
Ceud Mille Failte
11
reetings to all of you. Another Grandfather Mountain Games have come and gone
and for those who were able to attend our Annual General Meeting and dinner, a
brief and beautiful weekend enjoying the cool mountain air away from the distressingly
hot weather we have all encountered this year. In attendance, we enjoyed the presence
of Vickie Jensen and her husband Warren. She is our Commissioner from Elmira in
Oregon, and they were our Guests of Honour for this occasion. Over the years, they
have quietly gone about their area running the MacRae tent at many of the area games
and accomplished much on our behalf. We are very proud of them and are fortunate that
they and many like them do so much to wave the flag for our society and provide a presence at these events.
Also in attendance was our very
dear friend and Director, Mary Ann
McRae and husband John Meyer, from
Midland, Texas. Mary Ann has been a
leading light in our Society for the past 30
years and has been a tower of strength,
common sense and wisdom at all times.
Sadly, she has decided to take retirement
from our Board of Directors, and her
presence will be greatly missed. We wish
to her and John much happiness in the
years ahead, and we shall remain in contact.
We were also very pleased to
have Judi See and Valerie with us. Sadly,
of course, as you know from the last
newsletter, our dear friend Gary See
passed away earlier this year. Judi has
been very poorly also, but has made a
splendid recovery I am glad to report.
In the Parade of Tartans this year,
our performance was as good as ever. So
much so that we, once more, won the Title of The Clan of Excellence, making this
the sixth time we have gained that title.
To those who marched, thank you for all
the hard work, perseverance and smart
Mary Ann McRae at the Clan Dinner
turnout. I was told by others that we did
look good.
My best wishes to everyone, particularly those serving in the Armed forces at
home and overseas and those here in the various Civil Defence, Police, Fire and all the
Emergency Services who contribute so much to our wellbeing and happiness. Thank
you for your sacrifices.
— John Malcolm MacRae-Hall, KCTJ
Page 2
Notes and Correspondence
Upcoming Events
Clan MacRae Picnic on Prince Edward Island,
August 6, 2011, Selkirk Provincial Park, PEI, in
conjunction with the Belfast Highland Games.
Contact barbbduff@gmail.com.
44th Scottish Games & Celtic Festival, August 6
and 7, 2011, Toro County Park, Salinas, CA.
Contact James McCrea, clanmacrae_na_sf@yahoo.com or visit http://
www.montereyscotgames.com
 Colorado Scottish Festival, August 13 – 14, 2011,
Denver, CO. Contact Bruce McRae, McRaeBruce@aol.com.
 Caledonian Club of San Francisco, 146th Scottish
Highland Gathering & Games, September 3 and
4, 2011 Alameda County Fairgrounds , Pleasanton , California. Contact James McCrea, clanmacrae_na_sf@yahoo.com or visit http://
www.caledonian.org/home.html
 Longs Peak Scottish/Irish Festival, September 8 –
11, 2011, Estes Park, CO. Contact Rich McRae,
rmcrae1845@comcast.net.
 Columbus Scottish Festival, September 10 – 11,
2011, Columbus, IN. Contact Murl McRae,
murl@murlmcrae.com.
 Ocala Scottish Highland Games, October 8, 2011,
Silver Springs, FL. Contact John Wayne McRae,
jwwmc@comcast.net.
 Stone Mountain Highland Games, October 14 –
16, Stone Mountain, Georgia. Contact Leon Folsom, leon.folsom@prodigy.net.

If you will be hosting a tent at any games, festival, faire or other venue, PLEASE let us know, so that we
can note it in the newsletter. A one-sentence e-mail to
mcraelt@gmail.com will do. Also, if you’ve hosted or
attended any games, festivals, dinners, etc. and have photos, please share them with us.
Alex Beaton
T
Volume 35, number 2
Sgurr Uaran
hose gathered for the Call to the Clans at Grandfather Mountain on July 7 were taken aback by the announcement that Alex Beaton was in a Nashville hospital
in critical condition. The 70-year-old Scottish folk singer
is a fixture at Highland Games, particularly in the Southeast. His voice introduced many of us to traditional Scottish songs, and he is regarded as the “Voice of the Grandfather Mountain Games.” As it has emerged, Alex suffered from a rare condition in which a spinal disk bulged
and pressed upon his spinal cord, causing at least temporary paralysis. He remains in the Intensive Care Unit at
Baptist Hospital, the extent of permanent damage as yet
unknown. His family have issued the statement that
“While Alex’s injury has been rather traumatic and the
road to recovery may be a long one, his attitude is extremely positive and optimistic! His nurses say he is an
inspiration to them and to all who come in contact with
him. His doctors universally agree that his positive atti-
Stone Mountain Games, 2010: Alex Beaton assists Peter Norris
in giving away a bottle of single-malt at the Whisky Tasting.
tude will contribute to his recovery.”
John MacRae-Hall has communicated best wishes
to Alex on behalf of the Clan MacRae Society. Personal
messages or e-cards can be sent via Facebook or email to:
Guest.Relations@BaptistHospital.com and be sure to include “Alex Beaton--Care Mail” in the Subject line of the
e-mail. Cards may be sent care of Glenfinnan Music,
P.O. Box 681707, Franklin, TN 37068 .
Updates on Alex’s condition will be posted on his
website AlexBeaton.com and on his Facebook page. We
wish Alex a speedy recovery and quick return to his accustomed place at the games.
Sheriffmuir
F
or the first time in several years, there’s nothing new
to report about the projected power line from Beauly
to Denny that would cross the Sheriffmuir Battlefield.
Scottish and Southern Energy have announced that the
projected costs have doubled since the line was proposed,
but the “mitigation scheme” demanded by the Scottish
Parliament has yet to emerge. Sgurr Uaran will report
any new developments in the future.
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Sgurr Uaran
A Celtic Music Cruise
Our California Commissioner Jim McCrea and his lovely
wife Mary recently enjoyed their “Next Big Trip.” Jim
filed this report.
I
n late 2009, I got serious about playing the bodhran
(Irish drum played with a two-headed ‘tipper’ or
beater). I set two goals. First, to learn to play well
enough to sit in on any seisun and contribute. Second, to
learn to play well enough to join the San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers. A short while after I got started on the instrument, Mary joined in and we've been enjoying the
creation of music since.
In early 2010, we were having over time a discussion about the next big trip – maybe Scotland again,
maybe Ireland, maybe
Australia. Several times
the idea of an Alaskan
cruise came up. One fine
day in March 2010 we
learned from Alasdair
Fraser, a well-known
Scottish Fiddler from
Northern California, that
there would be the First
Annual Celtic Music
Cruise to Alaska in June,
2011. He and his performing partner cellist
Natalie Haas, Shannon
and Matt Heaton, and the
April Verch Band would
be performing private
concerts, there would be
music workshops each day at sea and a ceilidh every
night. We then knew what would be our next big trip!
Pat, “Dancing Pat,” Moran, of San Diego, California, booked 200 cabins on Holland America's MS
Zuiderdam. The Zuiderdam would sail from Vancouver,
BC, up the Inland Passage to Glacier Bay and return.
Along the way, we would cruise through Tracy Arm, a
fjord just south of Juneau, and make calls at the ports of
Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. We were the third and
fourth people to sign up.
After more than a year of anticipation, the day to
depart arrived. We landed in Vancouver a day early –
these MacRaes hate the last minute rush – to absolutely
beautiful weather and all the excitement of the Canucks
fighting it out with Boston for the Stanley Cup. We
checked into the very nice hotel, walked to the cruise ship
terminal and figured out where and when to go in the
morning, enjoyed an extraordinarily good meal seated
Volume 35 , number 2
outside at Scoozies on Howe Street, wandered back to the
hotel and got our Last Good Night’s Sleep for a week.
Next morning we awoke early, got to the terminal early,
had a very smooth boarding (Judy McRae taught us to
pack light – we carried our luggage aboard and were unpacked and napping before most anyone knew we were
aboard), spent the afternoon exploring and gawking about
the ship, meeting our fellow musicians, and set sail in the
early evening.
At dinner the first evening we met with our six
amazing fellow cruisers who would be our dinner companions for the next week. We were a mixed lot! Seven
professional and non-professional musicians: one cellist,
four fiddlers and two bodhran players, five Canadians
and three Americans. These dinners were among the few
shipboard activities in which we participated and the
lively conversation was
mostly music.
In fact, the music
was the primary shipboard
activity for us. At 8:00 in
the morning there were
workshops on fiddle,
flute, bodhran, song, Scottish Country and Step
Dancing, rhythm, seisun
etiquette and the like.
When not in port, afternoons were concerts or
small seisuns. In the evenings, we’d gather in the
Crows Nest lounge or a
sheltered corner of the
Lido deck about 8:00 and
have a ceilidh that would
go ‘til the wee hours. We had players at all levels of experience and musicality…world class professionals and
raw beginners. Those of us with less experience learned
and raised our level of playing. The more able and experienced were incredibly generous with their time, talent,
inspiration and encouragement.
Oh, yes. And then, there was Alaska – in all its
splendor. Somehow, even with all the music events, we
managed to do the tourist things. In Juneau, there was the
Mendenhall Glacier, which had calved just before our
arrival leaving masses of stunning blue ice floes, then on
to a Whale Quest boat excursion where we saw humpbacks and many pods of orcas with their calves, Stellar
sea lions and dozens of majestic bald eagles. From Skagway we traveled on the Alaskan Maritime Highway (a
ferry) to the Haines Eagle Preserve, where we saw several
moose, a massive grizzly bear and more bald eagles. In
(Continued on page 4)
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Sgurr Uaran
Volume 35, number 2
pating in the Raid on Ketchikan, an invasion by the Celtic
Glacier Bay, the Captain parked us off the Great Pacific
musicians playing wild and wonderful tunes through
and Marjorie Glaciers where we soaked in their beauty,
streets and shops, led by Alasdair Fraser, the fiddlin’ Pied
listening to the
Piper, gathering local
moaning and crackmusicians en route, of
ling of the glaciers
course, to the local
as they continued
pub.
their march to the
All in all, we
sea, calving great
enjoyed a marvelous
chunks of ice into
cruise – the MS Zuiderthe frigid waters. In
dam IS First Class -Ketchikan, it was
and a most amazing
First Nations culture
ensemble of experiand totem art (a parences. It was a wonticular interest of
derful way to combine
Mary’s) and, of
“our next big trip” with
course, a Lumberour passion for Celtic
jack show. Though
music. Oh, and I made
the area is rain forprogress on Goal Two.
est, we had delightAt the end of the cruise
ful weather at each
Mary and I were inport and for our exvited to join the San
tra day, as well, in
Francisco Scottish FidVancouver and Vicdlers because they need
Alasdair
Fraser
fiddles
in
the
Crow’s
toria, taking in the beautiful Buchart
a couple of good bodhran players.
Nest with the April Averch Band
Gardens.
Celtic Music Cruise – Alaska 2012 is
Our only port call regret was
scheduled for early next June. Inforthat while we on our shore excursion we missed particimation available at: www.celticmusiccruise.com
(Continued from page 3)
At the Games, at
the Games …
W
e have photos and reports from a number
of games around the country.
Anyone with similar material,
please submit it, and please
be sure to identify any individuals in photos.
At right: At the Colorado
Scottish Festival in 2010.
Left to right: Cheryl McCraw,
Bill McCraw, Tom McRae,
Rebecca Ferrell, Mike Golec
and Judy McRae. Kneeling,
Bruce McRae. Bruce says
that their many visitors were
served home-made Highland
Cream and that many of the
Festival officials stopped by,
just to sample the McRae
Highland Cream!
Colorado Scottish Festival 2010
Page 5
Volume 35 , number 2
Sgurr Uaran
Watsonville, CA 2011
quently, she got a bodhran and had a lesson with a local
musician, lead singer with the Celtic folk group, Golden
The Loch Lomond Games and Renaissance Festival were held in Watsonville, CA in June. Clan
MacRae was represented by Jim and Mary
McCrea. Mary sent the following report:
O
nce again we were blessed with wonderful
weather. The Gathering is just building up
steam and clan participation so we had TWO tent
spaces for a more than fair price. In addition, Clan
MacRae was the Honored Clan, which warranted
a visit by Her Highness, Mary Queen of Scots
and, reportedly, free clan tent space next year.
We had more visitors than we expected at
Sydney plays the Bodhran with Golden Bough.
Bough. Our delight was to find her playing a set
on stage with Golden Bough at the Loch Lomond
Games!
Hope you're all well! We have two more
events coming up, the Monterey Games and, of
course, the Caledonian Club of San Francisco’s
enormous gathering at Pleasanton. You will be
hearing more from us!
Hugs to all,
—Mary McCrea
Left to right: Jim McCrea, Alex, Nic, Kelly & Jacqui Rice.
such a small gathering, considering it was Clan MacRae's
first presence there. The Rice family in particular were
incredibly surprised and THRILLED we were
there. (And I mean THRILLED.) They loved the clan
tartans, and before we knew it, we were dressing them for
a keepsake photo. I'm glad we had as many sashes, etc. as
we did. Jim even lent his jacket. So happy to have “found
their family.” It's times like that that make hosting the
clan tent truly fun and memorable for us.
And thrilling for US was meeting young Sydney
Anderson again. Sydney became interested in the bodhran
when we were camping neighbors at the Monterey Games
and Gathering last summer and introduced her to the
drum. She was enamored with the instrument and convinced her mom that she really wanted to play. Subse-
Grandfather Mountain 2011
T
he Grandfather Mountain Games turned out very
successfully for Clan MacRae in 2011. We had a
nice gathering, including Commissioner Vickie Jensen
from Oregon with husband Warren, David MacRae and
his two teen-age boys from New York City with David’s
sister Laura MacRae from Maine and other members of
their extended family, and most of the rest of the usual
suspects. At our dinner and AGM on Saturday evening,
the Grandfather Mountain Highlanders Pipe Band played
a special tribute to our friend Gary See, and of course he
joined the long list of Flowers of the Forest at Sunday
morning’s church service.
On Sunday, our marching group was declared the
Clan of Excellence, and two of our young athletes
(Continued on page 6)
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Sgurr Uaran
Volume 35, number 2
(Continued from page 5)
achieved some distinction: Brandon
MacRae claimed second in the youth
wrestling contest, defeated only by an
older and much more experienced lad,
while Jesslyn Fingar came second in the
kilted run for girls. Well done, all!
— Larry McRae
Clockwise from right: Clan MacRae
celebrates being chosen as Clan of Excellence; Vickie and Warren Jensen
visit with Captain John at the clan tent;
John MacRae-Hall, Aggie Morton
Woodruff, Laura Belle Macrae and Bill
Cocke.
Report from Canada
T
he first weekend of June found my wife and me,
along with fellow Director Ebby Darden of Texas, in
Ottawa, Canada’s lovely capital city, for the annual meeting of the Clan MacRae Society of Canada. It was a
splendid, interesting and enjoyable weekend. Cynthia
MacRae and Joanne Monahan of the Canadian Society
had organized a full weekend of activities, including a
welcoming reception, a tour of the Canadian War Museum (one of the most popular attractions in Ottawa), a
tour of the Parliament building and a lovely and very
Scottish dinner (meat pie – yum!). On Saturday, the
group assembled for a cook-out and tour of the museum
at Kintail Mills, a retreat of the late physician and sculptor
Robert Tait MacKenzie. Their AGM followed. On Sunday, we attended church at Dunvegan Presbyterian
Church and concluded the weekend with a motor tour of
Glengarry County, a region that figured prominently in
the Scottish migration to Canada during and after the
Highland Clearances.
From Ottawa, my wife and I drove eastward,
eventually reaching Prince Edward Island, which also
figured prominently in Highland and MacRae migration
to Canada. Owen MacRae is President of Clan MacRae
in Canada and by DNA matching a distant cousin of
mine. In Ottawa, he had told me that at all accounts, in
PEI we must look up his cousin Stirling MacRae. We
did, and Stirling and yet another PEI native, Linda MacRae, got a group of about twenty MacRaes, spouses and
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Sgurr Uaran
Volume 35 , number 2
friends together for dinner at New Glasgow Lobster
Suppers, of which Stirling is a founder and part owner.
It was another wonderfully convivial evening.
At the AGM, I was asked to convey Best
Wishes from the Canadian Society to all MacRaes in
the U.S. From the Canadian MacRaes we three Americans found not only Best Wishes but a genuine feeling
of warmth and family -- we sincerely felt as if we were
coming home, and we must thank them again for the
hospitality they extended to us. The only sad note is
that Boston won the Stanley Cup, and we share our Canadian friends’ disappointment.
— Larry McRae
Clockwise from above: MacRaes at
supper on PEI; cousins Emerson and
Owen MacRae, with putative American cousin Larry McRae at the Frontier Museum in Dunvegan, Glengarry County; a cheery grin from
Stirling MacRae; MacRaes gathered
at the Mill of Kintail; and we couldn’t resist the roadside PEI fox.
A lot more photos can be found online at https://
picasaweb.google.com/105606844924505421902/ClanMacRae2011?
authkey=Gv1sRgCKCJrLPp4dn5Uw&feat=email#
and at
https://picasaweb.google.com/101138401275623747638/
MacRaeGatheringCanada2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCOiXg_nF5MfNYg
Page 8
Sgurr Uaran
Duncan and Powell McRa:
Kershaw District, SC, Planters
Nelson McLeod has compiled an extensive history of
some of his wife’s ancestors. Following are excerpts
from that history. Anyone interested in the entire story,
which mentions a good many other people and families,
should contact Nelson directly: nelson@mcleodsc.com
D
uncan McRa was born in Conchra, Lochalsh Parish,
in 1754, a younger son of John MacRae, third head
of the MacRaes of Conchra. Duncan moved to South
Carolina as a young man and was a lieutenant in Colonel
George Gabriel Powell’s militia regiment in 1776. Colonel Powell was a man of some standing, not to say notoriety. Known for both his temper and his brutality, he had
been dismissed as Governor of St Helena for misappropriation of funds. After a period in England, he apparently regained favor and came to South Carolina as Deputy Secretary of the Province in 1749, quickly acquiring
property and wealth. As a militia commander, he had led
men in the campaign against the Cherokee Indians and
was subsequently a representative to the First and Second
Provincial Congresses as well as the first Speaker of the
General Assembly in 1776.
In 1785, Duncan McRa married Colonel Powell’s
widowed daughter, Sarah Powell Steward. They had two
children, although the daughter must have died at a young
age. Powell was born in 1788, the same year his mother
died. As Powell was growing up, his father was prospering. By 1788, he was a principal in the mercantile firm of
Chestnut and Company with John Chesnut and Samuel
Boykin; in 1789, the three men were principals in
Chesnut, Boykin, and Company. In 1789, Duncan McRa
signed a petition to establish a militia unit called the Chatham Light Horse in Cheraw District, and he was appointed a Justice of the Peace for Chesterfield District.
During this period, he moved to Camden, South Carolina.
By 1792, Duncan McRa was signing petitions in Camden
and by 1797 he was a member of the Pine Tree (Creek)
Navigation Company and operated a mill on Big Pine
Tree Creek.
In 1789 Duncan, then 35 years of age, remarried.
His new wife was 18-year-old Mary Chesnut, the daughter of his business partner John Chesnut, another notable
SC figure. A prosperous merchant, he was a patriot and
prisoner of war of the British. He was in the various
South Carolina legislatures almost continuously from
1775-1799 and held many other public offices including
tax collector, jail commissioner, road commissioner,
presidential elector, and trustee of South Carolina Col-
Volume 35, number 2
lege. Mary’s siblings were also prominent in the business, civic and military affairs of South Carolina, and a
brother-in-law, John Taylor, was a leading citizen of Columbia and Governor of SC from 1826 to 1828. Altogether, Duncan and his second wife had eight children.
In the 1790 census, Duncan is a merchant; by the
time of the 1800 census, he is shown as possessing 72
slaves, and his business an additional 26, so Duncan is
coming to be a large-scale planter. Meanwhile, Powell
has achieved the honor roll at a school conducted by the
Camden Orphan Society. By 1806 he is a charter member
of the Euphradian Society at South Carolina College in
Columbia, a recently founded school that will become the
University of South Carolina. It is perhaps in Columbia
that Powell’s troubles begin. In 1807, Powell McRa had
been drinking in a local tavern with several other students
and had gotten into an argument which resulted in a challenge to a duel being issued and accepted. The duel never
took place, but the students were reported to the trustees
for disciplinary action. A student petition supporting the
prospective duelist may have swayed the Board of Trustees to reinstate the students rather than expel them. One
of the trustees was General Zachariah Cantey, Duncan
McRa’s business partner and Mary Chesnut McRa’s uncle. But Powell did not graduate with his class in 1808,
and three sophomores from Kershaw County also left the
institution in 1808. Was there some sort of dispute between the College and the sons of Kershaw?
Powell’s penchant for trouble was not limited to
South Carolina College. In August 1807, Kershaw
County resident Lewis Ciples pleaded guilty to beating
Camden merchant Jonathan Eccles. During the proceedings, Powell McRa swore that Eccles had cursed and
abused Ciples prior to the beating. In April of 1809, William McKenna complained that Lewis Ciples had struck
him in the face in his tent during military training. Powell
McRa had assisted him by “grappling or grasping.”
Powell’s father continued to prosper. In the 1810
census, Duncan McRa owns 170 slaves, the fourth highest
total in Kershaw District. The largest slave owner in Kershaw District was Duncan’s father-in-law (and former
partner), John Chesnut, who owned 234. Duncan’s cotton
gin ran 130 saws and produced 420 bales of cotton, production in the district second only to John Chesnut’s 500
bales. McRa operated two forges and produced 5000
pounds of iron and 100 pounds of steel. McRa and Cantey’s mill on Pine Tree Creek produced 2,000 barrels of
flour
On January 10, 1813, Powell McRa married
twenty-seven year old Mary Martha Singleton, the daughter of a prominent planter in Sumter District and a relative
of Powell’s stepmother, Mary Chesnut McRa. (Indeed,
one of the striking things about Duncan and Powell’s
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Sgurr Uaran
story is the inter-relations among South Carolina families
in this period.) Although the marriage produced two
children, Powell and Arabella, it cannot have been a
happy marriage. By 1817, Mary Martha had taken the
children and returned home to the Sumter District. Divorce was not legal in South Carolina, but the couple
seems never again to have lived together, although Powell
did make some provision for their upkeep. Arabella lived
only a few years, dying just before her seventh birthday.
Meanwhile, Powell’s half-sister Mary married
Thomas Lang in 1815. Lang was part of a Quaker group
that had settled near Pine Tree Hill. In his career, he was
a planter, director of the Band of Camden and a member
Volume 35 , number 2
covered. Several slaves were hanged, but the plot no
doubt caused a good deal of terror in Camden, both
among slaves and owners.
In 1817, perhaps prompted by his daughter Mary
Martha’s failed marriage and his reassuming her guardianship and the death of his daughter Harriet Richardson
Singleton Broun Spann on June 2nd, John Singleton made
his will. He left large estates to his wife Rebecca and his
son Richard but ensured the maintenance of his daughter
Mary Martha McRa and her children Powell McRa and
Arabella McRa. The bequests to Mary Martha McRa
were not to be “subject in any manner to the interference
or control of her husband Powel McRa.” Singleton’s will
A section of the Camden District from Mill’s 1825 Atlas of South Carolina. mentions that “from
of the South
Carolina House Just at the left, notice Holliday’s Tavern; along the river are properties of P. the peculiar and unforMcRa and others. Notice also properties of Cantey, Boykin, Deas and
of Representatunate situation of my
Chesnut, all families connected to Powell McRa’s.
tives. Among
daughter Mary Martha
their twelve
McRa I am compelled
children was Duncan McRa Lang.
to take charge of her property.” A horse breeder, John
In 1816, Duncan McRa, Thomas Lang, Sarah
Singleton left to his grandson Powell McRa and his
Lang (Thomas’s widowed mother), and Chapman Levy
granddaughter Arabella McRa “the follow horses, to wit:
petitioned the South Carolina legislature for compensamy gray mare from Phyche by Bluebeard, her gray filly
tion for their slaves who were executed for being involved
by Young Bedford, her bay filly by Rosesccrueon, and
in an intended slave insurrection in Camden. A plot had
my gray colt from Phyche by Young Buzzard to them
been hatched to set fires on one side of town as a distracshare and share alike.” He also left to his grandson Powell
tion, break into the arsenal on the other side of town, arm
“my large double barreled gun silver mounted with all
the slave conspirators, and kill white people. A slave of
that belongs to it.”
Colonel Chesnut warned his master, and the plot was dis(Continued on page 10)
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Volume 35, number 2
Sgurr Uaran
Ceud Mile Failte: 100,000 Welcomes to Our New Members
Mr. James C. MacRae
51 Rocky Knl
Irvine, CA 92612
Ms. Cynthia McCray
1908 Charleston Place Ln
Charlotte, NC 28212
Mr. Christopher Duncan Thompson
51 Thatcher Lane
Savannah, GA 31410
Mr. Howard George
2317 Granite Park Dr
Lincoln, CA 95648
Mr. & Mrs. Steve McRae
433 Ward St
Graham, NC 27253
Mr. Harvey Ballard
40 Eden Place
Athens, OH 45701
Ms. Pattie Norman Smith
PO Box 16
Spearsville, LA 71277
Mr. Charles McRae
2335 Old Stage Road
Mullins, SC 29574
W
e welcome you to the Clan MacRae Society of North America. I encourage all present members to
note those new members who may live in your communities. Call them and welcome them aboard.
—John MacRae-Hall
(Continued from page 9)
In 1820, John Boykin surveyed Kershaw District
and prepared a map for inclusion in Mill’s Atlas of 1825.
(See the map section on page 9.) Along the west side of
the Wateree River and east of Green Swamp we see the
plantations of D. McRa, I. McRa, and P. McRa. Additionally, another of P. McRa’s plantations is located on
the road between Green Swamp and Gum Swamp which
leads south to the McCord’s ferry over the Congaree
River. East of Camden we find a McRa property located
near a mill on Big Pine Tree Creek near Paint Hill. Up
and down the Wateree River we find Chesnuts, Langs,
Whitakers, Boykins, Deas, and Taylors, families related
Lt. Colonel John McCrea
D
uring the Clan MacRae Canada meeting, we heard
about plans to erect a statue in Ottawa in 2015 to the
memory of John McCrea. He was of course the Canadian
Artillerist and Physician best known for his poem “In
Flanders Fields,” which is perhaps the most enduring literary monument in English to the Great War. Funds are
being solicited by the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery to support the statue’s cost. The Canadian MacRaes
voted at their AGM to pledge $2500 Canadian towards
that cost. At our Society’s Directors’ Meeting in July, the
Directors discussed the matter and agreed that we would
like to contribute, but for now we will solicit private donations from the members of the Clan MacRae Society of
North America. At a future Directors’ meeting, we will
evaluate the Society’s financial situation and determine
how much the Society as such can contribute. Some of
the plans are unsettled as yet; a future issue of Sgurr
Uaran will provide details for those who wish to make
personal contributions.
Although we think of him today as a physician
or soon to be intermarried with Duncan McRa’s family.
We also find several taverns, including Holliday’s Tavern
located where the road to Columbia crossed Spears Creek.
The “I” McRa must have been John Chesnut McRa. In
the 1820 census Duncan is shown as possessing 246
slaves, 161 of whom were engaged in agriculture. Powell
had 65 slaves, including 50 who were engaged in agriculture.
The next issue of Sgurr Uaran will conclude the story of
Powell, of his “illicit connexion” with the girl from the
Holliday Tavern and of his descendants.
and medical officer, Lt. Col. McCrea was first a gunner.
A veteran of the Boer War in South Africa, he went to
France as a gunner, not as a physician, and continued to
serve at times as an artillery officer even after being assigned as head of a Field Hospital. We found a display of
his pistol in the Canadian War Museum, a thoroughly
business-like Colt .45 automatic, and the words of his
poem engraved in the Hall of Remembrance in the Parliament Building.
Page 11
Volume 35 , number 2
Sgurr Uaran
WE INVITE YOU TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE CLAN MacRAE SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA. COMPLETE AND MAIL THIS
FORM. IF YOU ARE NOW A MEMBER, COPY THIS APPLICATION FORM AND SEND IT TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND ENCOURAGE
THEM TO JOIN OUR SOCIETY.
THE CLAN MacRAE SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA
Application for Membership
Qualifications for Membership: Any person bearing the name MacRae in any of its various forms and spellings or any Sept name of the Clan MacRae or the
wife or descendant of such a person, including but not limited to the following:
MacRAE
MacARRA
MacCRAW
MacCRIE
MacRA
MacRAY
RAE
CRAE
MacCRA
MacCRAY
MacCROW
MacRACH
MacRIE
RAITH
CREA
MacCRACH
MacCREA
MacCROY
MacRAITH MACHRAY RAY
CREE
MacCRAE
MacCREATH MacGRATH
MacARA MacCRAITH MacCREE
MacGRAW
MacRATH
McCrea
REA
MacRAW
McRae
REATH
WRAY
Purposes: To enjoy Scottish clan traditions in friendly association with other MacRaes; to inform members of the history, traditions, culture and life of
Clan MacRae; to maintain Eilean Donan Castle as the Clan Seat; to foster Scottish culture and traditions; to seek the recognition of a Chief of Clan MacRae; and to support various worthy charities.
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Student Membership (up to age 21) ........................................................................................................................ $15.00
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-raising
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Revised 4/2010
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Notice: Moving soon or
recently moved? Please
send change of address
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John MacRae-Hall and Jesslyn Fingar lead Clan MacRae at Grandfather Mountain.
Jesslyn is the great-great-granddaughter of Agnes MacRae Morton, cofounder of the
Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. Story, page 5.
Sgurr Uaran
The Clan MacRae Society of North America
5108 Huntcliff Trail
Winston-Salem, NC 27104
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Clan MacRae Society
of North America
306 Surrey Road
Savannah, GA 31410