Hi, I'm wondering if there are any "armchair detectives" out there who might be able to give me some information about tartans. The skeletons of two young boys (age between 5 & 7) were discovered in a local park in Vancouver, B.C. in 1953. It was determined they were murdered - probably about 1947. The identity of these boys is still unknown today. One of these boys was wearing a red Fraser tartan jacket. An old newspaper description of the jacket read: "The jacket was made of Canadian cloth. The jacket's waistband had three bands of elastic, while a manufacturer would have used one thick band instead of employing three separate stitching operations. But the quality of the cloth was too cheap to have been used in a tailor-made jacket. That meant it was likely produced at home out of an old piece of cloth or an alteration to another jacket picked up at a rummage sale." My questions are: 1. If you were a detective trying to identify this unknown child, would this particular tartan suggest any clue as to his last name? 2. Is the surname "Fraser" the only last name connected to this jacket? 3. Does this tartan suggest anything else to you? 4. I realize anyone could wear a tartan but do you think the people that usually wear a red Fraser tartan have some connection to the "Fraser clan?" 5. Is there any other organization or internet site that might offer some information on these questions? Pardon me for any ignorance I've demonstrated here of Scottish culture? Any information or suggestions would be appreciated. THANKS! Ken

Well, you have certainly brought out the wonder in me, definitely not an armchair detective, but curiosity has gotten me! Certainly was a long time ago, but I wonder if it is a sure fact that it was Fraser tartan? I wouldn't put too much stock in these children being Frasers, as it stated it was a poor quality cloth and seemed as if it was homemade, so it more than likely was an attempt of a mother or family member making a jacket out of some sort of material remnant for a child. Obviously there was no label within the jacket stating where it had come from, for example a "brand name" or clothing maker. If you really want to go upon the premise that Fraser is the tartan there are many septs of the Frasers, easiest way to define a sept, is a branch of a clan, and there are many that go with the Clan Fraser. Remember, also there are many tartans with red in them, to numerous to mention! Have you seen this tartan? There are 22 types of the various Fraser Tartans available, if you are interested in seeing swatches of them go to this link: http://www.tartans.scotland.net/tartan_search.cfm Also I enclose the URL for the Clan Fraser Society of Canada, maybe a look at their webpage may help you determine the tartan. http://www.clanfraser.ca/ I wonder how it was determined that this was Canadian cloth? Christine -------Original Message------- From: SCOTS-IN-CANADA-L@rootsweb.com Date: 06/25/04 18:03:21 To: SCOTS-IN-CANADA-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [SCTCDN] Tartan jacket on murder victim Hi, I'm wondering if there are any "armchair detectives" out there who might be able to give me some information about tartans. The skeletons of two young boys (age between 5 & 7) were discovered in a local park in Vancouver, B.C. in 1953. It was determined they were murdered - probably about 1947. The identity of these boys is still unknown today. One of these boys was wearing a red Fraser tartan jacket. An old newspaper description of the jacket read: "The jacket was made of Canadian cloth. The jacket's waistband had three bands of elastic, while a manufacturer would have used one thick band instead of employing three separate stitching operations. But the quality of the cloth was too cheap to have been used in a tailor-made jacket. That meant it was likely produced at home out of an old piece of cloth or an alteration to another jacket picked up at a rummage sale." My questions are: 1. If you were a detective trying to identify this unknown child, would this particular tartan suggest any clue as to his last name? 2. Is the surname "Fraser" the only last name connected to this jacket? 3. Does this tartan suggest anything else to you? 4. I realize anyone could wear a tartan but do you think the people that usually wear a red Fraser tartan have some connection to the "Fraser clan?" 5. Is there any other organization or internet site that might offer some information on these questions? Pardon me for any ignorance I've demonstrated here of Scottish culture? Any information or suggestions would be appreciated. THANKS! Ken ==== SCOTS-IN-CANADA Mailing List ==== FAMILY HISTORY: a quiltwork of lives ============================== You can manage your RootsWeb-Review subscription from http://newsletters.rootsweb.com/