Hello from Northern Illinois

**Rick Landre** · 21st February 18, 02:40 PM

Hello Everyone and thank you for allowing me to join your group.

I have been researching my heritage and took a DNA test. I knew that my great great grandfather was a man named Paul Barclay but could not find his ancestors. This week I was able to determine that my heritage goes back to Patric Graham, 1st Lord Graham of Kincardine and beyond.

I want to buy a kilt and not sure which tartan is appropriate. I know nothing of the Barclay grandfather but have seen my links back to the Grahams and my 19th great grandfather, Robert Stewart.

So am I correct in choosing the Grahm of Montrose tartan over the Barclay tartan?

Thanks,
Rick Landre, Newbie

**The Wizard of BC** · 21st February 18, 03:55 PM

Hello Rick and welcome to the rabble.

This question about what Tartan is the "correct" one comes up all the time.

But - We don't really go by names when we are researching our genealogy. Names change, spellings of names changed. You have your entire mother's line with different names.

So what we try to do is find out where our people come from.

Doing a genealogy is a paper chase. An unbroken trail of paper leading back. You could start with your birth certificate. That may give you where your parents are from. It may lead you to where they were married. You go to that place and look for the next piece of paper. Tax records, birth certificates, marriage licenses are all good sources.

You go as far back as you can one piece of paper at a time. Any time the paper trail breaks and you are either at a dead end or you must go in a different direction.

But typing your name into a google search is not doing your genealogy. For example if you have a common name you may find many people with the same name but no relation at all.
In Scotland if your name was Gordon and you lived in the Kirkcudbright area, you would not be part of the Gordon Highland Clan.
If your name is Campbell and you live in Ayreshire you would not be part of Campbell Highland Clan.
And it is far more likely that you may be 100% Scottish and yet not be part of a Highland Clan.

A DNA test is fine but will only give you so much information. DNA does not tell citizenship, place, language or name. And DNA is only good back beyond the last time your DNA changed. In some cases the mutations of DNA span hundreds or even thousands of years.

So - What about Tartan? Well, there are three basic 'rules' about what Tartan you can or should wear.

Tartan tells the world - who am I, Where do I come from, how did I get where I am today.

1) Pick a Tartan which has some meaning to you. The Tartan may carry the same name. It may be from the area or region your people come from. And really, it may be only that "I like the colors".
2) Know what Tartan you are wearing. Someone is bound to ask.
3) Wear it with pride.

Yes, unfortunately there are Tartan snobs out there but there are no Tartan cops. No one can tell you that you are wrong for choosing what Tartan to wear.

**Rick Landre** · 21st February 18, 04:00 PM

Steve,
Thanks for the response. In terms of location, the best I can determine at this time is that my ancestors lived in Perthshire, or at least some them lived in that area.

Rick

**The Wizard of BC** · 21st February 18, 04:16 PM

Many of the people from Perthshire would not have considered themselves to be associated with a Highland Clan.

**Father Bill** · 21st February 18, 07:10 PM

Welcome to the "Great Rabble" and enjoy your searches, but don't get too worried over them!

**Terry Searl** · 21st February 18, 08:04 PM

One thing that is important and has been stated here many times before. When you do choose a tartan, learn as much as you can about it. You will find you will always be asked what clan or what tartan it is and if you sound like you know what you are talking about it will add much pleasure to the conversation .............but don't get carried away, no one needs a dissertation on the histories of kilts and tartans. just answer the question pleasantly and sometimes with just a bit of colouring inside the lines......of what the tartan means to you

**Kiltedjohn** · 22nd February 18, 03:15 AM

Welcome from a Scotsman living in the English Midlands.
I think it's good advice not to "overthink" the question of which tartan to choose.
When choosing a tartan for my "best" kilt, I looked at the tartans of the various names in my family tree. I settled on Forbes Modern because (1) one of my great-grandmothers was a Forbes, and that branch of the family is particularly well-liked; (2) I like the colours of the colours of the tartan. No doubt others will have totally different reasons for their choice of tartan!