Coming Aboard the Board from Virginia

**Breabadair Drochaidean** · 1st August 23, 08:20 AM

Beannachd dha na h-uile,

My reasons upon entering this fine group of enthusiasts is to further explore topics concerning Scottish heritage. While not a kilt fashioner myself (although my given name comes from Old English for weaver and my forum display name is a play on my full name in Scots Gaelic), I am on occasion a wearer of the plaid.

My father had a great interest in genealogy well back in time before there were computers and e-mail. He amassed boxes of documents, copies of deeds and wills and such. After he passed I inherited those boxes and subsequently used a computer based data system to enter his findings and expand upon them. My ancestral link to Scotland come primarily through Alexander Brown, born in Darvel, Ayrshire in 1831. In 1853 Alexander emigrated to Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada and was soon after married. One of his sons, Charles Noble Brown, emigrated from Canada to Massachusetts. His daughter, Hazel Christine Brown, is my paternal grandmother. But what is most interesting is that Alexander's paternal grandfather, John Brown of Mauchline, married Helen "Nelly" Armour. Helen's sister Jean "Bonnie" Armour married none other than Robert "Rabbie" Burns, making the bard my 4th great-granduncle by marriage.

Besides Rabbie, I have a significant other connections to Scotland (while my mother was Irish through-and-through and through my father's side I have some Plantagenet blood lurking, a far distant cousin having met his demise at the Battle of Wakefield in 1460, with others ending up residing in the Tower, which usually ended rather badly for them) and have been fascinated by its history and culture since I was a wee lad. I can pinpoint that to watching on the TV the film 'Culloden' (titled as 'The Battle of Culloden' here in the U.S.), a 1964 docudrama written and directed by Peter Watkins for BBC TV (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057982/. It's a very interesting film). I was 10ish when I saw it and was utterly taken in, to the point I cut the listing out of the TV Guide and went on a mission to discover all I could about it. Unfortunately, living in a small village in the wilds of New Hampshire decades before Google (and before Larry Page and Sergey Brin were even born) made it a rather momentous task. I did get hold of John Prebble's book 'Culloden' which together with Watkins' film sent me on an historical journey that continues to this day.

A bit about me. From growing up in New Hampshire (actually, I do refuse to "grow up") I spent over 20 years on active service with the Marines. Spent over 15 years overseas in many places both good, bad, and ugly (alas Scotland was not one of them, Norway being as close as I got, much of my time was in various parts of Asia). After retiring from the Corps I worked for a private military contractor for a time on work that was "interesting" to say the least. Through some twist of fate I ended up in the Pentagon where I am still today.

Cheers,
WEB

**Father Bill** · 1st August 23, 08:40 AM

Welcome to the "Great Rabble"!

**Kiltedjohn** · 1st August 23, 08:47 AM

Welcome from a Scotsman living in the English midlands. The work you have done on your ancestry is most impressive!

**Holcombe Thomas** · 1st August 23, 08:56 AM

Welcome to the "Great Rabble" from Falls Church, VA!

Holcombe

**COScotsman** · 1st August 23, 04:14 PM

from Northern Colorado!

**Liam** · 1st August 23, 07:27 PM

Welcome to the forum from Western Canada!

**OC Richard** · 2nd August 23, 04:59 AM

Welcome from California!

Impressive research!

I'm from West Virginia and not surprisingly have deep Virginia roots. I'm descended from two men, one English-born, the other a Virginian whose father was Scottish-born, neighbouring farmers in the Shenandoah Valley, John Cooke and Ralph Stewart.

Both served in the Virginia Militia and fought in Lord Dunmore's War including the battle of Point Pleasant.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Dunmore%27s_War

When the Revolutionary War came their unit joined George Washington's army. Ralph Stewart rose to the rank of Captain while John Cooke was detached from the 12th Virginia Regiment to serve with Colonel Daniel Morgan's Corps of Rangers, consisting of 500 handpicked experienced backwoodsmen.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan%27s_Riflemen

After the war both Stewart and Cooke acquired vast amounts of land in the Appalachian mountains and became the first European settlers in what is now Wyoming and Raleigh counties, West Virginia.

When the Civil War came the Cooks and Stewarts (of which by now there were dozens) were staunch Unionists and most joined the 7th West Virginia Cavalry. Company I was a family affair, with 21 men named Cook (out of 26 Cooks in the regiment).

https://7wvcavalry.com/roster/

Over two centuries on, the Cooks and Stewarts are still there, and still intermarrying, creating an inextricable cousinage.

**tripleblessed** · 2nd August 23, 08:53 AM

Welcome, and thanks for serving. Sounds like some interesting stories. Have heard more than a few from friends I describe as "folk who weren't there when that didn't happen,
because our government would never ask guys to do that". Hope you'll continue to dig into the history. Our family has had much difficulty and entertainment separating fact from
prior error and commonly thought and taught "history".

**Breabadair Drochaidean** · 2nd August 23, 01:48 PM

I had several relatives in the Revolution, on both sides! Saint John was the destination point for many United Empire Loyalists who left the former colonies. England was not really their home, having been mostly from North America. They settled mostly to the west of St John in St Stephen and St Andrews, being just across the border from Maine, which originally was part of Massachusetts. Several of my northeastern Mass antecedents took land grants in and around what is now Meddybemps, Campobello, and Charlotte, near to Passamaquoddy Bay. So descendants of those who served in the Patriot forces living in Maine married Canadians whose families fought in Loyalist forces.