Summer 2007 v17-Jul-07

Transcription

c/o Don MacAskill, Treasurer
8 Huckleberry Lane Hampton, NH 03842-1516 USA
CLANN NA ASKETILL
Descendants of Asketil
The MacAskill Sept Society
Adherents to the Chiefs of MacLeod of Harris
and Great Swordsmen in Defense of that Clan
Summer 2007
Volume IV, Number 2
© 2007 MacAskill Sept Society
Adherents to the Chiefs of MacLeod of Harris
and Great Swordsmen in Defense of that Clan
INSIDE
Page
Crossing Paths
by Lloyd MacAskill .................3
How to buy and how to wear
the MacAskill Sept tartan
By Olive McCaskill Bell ...........5
Performing Artists at the Sept
MacAskill Gathering ....................9
The 2007 MacAskill Sept
Society Gathering....... center insert
The Book Nook, featuring "The
Art of Scottish-American
Cooking", by Kay Shaw Nelson
By Olive McCaskill Bell ......... 11
About the author: Kay Shaw
Nelson
By Midwest Book Review ...... 12
Proposed slate of new officers
for Sept MacAskill Society
2007-08.................................. 13
Corrections, praise, gripes, and
humor ................................... 14
MacAskill Sept Society
membership application or
renewal form ...... inside back cover
Page 16
The MacAskill Sept Society Newsletter Volume IV, Number 2
Join us at beautiful
Ashworth by the Sea
In Hampton, NH (USA)
For the
2007 Gathering
MacAskill
Sept Society
Friday, Saturday, Sunday
September 14-15-16
Join us for live music, good
food, workshops, afternoon
excursions, and great
company in a beautiful
seaside venue. (More on
page 9 and in center insert.)
Page 1
An ancient sept of MacLeod of Harris
8 Huckleberry Lane
Hampton, NH 03842
USA
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION OR RENEWAL FORM
Please print or type
Officers and contacts
President
Olive McCaskill Bell
3309 El Malecon Road
Albuquerque, NM 87120-2725
USA
[email protected]
Vice-President, USA
Vice-President, Canada
Treasurer
Betty MacAskill Shea
Post Office Box 1975
Exeter, NH 03833
USA
+1 (603) 772-2569
[email protected]
Jamie Wilson
Post Office Box 12
Englishtown, NS B0C 1H0
Canada
+1 (902) 929-2128
Donald W. MacAskill
8 Huckleberry Lane
Hampton, NH 03842
USA
+1 (603) 926-4608
[email protected]
Contributions to this newsletter,
letters, and suggestions for
future articles are welcome and
should be sent to:
Dorna Caskie
268 Washington Street
Groveland, MA 01834
USA
+1 (978) 373-7826
[email protected]
COPY DEADLINE FOR FALL ISSUE: OCTOBER 1, 2007
Page 2
Member
name:
Address:
Town or
city:
State or
Province:
Country:
Postal
code:
Phone:
E-mail:
Signature:
Date
Annual dues are $25.00 (in US Funds) and
are paid annually on July 1, 2007.
Your dues cover the costs of this newsletter and preparation for our
Gatherings. Please send your membership form and a check or money
order to:
c/o Don MacAskill
8 Huckleberry Lane
Hampton NH 03842-1516
OPTIONAL:
What is your connection
with the name “MacAskill”
(or McCaskill, etc.)?
Should we contact you for the names of any others who might be
interested in joining the MacAskill Sept Society? YES NO
Page 15
Corrections, praise, gripes, and humor
McDonalds Corners
To Lloyd MacAskill:
Greetings and blessings. I have been to McDonalds Corners
[Ontario] and seen the sights that you sent pictures of.
I was born in Camden S. C. since my dad was working for
DuPont there in 1950. When I was two DuPont moved Dad to
Waynesboro where we lived until DuPont moved him to
Northern Ireland in 1966. Also my Grandfather Kenneth
McCaskill was from South Carolina and was pastoring a church
there as had reached retirement age and was asked to retire.
He heard that in Canada that you could keep preaching so he
moved to family to McDonalds Corners and keep going.
Now my son Joseph Brand McCaskill is going to Paris Island,
S. C. in exactly one month to train to be a Marine. We seem to
have S. C. ties. Also all 10 sons of Finley McCaskill from the
Skye in Scotland moved to South Caroline 5 or more
generations ago.
Bill McCaskill, June 9, 2007
Chief Hugh’s residence
In the article “The Passing of a Great Chief” (MasAskill Sept
Society Newsletter Volume IV, Number 1), it
was incorrectly reported that Chief Hugh of
MacLeod presently resides in France. Chief
Hugh divides his time between Dunvegan and
London, where he lives with his wife Frederique
and son Vincent.
A brief biography of Chief Hugh can be found
at http://www.clanmacleod.org/clan-news/chiefhugh-macleod.php.
Dorna Caskie, 24 June 2007
Page 14
Crossing paths
by Lloyd MacAskill
The MacAskill Sept Society was founded upon the belief
that there must be some common ancestry between the
McCaskills whose ancestors settled in the Carolinas in the 18th
century and the MacAskills who arrived later in Canada.
Recent DNA evidence
indicates that this is indeed
the case. There are
branches on either side that
appear to be descended
from a common male
ancestor who lived 500 or
so years ago. All branches
are believed to be
descended from the Norse
ancestor who was beheaded
in Dublin in 1171 A.D.
The dating method is
not precise but still useful
for sorting out different
degrees of relatedness. A
few more volunteers for
DNA analysis might shed
additional light upon the
(c) Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection
subject. To do the search
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps
on your family name, visit
www.FamilyTreeDNA. Ask anyone who has ordered the tests
already for more information - another reason to attend the
Gathering in September !
The subject is further complicated by migrations between
Skye, which the clan claims as its ancestral homeland, and
Harris, from which most of the Canadian families emigrated.
Like their Norse ancestors, some of the early MacAskills were
skilled sailors and crossed the Little Minch between Skye and
Page 3
Harris frequently. Marriages have occurred between these
different branches.
Proposed slate of new officers for Sept MacAskill
Society 2007-08
Similar movements have taken place on the American
side. Olive McCaskill Bell, of Carolinian heritage, has
established a summer home in Cape Breton. Your writer, whose
family is from nearby in Cape Breton, now lives in North
Carolina.
At the Annual Business Meeting, Society members will be asked to
vote on the proposed slate of officers for the upcoming year. Everyone
whose dues have been paid as of July 2007 may vote. If you are NOT
attending the ABM, you may use this page of the newsletter as a mail
ballot.
Please fill in and mail your ballot to Don MacAskill (see inside front
cover) with a postmark no later than September 1, 2007. If you wish
to have a person nominated for an office from the floor of the ABM,
please contact Anne Libis at [email protected] or the address below.
Further examples could be cited from among those listed
in Dixie and Andy McCaskill's 1985 history of our family.
Kenneth McCaskill was a Presbyterian minister whose family was
from South Carolina but he spent his career in central Virginia
and then served a congregation in McDonalds Corners, Ontario
from 1928 until 1948.
His son William Brand McCaskill, was educated as a
chemical engineer at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario,
returned briefly to South Carolina but also to central Virginia in
the United States, where he was employed by DuPont and still
owns the Quarters Farm west of Charlottesville. His son Bill
lives in a newer house on the same farm.
Your writer's wife, Diane, lived in the 1960s with her
family at Bells Corners, Ontario, not far from the McDonalds
Corners home of the Brand McCaskills. Our first date was in
Waynesboro, VA, where Brand McCaskill had worked, and we
spent that afternoon across the Blue Ridge at Wavertree Hall,
just down the road from the McCaskills' Quarters Farm.
Family movements like this
can become confusing if you don't
pay attention to who came from
where and at what time in history.
Modern transport makes it easier
for distantly related clan members
to cross paths like this. We hope
that our paths might be crossing
yours again at the New Hampshire
gathering in September!
Page 4
Candidate for
President
Vote for:
Candidate for Vice
President, Canada
Vote for:
Candidate for Vice
President, USA
Vote for:
Candidate for
Treasurer
Vote for:
Candidate for
Secretary
Vote for:
Lloyd MacAskill
1149 Veranda Court
Leland, NC 28451-7790
Lloyd MacAskill
USA
[other – please write in name]
Alan B. Blair
506 Brand Street
Vancouver, BC V7N 1G1 CANADA
Alan B. Blair
Elizabeth MacAskill Shea
P. O. Box 1975
Exeter, NH 03833 USA
Elizabeth
MacAskill Shea
Donald W. MacAskill
8 Huckleberry Lane
Hampton, NH 03842-1516 USA
Donald W.
MacAskill
Anne Libis
8708 Windsor Mill Road
Windsor Mill, MD 21244-1118 USA
Anne Libis
Voting member
(Sign, date and
print name.)
Page 13
About the author: Kay Shaw Nelson
How to buy and how to wear the MacAskill Sept tartan
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
Reprinted from Amazon.com
By Olive McCaskill Bell
As a Scottish-American and daughter of
Scottish-Canadian parents, Kay Shaw Nelson is
proud of her Scottish ancestors -- the
Morrisons, MacLeans, MacAskills, and Shaws -from the Isles of Lewis and Harris. Inspired by
several visits to her homeland, she wrote A
Bonnie Scottish Cookbook and The ScottishIrish Pub and Hearth Cookbook prior to The Art
of Scottish-American Cooking.
Upon her graduation from Syracuse
University in 1948 (B.A. in Russian studies and journalism), she
was employed as a reporter for New Hampshire newspapers
(Claremont Daily Eagle and Manchester Union Leader) before
taking a job as an intelligence officer for the Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA) in Washington, D.C.
In 1951, Kay began an extended period of travel and
residence abroad with her husband, then also an intelligence
officer with the CIA. Over the years they traveled extensively in
the Middle East, Europe, the Far East, North Africa, North and
South America, and the Caribbean islands. During this time she
actively pursued an interest in gastronomy, including cooking
techniques and the lore and history of foods and national
specialties.
In 1997, she wrote the introduction "How to Go from Spies
to Pies: Operation Gastronomy" for the best-selling cookbook
Spies, Black Ties, & Mango Pies: Stories and Recipes from CIA
Families All Over the World.
Kay Shaw Nelson is a member of the National Press Club,
American News Women's Club, Les Dames d'Escoffier, Society of
Women Geographers, Culinary Historians of Washington, the
Living Legacy of Scotland, the Clan Shaw Society, and the
MacAskill Sept Society.
Page 12
In our Winter 2006 issue, Olive McCaskill Bell
gave us a bit of background on the wearing of
tartan. Now, with the 2007 Gathering coming up,
here is some more practical advice in case you’d
like to wear the Sept MacAskill tartan, truly one of
the most handsome tartans that can be worn by
MacAskills. Creative tartan options using one of
our more notorious tartans, known formally as the
Dress MacLeod or MacLeod of Lewis (and
affectionately as the “Loud MacLeod”), are shown
right. Images courtesy “Dressed to Kilt”,
http://www.dressedtokilt.com.
Sept MacAskill tartan availability
When we were first ordering our MacAskill
sept tartan (which appears at the top of each
page in this newsletter), we wanted the best
possible price for cloth of high quality, which
meant ordering a full 60 meter bolt. We
wondered if the demand would justify it, or if
someone (Olive!) would be left with half or more
of it. Well, we are now on our third bolt although Olive still fears leftovers!
Three Scottish weavers have brought their
looms to Vancouver and are weaving authentic
tartan to special order. By taking delivery in
Canada, we avoided the 36% (!!) duty U. S.
Customs charges and it is now available at the
best possible price. It is pure new wool, worsted
Merino yarn, 60 inches wide, and 12 ounce in
weight. It can be sent it to you for $49.50 USD
per yard, postage included. We also have
sashes to sell separately for $37.00 USD each,
postage included.
To make a purchase, contact Olive using the information on
the inside cover of this newsletter.
Page 5
What to do with your tartan
The Book Nook
If this is your first kilt, consult a little book by the late J.C.
"Scotty" Thompson, So You're Going to Wear the
Kilt, a lively volume that deals with contemporary
Highland attire in very practical terms.
by Olive MacAskill Bell
A man's kilt, up to about 45" girth, takes about
four yards to make a standard, pleated-to-sett kilt.
The sett of our MacAskill tartan is an even,
reversing pattern and the fabric has no right or
wrong side. Kilts have no hem. The selvedge edge
of the fabric forms the bottom edge of the kilt.
Half the kilt is cut from each side of the length of
tartan. Since the measurement from the natural
waist to the top of your knee cap is typically less
than 30 inches, there may be a strip
Typical kilt measurements
include the man’s waist, hip, and
in the center which makes a fine
length -- to the top of the knee!
lady's shoulder sash.
Remember that the gentleman’s kilt must fall to the TOP of
the knee cap. Scots poke fun at kilted American men who insist
the kilt come to the bottom of the knee cap, then modestly pull
their hose up (instead of cuffing them a couple of inches lower
than the knee) so that only occasional tantalizing glimpses of
their bonnie knees are available.
A lady's kilted skirt typically takes two yards, for either street
length or long. One MacAskill lady with a lovely figure has made
a gorgeous tailored suit with a straight skirt, which required 2
1/2 yards. For a skirt in a style other than kilted, consult
yardage table on pattern envelope. Don't forget to add a bit for
matching the plaid on the seams.
(A larger person might also require a bit more fabric.
Consult with your local kiltmaker for further advice.)
Finding a kiltmaker
Finding a kiltmaker in North America can be a bit of a
challenge. The tailoring of a kilt is of the essence, and the
pleats should be hand-sewn, not done by machine! One foolPage 6
The Art of Scottish-American Cooking
By Kay Shaw Nelson
Flash! Stop the presses! It is finally here, our
own Kay Shaw Nelson's newest cookery
volume, The Art of Scottish American Cooking!
Intrigued with the ways in which
immigrants to North America from Scotland
adapted to the changes in availability of food stuffs in their new
homes, and how they met the challenges, Kay has gathered
recipes from practically everyone of Scottish descent she met in
Canada and the States. The result is a most fascinating
collection of recipes, many of which I plan to try (especially
vegetarian haggis!). I had never known until I went to
Scotland, and was served shortbread, that it was the
shor'n'bread I'd loved as much as any Mammy's lil baby did, as
a child in the deep south.
Any Scot furth o'Scotland is bound to love this little volume,
Kay's twentieth cookbook.
The book is priced at $21.00 USD and may be ordered from
The Pelican Publishing Company, 1000 Burmater St, Gretna,
Louisiana, 70053-2246. Toll free 1 (800) 843-1724 or 1 (888)
5-PELICAN.
Meet the author!
Kay Shaw Nelson will be on hand at the
MacAskill Sept gathering in Hampton, New
Hampshire, to both discuss the glories of ScottishAmerican cooking as well as sign copies of her
book. Copies of her book will be also on sale.
Page 11
him a sought after accompanist. His spontaneous light humor
adds to the enjoyment of their live performances.
proof way to find a kiltmaker is to ask the members of your
favorite pipe band where they got their kilts made.
Not only do these two perform as a duo but they are very
involved in keeping traditional music alive, teaching workshops
and playing at sessions throughout the area. This sincere
combination of love of music, talent and good humor has
recently culminated in their first, self-titled CD.
An excellent kilt maker in Albuquerque (who did not solicit
this recommendation) is Kathy Lare. She is trained and certified
by a kiltmaking school in Scotland, and charges $265.00 USD
for a man’s hand-sewn kilt (when you provide the material).
Consider this a ball-park figure on what the cost of making the
kilt should be.
More information about Stanley and Grimm can be found at
http://www.stanleyandgrimm.com.
Dancers from the New Hampshire School of Scottish Arts
Stanley and Grimm will have a well-deserved break and we
will have the additional treat of Highland dancing, performed by
students from the New Hampshire School of Scottish Arts.
NHSSA was organized in September 1998 and provides a
regional focal point for instruction and performance. Its purpose
is to foster and expand the spirit of Scottish Performing and
Cultural arts in New Hampshire. Students at the School are
afforded the opportunities:
• to take lessons to sequentially
improve their skills,
• to explore their Scottish
heritage,
• to participate in organized
performances and
competitions,
• and to train to become future
instructors in the Scottish
Arts.
Other creative ideas
There are many other uses for tartan. One Clan MacLeod
couple has decorated each room in their home in a different
MacLeod tartan. Blue McCaskill, in North Carolina, upholstered
his favorite heirloom chair in the MacAskill tartan. (This was
pictured in the Fall 2006 newsletter).
Upholstering a chair is easier than it may seem at first. First,
you need to remove the old fabric covering from the furniture,
marking each piece in the order removed. Before you order the
fabric, lay the pieces out on newspaper as if on 60" fabric, to
determine the amount you needed. Allow half a yard or so for
matching and centering sett. After you purchase your tartan,
cut it using the old fabric pieces as a pattern. Then sew and
reassemble the covering, replacing trim and hardware where
needed. Voila!
Highland Dancers from NHSSA at
Regional competition in 2006
More information about the New Hampshire School of
Scottish Arts can be found at http://www.nhssa.org.
Piper (to be announced)
Piper? Well, of course there will be a piper!!!
Page 10
Kathy Lare's telephone is: 1-505-821-6215, her e-mail
address is [email protected], and her website is
http://www.kathyskilts.com. Let your newsletter editor know of
other kiltmakers that you would recommend in North America.
Be creative! Tartan is not just for kilts and sashes, or for
winter scarves. Ladies especially can use the tartan as a trim or
accent item on a garment of coordinating solid color. A bit of
tartan ribbon under your favorite Scottish brooch can brighten
up any outfit.
We all look forward to meeting you, nattily turned out, at the
MacAskill Gathering in New Hampshire this fall!
Page 7
Performing Artists at the Sept MacAskill Gathering
By Terry MacAskill and Claudia Libis
A REMINDER – DUES ARE DUE! MEMBERSHIP FEES ARE DUE BY JULY 1, 2007
HELP THE SOCIETY WITH THE COSTS OF NEWSLETTERS AND
PLANNING OUR YEARLY GATHERINGS
(See Membership Application at the back of this newsletter)
PLEASE SEND YOUR $25.00 (in US FUNDS)
CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO:
Saturday evening with Stanley and Grimm
c/o Don MacAskill, Treasurer
8 Huckleberry Lane
Hampton NH 03842-1516 USA
If you know others who would be interested in receiving this
newsletter and joining the society, please e-mail me and I will gladly
contact them about membership.
Thank you
Don MacAskill, Treasurer
[email protected]
(See Membership Application at the back of this newsletter
PROPOSED MACASKILL SEPT SOCIETY WEBSITE
At the Annual Business Meeting of the MacAskill Sept Society in
September, we will discuss setting up a small website to
facilitate contact among our members and to promote MacAskill
news world-wide. If you are interested in volunteering to be
our webmaster (or webmistress!) please contact Dorna Caskie
(see inside front cover for her address). You do not need to be
present at the Annual Business Meeting in order to volunteer.
Page 8
We will be fortunate to have some very talented local artists
with us at the September Sept MacAskill Gathering. Tentatively
at the Friday evening reception, we will have a live harpist. (If
not, we will be treated to a sampling of Scottish music from
Terry MacAskill’s collection of over 400 recordings!) On
Saturday night, we will have a traditional-style ceilidh after
dinner. You are invited to watch, to dance, and perhaps
contribute your own performance to the gala event! Our own
Don MacLeod will be the master of ceremonies.
“Stanley and Grimm” is the unlikely name for a wonderful
duo that will anchor the Saturday evening ceilidh. Fiddler Nikki
Engstrom and guitarist and vocalist Sean Brennan celebrate the
Irish tradition through jigs, reels, and songs with lively fiddle,
guitar, voice and good humor. The two came together in
February 2006 and perform an exciting upbeat mix of traditional
Celtic tunes and songs.
Nikki Engstrom has delighted audiences
for over two decades with her spirited,
sometimes whimsical jigs, reels, and airs.
Growing up in Western Massachusetts, Nikki
was surrounded by her musical family. She
and her siblings traveled throughout New
England and Canada, where her fiddling
earned her many awards -- most recently
the 2006 "Trick and Fancy" Championship at
the New England Fiddle Contest.
Sean Brennan is a
singer/songwriter who has been
singing ballads and backing
traditional players on guitar in
sessions on Cape Cod for over 10
years. His warm mellow vocals
coupled with his love for music make
Page 9

Summer 2007 v17-Jul-07

Transcription

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