SCOTS AND SCOTS DESCENDANTS IN AMERICA
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By D. MacDougall, 1917
I have been gradually working on this publication but as it's the
Festive Season I thought I'd announce this book and here is the Preface
for you to read here...
For several years it has been our privilege to write short biographical
sketches of notable American Scots for The Caledonian Magazine, and it
gradually grew upon us to inquire into the part taken by the people of
Scottish blood, from the earliest settlement to the present time, in the
building of the American Nation. We found that they were among the
leading spirits in every enterprise in the development of this
continent, but we were surprised to find that no attempt had been made
to put their adventures, heroism and achievements into book form, save
what is found in periodicals, pamphlets and short historical sketches
and addresses given at conferences and celebrations, without designating
their sources of information although several books and a score of
pamphlets have been written upon the Scotch-Irish in America and their
settlements.
In 1902, Mr. Charles A. Hanna published two comprehensive volumes on The
Scotch-Irish in America, but they deal to a considerable extent with the
history of Scotland and the Ulster Plantation. In 1915, Professor Henry
Jones Ford also wrote on The Scotch-Irish in America. But the line of
distinction is hard to draw, and they are practically all Scotch. Both
came directly or indirectly from Scotland and their settlements in
America often included the Scots from Scotland and the Scots who came by
the way of Ireland. As far as possible we have endeavored to enumerate
the distinctively Scottish settlements as well as those of the Scots
from Ireland. We have briefly noted the causes that led Scotsmen to
settle in the North of Ireland, and their distinctive characteristics;
also their reasons for emigrating to America, and why Scotsmen came
direct from the motherland; and the part all have taken in the
development of this continent.
In this progressive age, with its streams of immigration pouring into
the country from all parts of the world, with scarcely any knowledge of
the trials and triumphs of the founders of America, it is fitting that
something be done to put on record, "lest we forget," the influence of
the Scots and their descendants in America from the earliest settlement
to the present time. And this is why this book has been written.
When we began collecting material we expected to have the book ready for
publication within a year, but we found the task to be greater than we
had anticipated, for, as the reader can sec from the Bibliography that
follows on pages 133-139, the facts recorded in this book were gathered
from more .than one hundred and fifty sources, practically all that has
been written on this subject. Also the gathering of the material for the
biographies, and the portraits, from the busy present-day Scots entailed
much more time and effort than the research work in libraries.
The early Scottish immigration to America began in the latter part of
the seventeenth century and reached its climax about the middle of the
eighteenth century. The Scots came in shiploads from Scotland and the
North of Ireland to New England, New Jersey and New York, but the
majority to Pennsylvania, North and South Carolina, Delaware and
Georgia. Some have computed that the white population of the American
Colonies at the time of the Revolutionary War was 3,000,000, and that of
this number 900,000 were people of Scottish blood, 600,000 were English,
and 400,000 were of Dutch, German Reformed and Huguenot descent ; but
other more conservative authorities have estimated that in 1775 the
white population of the Colonies was not more than 2,100,000, and that
about 400,000 of these were of Scottish blood. From these estimates it
appears that the early settlers from Seotlanc1. directly or indirectly,
outnumbered any other nationality. They came to America with an ardent
desire for civil and religious liberty, zeal for education, thrill and
industry; and wherever they located they exerted a lasting influence.
Many of these early Scots and their immediate descendants rose to
positions of trust and responsibility. They served as colonial
governors, helped to frame and signed the Declaration of Independence
served as generals and distinguished officers on sea and land in the
Revolutionary War, and were leading members of the Constitutional
Convention. In fact, throughout the entire history of the United States,
Scotsmen, even to the present time, have been leading factors in the
building of the nation. They showed indomitable courage and
trustworthiness as officials. We find them among the state governors,
chief justices, ministers of state, financiers, pioneers, engineers,
educators, preachers. physicians, scientists, inventors, merchants,
philanthropists, etc. In the Civil War, many of the great leaders on
both sides showed in their brilliant achievements their Scottish
ancestry. Many of these are represented in this volume.
Canada, like the United States, is greatly indebted to her early
Scottish settlers and present-day Scots. They have been among her
foremost citizens in every walk of life throughout the land and were the
pioneer's and explorers of the great North-West, and hold to-day
one-half of the important posts of the Dominion. The Scottish Canadians
and the American Scots have been crossing and recrossing the boundary
line since the Treaty of Ghent: they are prosperous and sueeessful
business men on both sides of the line. The Scots, the Ulster-Seots and
the Canadian Scots, who are practically the one race, and their
descendants are among our most enterprising citizens, indeed it is hard
to draw the line where Scottish blood does not run in the veins of our
American families. For instance, two-thirds of our present Congressmen
can boast of Scottish blood either by father or mother.
The first part of the book gives a comprehensive outline of the early
Scottish settlements in America. In preparing this historical part, we
found the sources so numerous and the amount of material so vast that,
in the limited space, we were able to give only the briefest outline and
short biographies of only the most important characters: this matter
alone could be expanded to several volumes. The larger part of the
volume is devoted to the biographies, with portraits, of representative
living Scots. Here you have the portraits and the life-stories, told for
the first time, of men who have made their mark in many fields of
usefulness : merchants, manufacturers, bankers, railroad men, engineers,
miners, inventors, statesmen, architects, artists. clergymen,
physicians, lawyers, publishers. contractors. shipbuilders, educators.
etc. Most of these men began with nothing, at the foot of the hill, and
climbed to the top through ability, determination and perseverance.
We have tried to make every page a valuable object-lesson to young and
old. Special attention has been given in the biographies to family
history and genealogy, and this is important to the friends, relatives
and descendants, and to patriotic Scots everywhere, as a means of
tracing their lineage to the individuals of this large American Scottish
family. The book is not for the present alone, but will increase in
value as the years go by as the only reliable source of this historical
and genealogical information-not alone to individuals, but in libraries
and as a general book of reference. The volume has been carefully
indexed to make this information immediately available. The one hundred
and fifty portraits with other illustrations are of rare value.
The work has been done with much care and accuracy and covers the
numerous fields of activity in which Scots have been engaged. The book
is valuable to all who arc interested in the records of human
achievement, for no species of writing appeals more strongly to the
young or is more instructive and helpful to them, and even to those of
maturer years. than the record of human lives. History is biography
generalized, and a mere record of events apart from special mention of
the actors in these events could scarcely be considered history at all.
But the records of persons of Scottish origin have an unique value to
the deseendants of those whose names have been introduced in this
volume. Pride of ancestry is eminently proper when it inspires to high
and noble actions. How much more satisfactory it is to have the records
of an honoured relative or friend preserved in a book like this, than
carved on stones.
I desire to acknowledge my indebtedness to the many distinguished
friends who so kindly responded to my appeal for help in the preparation
of this volume. Mr. A. Barton Hepburn, President of the Board of
Directors of the Chase National Bank, New York, has written on "Scots in
American Finance'' ; Dr. John Huston Finley, State Commimissioner ot
Education, Albany, N. Y., contributed "The Land We Live In'': Mr. John
Findley Wallace, Chief Engineer of the Panama Canal Commission, the
article on in American Engineering'' Rev. Dr. William Douglas Mackenzie,
President of Hartford Theological Seminary. ''The Scottish Contribution
to Religious Life in America'' ; the Hon. Charles P. MeClelland, ''Scots
in American Polities'' : Sir James Alexander Grant, M.D., the ''Grand
Old Man of Canadian Medicine,'' has written at length upon Scots in the
Exploration, Settlement and Development of Canada'' Dr. George Stephen
Carson, Editor of The Presbeterian
Witness, Halifax, upon "The Makers of New Scotland" ' ; and Mr. Malcolm
Parsons, Secretary of the St. Andrew's Society, St. John's,
Newfoundland, upon ''Scots in Newfoundland.'' Dr. George F. Black, of
the New York Public Library, prepared in part the historical matter on
''Scots in the Settlement and Development of the United States,'' and
compiled the ''Bibliography.'' Mr. James Kennedy. the Scottish-American
poet and editor, wrote the biographies of several of his friends. My
associate, Mr. Charles C. Stoddard, has rendered valuable service
throughout the whole work: he also prepared the Index and helped in
seeing the hook through the press.
I am indebted also to the New York Public Library for permission to copy
several portraits of distinguished men of the Revolutionary period, and
also for portraits to the "Historical Catalogue of the St. Andrew's
Society of Philadelphia," prepared by the late Robert B. Beath, and for
two portraits to the "History of St. Andrew's Society of the State of
New York," by the late George Austin Morrison, Jr.
It is also gratifying to me to put on record my appreciation of the
kindness shown by the large number of gentlemen I approached for their
biographical material, who received me with uniform courtesy. The
biographies of some of these gentlemen that were not ready for
publication at this time I hope will appear in the second volume of
"Scots and Scots' Descendants in America."
D. MACDOUGALL.
New York, April 10, 1917.
I have got the first chapter up "Scottish Settlements" which you can
read at
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/descendants/
Hubert Carmack
McWhorter Properties
1200 Walnut Av.
Anniston, AL 36201
256/238-8122
FAX 256/238-0303
Cell 256/310-9241