2011 July - Clan MacRae
Transcription
2011 July - Clan MacRae
CLAN MacRAE SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA 306 Surrey Road Savannah Georgia 31410-4404 Sgurr Uaran August 2011 Volume 35, Number 2 The President’s Letter Online at www.macrae.org G Hugh MacRae II, PresidentEmeritus John M. MacRae-Hall, President PO Box 404 Westminster, SC 29693- 0404 Valerie R. See, Secretary PO Box 2282 Snohomish, WA 98291-2282 Laura Belle Macrae, Treasurer 306 Surrey Road Savannah, GA 31410-4407 Larry W. Cates, Genealogist 6819 Red Maple Drive Charlotte, NC 28277-2214 [email protected] Larry T. McRae, Editor 5108 Huntcliff Trail Winston-Salem, NC 27104 [email protected] Tel: 336.245.8969 Inside this issue: Notes and Correspondence Upcoming Events Alex Beaton Sheriffmuir A Celtic Music Cruise 2 At the Games, at the Games Colorado California Grandfather Mountain 4 A Report from Canada 6 Duncan and Powell McRa, South Carolina Planters 8 Lt. Col John McCrea’s Statue 11 Ceud Mille Failte 11 reetings to all of you. Another Grandfather Mountain Games have come and gone and for those who were able to attend our Annual General Meeting and dinner, a brief and beautiful weekend enjoying the cool mountain air away from the distressingly hot weather we have all encountered this year. In attendance, we enjoyed the presence of Vickie Jensen and her husband Warren. She is our Commissioner from Elmira in Oregon, and they were our Guests of Honour for this occasion. Over the years, they have quietly gone about their area running the MacRae tent at many of the area games and accomplished much on our behalf. We are very proud of them and are fortunate that they and many like them do so much to wave the flag for our society and provide a presence at these events. Also in attendance was our very dear friend and Director, Mary Ann McRae and husband John Meyer, from Midland, Texas. Mary Ann has been a leading light in our Society for the past 30 years and has been a tower of strength, common sense and wisdom at all times. Sadly, she has decided to take retirement from our Board of Directors, and her presence will be greatly missed. We wish to her and John much happiness in the years ahead, and we shall remain in contact. We were also very pleased to have Judi See and Valerie with us. Sadly, of course, as you know from the last newsletter, our dear friend Gary See passed away earlier this year. Judi has been very poorly also, but has made a splendid recovery I am glad to report. In the Parade of Tartans this year, our performance was as good as ever. So much so that we, once more, won the Title of The Clan of Excellence, making this the sixth time we have gained that title. To those who marched, thank you for all the hard work, perseverance and smart Mary Ann McRae at the Clan Dinner turnout. I was told by others that we did look good. My best wishes to everyone, particularly those serving in the Armed forces at home and overseas and those here in the various Civil Defence, Police, Fire and all the Emergency Services who contribute so much to our wellbeing and happiness. Thank you for your sacrifices. — John Malcolm MacRae-Hall, KCTJ Page 2 Notes and Correspondence Upcoming Events Clan MacRae Picnic on Prince Edward Island, August 6, 2011, Selkirk Provincial Park, PEI, in conjunction with the Belfast Highland Games. Contact [email protected]. 44th Scottish Games & Celtic Festival, August 6 and 7, 2011, Toro County Park, Salinas, CA. Contact James McCrea, [email protected] or visit http:// www.montereyscotgames.com Colorado Scottish Festival, August 13 – 14, 2011, Denver, CO. Contact Bruce McRae, [email protected]. Caledonian Club of San Francisco, 146th Scottish Highland Gathering & Games, September 3 and 4, 2011 Alameda County Fairgrounds , Pleasanton , California. Contact James McCrea, [email protected] or visit http:// www.caledonian.org/home.html Longs Peak Scottish/Irish Festival, September 8 – 11, 2011, Estes Park, CO. Contact Rich McRae, [email protected]. Columbus Scottish Festival, September 10 – 11, 2011, Columbus, IN. Contact Murl McRae, [email protected]. Ocala Scottish Highland Games, October 8, 2011, Silver Springs, FL. Contact John Wayne McRae, [email protected]. Stone Mountain Highland Games, October 14 – 16, Stone Mountain, Georgia. Contact Leon Folsom, [email protected]. If you will be hosting a tent at any games, festival, faire or other venue, PLEASE let us know, so that we can note it in the newsletter. A one-sentence e-mail to [email protected] will do. Also, if you’ve hosted or attended any games, festivals, dinners, etc. and have photos, please share them with us. Alex Beaton T Volume 35, number 2 Sgurr Uaran hose gathered for the Call to the Clans at Grandfather Mountain on July 7 were taken aback by the announcement that Alex Beaton was in a Nashville hospital in critical condition. The 70-year-old Scottish folk singer is a fixture at Highland Games, particularly in the Southeast. His voice introduced many of us to traditional Scottish songs, and he is regarded as the “Voice of the Grandfather Mountain Games.” As it has emerged, Alex suffered from a rare condition in which a spinal disk bulged and pressed upon his spinal cord, causing at least temporary paralysis. He remains in the Intensive Care Unit at Baptist Hospital, the extent of permanent damage as yet unknown. His family have issued the statement that “While Alex’s injury has been rather traumatic and the road to recovery may be a long one, his attitude is extremely positive and optimistic! His nurses say he is an inspiration to them and to all who come in contact with him. His doctors universally agree that his positive atti- Stone Mountain Games, 2010: Alex Beaton assists Peter Norris in giving away a bottle of single-malt at the Whisky Tasting. tude will contribute to his recovery.” John MacRae-Hall has communicated best wishes to Alex on behalf of the Clan MacRae Society. Personal messages or e-cards can be sent via Facebook or email to: [email protected] and be sure to include “Alex Beaton--Care Mail” in the Subject line of the e-mail. Cards may be sent care of Glenfinnan Music, P.O. Box 681707, Franklin, TN 37068 . Updates on Alex’s condition will be posted on his website AlexBeaton.com and on his Facebook page. We wish Alex a speedy recovery and quick return to his accustomed place at the games. Sheriffmuir F or the first time in several years, there’s nothing new to report about the projected power line from Beauly to Denny that would cross the Sheriffmuir Battlefield. Scottish and Southern Energy have announced that the projected costs have doubled since the line was proposed, but the “mitigation scheme” demanded by the Scottish Parliament has yet to emerge. Sgurr Uaran will report any new developments in the future. Page 3 Sgurr Uaran A Celtic Music Cruise Our California Commissioner Jim McCrea and his lovely wife Mary recently enjoyed their “Next Big Trip.” Jim filed this report. I n late 2009, I got serious about playing the bodhran (Irish drum played with a two-headed ‘tipper’ or beater). I set two goals. First, to learn to play well enough to sit in on any seisun and contribute. Second, to learn to play well enough to join the San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers. A short while after I got started on the instrument, Mary joined in and we've been enjoying the creation of music since. In early 2010, we were having over time a discussion about the next big trip – maybe Scotland again, maybe Ireland, maybe Australia. Several times the idea of an Alaskan cruise came up. One fine day in March 2010 we learned from Alasdair Fraser, a well-known Scottish Fiddler from Northern California, that there would be the First Annual Celtic Music Cruise to Alaska in June, 2011. He and his performing partner cellist Natalie Haas, Shannon and Matt Heaton, and the April Verch Band would be performing private concerts, there would be music workshops each day at sea and a ceilidh every night. We then knew what would be our next big trip! Pat, “Dancing Pat,” Moran, of San Diego, California, booked 200 cabins on Holland America's MS Zuiderdam. The Zuiderdam would sail from Vancouver, BC, up the Inland Passage to Glacier Bay and return. Along the way, we would cruise through Tracy Arm, a fjord just south of Juneau, and make calls at the ports of Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. We were the third and fourth people to sign up. After more than a year of anticipation, the day to depart arrived. We landed in Vancouver a day early – these MacRaes hate the last minute rush – to absolutely beautiful weather and all the excitement of the Canucks fighting it out with Boston for the Stanley Cup. We checked into the very nice hotel, walked to the cruise ship terminal and figured out where and when to go in the morning, enjoyed an extraordinarily good meal seated Volume 35 , number 2 outside at Scoozies on Howe Street, wandered back to the hotel and got our Last Good Night’s Sleep for a week. Next morning we awoke early, got to the terminal early, had a very smooth boarding (Judy McRae taught us to pack light – we carried our luggage aboard and were unpacked and napping before most anyone knew we were aboard), spent the afternoon exploring and gawking about the ship, meeting our fellow musicians, and set sail in the early evening. At dinner the first evening we met with our six amazing fellow cruisers who would be our dinner companions for the next week. We were a mixed lot! Seven professional and non-professional musicians: one cellist, four fiddlers and two bodhran players, five Canadians and three Americans. These dinners were among the few shipboard activities in which we participated and the lively conversation was mostly music. In fact, the music was the primary shipboard activity for us. At 8:00 in the morning there were workshops on fiddle, flute, bodhran, song, Scottish Country and Step Dancing, rhythm, seisun etiquette and the like. When not in port, afternoons were concerts or small seisuns. In the evenings, we’d gather in the Crows Nest lounge or a sheltered corner of the Lido deck about 8:00 and have a ceilidh that would go ‘til the wee hours. We had players at all levels of experience and musicality…world class professionals and raw beginners. Those of us with less experience learned and raised our level of playing. The more able and experienced were incredibly generous with their time, talent, inspiration and encouragement. Oh, yes. And then, there was Alaska – in all its splendor. Somehow, even with all the music events, we managed to do the tourist things. In Juneau, there was the Mendenhall Glacier, which had calved just before our arrival leaving masses of stunning blue ice floes, then on to a Whale Quest boat excursion where we saw humpbacks and many pods of orcas with their calves, Stellar sea lions and dozens of majestic bald eagles. From Skagway we traveled on the Alaskan Maritime Highway (a ferry) to the Haines Eagle Preserve, where we saw several moose, a massive grizzly bear and more bald eagles. In (Continued on page 4) Page 4 Sgurr Uaran Volume 35, number 2 pating in the Raid on Ketchikan, an invasion by the Celtic Glacier Bay, the Captain parked us off the Great Pacific musicians playing wild and wonderful tunes through and Marjorie Glaciers where we soaked in their beauty, streets and shops, led by Alasdair Fraser, the fiddlin’ Pied listening to the Piper, gathering local moaning and crackmusicians en route, of ling of the glaciers course, to the local as they continued pub. their march to the All in all, we sea, calving great enjoyed a marvelous chunks of ice into cruise – the MS Zuiderthe frigid waters. In dam IS First Class -Ketchikan, it was and a most amazing First Nations culture ensemble of experiand totem art (a parences. It was a wonticular interest of derful way to combine Mary’s) and, of “our next big trip” with course, a Lumberour passion for Celtic jack show. Though music. Oh, and I made the area is rain forprogress on Goal Two. est, we had delightAt the end of the cruise ful weather at each Mary and I were inport and for our exvited to join the San tra day, as well, in Francisco Scottish FidVancouver and Vicdlers because they need Alasdair Fraser fiddles in the Crow’s toria, taking in the beautiful Buchart a couple of good bodhran players. Nest with the April Averch Band Gardens. Celtic Music Cruise – Alaska 2012 is Our only port call regret was scheduled for early next June. Inforthat while we on our shore excursion we missed particimation available at: www.celticmusiccruise.com (Continued from page 3) At the Games, at the Games … W e have photos and reports from a number of games around the country. Anyone with similar material, please submit it, and please be sure to identify any individuals in photos. At right: At the Colorado Scottish Festival in 2010. Left to right: Cheryl McCraw, Bill McCraw, Tom McRae, Rebecca Ferrell, Mike Golec and Judy McRae. Kneeling, Bruce McRae. Bruce says that their many visitors were served home-made Highland Cream and that many of the Festival officials stopped by, just to sample the McRae Highland Cream! Colorado Scottish Festival 2010 Page 5 Volume 35 , number 2 Sgurr Uaran Watsonville, CA 2011 quently, she got a bodhran and had a lesson with a local musician, lead singer with the Celtic folk group, Golden The Loch Lomond Games and Renaissance Festival were held in Watsonville, CA in June. Clan MacRae was represented by Jim and Mary McCrea. Mary sent the following report: O nce again we were blessed with wonderful weather. The Gathering is just building up steam and clan participation so we had TWO tent spaces for a more than fair price. In addition, Clan MacRae was the Honored Clan, which warranted a visit by Her Highness, Mary Queen of Scots and, reportedly, free clan tent space next year. We had more visitors than we expected at Sydney plays the Bodhran with Golden Bough. Bough. Our delight was to find her playing a set on stage with Golden Bough at the Loch Lomond Games! Hope you're all well! We have two more events coming up, the Monterey Games and, of course, the Caledonian Club of San Francisco’s enormous gathering at Pleasanton. You will be hearing more from us! Hugs to all, —Mary McCrea Left to right: Jim McCrea, Alex, Nic, Kelly & Jacqui Rice. such a small gathering, considering it was Clan MacRae's first presence there. The Rice family in particular were incredibly surprised and THRILLED we were there. (And I mean THRILLED.) They loved the clan tartans, and before we knew it, we were dressing them for a keepsake photo. I'm glad we had as many sashes, etc. as we did. Jim even lent his jacket. So happy to have “found their family.” It's times like that that make hosting the clan tent truly fun and memorable for us. And thrilling for US was meeting young Sydney Anderson again. Sydney became interested in the bodhran when we were camping neighbors at the Monterey Games and Gathering last summer and introduced her to the drum. She was enamored with the instrument and convinced her mom that she really wanted to play. Subse- Grandfather Mountain 2011 T he Grandfather Mountain Games turned out very successfully for Clan MacRae in 2011. We had a nice gathering, including Commissioner Vickie Jensen from Oregon with husband Warren, David MacRae and his two teen-age boys from New York City with David’s sister Laura MacRae from Maine and other members of their extended family, and most of the rest of the usual suspects. At our dinner and AGM on Saturday evening, the Grandfather Mountain Highlanders Pipe Band played a special tribute to our friend Gary See, and of course he joined the long list of Flowers of the Forest at Sunday morning’s church service. On Sunday, our marching group was declared the Clan of Excellence, and two of our young athletes (Continued on page 6) Page 6 Sgurr Uaran Volume 35, number 2 (Continued from page 5) achieved some distinction: Brandon MacRae claimed second in the youth wrestling contest, defeated only by an older and much more experienced lad, while Jesslyn Fingar came second in the kilted run for girls. Well done, all! — Larry McRae Clockwise from right: Clan MacRae celebrates being chosen as Clan of Excellence; Vickie and Warren Jensen visit with Captain John at the clan tent; John MacRae-Hall, Aggie Morton Woodruff, Laura Belle Macrae and Bill Cocke. Report from Canada T he first weekend of June found my wife and me, along with fellow Director Ebby Darden of Texas, in Ottawa, Canada’s lovely capital city, for the annual meeting of the Clan MacRae Society of Canada. It was a splendid, interesting and enjoyable weekend. Cynthia MacRae and Joanne Monahan of the Canadian Society had organized a full weekend of activities, including a welcoming reception, a tour of the Canadian War Museum (one of the most popular attractions in Ottawa), a tour of the Parliament building and a lovely and very Scottish dinner (meat pie – yum!). On Saturday, the group assembled for a cook-out and tour of the museum at Kintail Mills, a retreat of the late physician and sculptor Robert Tait MacKenzie. Their AGM followed. On Sunday, we attended church at Dunvegan Presbyterian Church and concluded the weekend with a motor tour of Glengarry County, a region that figured prominently in the Scottish migration to Canada during and after the Highland Clearances. From Ottawa, my wife and I drove eastward, eventually reaching Prince Edward Island, which also figured prominently in Highland and MacRae migration to Canada. Owen MacRae is President of Clan MacRae in Canada and by DNA matching a distant cousin of mine. In Ottawa, he had told me that at all accounts, in PEI we must look up his cousin Stirling MacRae. We did, and Stirling and yet another PEI native, Linda MacRae, got a group of about twenty MacRaes, spouses and Page 7 Sgurr Uaran Volume 35 , number 2 friends together for dinner at New Glasgow Lobster Suppers, of which Stirling is a founder and part owner. It was another wonderfully convivial evening. At the AGM, I was asked to convey Best Wishes from the Canadian Society to all MacRaes in the U.S. From the Canadian MacRaes we three Americans found not only Best Wishes but a genuine feeling of warmth and family -- we sincerely felt as if we were coming home, and we must thank them again for the hospitality they extended to us. The only sad note is that Boston won the Stanley Cup, and we share our Canadian friends’ disappointment. — Larry McRae Clockwise from above: MacRaes at supper on PEI; cousins Emerson and Owen MacRae, with putative American cousin Larry McRae at the Frontier Museum in Dunvegan, Glengarry County; a cheery grin from Stirling MacRae; MacRaes gathered at the Mill of Kintail; and we couldn’t resist the roadside PEI fox. A lot more photos can be found online at https:// picasaweb.google.com/105606844924505421902/ClanMacRae2011? authkey=Gv1sRgCKCJrLPp4dn5Uw&feat=email# and at https://picasaweb.google.com/101138401275623747638/ MacRaeGatheringCanada2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCOiXg_nF5MfNYg Page 8 Sgurr Uaran Duncan and Powell McRa: Kershaw District, SC, Planters Nelson McLeod has compiled an extensive history of some of his wife’s ancestors. Following are excerpts from that history. Anyone interested in the entire story, which mentions a good many other people and families, should contact Nelson directly: [email protected] D uncan McRa was born in Conchra, Lochalsh Parish, in 1754, a younger son of John MacRae, third head of the MacRaes of Conchra. Duncan moved to South Carolina as a young man and was a lieutenant in Colonel George Gabriel Powell’s militia regiment in 1776. Colonel Powell was a man of some standing, not to say notoriety. Known for both his temper and his brutality, he had been dismissed as Governor of St Helena for misappropriation of funds. After a period in England, he apparently regained favor and came to South Carolina as Deputy Secretary of the Province in 1749, quickly acquiring property and wealth. As a militia commander, he had led men in the campaign against the Cherokee Indians and was subsequently a representative to the First and Second Provincial Congresses as well as the first Speaker of the General Assembly in 1776. In 1785, Duncan McRa married Colonel Powell’s widowed daughter, Sarah Powell Steward. They had two children, although the daughter must have died at a young age. Powell was born in 1788, the same year his mother died. As Powell was growing up, his father was prospering. By 1788, he was a principal in the mercantile firm of Chestnut and Company with John Chesnut and Samuel Boykin; in 1789, the three men were principals in Chesnut, Boykin, and Company. In 1789, Duncan McRa signed a petition to establish a militia unit called the Chatham Light Horse in Cheraw District, and he was appointed a Justice of the Peace for Chesterfield District. During this period, he moved to Camden, South Carolina. By 1792, Duncan McRa was signing petitions in Camden and by 1797 he was a member of the Pine Tree (Creek) Navigation Company and operated a mill on Big Pine Tree Creek. In 1789 Duncan, then 35 years of age, remarried. His new wife was 18-year-old Mary Chesnut, the daughter of his business partner John Chesnut, another notable SC figure. A prosperous merchant, he was a patriot and prisoner of war of the British. He was in the various South Carolina legislatures almost continuously from 1775-1799 and held many other public offices including tax collector, jail commissioner, road commissioner, presidential elector, and trustee of South Carolina Col- Volume 35, number 2 lege. Mary’s siblings were also prominent in the business, civic and military affairs of South Carolina, and a brother-in-law, John Taylor, was a leading citizen of Columbia and Governor of SC from 1826 to 1828. Altogether, Duncan and his second wife had eight children. In the 1790 census, Duncan is a merchant; by the time of the 1800 census, he is shown as possessing 72 slaves, and his business an additional 26, so Duncan is coming to be a large-scale planter. Meanwhile, Powell has achieved the honor roll at a school conducted by the Camden Orphan Society. By 1806 he is a charter member of the Euphradian Society at South Carolina College in Columbia, a recently founded school that will become the University of South Carolina. It is perhaps in Columbia that Powell’s troubles begin. In 1807, Powell McRa had been drinking in a local tavern with several other students and had gotten into an argument which resulted in a challenge to a duel being issued and accepted. The duel never took place, but the students were reported to the trustees for disciplinary action. A student petition supporting the prospective duelist may have swayed the Board of Trustees to reinstate the students rather than expel them. One of the trustees was General Zachariah Cantey, Duncan McRa’s business partner and Mary Chesnut McRa’s uncle. But Powell did not graduate with his class in 1808, and three sophomores from Kershaw County also left the institution in 1808. Was there some sort of dispute between the College and the sons of Kershaw? Powell’s penchant for trouble was not limited to South Carolina College. In August 1807, Kershaw County resident Lewis Ciples pleaded guilty to beating Camden merchant Jonathan Eccles. During the proceedings, Powell McRa swore that Eccles had cursed and abused Ciples prior to the beating. In April of 1809, William McKenna complained that Lewis Ciples had struck him in the face in his tent during military training. Powell McRa had assisted him by “grappling or grasping.” Powell’s father continued to prosper. In the 1810 census, Duncan McRa owns 170 slaves, the fourth highest total in Kershaw District. The largest slave owner in Kershaw District was Duncan’s father-in-law (and former partner), John Chesnut, who owned 234. Duncan’s cotton gin ran 130 saws and produced 420 bales of cotton, production in the district second only to John Chesnut’s 500 bales. McRa operated two forges and produced 5000 pounds of iron and 100 pounds of steel. McRa and Cantey’s mill on Pine Tree Creek produced 2,000 barrels of flour On January 10, 1813, Powell McRa married twenty-seven year old Mary Martha Singleton, the daughter of a prominent planter in Sumter District and a relative of Powell’s stepmother, Mary Chesnut McRa. (Indeed, one of the striking things about Duncan and Powell’s Page 9 Sgurr Uaran story is the inter-relations among South Carolina families in this period.) Although the marriage produced two children, Powell and Arabella, it cannot have been a happy marriage. By 1817, Mary Martha had taken the children and returned home to the Sumter District. Divorce was not legal in South Carolina, but the couple seems never again to have lived together, although Powell did make some provision for their upkeep. Arabella lived only a few years, dying just before her seventh birthday. Meanwhile, Powell’s half-sister Mary married Thomas Lang in 1815. Lang was part of a Quaker group that had settled near Pine Tree Hill. In his career, he was a planter, director of the Band of Camden and a member Volume 35 , number 2 covered. Several slaves were hanged, but the plot no doubt caused a good deal of terror in Camden, both among slaves and owners. In 1817, perhaps prompted by his daughter Mary Martha’s failed marriage and his reassuming her guardianship and the death of his daughter Harriet Richardson Singleton Broun Spann on June 2nd, John Singleton made his will. He left large estates to his wife Rebecca and his son Richard but ensured the maintenance of his daughter Mary Martha McRa and her children Powell McRa and Arabella McRa. The bequests to Mary Martha McRa were not to be “subject in any manner to the interference or control of her husband Powel McRa.” Singleton’s will A section of the Camden District from Mill’s 1825 Atlas of South Carolina. mentions that “from of the South Carolina House Just at the left, notice Holliday’s Tavern; along the river are properties of P. the peculiar and unforMcRa and others. Notice also properties of Cantey, Boykin, Deas and of Representatunate situation of my Chesnut, all families connected to Powell McRa’s. tives. Among daughter Mary Martha their twelve McRa I am compelled children was Duncan McRa Lang. to take charge of her property.” A horse breeder, John In 1816, Duncan McRa, Thomas Lang, Sarah Singleton left to his grandson Powell McRa and his Lang (Thomas’s widowed mother), and Chapman Levy granddaughter Arabella McRa “the follow horses, to wit: petitioned the South Carolina legislature for compensamy gray mare from Phyche by Bluebeard, her gray filly tion for their slaves who were executed for being involved by Young Bedford, her bay filly by Rosesccrueon, and in an intended slave insurrection in Camden. A plot had my gray colt from Phyche by Young Buzzard to them been hatched to set fires on one side of town as a distracshare and share alike.” He also left to his grandson Powell tion, break into the arsenal on the other side of town, arm “my large double barreled gun silver mounted with all the slave conspirators, and kill white people. A slave of that belongs to it.” Colonel Chesnut warned his master, and the plot was dis(Continued on page 10) Page 10 Volume 35, number 2 Sgurr Uaran Ceud Mile Failte: 100,000 Welcomes to Our New Members Mr. James C. MacRae 51 Rocky Knl Irvine, CA 92612 Ms. Cynthia McCray 1908 Charleston Place Ln Charlotte, NC 28212 Mr. Christopher Duncan Thompson 51 Thatcher Lane Savannah, GA 31410 Mr. Howard George 2317 Granite Park Dr Lincoln, CA 95648 Mr. & Mrs. Steve McRae 433 Ward St Graham, NC 27253 Mr. Harvey Ballard 40 Eden Place Athens, OH 45701 Ms. Pattie Norman Smith PO Box 16 Spearsville, LA 71277 Mr. Charles McRae 2335 Old Stage Road Mullins, SC 29574 W e welcome you to the Clan MacRae Society of North America. I encourage all present members to note those new members who may live in your communities. Call them and welcome them aboard. —John MacRae-Hall (Continued from page 9) In 1820, John Boykin surveyed Kershaw District and prepared a map for inclusion in Mill’s Atlas of 1825. (See the map section on page 9.) Along the west side of the Wateree River and east of Green Swamp we see the plantations of D. McRa, I. McRa, and P. McRa. Additionally, another of P. McRa’s plantations is located on the road between Green Swamp and Gum Swamp which leads south to the McCord’s ferry over the Congaree River. East of Camden we find a McRa property located near a mill on Big Pine Tree Creek near Paint Hill. Up and down the Wateree River we find Chesnuts, Langs, Whitakers, Boykins, Deas, and Taylors, families related Lt. Colonel John McCrea D uring the Clan MacRae Canada meeting, we heard about plans to erect a statue in Ottawa in 2015 to the memory of John McCrea. He was of course the Canadian Artillerist and Physician best known for his poem “In Flanders Fields,” which is perhaps the most enduring literary monument in English to the Great War. Funds are being solicited by the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery to support the statue’s cost. The Canadian MacRaes voted at their AGM to pledge $2500 Canadian towards that cost. At our Society’s Directors’ Meeting in July, the Directors discussed the matter and agreed that we would like to contribute, but for now we will solicit private donations from the members of the Clan MacRae Society of North America. At a future Directors’ meeting, we will evaluate the Society’s financial situation and determine how much the Society as such can contribute. Some of the plans are unsettled as yet; a future issue of Sgurr Uaran will provide details for those who wish to make personal contributions. Although we think of him today as a physician or soon to be intermarried with Duncan McRa’s family. We also find several taverns, including Holliday’s Tavern located where the road to Columbia crossed Spears Creek. The “I” McRa must have been John Chesnut McRa. In the 1820 census Duncan is shown as possessing 246 slaves, 161 of whom were engaged in agriculture. Powell had 65 slaves, including 50 who were engaged in agriculture. The next issue of Sgurr Uaran will conclude the story of Powell, of his “illicit connexion” with the girl from the Holliday Tavern and of his descendants. and medical officer, Lt. Col. McCrea was first a gunner. A veteran of the Boer War in South Africa, he went to France as a gunner, not as a physician, and continued to serve at times as an artillery officer even after being assigned as head of a Field Hospital. We found a display of his pistol in the Canadian War Museum, a thoroughly business-like Colt .45 automatic, and the words of his poem engraved in the Hall of Remembrance in the Parliament Building. Page 11 Volume 35 , number 2 Sgurr Uaran WE INVITE YOU TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE CLAN MacRAE SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA. COMPLETE AND MAIL THIS FORM. IF YOU ARE NOW A MEMBER, COPY THIS APPLICATION FORM AND SEND IT TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO JOIN OUR SOCIETY. THE CLAN MacRAE SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA Application for Membership Qualifications for Membership: Any person bearing the name MacRae in any of its various forms and spellings or any Sept name of the Clan MacRae or the wife or descendant of such a person, including but not limited to the following: MacRAE MacARRA MacCRAW MacCRIE MacRA MacRAY RAE CRAE MacCRA MacCRAY MacCROW MacRACH MacRIE RAITH CREA MacCRACH MacCREA MacCROY MacRAITH MACHRAY RAY CREE MacCRAE MacCREATH MacGRATH MacARA MacCRAITH MacCREE MacGRAW MacRATH McCrea REA MacRAW McRae REATH WRAY Purposes: To enjoy Scottish clan traditions in friendly association with other MacRaes; to inform members of the history, traditions, culture and life of Clan MacRae; to maintain Eilean Donan Castle as the Clan Seat; to foster Scottish culture and traditions; to seek the recognition of a Chief of Clan MacRae; and to support various worthy charities. Annual Dues: Individual/Family Membership (includes spouse and minor children).................................................................... $30.00 Student Membership (up to age 21) ........................................................................................................................ $15.00 Patron (including membership) ............................................................................................................................. $100.00 or more NAME: Life Membership (includes spouse and minor children)………………………………… up through Age 61, $500 62 to 69, $350 70 and up, $100 ___________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS: ___________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ CITY: ____________________________________________ Zip: ___________________ PHONE: ____________________ E-Mail: ________________________________________________ If your name does not show the basis for membership, please explain your MacRae connection. For example "My maternal grandmother was Mary MacRae." ________________________________________________________________________________ Please indicate particular Clan MacRae interests: Clan MacRae social activities Attendance at Highland Games -raising _____________________________________________________________________________ Enclosed: $_____________ my dues for ___________, payable to “Clan MacRae Society of NA". Return this form and your dues to: Revised 4/2010 Clan MacRae Society of North America 306 Surrey Road Savannah, GA 31410-4407 Notice: Moving soon or recently moved? Please send change of address to: John MacRae-Hall and Jesslyn Fingar lead Clan MacRae at Grandfather Mountain. Jesslyn is the great-great-granddaughter of Agnes MacRae Morton, cofounder of the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. Story, page 5. Sgurr Uaran The Clan MacRae Society of North America 5108 Huntcliff Trail Winston-Salem, NC 27104 Temp-Return Service Requested Clan MacRae Society of North America 306 Surrey Road Savannah, GA 31410
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