Davdsn Newsletter July 2007.pmd

The Sporran
Arms Of The Chief
July
2007
News From
The Clan Davidson Society
(USA)
A Ceann Cinnidh Cuimhne
If you have any comments or suggestions regarding
Clan Davidson Society, please contact me by phone, mail or
by the Internet at Mdavid8928@aol.com. I look forward to
hearing from you.
(The President’s Thoughts)
I am pleased to announce that Clan Davidson
Society (USA) has accepted an invitation to be the honored
clan for the 2008 North East Florida Scottish Games held in
Jacksonville, Florida. The games will be held on February
23, 2008. This honor reflects the hard work of our
Regional Director, Rick Davis, and others for their support
of those games over the years. Elaine and I will be in
attendance and look forward to meeting everyone there.
Let’s have a huge turnout in support of Clan Davidson!
In other news, Norman Harris has informed me
that he will be stepping down as co-director in California
due to health reasons. Clan Davidson Society wishes to
express our gratitude to Norman for his contributions over
the past several years. We also wish him the best with his
health problems.
I would also like to express my condolences to the
family of Andrew Davis who died earlier this year. Dave
will have more in this edition of the Sporran on Andrew’s
contributions to Clan Davidson Society.
I hope each and every one of you has a great
summer. Please support the highland games in your area.
Page 1 of The Davidson Trail. Find the rest of this fascinating journey on the
website of the Clan DavidsonAssociation (UK) at
www.clandavidson.org.uk
1
INDEX
Subject
Page
Item
Editorial Item (Membership Registrar)
27 New Members since 1/1/07.
28 Members placed on Inactive Status since 1/1/07.
Editorial Item (President)
1 Mike Davidson announces that CDS-USA to be the Honored Clan at the ‘08 NE Florida
(Jacksonville) Highland Games
Editorial Item (Secretary/Treasurer)
24 Minutes of the 2008 AGM
26 2008 Treasurer’s Report
Editorial Item (Sennachie)
3 Dave passes along the details of the International Gathering of Clan Davidson to be held on the
last weekend of September, 2008.
Feature Item, History
16 Bruce Peterson writes of the “Clan In Another Time & Place”, a description of the clans of
ancient Rome.
16 Part II of the History of Rural Hill and its occupants, The Old Davidson Plantation,
Huntersville, North Carolina
19 Clifford Davison & Nick Hide (CDA-UK) write of a Davidson connection to the Boston Tea
Party - “Davison, Newman & Company, The Firm That Supplied The Tea For The Boston Tea
Party”
21 Part I of “William Davidson (1781 - 1820) - Social Justice Activist” by Peeta May, CDSAustralia
25 Some photos of the Niagara Falls... frozen over, circa 1911.
29 Historical booklet, “The Scotta Legend - Fact Amongst Fiction?” by Ian Davidson, CDA-UK,
offered for sale to CDS-USA members by making modest donation to the Society.
Feature Item, People
9 Letter from Dan Kay about his service in Iraq.
10 News and photos from Robert “Rusty” Dawson, CDS-USA member stationed with the US
Army in Afghanistan.
13 Rob Davison, County Down, N. Ireland, describes the function of a professional genealogist
and extolls the amenities of Ballynester House, a B&B run by Rob & wife Rosie.
Feature Item, Sale Item
30 Polished stones (Ciuin Stones) from the Isle of Skye offered for sale to CDS-USA, plus their
history by Gus MacDonald, proprietor of Skye Cuillin Marbles, Portree, Skye.
31 Get your Davidson Tartan Carpet from Stevens & Graham, Glasgow, Scotland.
Flowers Of The Forest
5 The Society mourns the loss of President Emeritus, Andy Davis; members Robert Shoecraft
Wood and Rodney Davidson.
7 Region 14 Co-Director Larry Davidson celebrates his deceased father’s 100th birthday with a
memorable memorial.
8 CDS-USA notes the passing of CDA-UK member Syd Davidson, long time supporter of Clan
Davidson activities.
Regional Director Report
11 Regional Director reports from Bill Davis (6); Davis Babcock (11); Larry Davidson (14);
Wayne Davis (14); and Jennifer Boozeman (16).
2
Ramblins’ From The Sennachie
And, yes, be forewarned, your ‘umble Sennachie
and his long-suffering spouse, Evil Evelyn, plan on attending
the Gathering. At first, the Evil One had something
scheduled for the last weekend in September, precluding
her from going with me. So I was just going to fly over for
the weekend and return quickly back to the US.
Then, change #2, Ev decided she wanted to go to
Scotland more than she wanted to do whatever it was she
was going to be doing in late September, so both of us
would be flying over just for the event. But, wait! This
dynamic duo never does things by the halves… one thing
led to another and, voila’, what was a one week venture
has stretched out to a three week jaunt (in a wee motor
home) embracing a tour of the extreme northwest corner
of Scotland, the west coast down to the Isle of Skye, and
the Outer Hebrides from Lewis to Barra. After checking
the climate data, I have concluded we will have high temps
in the mid-50s, low temps in the mid-40s, a 99.9% chance
of drizzly rain (every day!) and winds gusting from 20 to 50
miles per hour. Perfect Scottish weather!! We will be
prepared…
The part of Scotland we’ll be traveling through is
some of the most beautiful yet uninhabited parts of this
ancient land. The roads are what they quaintly call “single
track”, (i.e. one lane), with the odd and sundry “lay-by”
every so often. This is the place where you get to pull over
to let opposing drivers go by... if you don’t have a head-on
collision first! During the summer this area has quite a few
visitors since the Outer Hebrides is one of the few places
in Scotland with sandy beaches.
Because it appears many businesses, including
caravan parks, will be closed for the season by then, we
anticipate spending more than one evening alone on a
desolate beach facing out into the north Atlantic, wee motor
home rocking in the gusting winds, hoping we won’t be
carried off by a silkie. Of course we’ll be pretty well selfcontained so this prospect is far more intriguing than
intimidating.
According to one source, by the way, “Silkies” are
well entrenched in Celtic legend. Also known as selkies,
selchies, kelpies, roane and seal people, there are haunting
and evocative legends and folktales of these creatures that
could shift between seal and human form by removing their
sealskins. Stories of the silkies come from Cornwall,
Ireland (especially from Donegal county), and Scotland (in
particular the west coast and the northern islands of the
Orkneys, Shetlands, and, you guessed it, the Hebrides).
But… I digress…
by Dave Chagnon
Tick, tock… the time ‘till the Clan Davidson
Gathering this fall is getting short, less than three months by
the time this publication is delivered. I’m referring, of
course, to the International Gathering of Clan Davidson to
be held in conjunction with the Annual General Meeting of
the Clan Davidson Association (UK) over the last weekend
of September this year. And what more fitting venue for
this Gathering than Tulloch Castle Hotel, Dingwall,
Scotland?
Nick Hide, Hon. Membership Secretary and all
around go-to guy in CDA-UK, has done a bang-up job
putting together many of the events which will be going on
during this Gathering. He has assembled a terrific package
of information entitled The Davidson Trail. This web-based
package is available at the CDA-UK website
www.clandavidson.org.uk
The Davidson Trail is a series of documents which
provide details of places and events with significance to
Davidsons. They provide a basis for a day trip, or trips, by
car (or bicycle if you’re Clifford Davison, who resides in
the Greater Inverness area). I’ve reproduced several pages
of the Trail to give you an idea of what you’ll find when
you peek into this wonderful web site.
3
Per Nick Hide, the activities planned for the
Gathering include the following:
A few months ago, I received a notice about the
Clan Davidson Gathering in Dingwall (Scotland) this fall.
One of the events was a formal dinner with a price tag of
59 pounds.
My too-fertile imagination kicked in and I thought
to myself… “59 pounds of what”? Taking the
Shakespearian “Shylock” view of this question (The
Merchant of Venice), I thought “of flesh, of course”!
The Brits now use the metric system of measuring
things and everyone knows no one on the western shores
of the Atlantic understands metrics, so I discounted this and
fell back on the older weight measuring system in which
the term “stone” was used. A “stone” in the earlier British
weight system equaled 14 pounds, avoirdupois.
Since I weigh in at around 20 stone, this meant that
my dinner in Dingwall was going to cost me 4.2 stones
worth of myself, or 21% of my total body weight. “Piece of
cake”, I thought, “this might even do me some good”.
But wait! Just as with Antonio in “The Merchant
et al”, I began to wonder - just which portion of me would
they demand for this payment?!? What if they chose the
“Henry The VIIIth” option and demanded payment “off the
top”, so to speak?? Or what if they went for the “William
Wallace” plan, demanding 4.2 stone’s worth of my
entrails??? Horrors! The tab for dinner began taking on a
morbid bent…
Perhaps I’ll forgo the dinner with its 59 pound
quandary and opt, instead, for take-away catered by
Mickey Ds!
Friday 28th Sept:
Many members will be arriving on Friday in order
to make a weekend break of the Gathering; Socializing will
be informal; the day will be an opportunity for members to
explore the area around Inverness, Tulloch etc.
Our Memorabilia Room [bring the wallet] & our
Information desk in the Main Hall at Tulloch will be open to
help visitors & members with any queries about the Trail
and local attractions.
Sat 29th Sept
We are planning to organize informal local guided tours of
Tulloch Castle subject to the weather. The AGM is planned
to commence at 2.30pm - lasting approx 1 hour. The
Reception will start at 7.00pm followed by Dinner/
Entertainment.
Sun 30th Sept
Plans are for morning Church Service at St
Clements in Dingwall, followed by an informal lunch at
Tulloch. After lunch, there is a scheduled Coach Trip with
guided tour of Cromarty [pre-booking essential]. This will
take all of Sunday afternoon.
One further note from Nick: Memorabilia Room
and Information desk will be in operation from Friday
morning, through to Sunday.
Tulloch Castle Hotel restaurant - if anyone plans to
eat in the main Hotel restaurant on Thursday, Friday, or
Sunday they should be aware that pre-booking is strongly
advised as the hotel restaurant is frequently fully booked
with local clientele, especially on weekends. The Hotel also
does bar meals which can be more flexible.
The cost for the Saturday Clan Dinner is 59 pounds
(approx. $120, US). Nick says that dinner payments for
overseas visitors can be taken at Tulloch, once a
reservation has been received by him. Reservations for
dinner and the Cromarty guided tour can be made by email
to Nick at nickhide@msn.com
View from the front yard of Tulloch Castle looking east over the Conon River at low
tide. The land on the far side of the Conon is the Black Isle, which is, of course, not an
“isle”, but a peninsula. Our ancestors were sometimes quaint with their place names...
Which brings me to this next bit of related
humorous fluffery concerning the Saturday night dinner…
Flowers Of The Forest
This is the part of The Sporran I really do not
like preparing…
Some Random Thoughts From A Colonial Davidson
Clansman by the Sennachie
4
The past few months have been hard ones for
our Society and for the Clan MacDhai overseas. We
lost three members of which I am aware, while our
cousins in CDA-UK lost one of their leading Clansmen,
Syd Davidson. Herewith follows information about
these losses.
introduced himself and we chatted for a bit and I was
on my way to do my own work at the ASCS tent.
Later, I stopped back at the CDS tent and we
shared a wee dram of the waters-of-life and our
friendship was sealed for life. I was quite a lot younger
than Andy, and considerably more “wooly” in those
days. This never stopped us from communicating and
enjoying each other’s company.
When my daughter Kate was christened during
the kirkin o’ the tartan ceremony at Stone Mountain two
years later (1985), Andy held the ewer Chaplain
McCook used during the ceremony. I remember the look
of horror which passed over Andy’s face as the good
Reverend mistakenly, but innocently, welcomed Kate
into the welcoming arms of her Clan… Clan Donald!
We all had a good laugh over the faux pas after the
ceremony was over and the story has had a
good retelling every year at Stone ever
since.
Probably the best word I have to
sum up Andy is… warm. He was a warm
man, a mentor, a good friend, and I shall
dearly miss him.
Mike Fleming, Andy’s son-in-law,
wrote and delivered a eulogy at Andy’s
memorial ceremony. This tells Andy’s story
about as well as it could be told in
anything less than a large book. It is
reprinted here…
HI
Clan Davidson Society (USA) lost one of its
greatest members ever a few months ago. Our President
Emeritus, Andy Davis, took the low road back to the
hills of Scotland in February. Andy was President of the
Society from 1983 to 1993, a decade which saw the
fledgling CDS-USA grow from its struggling infancy to
a mature and viable Clan Society. For this we have the
leadership of Andy to thank… and the energies of
Eleanor standing behind him pushing!
Here’s the “facts” of Andy’s life,
as published in The Atlanta JournalConstitution on 2/16/2007:
Andrew S. Davis, age 83, of
Atlanta, Georgia, died Thursday,
February 8, 2007. He is survived by
wife, Eleanor E. Davis; daughters,
Andrea Rambo and husband, Maurice
of New Jersey; Lenore Fleming and
husband, Mike of Gainesville, GA;
grandchildren, Darren, Andrew,
Amanda and Casey; sister, Nancy Irion
of New Jersey; several nieces and
nephews. Mr. Davis was a member of
Old Guard of the Gate City Guard, past
President GA Society S.A.R., 60 year
member of American Legion and
member of St. Andrews Society. He was
President Emeritus Clan Davidson Society (USA),
member of Oglethorpe Presbyterian Church and
served in the U.S. Air Force during WWII in the
South Pacific.
Life is not a destination but a journey,
and what a journey it has been for Andy
Davis!
Life for Andy began in Philadelphia in
1923. He grew up with his mother Freya and
older sister Nancy whom he loved very much.
He wanted to play piano, but in the depression years there
was only enough money for his sister to take lessons. So he
learned to play the harmonica instead. He attended the
Northeast School for Boys and was in the Latin club, the
High Y fencing club, and rowed. He was voted best in
human nature. I also learned through the photos that he
sported six-pack abs and was a solid athlete. He was
excellent at swimming, and he loved bowling as well as
golf. Although, I think, it was the social aspect of the game
he liked best. He was an Eagle Scout and a scoutmaster at
18. He led many scout trips and enjoyed hiking and
camping. He enjoyed music: classical, country and western,
as well as church music. He was very sentimental, saving
his childhood toys.
Right out of high school he enlisted in the Air Force
like many of the other “great generation”. He loved his
country and was proud to have served. He was assigned to
the “thirsty thirteen”-air wing, the 13th troop carrier
Certainly an impressive life’s work by any
measure, but it doesn’t tell you about the man…
I remember the first time I met Andy, just about
25 years ago. I was the President of the Arkansas
Scottish Cultural Society in those days, and was
walking on my way to the ASCS tent we were
sponsoring at the Stone Mountain Highland Games. I
was passing by the CDS tent and paused briefly to say
“howdy” since I was a founding member of CDS-USA.
Andy was busy setting up the tent and turned to me with
that warm sly grin he always seemed to wear. He
5
squadron, 403rd group. He received the good conduct
medal, distinguished unit badge, the Philippines liberation
medal, and Pacific campaign medal with six bronze stars. I
once asked Andy what he did in the war and his reply was
“I was the clerk who registered the beer then buried it in
the sand to keep it cold, no refrigeration you know.” He
served in the pacific theater, the Solomon Islands, and the
Philippines, although he was too humble to ever talk about
his sacrifice. We all owe a great deal to the men who
fought for us both then and today.
Upon his discharge from the service he returned
home to finish college at the University Of Pennsylvania
Wharton School Of Economics, graduation class of ’52,
with a bachelor of finance degree. Also he wasted no time
marrying Eleanor. They were married in 1946 and it lasted
60 years, quite the accomplishment in
today’s world. He started a family with
Andrea and then later added Lenore.
He was extremely proud of his
grandchildren Darren, Andrew,
Amanda, and Casey. You can see
Andy’s nature in all of them.
Andy’s accomplishments were
many and he always rose to the top of
any organization he belonged to. He did
things right the first time. He possessed
incredible patience and great leadership
skills. Among his accomplishments
were: President of the State of Georgia
Sons of the American Revolution; LtC
Old Guard of The Gate City (the oldest
active military group in the USA);
President Emeritus of Clan Davidson
(USA); 60 year member of the
American Legion:.
He was the manager for ARCO oil for 38 years. It
was written at his retirement party “Andy’s plans included
playing golf, swimming, bowling, drinking Manhattans and
eyeing Lenore’s girlfriends.” A Civil War buff, it is rumored
that Andy is a descendant of Jefferson Davis.
During his 30 years of retirement he continued
collecting. Collecting civil war memorabilia, electric trains,
toy soldiers, shot glasses, and firearms just to name a few.
He still had his father’s WWI uniform as well as his own
WWII uniform. A few years ago Andy told me about two
albums of pictures. They were albums of girlfriends that he
had saved. He had known these girls before he was
married. He said he was afraid to pull them out. I just
thought it was some urban legend until last week when
Eleanor pulled them out of the closet. There they were, the
mythical black albums, full of pictures of girls in grass
skirts. And they were complete with notes on the back of
each one. I was impressed. Eleanor said she was glad
because she could now throw them away. I wish I had
seen them earlier because I’ve got a few questions I would
like to ask Andy. Though one thing is for sure, he did indeed
pick the right girl.
Genealogy was another interest Andy had. He
traced his ancestors all the way back to Wiltshire England
1682. Along the way he discovered Henry Young who
served in the Revolutionary War. He had discovered a
cousin who delivered the peace treaty to Ben Franklin in
Paris. Simmion Davis, another descendant, served as a
private in the Civil War. Luckily for us, both of them
survived the wars.
Andy liked to entertain and be entertained. He
never missed a party or an event. He loved to dress in his
tuxedo or his kilt and go out. Some of my fondest memories
are of him in his kilt at the Highland Games. He was proud
of his family and paraded us around
introducing us to all of the different
clans.
I remember giving Andy and
Eleanor a bon voyage party before a
cruise they took. It was a gag party and
we gave them a life raft and paddles.
We also gave them a survival kit. Little
did we know the ship they were on
broke down at sea and they drifted for
two days. In that survival kit there was
a flashlight that became very valuable
since there were no lights. Andy said he
didn’t mind. He sat on the upper deck
and ate ice cream to keep it from
melting. He had a big sweet tooth after
all.
Andy was a man of few words,
but when need be could articulate them
better than most. He once told me “you
can learn more from listening than through speaking.” He
had a way of simplifying problems and had a unique
calming effect. He always knew the right words to say.
Our world is a lesser place without him in it. We can take
comfort in knowing he has gone before us to prepare a
place for us. He is now with his mother and Uncle Richard,
and what a reunion that must have been. His earthly
bounds are no more, they have been lifted. His life’s
purpose has been fulfilled. Goodness truly followed him in
all his days.
Finally, to you Eleanor, I want to say that you are
my role model and the foundation our family can rest on.
Your care for Andy this past year was an example for us
all. And it is a testimony to your commitment to Andy. You
truly had something special.
Fare thee well on your journey back to the
Hielands, Andy…
6
HI
us as I have ever seen. It was written by Larry
Davidson of Lawrence KS, co-Region 14 Director. He
has written a birthday greeting to his dad who passed
away about 7 years ago.
The next notice concerns the loss of Robert S.
Wood, resident of Kensington MD. I was not personally
acquainted with Robert, but I feel confident our Society
is surely diminished by his loss.
Happy Birthday, Dad! by Larry Davidson
Published in The Washington Post on 12/31/2006.
Lawrence Oriville Davidson was a truly
remarkable man. He was born on the family farm near
Altoona, Kansas, on January 4, 1907. He grew up there
with two brothers and two sisters (an older brother and
sister had died before he was born) and was imbued with a
lifelong conviction that one was fully responsible for one’s
own actions, that personal honor was everything, and that if
he really needed something he could probably make it
himself.
He must have been a “wild child” and probably
quarreled with his teachers and his father frequently (but
almost never with his mother, I suspect, whom he ranked
very highly in his personal pantheon of deities). He
attended high school, but had an altercation
with his art teacher (who happened also to
be the school superintendent in that rural
community) during his senior year. As he
told it, the man told him to pick something up
and he refused. Hot words followed, and he
hit the teacher, knocking him down the stairs
so he ”stepped over him and went home”.
He had already been offered a scholarship
at an Art School in Kansas City, so he never
went back for his diploma.
He went to the art school for a few
weeks or months, and worked as a “bellhop”
at a large Kansas City hotel for a while,
eventually returning home to the farm.
Later he set up shop as a gunsmith in Independence,
Kansas. He returned home during the great depression,
then met and married Mabel Marie McCluskey in 1936.
They did this “secretly” in Nowata, Oklahoma, then both
returned to their respective parents’ homes. He claimed
that he had to borrow $3 from her for the marriage license,
and she claimed that he never paid her back! Her parents
learned about the wedding two weeks later! Eventually, he
found employment at the revolving-door factory in
Independence, and they set up housekeeping there where
their only child was born in 1938.
He taught himself craftsmanship, building furniture
and ship models and repairing guns as a boy, and his gunsmithing skills were prodigious. Shortly before WWII, he
came to Wichita to work in the fledgling aircraft industry
where his craftsmanship was highly valued. He later told
many stories about working with Lloyd Stearman, Walter
Beech, Clyde Cessna, and Jake Molendyke, etc. After
taking over the former Stearman plant, Boeing sent him
Robert Shoecraft Wood - SEC Systems Analyst
Robert Shoecraft Wood, 90, a retired systems
analyst with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, died Dec. 23 of congestive heart
failure at Shady Grove
Adventist Hospital in Rockville. He was a Kensington
resident.
Mr. Wood was born in Liverpool, N.Y. He served
with the Army in Europe
during World War II and was awarded the Purple Heart.
Shortly after his
discharge, he joined the SEC and worked
there until his retirement in 1976.
He was an amateur magician who
specialized in card and coin tricks. He also
was a member of the Episcopal Christ
Church in Kensington, the Clan Davidson
Society and the Society of American
Magicians.
A son, Robert D. Wood, died in
2003.
Survivors include his wife of 64
years, Dorothy Dunham Wood of
Kensington;
and a son, Lawrence D. Wood of
Crownsville.
HI
This notice concerns the loss of Rodney
Davidson, Shoemakersville, PA. Rodney died 10/12/07.
Although I never met Rodney, we corresponded quite a
lot when he first joined the Society in 1996. I recall he
was very enthusiastic and wanted to know everything
there was to know about all things Davidson, how to
get a kilt, what to wear with it, and so on and so on
and so on... right now!. He so much reminded me of a
beagle puppy, chasing his tartan tail!
I enjoyed my e-chats with Rodney and I know
he will be missed by his family.
While not, technically, a notice of the death of a
CDS-USA member, what follows is as nice a memorial
of a fellow Davidson Clansman who is no longer with
7
back to Independence to recruit other skilled workers from
the old revolving-door plant where he had worked. In
1942, he founded Wichita Precision Tool Company with two
other partners. They manufactured machinist’s measuring
instruments for the Navy, and also the other services under
subcontracts for Beech and Cessna.
Before the war ended, he sold out to his partners
and “retired” to become proprietor of a small hotel on S.
Main Street. He and my mother subsequently managed a
series of small hotels until about 1980, leasing the buildings
until they were torn down, then moving on to another. In
1953 they started a hobby shop, which was run as a family
business until 1961 when I left home for active duty in the
USAF. Then, a year or so later, he bought a building on E.
Harry Street in Wichita and set up a business to salvage
and rebuild wrecked sports cars, where he acquired an
enviable reputation for completing restorations that few
others would even attempt.
He often said that he missed those days when
we were in business together, so in 1973 we started “Four
Flags Trading Co.” to deal in muzzle-loading guns &
supplies at the Harry St. building. He presided as ‘“The
Colonel” there for the next 20 years, building guns, teaching
and dispensing his gun-smithing skills, and freely
expounding his quite strong opinions on guns, politics,
history, ethics and moral behavior to anyone who would
listen... and very many did. My mother closed their last
hotel and came to work with him at the store in about
1980. They finally retired from business in 1994, when he
was 87.
As a boy, he must have had a “photographic
memory”, but claimed to have lost this marvelous faculty
after falling from a horse in his late teens. Even at 90, he
could recite verse after verse of poetry and song that he’d
learned as a child. A voracious reader, he was one of the
best educated men I’ve ever known, tho’ he had never
gone to college. He had a fine tenor voice, and sang
for some time with the Wichita Scottish Rite Singers,
helped found the first Bagpipe band in Wichita, and
later served as drum major for the Midian Shrine Pipes &
Drums until he was too old to march in their long parades.
I was, and still am, very much in awe of him. Had
he lived seven more years, he would be 100 years old
today.
So wherever you are, Happy Birthday, Dad!
Sydney Davidson [1919 – 2007] by Bob
Davidson, Newsletter Editor, CDA-UK
In April the Clan Davidson
Association in the UK lost one of
its long serving and best loved
members. Syd, as he was
universally known, was a most
enthusiastic member of the
Association and organised many of
our Gatherings including the last
International event in 1996 to
commemorate the 600th.
anniversary of the battle of North
Inch at which the clan participated.
Syd was born in Aberdeen, educated at Mackie
Academy, and after his family moved to Glasgow he took
an engineering apprenticeship with a leading manufacturer
of mining and quarry plant and equipment. In February
1939 Syd joined a Royal Engineers Reserve Company and
was sent to France later that year. After the retreat to
Dunkirk he managed to get back to the UK and
immediately volunteered to join the Commandos. Following
training in East Anglia and Scotland his Unit was sent to the
Middle East where he was on active service in North
Africa and Crete.
Like many of his generation Syd talked little about his
service career and the trials and tribulations of those
terrible years. Neither his family nor I could get him to
write down any details of his wartime exploits so only a
few fragments of the remarkable experiences of this quiet
unassuming man are known. He simply told me that he was
taken prisoner at the fall of Crete on the 1st. June 1941 but
this was not quite the case. After some gentle persuasion
he then told me that he set off in a rowing boat with a
couple of colleagues with the aim of rowing to North Africa
or, hopefully, making contact with the Royal Navy. They
successfully reached the African coast on the 4th. June and
landed at Gambut (near Tobtuk) but were picked up by an
Italian motorised patrol and he ended up as a POW in
Libya and then Italy.
“What happened in Italy” I asked. “Well I got away
again and we made it to within a mile or so of the allied
lines before we were caught” he told me “Then in 1943,
when the Germans took over, they shipped us off to a
prison camp 80 miles south of Berlin.” Our chat about the
war then finished and I never got a chance to talk to him
about it again so imagine my surprise when, at his funeral, it
was stated that he had made four escape attempts in all.
For these he was given a “Mention in Dispatches”.
But that was quiet modest Syd. His freedom came
eight days before Germany surrendered and Syd came
home again on the 1st. June 1945 after four years exactly.
HI
From our friends across the waters to the East,
comes word of the passing of one of their most favored
Clansman, Syd Davidson. There was an article about
Syd in the July, ’06 Sporran.
The following remembrance of Syd was written
by Bob Davidson, Editor of the CDA-UK newsletter.
8
In retirement Syd was a very active member of the
CDA and served on the management council up until last
year. He was also a talented artist and his painting of
Tulloch Castle was used for the cover of our book about
the “Davidsons”. He enjoyed his art and music and shared
his enthusiasm with all. We will always remember the
twinkle in his eye as he was telling his jokes and stories
from around the world. He was a true Clansman who we
all loved and will be much missed by all who knew him.
Not keen to return to a sedentary job in the Glasgow
design office of his old firm, Syd became a technical sales
engineer in the Engineering Division of a major Company in
Malaya and Singapore. In 1952 he joined another company
in Kuala Lumpur which represented several leading British
and Australian engineering manufacturers. He spent many
years with this company and in 1961 became the Managing
Director. Semi retirement came in 1969 and he spent some
years attached to the parent group in London before
returning to Malaysia for a short period in his former
position. He finally retired to Killin in Perthshire in 1984.
It was during he
early years in Malaya
that Syd took up
motorcycle racing and
last year I persuaded
him to tell us more
about it as he had won
a number of trophies
at the sport. This was
featured in our
Newsletter in March
last year and also in
the Sporran.
So shall we all, Bob. His loss diminishes the
Clan wherever you live…
Clan Davidson In Camo
I first engaged the Kay twins some years ago at
the Loch Norman Highland Games. What a dynamic
duo! It was a great pleasure to rub elbows with these
two full-of-life guys… who reminded me so much of the
full-speed-ahead damn-the-torpedoes callow fellow I
once was. Except there were two of them…
Dan still lived in the land of their youth in
Oregon, Don was active duty military stationed in
Virginia. Dan was in the Army Guard in an outfit that
was activated for service in Iraq. He wrote several
letters for The Sporran both while in Iraq and after his
return. Some years have past since his return from Iraq,
and he is now writing to his fellow Clansmen to give
them some idea of what life is like in the US after time
in Iraq.
Fellow Clansmen,
It has been three years since my Guard unit
returned from Iraq and I retired from military service.
Now, they are spinning up to go back. I have to say, I am
all twisted up about it. On one hand, I want to sign up and
go back with my buddies. On the other, I am now too
busted up and out of shape to go back, even if my wife let
me... And, I don’t know if a 30% disability from the VA
would keep me out or not. But two screwed up knees and
a screwed up right arm probably will.
I guess it has been a mixed bag for our company.
Some guys went right back to what they knew with no
problems, many stayed with the Guard. A few couldn’t
adjust. Some are like me, generally fitting back in, maybe
not in the same places we were in when we left, but getting
on with life. I was an electrician, now I am an officer with
Oregon Department of Corrections. I found it hard to
work with the public without backup, so I found a
paramilitary structured environment where the public isn’t
allowed.
So, what else is going on with my life, post-Iraq?
About 6 months after I started working for ODOC, one of
Syd and son Grant at the 1996 International
Gathering in Perth. Both were very proud of
their Clan Davidson Kilts. Sadly Grant died
in 2003 [Sporran, January ‘04].
9
More News About a Davidson Clansman In Afghanistan
Last January, I published some photos and information about Robert “Dusty” Dawson, a CDS-USA
member doing duty in the Mid East, and now in Southwest Asia. Dusty, as he prefers, left Ft. Lewis Washington about a year ago for the big sandbox east of the Mediterranean Sea. First landing in Kuwait, Rusty then
moved on to a base in Iraq, and was subsequently relocated to Afghanistan, where he is currently enjoying
both the scenery and the climate... and the insects, and the flora, and the fauna, too.
He must be doing something right, because Dusty was recently promoted from Staff Sergeant (E-6) to
Sergeant First Class (E-7), the third highest rank for an enlisted person in the US Army. He was also the
featured soldier in the Army News Section of the Armed Forces Network for his “Miles of Honor Biking and
Rucking” action (and, puh-leeze, do not ask me what that means...). Congratulations Sarge!
Next thing you know, we’ll be calling Rusty “Top”, Army shorthand for First Sergeant. Way to go, trooper!
For those members who would like to say howdy to Dusty, you can contact him at “SFC Robert “Dusty”
Dawson
580th Signal Company, APO, AE 09354” or by email at robert.dawsonjr1@us.army.mil
And, Dusty? From me and all the members of CDS-USA... thank you for your service to your country. It
IS appreciated!
Dusty, looking strangely in pain,
has 2nd LT Keeler “pin” Dusty’s
new rank on him. Could the good
Lieutenant be sticking the pin just a
bit too deep?
Happy at last, Dusty has his fatigue
cap with new badge of rank placed
on his head by Captain Avenick.
Flanked by Lt. Keeler and Captain
Avenick, Dusty stands tall and
proud... just like his Clan ancestors
would expect to see of yet another
generation of fighting Davidsons.
coming up on overpasses, and I’m okay as long as I don’t
watch “documentaries” on PBS putting down our efforts,
or “re-enactments” on the History channel. Do I think we
should have gone in and removed Saddam? From what I
saw, yes. Most of our issues over there stem from Syria
and Iran mucking things up, trying to create a Greater
Islamic State. If the elected officials in Washington stay
off General Petreaus’ back, he might get things done over
there as promised. (Thanks for the soapbox, Sennachie).
Anyway, Don and I both have done the Iraq thing,
and both made it back somewhat the worse for wear, and I
hope our guys come out some time soon. As I tell the
inmates when they ask how I am,” It’s another day in
Paradise!”. When they say I am crazy, I tell them it all
depends on where you been as to what paradise is.
Dan Kay
The Veteran. He is a Solder and a Savior, and a
Sword against the Darkness.
my co-workers said she had to sell her two horses. Since
Laura has been crazy about horses since I’ve known her, I
sent her to look at these two black quarter horses – silly
Dan. Now we have two quarter horses, a Clydesdale and
a Kiger Mustang. Since we have horses, we needed a big
truck (F350 dually 4x4) – and then a big horse trailer to
haul behind the big truck! Then, my horse broke my leg, so
I bought a motorcycle. First, a Royal Enfield Bullet 500cc.
A good British bike, very forgiving to someone who hasn’t
ridden in 23 years! Then, when I got tired of a top speed
of 67mph and the VA checks started coming in, I found a
2004 (Harley)-DAVIDSON Fatboy. I now ride with the
Warrior Brotherhood VMC (veteran’s motorcycle club).
As it happens, I am the youngest and most fit of the
Oregon chapter! Five battered vets between the ages of
41 and 57 – quite the crew, but we have fun.
I have some issues with PTSD, not too often, but
enough it bums me out. I’m not quite so jumpy when
10
As you can see in Dan’s letter, Brother Don did
his time in Iraq (wrote to the Sporran, too, July ’06)
and is now back in the US. Both brothers showed great
intelligence by becoming Lifetime Members in the CDSUSA… OOOO-RAHHH!
had several Davidsons stop by to chat, some took
membership pamphlets, some even returned for a second
visit.
A highlight of the games was the appearance of
young Kyle Peters with his family from Ball Ground, GA.
Kyle is eleven (that’s 11!!)
years old and plays with the
Atlanta Pipe Band. He and his
mother claim Clan Davidson
and he wears the Davidson
tartan while a candidate for the
‘senior’ band in Atlanta (after
he makes it, he will wear their
kilt while playing). Kyle came
to our tent and played for us,
attracting a crowd, of course.
His parents are nice folks, too,
His mother is Julie (Davidson)
Peters.
Speaking for those Americans who have done
service for the country, even of the tamest sort, life as a
civilian is never an easy role to re-establish. For those
who lived day after day in fear of their lives, always a
heartbeat from their last breath, live is never the same. I
am proud to say that the Kay boys are CDS members
and will always relish my memories of them. I certainly
look forward to tipping a few with them in the future!
HI
Reports From Regional Directors
Region 6, Bill Davis
I received an email from Bill a few weeks ago.
Bill explained that his sponsorship at the Highland
Games of Region 6 was somewhat spotty last year, and
he used the feeble excuse of having some significant
health issues. Bill further asserted that his favorite
vacation hide-away was the Glens Falls Hospital.
Now, I know just how “hospitable” this place
can be since the town of Glens Falls is your
Sennachie’s hometown, and this very institution
provided part time employment when I was in High
School… in the morgue. It’s one of the many reasons for
my somewhat unusual outlook on the world…
Anyhooo, Bill is now out of the woods and back
on his feet, more or less. Bill says he’ll have a
Davidson tent at the following activities:
Ruby Babcock peers over a Hieland Coo at the Glasgow HG, as she prepares to get
some milk for Davis’ morning coffee. I sure hope someone told her this was a “boy”
cow before she got too enthusiastic with her milking!
HI
Sept. 8-9 Whiteface Mt. Games, Lake Placid Region, NY
Sept. 21-23 NH Games, Loon Mt., NH
Region 14, Larry Davidson, Co-Director
This is in addition to events already gone by,
and for which I am patiently waiting on reports ☺.
We enjoyed nice spring weather for the Kansas
City Games on June 9th, and although the riverside park
had been completely flooded by the “Big Mo” only a couple
of weeks earlier, it was fairly easy to avoid the remaining
muddy spots. Our assigned tent site was down at the far
end of ”clan row” this time, well away from most of the
main public attractions. You couldn’t actually see any
railroad tracks running between us and the main crowds,
but it kinda’ felt like we were on the “wrong side” of
some.
No matter... the really important visitors found us
anyway! Wayne & Pam Davis came down with their
whole family from St. Louis, and Mark Roupe showed up
bright and early from Topeka. Wayne did not bring his
pipes along, but the Highland Dancing tent was just across
May 5 -7 Celebration of Celts, Columbia Co. NY
June 23 Western Mass Games, Easthampton, Mass
You folks in the North East, be on the lookout
for Bill, OK?
Region 11, Davis Babcock
For a change, the 2007 Gatlinburg (TN) games
were warm and dry (contrary to 2006). While Clan
Participation seemed down, the overall attendance was
UP! For a smaller venue, these are really fun games. We
11
A Few Pictures From Wayne Davis, Co-Regional Director, Region 14
Clan Davis (proud sept of Clan Davidson) took the family
colors (as well as the rest of our gear) to the Southwest
Missouri Celtic Heritage Festival & Highland Games in
Buffalo, Missouri the weekend of September 8 and 9. Wayne
and daughter Maggie gave swordsmanship demonstrations.
They also took on challengers. Wayne had an opportunity to
play his bagpipes a few times, too.
We want to thank our kinsman Jim
Gallion of Springfield, Missouri for all his
work for the Buffalo Games and for Clan
Davidson. Not only did he have duties
with the Buffalo Games, he spent time
working in the Clan Tent. He also drove
up to the St. Louis HG to help out.
We also attended the St. Louis Scottish Games in St.
Louis, Missouri the weekend of October 6 & 7. Pam
was in charge of the Children’s area which is always a
big hit with the lads and lassies. At the Opening
Ceremony Wayne played his bagpipes for the
presentation of the Colors. We had one returning
member who comes specifically to renew his
membership and share a wee dram with a kinsman.
12
A Clansman’s Profile
the road, so we heard plenty of good piping anyway.
Of course, a few hours of “Gillie Callum” and “De’il in the
Kitchen”, however well- played, might make one wish for a
different tune!
We welcomed new members Dorothy & Edward
Tenny from Topeka, KS; Joan & Tom Davidson (with
children Julie & Kristen) from Prairie Village, KS; Michele
Tregemba & Edward Klein from Great Falls, MT; and
Justin Atwood for Overland Park, KS. Justin is a student
at KSU who had already seen the Clan Davidson web site
and was very pleased to find our tent. He’s quite
interested in Clan Davidson history.
It didn’t take him long, I guess, to extract my
meager store of knowledge on this subject! Julie & Steed
Bell from Lawrence, KS, renewed their membership as
well, so as I said before, the really important visitors
managed to find us!
I first started corresponding with Rob Davison
when he was an officer in the Clan Davidson
Association (UK). His wife, Rosie, was also an officer
and had taken on the task of the newsletter for CDAUK. The three of us carried on a very healthy
correspondence over the course of several years, and
we just missed meeting up in person when I was in
Ireland in 2000.
Then Rob started up his genealogy research
with the dynamite name of Inquireland. I was really
impressed with the cleverness of the name and started
nagging on Rob to do up an article about it for The
Sporran. Then he and Rosie took on the task of
running a Bed & Breakfast (Ballynester House), and
Rob’s article slid even further to the rear burner.
This spring, out of the blue, comes this
wonderful article about the life of a professional
genealogist. I’m perpetually amazed that the seeds of
my nagging always seem to bear such great fruit,
eventually…
If you are planning a voyage into Northern
Ireland, please be sure to consider a stay at Ballynester
House. It’s a beautiful venue and an excellent lodging
value. I’m really looking forward to meeting them at
long last at the Gathering in Dingwall this fall.
HI
Region 16, Jennifer Bozeman, ex Officio
Jennifer reports the following activities for ’07:
August 10-12th – Colorado Scottish Festival &
Rocky Mountain Highland Games
Please plan on attending the Festival in Highlands
Ranch, Colorado. We would love to see you, come and
visit the Clan Davidson Tent. Better yet, please become a
volunteer to either march in the parade at noon or maybe
even help at the tent. It is such a wonderful way to meet
and greet fellow Clan Members.
Adventures In Genealogy by Robert C Davison
MAPGI, Co. Down, Northern Ireland
When
Dave
Chagnon originally asked
me to write about my
work as a professional
genealogist in Ireland,
some years ago, I was in
the middle of starting up
the business. I thought it
more appropriate to wait
until I’d completed my
first year before I went
into print. Having put
down some thoughts on
a Word doc. on the PC, I
Looking like the scholarly
genealogist he is, Rob fires up the got involved in other
computing machine for another
things and this article was
put ‘on the long finger’!
days work.
I will now attempt to
rectify the situation and live up to Dave’s unswerving faith in
me to actually get into print.
Before April 2003 I had served what I considered a
reasonable, self-imposed apprenticeship in researching Irish
records and had then applied for and been accredited a
September 7-9th – Longs Peak Scottish/Irish
Festival at Estes Park, Colorado
Okay, you must come to Estes Park and attend the
festival. We need your help and support. Again, please
march in the parade on Saturday morning or volunteer for a
couple of hours to help at the tent. Remember how much
fun you had last year? We are going to have more space
this year so more to sit a spell and visit. Your contributions
of display items are always welcome as well as your ideas.
Please come and join us. Again, please contact me, Jenny
Bozeman, and I will help you with information and anything
else if I can.
I look forward to another wonderful year and most
of all, seeing and greeting all of you again. Hope all is well
with you and families. Let me hear from you if there is
anything I can do or if you know of some event that is
happening I will get the word out. Thanks to all of you for
supporting Clan Davidson.
HI
13
member of the Association of Professional Genealogists
in Ireland or APGI. As the only all-Ireland regulating body,
APGI expects high standards from its members and enjoys
an excellent reputation amongst amateur and professional
genealogists world-wide. You can check out their website
and my C.V. at <www.apgi.ie>
People may think that the professional genealogist
(or PG as I shall refer to them from now on) works mainly in
isolation, and to a certain extent this is true, particularly when
it comes to preparing reports for clients. However, researching
in Libraries, Archives, Registration Offices and all sorts of
repositories can be quite a sociable and fun activity! PG’s get
to know each other through whispered conversations initially,
but this can lead on to other meetings in more sociable
surroundings out of working hours. Dublin is particularly good
for this. Commissions from clients can come in through the
mail or by fax or telephone, but these days, an ever-increasing
number are dealt with by e-mail. There is no doubt that the
Internet has been the means to really ‘open up’ genealogical
research so that it now ranks as the number one world-wide
hobby.
How did I start out on this journey? Well, for me, it
started off as a hobby, and then I was side-tracked into
carrying out minor research on behalf of other people. In my
‘former incarnation’ as a Police Officer, now retired for
over 13 years, I guess that I picked up certain investigative
skills that are really useful in researching. A chance encounter
with a PG in Scotland lead me to being asked to be the Ireland
representative of an international firm of Probate Genealogists
based in London. Investigating family lines to trace relatives
of persons who have died intestate can produce some
unexpected bonuses. In 2002 I was required to attend the
Queen’s County Courthouse in New York to give evidence
of my genealogical researches. I had investigated the family
background of a woman who had died in New York City, and
whose estate would have passed to the City if an inheritor
could not have been traced. My enquiries covered the family
in Ireland over a period of 70 years and lead to a relative
living in Hampshire, England. This relative also attended the
Courthouse and together, we gave a good account of
ourselves before the Judge and various Attorneys. The Judge
was very interested in my Clan Davidson tie and I was able
to give him some insight into what the various Clan
organisations throughout the world get up to. My wife Rosie
accompanied me on the trip, which we stretched out to 5
days. Our accommodation was at the Tarrytown Hilton and
we travelled by train to New York each day for our sightseeing.
Just for fun, we even took the train to Pookeepsie!! [Note:
Adoption tracing. All
Adoptees who wish to
trace their birth parents
are now required to
undergo counselling and
in the case I was dealing
with, the client was in
New Zealand and his
birth Mother was
Rob and a client discuss details of
believed to be in Belfast.
some of the work he has done for her.
Consequently, the Post
Adoption Team of Belfast
Social Services were involved, and when I located the Mother,
the Team asked to see me. As their resources for investigation
were limited, I was asked if clients could be referred to me.
How could I refuse, so I found myself ‘retained’ by another
organisation in my capacity as a researcher. All the essential
skills of the genealogist are brought into play when it comes
to Adoption tracing, although it isn’t usually necessary to go
back more than 100 years when compiling a ‘family profile’
for the client. As with ‘ordinary’ genealogical research, you
occasionally hit the ‘brick wall’ beyond which it is impossible
to go any further. Sometimes this is because the birth Mother
has set up a false trail to prevent tracing. This is a double
frustration for me because not only do I not get to ‘crack the
case’ but I feel for the client for whom this research is not
just a hobby, but an attempt to put something into their life
that is missing.
In between Probate and Adoption work the ‘ordinary’
genealogical research was also coming in from all quarters
and it really was a case of ‘on the job’ training. Whilst I got
hold of all the standard reference books on Irish research to
build up my knowledge, it was only through the ‘hands-on’
experience that the expertise was acquired. PG’s that I came
into contact with were always ready to share their knowledge
and I was soon at home in the various repositories in Belfast
and Dublin. After a time, I was able to put the ‘destruction of
the Public Record Office in Dublin’ into perspective. It is
probably the greatest myth about Irish genealogy that ‘all the
records’ were lost in that fire in 1922’. A great deal of invaluable
and irreplaceable material was lost, and the seriousness of
the fire should not be underestimated. However, for example,
the 19th. century census returns for Ireland had been lost well
before 1922, as they were pulped during the First World War!
It could be said that for a country that has endured so much
unrest over the centuries, it is amazing that so much has
survived in Ireland with regard to records. Of course, not all
the records were in Ireland in the first place. Being tied to the
British Crown after the Act of Union in 1801, and governed
(somewhat reluctantly for some people!) from London, Ireland
was not unlike the rest of the British Isles when it came to
records. Local matters tended to be kept locally but central
government matters were filed away in London. This is why
Military, Naval, Coastguard and Police records (to name but
This place is actually “Poughkeepsie” in the Mid-Hudson Valley
of New York State. I should know since I lived in its shadow for 6
years! Sennachie]
Back to business. I answered a request for assistance
in tracing a Davidson that I found on an Internet site and this
lead me into my next interesting experience in genealogy –
14
four) still survive in The National Archives (TNA) at Kew,
London. As the noted English Genealogist Michael Gandy is
fond of saying (and this is not an exact quote) …”Irish
researchers have to realise that the capital of Ireland was
London!” It’s not quite that simple but I’m sure you will get
the drift.
Perhaps the most interesting period of my work has
come about since I was accredited to become a member of
APGI. To achieve accreditation, I was required to submit an
actual research file of not less that 5 hours work, excluding
typing and administration. This was to demonstrate my grasp
of the essentials in Irish research and to show effective use
of resources. Permission had to be obtained from the client
whose work I proposed to submit, and I am very grateful to
Dave Mullan of New Zealand who allowed my work on the
‘Mullans of Blossom Hill, Co. Tyrone’ to go forward. The
rest, as they say ‘is history’ and I was delighted that Dave
actually published my work as an A.5 size booklet. It even
has an ISBN number! Membership of APGI has enabled me
to advertise in their leaflet and on their website, and on such
websites as the National Archives of Ireland, the National
Library of Ireland and the Public Record Office of Northern
Ireland (PRONI).
The PG’s of APGI are contracted by the National
Archives (NAI) and National Library (NLI), both in Dublin,
to provide a ‘Genealogy Advice Service’ (GAS) at both
premises and which is free to the public who visit. Special
rooms are available with computer facilities and lots of
reference books and ‘finding aids’. Whilst certain information
accessible to the public is common to both institutions they
each have their ‘specialities’. If you wish to search Irish
Catholic Parish records, then the National Library is the place.
For the 1901 and 1911 Irish Census, and Church of Ireland
records (Protestant), then you go to the National Archives.
The joy of working the ‘GAS’ is the ‘one-to-one’
contact with the customer/s and all that goes with it. I
mentioned earlier on in this article about usually working in
isolation, but the ‘GAS’ not only provides the opportunity to
meet and talk with some really interesting and unusual people,
but it keeps you ‘on your toes’ regarding genealogical
knowledge. There isn’t usually the luxury of being able to
take your time over consulting research books, the internet
and ‘finding aids’. With the pressure on and the customers
patiently piling up, it’s necessary to get down to the bare
essentials of a customer’s family history, but without skipping
the important details. It’s usually a balancing act and the
service is not intended to give an ‘in-depth’ consultation
anyway. Most of the time it’s a case of pointing the customer
towards the Census or Parish records, or Civil Registration
records as a means of starting their research or carrying out
a follow-up on some information they already have.
The National Library is on the coach tour itinerary so
we are often inundated with Americans or Canadians who
have been dropped off to spend a couple of hours sight-seeing
and they invariably wander into the ‘GAS’ to find out about
their Irish ancestors. Notwithstanding that 99% of them don’t
actually have any research carried out back home, they
optimistically enquire about “John Murphy who left Ireland
in 1790”. Whilst the PG’s can perform some prodigious feats
of knowledge and expertise, miracles are not within our job
description! It’s worth mentioning that for Irish genealogical
research to commence successfully, the client must know
three things – the religion of the ancestor, the County they
resided in and the Parish within that County. Trying to find
births, marriages and deaths before 1864, when Civil
Registration commenced, is dependent on Church records
and there is no central index for their entries as there is with
the Civil Registration returns.
I find that there is great personal satisfaction in putting
people on the right track in the ‘GAS’ and whilst you may not
be able to give them any startling information about their
ancestors, it is possible to pass on the knowledge about which
records should be consulted and how to go about doing this.
It’s a more intense and personal version of what all of us
PG’s are carrying out – the search for that elusive Irish
ancestor - who may even be a DAVIDSON.
Now that my
wife Rosie and I are
running a Bed &
Breakfast establishment
with
self-catering
apartment, I’m finding
that many guests also
require
genealogy
research, which is great
for business! We are
Ballynester House on the outskirts of the village situated in the heart of the
of Greyabbey. Located about half-way down the
Ulster-Scots or ScotchArd peninsula on the East Coast of Northern Ireland, this modern B&B is a great starting point for Irish lands of the Ards
a tour of this lovely part of the world. Many mem- peninsula in Co. Down.
bers of CDS-USA (the Sennachie included) claim In fact the present day
ancestral ties to Northern Ireland. These emigrants descendants of Hugh
to the US are called the Scotch Irish.
Montgomery who settled
here from Ayrshire,
Scotland in 1606 are just down the road in Rosemount House.
The ‘Montgomery settlement’ is a fascinating story and can
be the subject of another article from me sometime. Also our
adventurous first year running the B & B! If you would like
to take a look at the property and have access to the Web,
please go to www.ballynesterhouse.com
We would be delighted to welcome Clan Davidson
members from wherever in the world.
For details of research services, please contact
Rob by e-mail at <enquireland@tiscali.co.uk> or mail to
Ballynester House, 1A Cardy Road, Greyabbey,
Newtownards, Co. Down BT22 2LS, Northern Ireland.
15
From Days Gone By
possible. Each mask would be kept in a storage box made
in the form of a Roman temple. When there was a funeral,
persons would be hired to wear these masks and dress in
the clothing that portrayed the highest honors or triumphs
celebrated by the males in each generation, surrounded by
the symbols of their honors or high office. The
“impersonators” would mimic the manner of walking and
gesturing of the illustrious dead that incarnated the glory of
the clan through the generations. A young Roman could
view as a great pageant the fame of his glorious ancestors
and be motivated to strive to equal them in his own lifetime.
One can only imagine what
we Scots might have today if this
had been the custom of Scottish
clans and if the images had survived.
How many Scottish heroes might we
not have viewed “in the flesh”!
I’ve published many different articles about the
meaning of “Clan” over the years, but always in the
context in which the term is used in Scotland. The
Scottish “clan”, of course, comes from the Gaelic for
“children” – “clanna”, a reference to be the children of
the Clan’s chief. Over the years the term came to be
used in many different contexts, although always
retaining the basic connotation of extended family.
New CDS-USA member, Bruce Peterson,
expounds a bit on another society’s use of a similar
concept.
The “Clan” in Another Time and Place by Bruce
Peterson
“Gens” - In the Roman republic, a gens (pl.
gentes) was a clan, caste, or group of families that shared
a common name (nomen) and a belief in a common
ancestor. In the Roman naming convention, the second
name was the name of the gens to which the person
belonged. The term has also been used to refer to families
within a clan system in other contexts, including tribal clans.
Thus, Gaius Julius Caesar (Gaius, his “first name”, Julius
“the name of his family or gens”, and Caesar (the
“nickname”, in this case, meaning someone who has a
luxurious head of hair, something for which the Julian
family was famous).
The relationships of the gentes were a major factor
in Roman politics; members of the same gens were
“family”, and therefore frequently (though not always)
political allies. A gens was patrilineal and patriarchal, but
individuals could not seek marriage partners from within the
gens, this custom resulting in marriage alliances among the
patrician gentes, some of the most famous families
(gentes) of which included the names Fabius, Varius,
Aemilius, Cornelius, Julius, Claudius, Valerius, and Cloelius.
A young Roman male (of the patrician, or
senatorial, class) was raised to venerate his ancestors and
was taught to believe that his primary duty in life was to
add to the fame of his gens by rising through the different
levels of public office until (and there were minimum age
restrictions on holding certain offices) he might be elected
as one of the consules ordinarii, one of the two consuls
elected annually to serve as “chief executives” of Rome
(later in the year suffect consuls would be elected as well.)
This was normally the highest honor that a patrician could
hold in Rome, although those who had served as consul
might reach one step higher and serve as “censors.”
The veneration of ancestors was such that a
patrician family would have a mask made in each
generation for the father of the family. The mask would be
made of wax and genuine hair and be as close a likeness as
O flower of Scotland,
When will we see, your like
again . . .
But the concept of contributing in one’s own
lifetime to the constructive fame of one’s clan need not be
merely an extinct Roman custom.
I couldn’t agree with you more, Bruce! This is
the main reason why I consistently extol the virtues of
volunteering in the name of Clan Davidson to become a
Regional Director, a Society Officer, or, hopefully, a
replacement some day for the Sennachie!
HI
CDS-USA members who have been reading
previous issues of The Sporran are no doubt aware of
the connection between Clan Davidson and the Loch
Norman Highland Games. Aside from our having the
Society’s Annual General Meeting at this gathering, the
LNHG is held on the site of Rural Hill Plantation, also
known as the Old Davidson Plantation.
The LNHG is sponsored by the Catawba Valley
Scottish Society (CVSS). Through an agreement with
Mecklinburg County, North Carolina, CVSS has
undertaken the task of operating Rural Hill Farm as a
working 18 th c. farmstead. They have a modest but
growing herd of hieland coos (Scottish Highland cows)
and a number of restored buildings on the grounds. Clan
Davidson is indeed fortunate to have this group making
the effort at preserving what is a part of our mutual history
and heritage.
CVSS has a great website dedicated to Rural Hill.
Check it out at www.ruralhillfarm.org
16
Richard Austin Davidson joined the 5th North
Carolina Cavalry (63rd North Carolina State Troops),
Company F, and returned home after the war.
Robert A. Davidson gave up his studies at
Davidson College and enlisted. He served as a sergeant in
the 5th North Carolina Cavalry (63rd North Carolina State
Troops), Company F. He was captured during the war and
served as a prisoner of war only to die in prison before he
could return to Rural Hill.
Edward Constantine, another son of Jacky, served
as a first lieutenant of troop A in the 3rd United States
Dragoon Regiment in the Mexican War. After the war he
was elected to the North Carolina General Assembly.
When the Civil War began he joined a local North Carolina
regiment to fight for the Southern cause.
This material has been broken into three parts,
two of which will deal with the people of Rural Hill and
one of which will deal with the buildings and holdings of
Rural Hill. Here then, is the second of these parts.
The Old Davidson Plantation (Rural
Hill Farm) – Huntersville NC – Part 2 of 3
Meet The Davidsons of Rural Hill Farm from Rural
Hill Farm website (with permission), originally published in
the Charlotte Observer ca 1927.
Slavery and Rural Hill
Chalmers Davidson, a later descendant of the
Davidson family, and professor at Davidson College [and a
member of CDS-USA for many years], once commented in
A Plantation World Around Davidson that the majority of
people in Mecklenburg County were not slave owners. The
majority of those who were slave owners had only a few. A
man who worked his own land, however praiseworthy his
enterprise, even though
assisted by eight or ten
“hands”, was a farmer, not a
planter. The dividing line was
considered to be something
between 25-30 slaves as the
ownership of so large a
number customarily required
the services of an overseer.
The land owner who
employed an overseer was a
planter.
In 1790 Major John
Davidson owned a sizeable
number of African slaves. By
1860 the number owned by his son John (Jacky) and
grandson Adam Brevard had grown considerably. Rural Hill
was one of 30 plantations in Mecklenburg County. Produce
from the farm was sold in markets in Charleston, South
Carolina and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
John Springs and Margaret Abigail “Minnie”
(Caldwell) Davidson
After the war the family reunited and they began to
rebuild what had been lost. John Springs returned to Rural
Hill to farm the land, and worked with S.B. Alexander in
launching a campaign for
improving the roads in the
Carolina region. However,
Reconstruction did not go easy
for some of the Davidson
family members. In spite of the
challenge of rebuilding, John
was instrumental in securing
some of the first good road
systems in North Carolina.
In November, 1886 the
Rural Hill mansion burned
while the family was at the fair
in Charlotte. The Davidsons
moved back in to the log cabin
of Rural Retreat and lived there until the kitchen house was
remodeled as their new home. Rural Retreat unexpectedly
burned, in 1896.
These are the remains of Rural Hill Plantation. The
family eventually decided to tear down the walls for fear of
someone getting injured. Today the remains of the columns
can be seen in the front lawn where the house once stood.
Davidson Family in the American Civil War
In 1861 North Carolina seceded from the Union,
and her sons went off to war. Following the military
tradition of the Davidson family, the first to enlist was John
Springs Davidson. He joined the 1st North Carolina
Artillery (10th North Carolina State Troops), Company C,
and rose to the rank of sergeant. He served throughout the
war until the surrender of General Lee’s army at
Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia on April 9, 1865.
Alexander Davidson
In 1894, Brevard conveyed Rural Hill to his
grandson, Joseph Graham Davidson. Jo Graham agreed to
divide the property five ways, reserving one parcel for
himself with the others for his brothers and sisters.
The settlement of his estate resulted in the present
configuration of the last 265.3 acres of what was once a
5,000 acre plantation.
17
[This is the end of Part II]
Rebuilding Rural Hill
References:
Colonel Edward L. Baxter Davidson, son of Adam
Brevard by his second marriage, held the honorary title of
colonel. He never served in the military. As he grew to
adulthood he helped rebuild Rural Hill and initiated the
construction of the elaborate stone wall around the
Davidson Burying Ground along with the other monuments
visitors see throughout the Huntersville area today. In 1943
he commissioned plans for rebuilding the Rural Hill
mansion. Charlotte architect, Louis Asbury, drew up the
plans, but Baxter Davidson passed away before work could
begin on reconstructing the house. Currently there are
plans to rebuild Rural Hill in the Executive Master Plan of
the Catawba Valley Scottish Society.
•
Major John Davidson of Rural Hill
Mecklenburg, North Carolina Pioneer, Industrialist, and
Planter by Chalmers Gaston Davidson, PH.D., Associate
Professor of History and Director of the Library Davidson
College, Davidson, North Carolina Lassiter Press, Inc.,
Charlotte, North Carolina 1943
•
The Plantation World Around Davidson
By Chalmers Gaston Davidson
Briarpatch Press, 1982
pp. 65-66, 70-71
•
Davidson Family Papers
Library of the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill”
Southern Historical Collection
The Last Davidson Family of Rural Hill
In 1992, the last remaining direct descendants of
John and Violet Davidson, John Springs and his sisters,
Elizabeth and May [Ms. May is a valued member of the
Clan Davidson Society (USA)], worked with the Charlotte
Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission, to sell Rural
Hill to Mecklenburg County. At that time the Catawba
Valley Scottish Society was seeking a home to establish a
Scottish heritage event, which would become known as the
Loch Norman Highland Games. It was a perfect
relationship.
Since that time the Catawba Valley Scottish
Society has worked with the Mecklenburg County Parks
and Recreation Department in restoring and preserving this
historic farm. On February 17, 2006 Rural Hill Farm
became officially open to the public for daily visitation.
•
History of Hopewell Church
Original copy at Hopewell Presbyterian Church
(unavailable at this time)
•
Davidson Family Collection (Photographs
and Letters),
Library of the University of North Carolina at
Charlotte
•
Letters of John Springs Davidson,
Copies at Rural Hill Farm-Center of Scottish
Heritage
Dated May 8, 1829
A Lasting Legacy
Major John and Violet Davidson, their
descendents and extended family have played an
important role in the development of Mecklenburg
County and the surrounding region. The hopes and
dreams, contributions and sacrifices of this family
illustrates the strengths of the rich cultural heritage
that played such an important role in the
development of the Carolinas.
A historian, J. B. Alexander said of Rural
Hill cemetery, “The old resting place is now
forgotten by all save a few who live near it.” He did
not live to witness the change. The same resting
place where are entombed the lineage Davidsons,
as illustrious a family the south ever produced, is
now restored to a historical shrine open to for public
visitation.
Rural Hill today. The Old Davidson Plantation is alive and well, thriving under
the tender minitrations of the Catawba Valley Scottish Society. Rural Hill is the
venue for the Loch Norman Highland Games, the event at which CDS-USA
holds its AGM.
HI
18
and the Borders, and the Rawlinsons from Lancashire and
Westmoreland. Thomas Rawlinson later become Lord
Mayor of London in 1753 and was knighted in 1760.
Monkhouse Davison maintained his family and property
connections with Carlisle.
By 1755, the firm had developed an extensive
foreign trade particularly in Europe. For example, old
ledgers show that from March to November 1755
transactions (mainly in spices) with a customer in
Rotterdam amounted to £53,000. This was huge business.
An agreement dated 1764 shows that Abram
Newman (who married Monkhouse Davison’s sister Mary)
was taken into the partnership, and the firm then traded as
“Rawlinson, Davison and Newman”. Following the death
of Rawlinson in 1769, his son Walter did not take on his
father’s role in the business. The firm’s name was changed
to “Davison, Newman & Co”, the trade name that
continued until the 21st century. In 1777, “Davison,
Newman & Co” admitted into the Company three clerks,
among them William Thwaytes, who was later to become
the sole owner of the firm. It was said that none of these
clerks invested more than £500 in the business, whose
capital, even then was more than £80,000.
Monkhouse Davison died in 1793 at the age of 80
and Abram Newman followed him six years later. Neither
left heirs to take on the business, thus the family connection
ceased. Both these merchants left very substantial financial
estates in their wills.
Monkhouse Davison and Abram Newman were
buried in the Church of All Hallows Staining in London City
and were commemorated with a large monument made of
Coade stone and erected in this church. Later this
monument was moved to the neighbouring church St.
Olave’s, Hart Street. It was surmounted by a symbolic
figure of commerce reclining on bales of tea. Unfortunately
this monument was destroyed by bombing in 1941.
However, a photograph survives as well as good survey
reports which provide useful historical information.
The Davison and Newman heraldic Arms can be
seen in the photograph of the monument. The Davison
detail appears to be almost identical with the Davison of
Blakiston Arms of 1631 included with the Davidson/
Davison Armorial published privately in 1992. We have yet
to receive confirmation that Monkhouse Davison was ever
granted Arms by the London College of Arms or whether
he simply copied the earlier grant.
The following article came about in a rather
circuitous and serendipitous manner. It seems that
Clifford Davison, the Master of the Bicycle who
transited the USA two years ago, likes to while away
the dark hours of the long Scottish winter nights by
surfing the Internet looking for Davidson memorabilia
and factoids. Clifford came across a bit of information
concerning an 18th C. tea merchant by the name of
Monkhouse Davison. It seems that Monkhouse’s
business had a rather important connection to the
American colonies of his era.
Further research into the matter was
undertaken by Nick Hide, Clan Davidson Association
Hon. Membership Secretary. Nick can be very
persistent when he sets his mind on something
(obviously a generic Davidson trait) and he ferreted
out a lot more information concerning the connection
between Monkhouse Davison and the early history of
the founding of the USA. This is definitely a story
which fits into the “who’d-a-thunk-it” category!
Enjoy!
Davison, Newman & Company - “The Firm that
supplied the tea for the Boston Tea Party” by Clifford Davison
and Nick Hyde
For more than two centuries, the
sign of Three Sugar Loaves and Crown
hung over a shop front in Creechurch
Lane in the City of London. This sign
became the trademark of the merchants
Davison and Newman. The origins of this
company are said to go back as early as
1650. However the Davison family
connection did not come about until the
middle of the 18th century, when one Monkhouse Davison
[1713-1793] became a partner with Thomas Rawlinson
[1710-1769], a well established merchant.
Monkhouse Davison, was
admitted to the Grocers’ Company as a
freeman by redemption in 1738. He
was the son of Isaac Davison of
Cowdall Hall in Cumberland. The start
date of the business partnership
between Davison and Rawlinson is not
known, but a cheque from 1753 has
survived with the trading name
“Rawlinson and Davison” as well as an engraved copper
plate print showing that they were “Dealers in Coffee, Tea,
Chocolate, Snuff”.
The connection with the Rawlinson family probably
goes much further back as the origins of both families stem
from the north of England; the Davisons from Cumberland
The Boston Tea Party
Tea has always been an important part of the
“Davison, Newman & Co” business and the Company has
earned its place in history by shipping some of the tea
which was later thrown into Boston Harbour on that fateful
evening of the 16th December 1773. This was the prelude
19
The archive records found in the Guildhall Library
include much information about this firm and its West
Indian plantation business. In this bicentennial year of
commemoration of the abolition of the slave shipping trade,
it is perhaps salutary to realise that some Davison [and
Davidson] merchant ancestors in London had been
involved, and continued to be involved, in this abhorrent
practice as plantation owners. Slave labour continued on
this Jamaican plantation for another 27 years until slave
emancipation in the British colonies was implemented in
1834.
The Rose Hall plantation today is part of the Rose
Hall Resort and Country Club, a major tourist resort.
Davison and Newman - later history
When Abram Newman died in 1799, William
Thwaytes became the sole owner of the firm. He was to
control it for another thirty-five years. However, he decided
to keep the original name and so did those who came after
him. Over the years “Davison, Newman & Co” sold tea to
many prominent people one of whom was Charles Dickens.
A cheque for £36. 10s. 6d to “Davison and Newman” was
made out by him through Coutts Bank, dated the 4th
February 1867 still exists. It shows how expensive tea was
at the time as £36 can buy a lot of tea even today.
In 1910 the then owner, William Tappley, sold the
firm to the West Indian Produce Association, which had
been founded in 1906. William Tappley joined the board of
the company and one of the other directors was a Mr
(afterwards Sir) Edward Davison but it is not known
whether he had any
connection with the
family of Monkhouse
Davison.
In July 1950,
the Lord Mayor of
London paid a visit to
the Creechurch Lane
premises as part of the
tercentenary
celebrations of the firm.
The trading name of “Davison, Newman & Co”
lives on and is still used to market tea in connection with its
part in the history of the Boston Tea Party. However, this
company is no longer listed in the City of London and the
current whereabouts since 2003 is unknown.
Monument to Monkhouse
Davison & Abrahm Newman
to the American War of Independence. Much has been
written about the “Boston Tea Party” and the events which
led the citizens of Boston to boycott the tea. In summary,
the American Colonists chief grievance was that while the
duty on paper had been suspended, it had been retained on
tea and the arrival of the ship Dartmouth in Boston
Harbour on the 29th November 1773 set in motion the
events which gave rise to a new nation.
Among the Treasury Board Papers in the National
Archive at Kew is an important document which shows
that after the trouble in December 1773, “Davison,
Newman & Co” began to ship tea to Boston again. Sixteen
chests of this tea, consigned to the brigantine Fortune early
in 1774, were the cause of a second and unrecorded
“Boston Tea Party”. When the news reached England, the
firm petitioned King George III in connection with the
insurance claim of £480 for the loss of the sixteen chests of
tea. Whether they actually succeeded in their claim is not
known.
The Rose Hall Sugar Estate
In addition to being tea merchants, “Davison,
Newman & Co” were also sugar merchants importing
sugar from their own plantation in the West Indies. In 1789
they bought a 4/18th share of the 1200-acre plantation
known as Rose Hall in Jamaica. Monkhouse Davison left
his share of the estate to Abram Newman who in his turn
left it to his daughters, from whom William Thwaytes, the
surviving partner, bought it in 1811. After William
Thwaytes’s death in 1834, his share passed to his nephew
and so out of the hands of the firm.
Welllll, how about that, history buffs! Maybe no
Davison tea, maybe no USA… the mind boggles. What a
great article. A tip o’ the Bonnet to Clifford and Nick
for their efforts.
HI
20
Over the many years I’ve been producing the
Society’s newsletters, you, the readers, have been
subjected to many, many different themes dealing with
all sorts of aspects of being a member of the Davidson
Clan and a descendent of Scottish ancestors.
Many of us think of our mutual Davidson
antecedents as people living in a pastoral land and
wearing Tartan clothing. Occasionally our ancestors
were upset and threatened by events intruding from a
harsh land outside the otherwise peaceful glen in which
they tended their cattle and raised their children. Of
course this all ended in 1746 with the Jacobite loss at
the Battle of Culloden and the subsequent
“Clearances” of the Highlands in the late 18th C and
the early 19th C. The Scottish “Diaspora” initiated by
these events provide much of the reason why so many
members of CDS-USA ARE members of CDS-USA; our
predecessors left Scotland (or were forced to leave) to
settle in North America. Other forbearers of our fellow
Clansmen settled in Nova Scotia, Australia, New
Zealand, South Africa and many other parts of the
world. This means Scottish history stopped with those
events, right? Wrong!
I must admit, I, too, held this short-sighted and
highly romanticized view until I started to really dig into
the lives all of our Scottish ancestors lived, not just
before the early 18th C, but after as well. And, folks,
believe me when I tell you that that quaint romantic
view (above) couldn’t be farther from the truth! Our
ancestors had one hard life, always just one meal from
starvation, sometimes one meal past starvation. The
climate was harsh, the land was stony, what passed for
a government was totally impervious to the needs of the
common man, and the concept of benevolence was still
on the distant horizon. Death came easy and early…
Slowly but surely the concepts of social and
economic equality began to ooze through the highly
striated layers of the lives of those who called
themselves British. And this brings us to… William
Davidson.
William lived in the latter part of the 18th C and
the first part of the 19th C. He came to my notice when I
was alerted to the fact that the last person who
experienced execution by decapitation in the UK was a
Davidson! I couldn’t let that go without doing some
research, and I ended up getting more information than
I bargained for. I gathered up my data and waited for
the right time to write an article for The Sporran.
I waited… and I waited… and then I waited
some more until last year when I opened the journal of
the Clan Davidson Society of Australia and there,
staring at me was the very portrait of William Davidson
that I had been sitting on for several years, waiting for
the spirit to move me to write the William Davidson
article. Ms. Peeta May, a long standing stalwart
member of the Clan Davidson Society of Australia, had
beaten me to the punch!
And not only had she beaten me to the punch in
writing an article about William Davidson, she wrote a
great article about William Davidson. Horrors! There
was no way I could approach the same historic material
with the same élan as she, so there was but one thing I
could do… I threw myself at her feet and begged her
permission to use her article. Gracious lady that she is,
she gave me this permission and so, here is the first of
two instalments about William Davidson, 19th Century
British Social Activist, and a primer on the growth of
civil liberties in the UK.
William Davidson [1781-1820], Social Justice
Activist by Peeta May, Secretary, CDS-Australia
With the recent introduction of changes to the
Industrial Relations legislation (IR laws), it would seem to
be an appropriate time to reflect a little upon the struggle
and obstacles that ordinary folk who wanted a better deal
in life, had to overcome. What better way than to take a
peep at the life and fate of another Davidson who lived in
the eighteenth/nineteenth century.
William Davidson was born in Jamaica in 1781. His
father was the Attorney- General of Jamaica which had
been captured from Spain in 1655. By the eighteenth
century it had become a plantation economy and a centre
of the slave trade. Up to 1866 Jamaica had the old type of
colonial constitution with governor, nominated council and
elective assembly. William was the illegitimate son of a
relationship with a “native woman of colour”. It was quite
the usual practice then, for the children of such a union to
be sent back to Scotland to be educated. At the age of
fourteen, William was sent to Glasgow to study law.
21
Burns anonymously published in 1795 the
then highly seditious pro-democracy “A
Man’s A Man for A’ That”; which
followed The Tree of Liberty, a radical
song written after the execution of the
French King in 1793.
The eighteenth century was still
an age in which the “lower orders” or
ordinary people were expected to accept
the authority of the upper classes.
Working conditions were horrendous,
hours long and wages poor. People were
realising that nothing could be done about
this in a peaceful way until every man had the right to vote.
Parliamentary reform was badly needed, but unfortunately
it was too tainted with the fear of revolution to be
acceptable in Britain.
The French revolutionary government became
convinced by reports from radical societies that Britain was
on the brink of revolution and so decided to declare war on
Britain on 1st February 1793, hoping to spread the
revolution to England. France was now seen as the national
enemy. By the time of the (temporary) peace of Amiens in
1802, the reform movement in Britain had either died, gone
underground or become more radical. So there existed a
festering need for reform which was unlikely to be satisfied
by government legislative change during the lengthy period
of twenty-two years war with France.
At this time in Scotland there were some who
wanted to see radical reform of the political system, and
William Davidson mixed with people who felt that only
major change was acceptable. His father had him
apprenticed to a Liverpool lawyer, but after three years he
ran away to sea. Later he was impressed into the Royal
Navy. On his discharge he returned to Scotland and his
father paid for him to enter Aberdeen University to study
Mathematics, but he had no heart for his studies and moved
to Birmingham.
Why Birmingham? Well, by then it had a strong
radical tradition. The town had grown from a rural
marketplace to a thriving industrial centre of metal
manufactures. In 1769 Street Commissioners were
appointed, who were responsible for keeping the streets
clear and safe – and this regime stimulated the town’s
prosperity by attracting to it men of independent ways who
disliked the restrictions of incorporated towns, run by a few
self-serving corrupt locals. By 1789 it had a population of
50,000. Matthew Boulton and James Watt founded the
Soho metal works, where they designed and built steam
engines. Dr Joseph Priestley, the discoverer of oxygen,
philosopher, scientist and Unitarian preacher, who believed
in the good and happiness of the majority of the members
of the state, lived for a time in Birmingham. He had his
library and scientific equipment destroyed in 1791, when a
This was 1795 a time of great
social and political upheaval as rural living,
dependent upon agriculture was giving
way to industrialization. The loss of smallholders and access to land owing to
Enclosures and the advent of commercial
farming increased the numbers of urban
landless labourers; and in times of dearth –
such as the winter of 1795 - fears of
starvation.
Dispossessed villagers, for want
of livelihood, were being driven to
crowded town centres, then increasing in
number and in size owing to the improvements in methods
of industry, which required more and more man-power.
Mary Darby Robinson (1758-1800) described that winter in
her poem entitled January 1795:
Pavement slippery, people sneezing,
Lords in ermine, beggars freezing;
Titled gluttons, dainties carving,
Genius in a garret starving.
Lofty mansions, warm and spacious;
Courtiers cringing and veracious;
Misers scarce and wretched heeding;
Gallant soldiers fightin’ bleeding.
Across the Channel, the French Revolution was
the centre of British government anxiety.
The Jacobins, a radical political Parisien group had
popularised the call for Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. King
Louis XVI had been executed, but so had the extremist
leader of the Reign of Terror, Maximilien Robespierre - the
needy but clever young lawyer from Arras. The Directory
assumed power, but its rule was marked by corruption,
financial difficulties, political purges, leaving it dependent
upon the army to maintain control. Napoleon Bonaparte
displaying great leadership qualities, was promoted to
Brigadier General at the age of only twenty-four. His
phenomenal rise to power would follow and so would the
Napoleonic wars up until his defeat at the battle of
Waterloo in 1815.
By the early 1790’s, inspired by French notions of
the rights of man, most British campaigners for
parliamentary reform had adopted the demand for universal
manhood suffrage and for a full democratisation of the
electoral system. There was a widespread agreement that
the right to vote should be attached to person not the
property of man. To deny any man the franchise was to
cast a slur on his moral character and to assert that he was
less than a man. The possession of wealth was no proof of
moral worth or civic virtue, and nor was poverty any
evidence of the lack of these qualities. In Scotland, Robert
22
mob set fire to his home as a revenge act against followers
of Priestley’s teachings who had been celebrating the
burning of the Bastille. In the early stages of the French
Revolution, this was not an uncommon reaction, especially
in the north of England and the south of Scotland. The
romantic poet William Wordsworth wrote that :
William possibly received a legacy of 1,200 pounds
from his mother, around this time, but whatever the case,
he set up his own cabinet-making business. His family must
have hoped he was settling down at last, having made one
or two unwise decisions. But alas, he fell in love with the
daughter of a prosperous merchant. Her father disapproved
of his daughter’s relationship and suspected that Davidson
was after her 7,000 pounds dowry and arranged for him to
be arrested on a false charge. Upon discovering that she
had married someone else, he tried to kill himself by taking
poison.
After the demise of his cabinet-making business,
William Davidson moved to London. He married Sarah
Lane, a working-class widow with four children. In the
next few years she had two more children, fathered by
Davidson. He settled into a peaceful life. Many years later
- at his trial, he would say: my family was all my society
that I kept; neither politics nor laws ever troubled me. He
became a Wesleyan Methodist and taught at the local
Sunday school. This came to an end when he was accused
of attempting to seduce a young woman. Some years later
- before his death, he carefully explained that a man of
colour, nearly his stature, insulted one of the female
teachers. William was accused and upset, so resigned. But
he sent his wife to speak to the young woman and managed
to trace the person who insulted her, brought him before the
Committee where this man acknowledged his fault. The
young Sunday school teacher was satisfied and all was
forgiven.
“Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive……
When Reason seem’d the most to assert her
rights.”
Such a reaction was much resented by the British
Tories and high church parties. The rejoicers believed that
government agents incited the loyalist mob (whose
watchword was “Church and King”) to set fire to
Priestley’s elegant home.
While researching this article, I came across
records of a remarkable group of intellectuals who formed
the Lunar Society which met regularly in and around
Birmingham, in each other’s houses (Priestley’s for
example); Boulton, Watt, Josiah Wedgwood, Erasmus
Darwin (grandfather of Charles), Thomas Jefferson and
Benjamin Franklin (corresponding members) to name but a
few of the forty members. It has been estimated that the
Lunar Society was second only to the Royal Society in its
importance as a gathering place for scientists, inventors and
natural philosophers during the second half of the
eighteenth century. In fact it was more than that. These
men were interested not merely in science, but especially in
the application of science to manufacturing, transportation,
education, medicine and much else. They were in a sense,
the revolutionary committee of that most far reaching of all
the eighteenth century revolutions, the Industrial
Revolution. They were supremely confident that they were
changing the world forever and that it would better the lot
of mankind. They believed that by raising productive
capacity they would be able to deliver material decency for
all.
They discussed social, political and economic
matters, and conducted wide-ranging debate about the
social impact of the Industrial Revolution and the general
revolutionary climate of the times. Many of their members
abhorred slavery; advocated the extension of the franchise
and measures to reduce corruption and a reduction in the
powers of the church and aristocracy. No wonder
Birmingham was the place to be. Modern historians refer
to this period as the Birmingham Enlightenment. John
Wesley the founder of Methodism and an active abolitionist
of slavery often visited Birmingham; William Davidson
would certainly have gone to hear his sermons. All these
factors would have appealed to a young reformer from
Jamaica with a strong Christian faith and explain the choice
of Birmingham to set up a business of his own.
And this ends the first installment of the William
Davidson saga. Peete has done a super job with this
material and this article. The second installment will be
published in the January, ’08 edition of The Sporran.
Thank you, Peeta!!
23
Minutes Of The Annual Meeting Of Clan Davidson Society (USA)
The annual meeting of members of Clan Davidson Society was held on Saturday, April 21, 2007 at
3:00 p.m. at the Loch Norman Games, (Davidson Homestead) Huntersville, North Carolina. The following officers of
the Society were present:
Michael Davidson
Jack Davidson
Elaine Davidson
Jack Mobley
Dan Owens
President
Second Vice President
Secretary/Treasurer
Am Fear Fardach
Genealogist
Officers absent from the meeting: Caroline Davidson-Kock, 1st Vice President and David Chagnon.
The President acknowledged the attendance of the officers and directors present and called the meeting to
order. Davis Babcock gave the invocation.
Copies of the Minutes of the 2006 meeting were passed out to the members present, together with a copy of
the Treasurer’s Report.
The President then called upon Elaine Davidson to give the Treasurer’s report. A motion was made, seconded
and carried that the Treasurer’s report be accepted and that the Minutes of the 2006 meeting be approved.
In David Chagnon’s absence, the President gave a brief report on membership activity stating that the Society
membership was at a total of 428 members, also stating that attendance was down at games for the past year. It was
speculated that due to high gas prices, many people were curtailing unnecessary travel.
Regional Directors’ Report
A brief report on the regional directors was given by the President. Davis Babcock Regional Director for
Tennessee stated that he did four games in 2006 and would be adding a fifth game, Murray, Kentucky.
Pat Davis Co-Director for South Carolina stated he would once again be setting up a tent at the Greenville
Games and reported that those games were well-attended and well-received by the City of Greenville. He plans to
take Clan Davidson back to the Savannah Games next year since he lives near that area.
Dan Owens gave a report on the Red Springs Games and stated that due to lack of attendance, he did not feel
that it would be necessary for the Society to sponsor a tent there this year.
Jack Davidson, Director in Indiana gave his report. After a brief absence from the games, Jack stated, “He is
back.” He plans on doing at least two games in his area this year.
In an email from Carolina Davidson-Kock, she stated that she will be doing the following games: Queen
Mary Games (President's weekend - Feb), Pomona Highland Games (Memorial weekend -May), and the San Diego
Highland Games (Father's Day weekend - June). The United Scottish Society moved the Memorial Day event from
Costa Mesa to the Los Angeles Fairgrounds hence the new name Pomona Highland Games.
New Business:
It was reported by the President that Norman Harris, Co-Director in California is stepping down due to his
health. Norman has done an exemplary job for the society and it will be hard to replace him. He will be sorely
missed.
The President also reported that membership in Colorado is up and we wish to thank Jennifer Bozeman for
her tireless efforts on behalf of the Society.
Open Discussion:
It was mentioned by the President that in Culloden, Scotland they will be building a new state of the art
visitor center at Culloden Battlefield. Anyone can purchase a stone to go into the wall on behalf of a loved one.
Information can be obtained by visiting the following website, www.OwnTheStone.org
24
There was also a general discussion regarding the new postage increases and increases in expenses in general.
Jack Mobley has been able to get us a wonderful price on tee shirts and printing, which has kept the cost of our tee
shirts down, but the Society might want to think about increasing prices on the shirts in conjunction with what other
Clans are charging (i.e. $15.00 rather than $10.00).
Election Of Officers:
The floor was opened for nominations and the following nominees were submitted to serve as Officers for
Clan Davidson for the next year:
Nominee
Office
Michael Davidson
Caroline Davidson-Kock
Jack Davidson
Elaine Davidson
Dan Owens
Jack Mobley
David Chagnon
President
1st Vice President
2nd Vice President
Secretary/Treasurer
Genealogist
Am Fear Fardach/merchandising
Sennachie/Director of Membership
Upon motion made, the above nominees were elected by acclamation.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
_/e-signature/________________________
Elaine Davidson, Secretary
_/e-signature/________________________
Approved: Mike Davidson, President
BBRRRRrrrrrrrrr...
We’ve all heard the old saying “When Hell Freezes Over”... well, here are a few photos of what that
event might look like! The place is Niagara Falls, New York, the year is 1911. Can you spell C-O-L-D??
“And why is that ol’ fool Sennachie publishing this”, you ask? Because CDS-USA has membership
living in this area, and it isn’t all that far from where the Sennachie was born and reared. Maybe it will
explain just a little why your Sennachie is a bit aberrant from time to time!
25
CLAN DAVIDSON SOCIETY
TREASURER’S REPORT
Accounting Period 4-18-06 through 4-17-07
Checking Account Balance as of 4-17-06
As shown on Treasurer’s Report
$2,694.07
Total Receipts 4-18-06 through 4-17-07 as follows:
Dues
Tee Shirt Sales
Clan Book Sales
Clan Pin Sales
Clan Sweatshirt sales
Contributions/gifts
$ 7,695.00
$ 480.00
$
98.00
$
33.00
$
0
$
7.00
Total Receipts
$ 8,313.00
Total:
$11,007.07
DISBURSEMENTS:*
Highland Games Sponsorships
Advertising/Scottish Publications/Clan Associations$ 100.00
Postage and Shipping Expense
Clan Newsletter Publishing Expenses
Contributions/Trophies
Clan office expenses (stationery, etc.)
Clan Tee Shirt expenses
Clan Sweatshirt expenses (purchasing and screen printing)
Miscellaneous (Clan tent kits for directors, etc )
$ 1,571.43
$ 2,324.63
$ 120.00
$ 45.48
$ 274.25
$
0
$ 395.99
Total Disbursements:
$7,609.78
Savings Account Balance on Hand as of 3-31-07
$2,778.00
$1,934.98
Checking Account Balance on hand 4-17-07
Savings Account Balance on hand 4-17-07
$ 3,398.50
$ 1,934.98
TOTAL ASSETS:
$ 5,333.48
26
Clan Davidson Society Membership Roster
New Members Since 1/1/07
Last Name
Atwood
Phone #
831-0806
269
927-6154
336
202-9804
Gerald
940
Davidson
592-2872
636
946-8350
603
795-4129
262
913
407
Davis
Phone #
386
852-7632
417
581-4024
727
909
E-mail
E-mail
896-1832
867-4007
P.O. Box 536382
E-mail
Long
454-1792
E-mail
E-mail
Owen
396-0448
639-5004
Reg
1 Beach Drive SE Apt 906
ldd77@aol.com
P.O. Box 2253
Reg
500 Windmeadows St.
Lelia
Reg
P.O. Box 650
Reg
Edward
712 27th Street N
Reg
Robert
E-mail
Reg
13001 Deerpark Drive
Reg
27
USA
NH
03768
USA
WI
53017
USA
KS
66208
USA
FL
32853
USA
MO
63021
USA
FL
32176-3727
USA
MO
65714
USA
FL
33701
USA
CA
92382
USA
FL
32701
USA
NC
28621
USA
MT
59401
USA
AL
36117
USA
VA
23112
USA
17
10
Midlothian
weickn@aol.com
63303
8
Montgomery
long9322@charter.net
Charles M.
E-mail
1501 Katrina Place
MO
9
Great Falls
E-mail
USA
19
Elkin
E-mail
18045
9
Altamonte Springs
dmdavidson@triad.rr.com
PA
14
Running Springs
dougandjolyn@aol.com
USA
9
Saint Petersburg
Reg
76367
14
Nixa
coonshar@att.net
Olga
Nancy E.
804
4105 N. 29th St
TX
9
Ormand Beach
Reg
USA
14
Ballwin
Reg
70 Brooks Drive
Jolyn
Theresa
334
371 Sorrento Drive
foxfiremd@aol.com
Jan
Michele
406
Reg
27403
12
Orlando
tdavidson@yahoo.com
Sharon
Charles
835-5624
Reg
NC
6
Prairie Village
E-mail
E-mail
336
4718 West 64 Terrace
USA
14
Colgate
Reg
tomdavidsonn@gmail.com
Carol
Dale
Klein
Phone #
E-mail
Douglas
Gilreath
Phone #
dvdsn@wi.rr.com
Joan
Lee
Phone #
Phone #
E-mail
N93W25885 Riverview Drive
49022
7
Lyme
Reg
Colleen
Gary
Diefenbach
Phone #
216 Goose Pond Road
Clemens H.
Deans
Phone #
256-6700
Reg
MI
15
Saint Charles
deanr221@charter.net
Thomas C.
391-1098
Davisson
Phone #
432-8912
636
Davis
Phone #
820-8973
18 Blackstone Court
E-mail
Charles
Davis
Phone #
E-mail
Tom
Davidson Jr.
Phone #
Laurie
Terry
Davidson
Phone #
Reg
Sandra
Davidson
Phone #
Iowa Park
Reg
USA
8
Old Orchard - 4100 Freemansburg Ave Easton
Michael
Davidson
Phone #
1309 Edgehill
66204
12
Greensboro
Reg
E-mail
Davidson
Phone #
426 West Radiance Drive
KS
14
Benton Harbor
Reg
box1565@sbcglobal.net
Hugh
Phone #
1287 Seneca Road
dmdavidson@triad.rr.com
Sandra
E-mail
Reg
daibhidh@comcast.net
Stuart
E-mail
Overland Park
bb454ci@hotmail.com
Nancy
E-mail
Debra
Davidson
Phone #
E-mail
David
Davidson
Phone #
Address
8428 West 69 Terrace
Justin
913
Davidson
Phone #
First Name(s)
7
Clan Davidson Society Membership Roster
Placed on Inactive Status Since 1/1/07
Last Name
First Name(s)
Reg
Address
Alleman
Christine
Kyle
996 W 1560 N
Orem
UT
84058
16
Babcock
Joan
Lewis
210 Eastholm Road
Schenectady
NY
12304
6
Baesman
Robert
Gail
9305 Tallgrass Road
Raleigh
NC
27603
8
Bailey
Margaret A.
903 West 55th Street
North Little Rock
AR
72118
11
Baker
James
13902 Sherwood Street
Westminster
CA
92683
19
Bean
Stuart
1006 Taylor Avenue
Crystal City
MO
63019
14
Martha
251 Huston Road
Gorham
ME
04038
6
Boise
ID
83706
17
Bolinger
John
Burns
Dawn
1712 Melody Street
Cash
Joshua
313 Terra Springs Circle
Volo
IL
60020
12
Davidson
David Parker
1932 Haywood Rd
Hendersonville
NC
28791
8
Davidson
James T.
9704 Kennemer Drive
Plano
TX
75025
15
Davidson
John M.
416 Altivo Avenue
La Selva Beach
CA
95076
19
Davidson
Leroy
Sadie
1143 Oak Grove Road
Medford
OR
97501
18
Davidson
Mark
Ann
6005 Morganshire
Summerfield
NC
27358
8
Davidson
Robert
Mary
P.O. Box 236
Alfred
ME
04002
6
Davidson
Robert J.
Jacquelyn D.
1307 Laudonniere Street
Beaufort
SC
29902
8
Davidson
Sally
3415 Volta Place NW
Washington
DC
20007
7
William E.
Beth
8329 68th Ave. SW
Lakewood
WA
98499
18
Castaic
CA
91384
19
Davidson
Christine A.
Davidson Jr.
Barton W.
Joilene W.
28658 Meadowgrass Drive
Davidson Sr.
Kenneth
Jan
432 Oakland Road
South Windsor
CT
06074
6
Davis
Andrew Iain
701 Glenwood St. Apt 206
Annapolis
MD
21401
7
Davis
Cassie
8265 Barret Road
West Chester
OH
45069
12
Davis
Christopher
Susan
1123 Raseta Ave. S
Columbia
MO
65201
14
Davis
David
Jeannie
108 Darlene Lane
Chattanooga
TN
37416
11
Davis
Evamarrie
1014 Red Oak Drive
Longmont
CO
80501
16
Davis
Michael
Donna
3160 Dunn Drive #42
Winston-Salem
NC
27103
8
Davis
Miles
Linda
33189 Juniper Road
Seminole
AL
36574
10
Davis
Scott
Linda
1409 East McKinsey Street
Moberly
MO
65270
14
Vicki
1644 18th Avenue
Longmont
CO
80501
16
Collegedale
TN
37315
11
Davison
Dennis
Davison
Jennifer
P,O, Box 529 Thatcher Hall 121
Dawson
David Michael
225 Coggins Dr. Apt 272
Pleasant Hills
CA
94532
19
Dawson
Edgar Scott
Beth
4657 Hwy. 68
Jackson
LA
70748
10
Dawson
Geary
Jennifer
2508 Fairway View Drive
Burleson
TX
76028
15
Dow
Bruce
Alice
6048 Fairway Drive
Ridge Manor
FL
33523
9
Drewry
Melissa
1665 West Blue Springs Avenue
Orange City
FL
32763
9
Edwards
Barbara
Jeffrey
128 Jackson Blvd.
Terre Haute
IN
47803
12
Foster
John
Beth
125 Market Street
Beaver
PA
15009
7
Goolsby
Thomas
Rachael
620 Market Street
Wilmington
NC
28401
8
Green
Annette
Roger
2036 Kapplemann Road
Beaufort
MO
63013
14
Jane
5650 Harmony Bend
Braselton
GA
30517
9
Halliley
Richard D.
28
Clan Davidson Society Membership Roster
Placed on Inactive Status Since 1/1/07
Last Name
First Name(s)
Reg
Address
Heisler
Nancy J.
James
P.O. Box 165
Waldport
OR
97394
18
Henley
John
Doris
295 Shiloh Road
Hillsville
VA
24343
7
Hough
Glenn
Virginia
1035 Black Rush Circle
Mount Pleasant
SC
29466
8
Jones
David
10 Bergman Street
Monroeville
AL
36460
10
Jones
Frederick D.
420 South Milledge
Athens
GA
30605
8
MacDavid
Martin
Shirley
RR 1, Box 313
Geff
IL
62842
12
Marx
Joy
Michael
8 Farnsworth
O' Fallon
MO
63366
14
McDade
John
Sherilyn
4501 West Emerald Street
Boise
ID
83706
17
McDade
Ray
Crystal
4197 Beach Road
Hudson
NC
28638
8
McDavit
William
Mary
674 Sunset Lake Blvd. SW
Sunset Beach
NC
28468
8
Miller
David
992 Hallows Way
Gerrardstown
WV
25420
7
Murphy
John
3455 Jennings Chapel Road
Woodbine
MD
21797
7
Pointer
Barbara
P.O. Box 1020
Toledo
WA
98591
18
Radzik
Janette
Elmer
690 Chandler Road Apt 312
Gurnee
IL
60031
12
Richter
Deena
Hugo
1068 CR 218
Weimar
TX
78962
15
Sandmann
Mary L.
2051 South Sharon Court
Estes Park
CO
80517
16
Schaffer
Catherine D.
89 Gov. Markham Drive
Glen Mills
PA
19342
7
Sherridan M.
Christina
P.O. Box 827
Acton
CA
93510
19
Gary
P.O. Box 425
Deer Isle
ME
04627
6
Dorothy
7566 Greenback Lane #110
Citrus Heights
CA
95610
19
Sherry
22 Alderwood Drive
Stratham
NH
03885
6
Tompkins
Karen
695 East Stanford
Bartow
FL
33830
9
Wagner
Mike
4046 East 130th Way
Thornton
CO
80241
16
Wara Jr.
Richard H.
Ruth L.
611 Wilson Avenue
Richmond
CA
94805
19
Warren
Claire
Robert
15685 Hwy. 9
Boulder Creek
CA
95006
19
Williams
Dorothy
4709 Peacock Avenue
Alexandria
VA
22304
7
Windley
Virginia
4569 Lee Jackson Hwy.
Greenville
VA
24440
7
Worden
Carolyn Davisson
2521 Coventry Court
Fort Collins
CO
80526
16
Smith
Steele
Stough
Thompson
Jennifer
Ella
Donald
A few months ago, I received a small booklet
entitled “The Scotta Legend – Fact Amongst Fiction?”
The author, a most distinguished member of the Clan
Davidson Association (UK) is Ian Davidson,
Weybridge, Surrey, England. Ian, you may recall, was
one of the movers and shakers behind the production
of the Clan Davidson History published by CDS-UK
several years back.
Ian is a gifted historian with an active
imagination and a lot of energy for a person who was
living for several years before the birth of your ‘Umble
Sennachie. He also has a very nice way with the
Queen’s English, being a skilled wordsmith to boot.
Ian has offered this booklet for sale in the UK,
with proceeds going to the general coffers of the CDSUK. Being a most loyal Davidson Clansman, he is
making the same offer to members of CDS-USA. And
why would anyone wish to purchase a copy of this
marvelously researched and very well-written booklet
about Scotta? Because it’s as good an explanation as
I’ve ever seen about the origins of those folks we call
today the Scots, and who, by the way, number among
the ancestors of all of us in CDS-USA.
29
And just who is this “Scotta” person? I’ll let
Ian’s own words from his introduction answer this
question…
Kazakhstan). This is fascinating reading and Ian makes
a very strong and well documented argument for this
position. Anyone with a genuine interest in the origins
of their ancestors would truly enjoy reading this
booklet.
Now, lest you be misled, what the buyer of this
booklet will receive is not a professionally printed hardbound booklet. Unless I receive a LOT of orders for
this work, what the buyer will receive will be thirteen
pages of text printed by the Sennachie’s trusty laser
printer or a softcopy PDF file (buyer’s choice). What
you are really buying is the product of Ian’s gifted mind
and the soft fuzzy feeling of making a modest
contribution to your very own Clan Davidson Society
(USA). What a deal!
Speaking for the Society, I thank Ian for 1) the
effort he put into the making of this booklet; and, 2) his
truly generous offer of sharing this effort with his
fellow Clansmen and benefiting CDS-USA at the same
time.
You can get your very own copy of “The
Legend of Scotta” for $5 (cheap!), either hardcopy or
softcopy, by dropping me a snail mail message (with
your check for 5 bucks) or an email (followed up with
your check for 5 bucks). OK folks… no pushing… form
a double line outside my door…
The Scotta Legend - Fact Amongst Fiction? by Ian
Davidson, History Committee, CDS-UK
’Twas a girl they called Scotta of old,
The daughter of Pharaoh, I’m told,
Who married a Greek
(Or was he Phoeneek?)
And spawned all the Scots you behold!
First encounters
This story concerning the origin of the Scots
appears in many sources in a variety of versions. It
attributes Scottish origins to an Egyptian princess called
Scotta (sometimes spelt Scota) married to a man variously
described as Scythian or Greek. According to some
versions, following the drowning of many of the Egyptian
nobility in the Nile while pursuing the Children of Israel, a
rumour spread that Scotta’s husband was about to attempt
a coup. His friends told him that his opponents were
planning to assassinate him and advised him and Scotta to
flee. With their entourage, they fled across the north of
Africa. They or their descendants eventually crossed to
what is now Spain and settled in the Ebro Valley in the
north. Many years later, they sent out colonists to Ireland,
from the north of which, in historical times, they colonised
Scotland.
Apart from the last 11 words of the preceding
paragraph, I was inclined to regard this as romantic
fabrication until I visited Navan Fort in Northern Ireland, a
site believed to be that of the first capital of Ulster. There,
the guide book informed me, the skull of a Barbary ape had
been discovered at a Bronze Age level and dated to about
700 BC. This could have come only from North Africa or
Spain. The guide book suggested that the ape whose skull
it was might have been a gift from that part of the world to
a king in Ulster. But might the ape have been brought to
Ulster by colonists from North Africa or Spain? This
thought caused me to look into the legend further…
Hither, Thither & Yon
A few months ago, my spouse, Evil Evelyn, and I
were kicking around our plans for our fall jaunt to the
International Gathering of Clan Davidson in Dingwall.
We had pretty well made up our minds that we were
going to extend our visit beyond the weekend of the
Gathering and explore parts of Scotland we had not
previously visited.
Our tentative route took us north up the east
coast of extreme northern Scotland to John O’ Groats,
west along the north coast, and thence southward
along the north-west coast until we reached the Isle of
Skye, crossing from the mainland at Kyle of Lochalsh.
The trip would continue across Skye to Uig where we
would pick up the Uig – Tarbert ferry to the Isle of
Lewis and the Outer Hebrides. The journey would then
continue south-west down the Outer Hebrides till we
reached Barra and then on the ferry back to Oman and
the mainland.
While I was doing my homework about ferry
schedules (we’ll need four of them in total), what
businesses and Caravan Parks might be open and what
the weather might be like (COLD & WET), BING – you
have mail – alerted me to the arrival of a new email
message.
Ian goes on from this starting point to explore
the possibility that we, as descendents of Scots, are
actually descended from ancient Egyptians, Greeks or
Scythians (modern Ukraine, S. Georgia, W.
30
It was as if all the ancient gods of Scotland had
been reading my mind as I slogged through website
after website and poured over my trusty electronic
mapping program, Auto-Route 2007, playing “what if”
with ferry schedules, distances, and overall journey
time. The message was from Gus MacDonald,
proprietor of a wee business located – where? – on the
Isle of Skye! And right smack in the middle on my
planned route transiting this beautiful place. The omens
all looked good for our journey!
Gus had written to me first to tell me of his
business, Skye Cuillin Marbles, located in the lovely
town of Portree on Skye’s east coast, across the Sound
of Raasay maybe 4 miles from the Isle of Raasay.
Portree is also nudged into the flanks of Skye’s
dominant geographic feature, the Cuillin Mountains.
The second reason for his message was to introduce me
to his flagship product offering, the very raison d’etre
for the formation of his business to begin with, the
utterly charming Ciuin Stone.
But I’ll let Gus tell you about these neat wee
stanes in his own words…
replace the thought of the pictures with the memories
I’ll take home of my time on Skye, where I most
definitely plan on meeting up with Gus.
Gus goes on to tell me where his Ciuin Stones
are offered for sale…
“We are the only company selling genuine Ciuin
stones. We now supply all the local castles as well as the
best gift shops. That said we are also looking to expand to
the USA, Canada, and other areas where Scots have
settled. We would love to hear from members of your Clan
who would be interested in being sales agents/retailers of
our Ciuin Stones etc at highland gatherings or to Scottish
stores.”
Although CDS-USA doesn’t sanction the sale
for profit by our members who are manning CDS tents
at Highland Games, the Society would certainly have
no problem if this was something you might be
interested in personally.
Oh, yes… the Ciuin Stones are not the only
wares Gus has for sale. They also carry a very
handsome line of jewelry using other Skye minerals.
Check them out at their website,
www.skyecuillinmarbles.co.uk
According to Gus… ”Ciuin Stones are easily
carried in the purse, pocket or sporran and are a very real
point of contact with Scotland. They are tactile and
comforting and are said to bring good luck and good health
to their owners.”
”Their origins go back many years; they were
carried by our forefathers when they were on their long
and often dangerous journeys with their Clan Chief, either
to battle or to sell their cattle at market. When they lay
down for the night, often with no shelter from the elements
and with no comfort apart from thoughts of home, holding
their Ciuin Stone brought comfort – “Ciuin” being the
Gaelic for comfort. If they returned to their loved ones then
the stone was a lucky one. If, for some reason, they never
returned, they had the comfort of knowing that they always
had a little piece of the homeland with them forever.”
“We make the Ciuin Stones from the most tactile
and unusual stone in Scotland and are constantly amazed
when someone first holds one as it usually brings a smile to
their face. They’re made from 400 million year old Skye
marble and each one is unique. Truly a beautiful little piece
of Scotland!”
As has been my custom for many years, I
occasionally pass on a notice of a commercial activity
which I feel to be in the best interests of the membership
at large, The next item, also of a commercial nature, is
just such an item.
There is a carpet company in Glasgow Scotland
which specializes in weaving tartan carpets. Had I
come across this bit of information 20 years ago, I
would have carpeted my former family room in
Davidson Modern in a heartbeat!
The name of the company is Stevens & Graham
and their address is 50 Jessie St, Glasgow, Scotland,
Since Gus was kind enough to provide me with
a sample of a Ciuin Stone, I can attest to the truth of
what Gus says. Sometimes in the evening I’ll find myself
inadvertently holding the stone when I’m reading or
watching TV, and every so often I’ll take note of this
and a warm sense of well being will come over me. I
have to smile and think of some of the beautiful
pictures I’ve seen of the Cuillin Mountains. Soon, I’ll
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Clan Davidson Society (USA)
David G. Chagnon
Sennachie & Membership Registrar
7004 Barberry Drive
North Little Rock AR 72118
USA
Address Correction & Forwarding
UK G42 0PG. Their website is www.tartanrugs.co.uk
and you can email them at tartanrugs@aol.com
They’ve been in the business since 1947, so
they should know what they’re doing by now!
Note: this notice should not be construed in any
way as an endorsement of Stevens & Graham by either
the Sennachie or the CDS-USA. It is provided only as a
matter of information for those who may have an
interest in the products offered by Stevens & Graham.
Caveat emptor!!
United Kingdom
The Clan Davidson Association.
Nick Hide, Hon. Membership Secretary
58 Chandos Avenue
Whetstone, London N20 DO
United Kingdom
Membership is £10 per year.
Thanks From The Sennachie
The Sennachie would like to thank all the contributors for
their thoughtful submission of material for this newsletter. The
Sennachie offers heartfelt apologies for any heavy-handed
editing to which he may have subjected these submissions!
A special “thank you” to Margaret Davis Bailey (even
though her dues are overdue) for her on-going assistance with
mail-out preparation of The Sporran. It takes a lot of man-hours
to process over 500 issues and hump 9 or 10 boxes to the Post
Office. Thanks!!
And once again an extra special thanks to ALL the
contributors who so thoughtfully submitted their material to the
butchery of the Sennachie. Without their efforts, you folks would
have to live with my efforts... and we all know how pitiful they
can be! An extra special thanks to Larry Davidson, Bob
Davidson (UK), Ian Davidson (UK), Peeta May & Nick Hide.
The Sporran is published semi-annually in January and
July. Written material may be submitted to the Sennachie on
paper, CD or 3 1/2" floppy disk to my snail mail address (7004
Barberry Drive, North Little Rock AR 72118), or electronically via
Internet e-mail to sennachie@earthlink.net.
Cut-off dates for submissions are May 15th and
November 15th… more or less.
List of Clan Davidson
Organizations
In addition to our own Clan Davidson Society (USA),
there are three other Davidson organizations to be found in
the world. All of these sister branches publish newsletters
and journals from which your Sennachie frequently and
cheerfully reives material. Please feel free to support these
fine worldwide Davidson efforts!
Australia
Clan Davidson Society in Australia
Pres. Dr. Frank Davidson, 23 Elizabeth St.
Paddington NSW 2021, Australia
Annual membership is AU$15 per year.
New Zealand
Clan Davidson Society In New Zealand
President: Max Rawnsley
2/128 Bramley Drive
Pakuranga, Auckland
New Zealand
Membership is $20 Annual; $200 Lifetime (US)
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