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NEWS AND CURRENT INFORMATION FOR MEMBERS
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POSSIBLE SOTLAND TRIP IN 2008 |
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Plans are continuing for a possible Scotalnd trip in 2008 to complete an archaeological survey of the Glenshee Valley. The plans are being put together by Chris Brumfield. The goal is to examine the settlement patterns of the Glenshee valley for the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, and attempt to determine when and where our ancestors were living in the valley at various periods. Walking and taking notes, some photographs, is all that is involved. The survey dates will be Wednesday-Friday, September 3-5, 2008. There is also a great possibility of a clan dinner on Saturday the 6th.
Anyone interested in going, should contact Chris at Macthomas_piper@msn.com for more details.
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OUR NEWEST BOARD MEMBER: CHANDLER THOMASSON |
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Our board's newest member is Chandler Thomasson of Malta, Ohio. Chandler was a member of the US Navy. He graduated from Kent State and has a graduate degree from Miami Univerity in Ohio. He is a retired school psychologist. He and his wife Alice have two sons and four grandchildren. We welcome Chandler to the board and look forward to benefiting from his knowledge and enthusiasm.
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NEW HIGHLANDER BOOK DUE FOR PUBLICATION MAY 2006 |
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We have heard of a new book that our members might be interested in. It deals with the Highland Soldiers who traveled to North America. Our own Gilbert Greene will be doing a book review! Here is the advanced press release:
Three proud Highland regiments fought in North America during the Seven Year's War - the 77th Foot (Montgomery's Highlanders), the 78th Foot (Fraser's Highlanders), and the famous Black Watch, more correctly known at the time as the Royal Highland Regiment. Undoubtedly, the exploits of the 42nd, 77th and 78th Highlanders in some of the most bloody and desperate battles on the North American continent were a critical factor in transforming the overall image of Highlanders from Jacobite rebels to Imperial heroes in the latter half of the 18th century. But the everyday story of these regiments - how they trained, worked, played, fought and died from their own point of view - has never been seriously told.
Sons of the Mountains: A History of the Highland regiments in North America during the French & Indian War, 1756-1767, is a two-volume set due to be co-published Spring 2006 by Purple Mountain Press and the Fort Ticonderoga Museum. It chronicles the Highland regiments' fighting performance and experiences from the time they were raised in the Highlands and stepped ashore in North America, to their disbandment in 1763; or, as in the case of the 42nd, reduced in establishment and left on lonely garrison duty in the American wilderness until their recall and return to Ireland in 1767.
Volume One of Sons of the Mountains follows all three regiments on their various campaigns in the different theatres of war. As they range from the wilderness of the Ohio Forks to the wind-swept crags of Signal Hill in Newfoundland, and from the waters of the Great Lakes to the torrid swamps and cane fields of the "Sugar Islands", the reader will be exposed to all the major conflicts and actions of the "Great War for Empire" as seen though the eyes of the Highland soldier.
Cluny, the 27th Hereditary Chief of Clan Macpherson, writes from Blairgowrie, Scotland:As a direct descendant of a Clansman who was present on the Heights of Carillon and at Fort Ticonderoga in July 1758 I feel that I understand now far better how my forebear and his fellow Highlanders must have felt and lived and fought, and relate much more closely to those "Sons of the Mountains" of long ago. I warmly commend Lt Colonel McCulloch's book to readers across the Atlantic and here in Scotland. He has done a great service to the memory of those who fought and died with these distinguished Regiments.
Volume Two of Sons of the Mountains will appeal to all families of Scottish descent and serious genealogists. It features comprehensive biographical histories of every regimental officer from all the major clans (over 350 entries) who served in North America.
Also included in the glossaries are regimental muster rolls and land petitions of discharged Highlanders. Marie Fraser editor of Canadian Explorer, newsletter of the Clan Fraser Society of Canada writes:
Besides being compelling Highland history, SOTM is a valuable genealogical resource for all of Scottish heritage. With over 350 officers' biographies, career details and genealogical notes in the annexes, McCulloch has identified the complex ties of kinship, marriage and friendship that bound the most prominent Scottish families of the day together during the Seven Years War between Britain and France fought in North America, known to some as the French & Indian War.
Lavishly illustrated with artwork by Robert Griffing, Steve Noon, Peter Rindisbacher, Gary Zaboly, Charles Stolz and John Buxton, as well as with contemporary prints, maps and portraits from the collections of the Black Watch Museums of Scotland and Canada, the Fort Ticonderoga Museum, the Fort Ligonier Museum, the William L. Clements Library, the National Army Museum, Chelsea, the David M. Stewart Museum, Montreal, the National Archives of Canada and the Library of Congress, Sons of the Mountains is a visual delight.
Without a doubt, Sons of the Mountains is the most complete and informative work on the history of early Highland regiments of the British army in North America to date and will be published in Spring 2006. For further details on pre-ordering and prices, see Purple Mountain Press website at http://www.catskill.net/purple/order.htm or write for details at: Purple Mountain Press, Ltd., PO Box 309, Fleischmann's, NY, 12430-0309. Phone: 1-845-254-4062.
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CIVIL WAR EXTRACTION PROJECT |
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The Combs &c Research Group has posted new information that might be useful to those who are interested in genealogy. Over 1000 MacThomas Clan records extracted as part of COMBS &c
Civil War Extraction Project. Note: Specific surnames can be identified using our Surname Cluster drop down menu. They hope this will be a useful tool for furthering family history research. They are also interested in extracting pension application records and could use volunteers in this effort. If interested, please contact Denise Mortorff.
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A RECOMMENDED BOOK |
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Chris Brumfield has recommended the book, "Massacre on the Lordsburg Road" by Marc Simmons, Texas A&M University Press, 1997.
Copied from the inside cover:
"In the spring of 1883 Apache raiders mascred Judge H. C. McComas and his wife Juniata and kidnapped their six-year-old son Charley as the family traveled on a desolate road in southwestern New Mexico Territory.
At the time, the circumstances leading to this tragic incident were not fully understood. In Massacre on the Lordsburg Road, historian Marc Simmons brings to light one of the last massacres of the Inidian wars, revealing exactly why and how the three McComases met their deaths."
Anyway, it goes on for quite some time. The book is well written in a documentary format and a good read. It is quite detailed about the McComas family and any with such a family tie should read it.
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DNA STUDY BEING CONDUCTED ON COMBS FAMILY LINES MACTHOMAS MEMBERS INVITED
by Denise Mortorff Project DNA Historian |
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Background: Our DNA Study is an outcropping of a family history
project that has over 2500 web pages and 30K+ e-mails in our archives. We
are a research group that began 8 years ago for the purpose of studying genealogy
and history related to COMBS-COOMBS &c ancestry. (We use the “&c” since
it is old-style for et cetera (etc.), Latin for “and others”.) Our official
title is the COMBS &c Research Group and we are a non-profit public benefit corporation.
We work with USGENNET another non-profit organization to be able
to provide our research project on-line for public use. We average 200-300
people on our list of researchers who subscribe to our discussion group.
Many of our researchers have been working on their family history for 15-20+
years. We were drawn to DNA since it seemed that for some lineages the
available documentation had been exhausted so they could not be traced any further.
With the support of our group I began looking into DNA Studies and
decided to create a web page with an on-line Study to support our research effort.
It went on-line mid-March, 2005. Working with a list member providing
a story of his Scot origins, it occurred to me that we had not had much
discussion about Scot COMBS. I began looking into Scot surnames and clans
and was delighted to find some of the surnames of Clan MacThomas are clearly a
part of the COMBS-COOMBS &c family of surnames we are researching.
Invitation: On behalf of our COMBS &c research group, I would
like to invite members of Clan MacThomas to participate, not only in our
DNA Study, but as part of our overall effort to foster family history research
of our related families. The DNA Study should help identify the genetic
profiles for different lineages around the world that will help us better understand
where different branches of COMBS &c originated. We have tied our
DNA study to our original family history research project. We hope our study
will be viewed as providing a unique approach to melding family history with
science. The study has been designed and is managed by a Project Administrator
on behalf of our COMBS-COOMBS &c. research group and organization. We are
working with Relative Genetics, a Sorenson Genomics business to conduct and
interpret test results since they are particularly interested in working with family
history projects in interpreting DNA data. I have had discussions with
the company about ways to organize the data for comparison purposes in defining
relationships.
Accessing the DNA STUDY. The Study is more fully explained at
http://www.combs-families.org/combs/dna/
NOTE: THIS IS A REAL OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR ASSOCIATION TO FURTHER OUR GOAL OF
STUDYING OUR FAMILY HERITAGE.
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GREATER MACTHOMAS FAMILY HISTORIES FILED IN THE
REPOSITORY AT MOULTRIE, GA |
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The beginning of a new era and the end of a dream culminated at the Odom Library
on Feb. 15th, 2003. In a formal presentation, Robert Thomson, Vice-Chair
of MacThomas North America and Chairperson of the Research Committee and Robert
MacThomas, Chair of MacThomas North America, presented the family research documents
collected by members and given to the Association. All the materials will
now be kept in the Library files and can be accessed by individuals searching
for information on MacThomas Families and the associated sept clans. The information
has been cataloged and divided by family name under the MacThomas North
America heading. Dr. Thomson will continue to work with the Research Committe
of the association to gather additional histories and forward them to the library.
This represents the first time that individuals have a center point of reference
when looking for family histories. Many of our members have taken the time
to trace their roots and now their work can be available for future generations.
It provides an opportunity for the Association to be an integral part of
bridging gaps in our understanding and knowledge of our ancestors. The research
committee will maintain a listing of all information kept at Moultrie. This list
is available to members upon request by emailing the current chair of the research committee, Gilbert Green, at gkgreene@enter.net. Members wishing to submit
information to the repository should send a HARD COPY
to Gilbert Green, after emailing him for his address.
PLEASE TAKE TIME TO COMPLETE YOUR FAMILY TREE AND BECOME PART
OF HISTORY.
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SEEKING TO DO THE RIGHT THING
AT THE RIGHT TIME
AND FOR THE RIGHT REASONS
Remember:
UNITED WE STAND...TOGETHER WE SOAR
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If you have questions or need information let us know!
email
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