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Archiver > FERMANAGH-GOLD > 2009-12 > 1262054633


From: karen mcvitty <>
Subject: Re: FER-GOLD Reiver cousins
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:43:53 -0800 (PST)
In-Reply-To: <024301ca882e$7bbcbbc0$0202a8c0@Annandale>


My husband's 5th grt.grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War with his oldest son,William...his descendants fought in every war except the Spanish American! One of his 5th grt.grandfather's daughters was captured by the indians in the area of Path Valley,franklin Co,Pa. No one knows if she was ever returned...some captives were returned while others were married off and became part of an indian tribe!! How interesting our past!! Karen

--- On Mon, 12/28/09, Cliff. Johnston <> wrote:

From: Cliff. Johnston <>
Subject: Re: FER-GOLD Reiver cousins
To:
Date: Monday, December 28, 2009, 9:27 PM

The Scots pushed westward in North America in part to get away from the
discrimination by the English along the East coast and in part for the free
land.  They paid a tremendous price.  In the early going there were 6 Scots
killed by the Indians for every Indian killed.

In one of the very first skirmishes of the American Revolution the patriot
force was made up of mostly Scots and Scots/Irish.  They slaughtered the
English forces so badly that the powers in charge were afraid that the
English would hear about it and retaliate with even more troops to stop the
rebellion.  Some say that the War Between the States was a continuation in
effect of the war between England and Scotland with the South having a
population with Scottish ancestry estimated by some at 75%, while in the
North it was estimated at 75% English descent.  Ironically many of the
Northern generals were of Scots descent.

The more times change the more they remain the same.

Prejudices ran deep.

Cliff. Johnston
"May the best you've ever seen,
Be the worst you'll ever see;"
from A Scots Toast by Allan Ramsay
----- Original Message -----
From: "karen mcvitty" <>
To: <>
Sent: Monday, December 28, 2009 8:17 PM
Subject: Re: FER-GOLD Reiver cousins


The Germans and Quakers weren't fond of us either and we pushed further into
Indian territory because of it!! Our Scots-Irish ancestors were looking for
a little peace and quiet so they pushed into unsettled territory and when
that got too crowded we continued to push west esp. into the mountains and
valleys of the Alleghenies!!

--- On Mon, 12/28/09, donkelly <> wrote:

From: donkelly <>
Subject: Re: FER-GOLD Reiver cousins
To:
Date: Monday, December 28, 2009, 3:28 PM

Yes Sue, it is your right to be proud.

But where Scots and Irish settled in early America was dictated somewhat by
the English.

Remember that the English looked down with disdain on both people, but hated
the Scots most of all.

And England wanted security buffers between the Indians of the west, whom
were not too far west in those days, and their Torys whom were plantation
owners and farmers....as well as traders and merchants.

So to some degree they settled English on the coast, Irish at the base of
the nearest mountains, and the Scots on the western side of the mountain
range.

The English knew too well that the Irish and Scots would viciously fight
indians at every opportunity, leaving the British settled lands relatively
secure.

more about this, but don't wind me up any tighter.<G>

donkelly
----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:53:10 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: FER-GOLD Reiver cousins

Hi All
I noticed this post....you got my attention lol

First because I read "Steel Bonnets" and loved it. It helped me to
understand WHY my border riever Armstrongs were the way they were. YES...it
is
only one point of view but it still gave me an insight to realize...back
then..the "LARGE" picture was SURVIVAL....whether right or wrong...people
did
what they did many times because of tradition (or it was all they knew how
to
do for years) and Survival!

Second...amazingly awhile back my son did a report on "Scot-Irish" for his
American History class. I won't go into details now...but one thing I
learned from his report (taken from a few sources) was....that many
Scot-Irish
came to the US from the early to late 1700s.....they tended to settle in
isolated areas (mountains etc). When war hit....they were the FIRST to
defend,
the first to declare themselves Americans and not just residents of the
states they lived in, and the first to fight intensely. They were some of
the
first to risk their lives and travel into the new territories of America.
I also learned that though much of America was basically influenced by
"British" and many History books concentrated on their influence on
America...it was the Scot-Irish who had an even bigger effect on who we
became and who
we are today. For instance......in 1738 they were the ones who pushed
religious freedom in Virginia. They also helped bring a "commitment to
general
education" to America. And there was more...but I'll cut this short for
now.

I thought you all might find this interesting. I did.

Another fact was....when they first came here they were persecuted or
looked "down on" by a majority British population but that changed after ALL
they did and their patriotism for their new country. They gained extreme
respect. And many became great Generals and leaders of this country.
So...after
reading Steel Bonnets I may have found understanding "with" pride.... BUT
I was never more proud then when I read and talked with my son about his
report.

Again...only "one" mans view! lol


Sue in NY
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