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Subject: [RHEA-L] Clans of Scotland
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 08:32:20 EDT

CLAN SURNAMES IN SCOTLAND

In Scotland, it was a simple act of loyalty for a new member of a clan
to accept the chief's name. A new member didn't necessarily have to be
related by blood; he only had to swear allegiance to the clan. A clan
isn't a family but an alliance of several families and, often,
individuals. Finding many Campbells, Fergusons, MacLeods, or Munros in
one area doesn't necessarily indicate blood kinship. The clans
traditionally occupied the Highlands (the hilly areas of Scotland).
The people of the Lowlands gained surnames in ways similar to those of
the English (using occupational names and passing names from
generation to generation). You should never assume that one clan
member is related to another unless you have documented proof.


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Diana J. Muir, Professional Genealogist
Former Host of the World GenWeb
Teacher of 8 free online genealogy classes at:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~genclass/

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