Five Specific Behaviors that tag your Ancestors as Scots-Irish–

These five markers confirm your family traditions and lore that your ancestors were Scots-Irish. They left footprints for you to follow–clues to document your genealogy. These clues will peg your ancestors and set them apart from others who have the same name or the same migration pattern as your Ancestors.

  • Kinship by blood or marriage. The primary commitment in life of persons with Scots-Irish background is kinship. When family called, your ancestors answered. Examine your family charts–brothers marry sisters, become business partners, and settle in clusters together. Relatives serve in the same militia units and attend the same church congregation sitting side by side on the same bench–(your ancestors were Protestant by covenant.)

Cousins perpetuated family feuds (called “blood feuds”), even when they no longer remembered what the fuss was all about. Recall the Hatfields and McCoys in Kentucky. Your Scots-Irish ancestors kept their assets and their lineage in the family: when the estate was divided, family wealth descended to family members.


Use these sources to locate proof:
family Bibles with genealogy pages filled in
family histories and genealogies including pedigree charts and ancestors’ interests lists published by local genealogy societies. Leonardo Andrea Collection of Families or South Carolina
genealogy periodicals, especially those published by local societies
correspondence—including business letters, business and partnership minutes,  account books, store ledgers
militia lists–cousins served together; watch for the same surnames—who were related by blood or marriage; these surnames will also match passenger lists and bounty land lists
voters’ registers


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