Dear John, Noting your interest in Scottish ancestors of the Pates, I am attaching the material at the bottom of this email. I have written in as a section of a narrative especially for family members. I wonder if you would review this for accuracy. [Most of it is abstracted from various volumes of my Encyclopedia Britannica (1970).] I am writing with my Mecoy/McCoy ancestors in Craven Co., NC in the period (1754-1803). Since this goes to the Pate/Roots.web list, comments or corrections from other members would also be welcome. Robinsons and McDaniels are also among my ancestors. Cordially, B. Carter Pate On Jun 7, 2010, at 3:44 PM, John Robinson wrote: > Wanted to make it clear that I have not researched any specific > Pates back into Scotland. All I've done, which is something I > commonly do, is run the Pate surname on the www.scotclans.com > website's "What's My Clan" search link. I enjoy reading the > information found for this or any other surname. The "Pate short > for Patrick" info comes from the Scottish website. I'm not sure if > this is a historical fact or not. > > What it does allow, if your surname is Pate, you can join the US > MacLaren Clan without proof of descent from anyone, including a > Scot. Most of us would have a hard time proving descent from a > Scot, especially if they emigrated to the US prior to Revolution. > > I apologize in advance if this type post is considered off topic. > To me it leans toward heritage, not biology. > New immirgrants to America in the 1700s: From the Continent:Around 1700, Europe was brimming with refugees, many of whom sought new lives in America: Huguenots worn out by their struggle for power/toleration in France; Swiss and Savoyards threaened by extremist factions of both Reformers and Cathlolics, Rhinelanders (“Palatines”) fleeing the repeated incursions of Spanish and French armies fightng over Dutch and Belgian independence, and Moravians persecuted by Catholic authorities, These now joined the movement of British dissidents and adventurers to America. The rulers of Britain offered land in the American Colonies or in Northern Ireland, regarding these refugees as a bulwark against the Indians or the rebellious Irish. From Sotland and Ireland: Since times when Romans built walls across the island to hold back Scottish intruders, ancient enmities divided the Engish and the Scots. From 1700 to 1750, Britain would send its own stream of disgruntled Scots to America.. As Calvinists and dissenters had gradually gained power in both nations, the comon commercial and defense interests of England and Scotland were recognized by influential figures on both sides. They were already under one monarchy; The time was coming for a full Union with a single Parliament. The Union agreement of 1707, created t his combined Parliament, allowing Scotland to retain its own tradiditions in customs, laws and religion (separate “established” churchs, Presbyterian in Scotland and Anglican in England). But many still owed allegiance to Catholicism and the older rulers. This was true especially among the highland Scots. James II had died in 1701, and the French continued their hostility by proclaiming his young son in exile as King james III. A minor Scottish uprising was put down in 1706, but the French mobilized a major invasion in 1715, provoking a serious rebellion of highlanders. Queen Anne's military successfully put this down and expelled the French. George I faced a second attempt from France in 1745. Now Britain had developed a new policy for dealing with domestic rebels. Many Scottish prisoners taken by English armis were banished to America, to be indentured servants, as were common criminals. The American colonists, however, were kindly disposed toward them. After serving their indentures, which some had converted to apprenticeships, they had all the rights of other colonists and even might buy or be granted land. Some of them became prominent and prospered. But earlier colonies had taken upt he best land near the coast, so they moved westward and southward as settlers and traders (in TN, McDonald and Daniel Ross?). There was also another stream of “Scotch-Irish”--Scots and some of the Palatines formerly settled in Ireland as a bulwark against the Irish, but now unhappy with the cntinual fighting and the rather miserable land tenure situation there Unknowlingly, English rulers had contributed an element to the colonies which would augment the flames of rebellion in 1776. > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to PATE- > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message