Question...from a newbie

[heatherhono]

My maiden surname is Cunningham, i visited Scotland many times during the 6 years my father was stationed at RAF Alconbury. I got so used to the beauty, the green, the fog/mist, the beautiful kind people, the rain, the love of animals, especially when we were up in Scotland that i have often asked myself "why in the world would my ancestors have left such beauty?" I know that the history of Scotland involves a lot of war but from what i've read and been told scots have always faught fiercely for their land. Ive also heard that many scotsman were forced from their native lands. Does anyone know more detail about this?

[cessna152towser]

First of all

My surname is Cunningham and over the past few years I have been trying to find other relatives on my father's side. Some siblings of my great grandfather and great great grandfather disappeared from Scottish census records in the mid eighteen hundreds and there are no death records for them in Scotland. I can only assume they emigrated to Canada or USA. I did manage to ascertain that a sibling of a great-great-great grandmother emigrated to Canada with her husband in 1806.
My mother's father's family were from Northern Ireland, came to Scotland about 1880 and then went to Canada about 1905. It must be something in the Canadian water but grandfather's brothers' families in Canada keep multiplying with every generation, whereas grandfather who stayed behind in Scotland produced five children from whom there were only two grandchildren and one great grandchild, so the Scottish family has died out. Bear in mind these are families who lived in the Scottish lowlands so emigration to Canada must have been a matter of choice, seeking new opportunities, and nothing to do with the Highland clearances.
As my mother's maiden name is an Irish one, I joined my father's clan and am now a Clan Cunningham Armiger in Scotland and also Scotland Regional Secretary to Clan Cunningham International. I have met many good friends through CCI but have not yet established any blood relationships. As you probably know, many of the Cunningham descendents of the Earls of Glencairn owned farms in Ayrshire and Renfrewshire and it was common practice for farm workers to adopt the surname of their employer/landlord so most of us Cunninghams are probably descended from common people rather than from the Earls.
By the way my father also served in the Royal Air Force. He was a mechanic with the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, based at Gananoque Ontario and later at Innisfail Alberta. Following a head injury in 1943, the RAF decided they could use him in salvage and repair work back home and he was shipped back to Britain.

[heatherhono]

Thank you for the warm welcome. I do know that my Scottish Cunningham ancestors first immigrated to Canada in the 1800's and then from there some immigrated to America, specifically New Hampshire. My grandfathers name is Henry Cunningham. I don't know much about that side of my family, funny enough it's the side of the family I cling to the most as my mothers family is French (YIKES!). I have family trees from her side going back centuries. I'll have to see if I can get some more details out of my grandfather. As a little girl, my most favorite thing in the world were unicorns...I about fell over when I first saw our family crest and cost of arms! It was a dream come true for a little girl! I had found my way home!

[Father Bill]

Ohhhh boy, will you get history from this bunch, but from me, just a welcome!

Welcome to the "Great Rabble!"

[unixken]

Likewise, I'll add my own from Ohio

[Destin_scot]

Heather,

Have you looked at www.familysearch.org? if you have names, dates and places, it is a great place to start.


Welcome to the rabble.

[Richrail]

from Reno, NV.

[Singlemalt]

I guess the reasons why your ancestors left leads you to an examination of history which is my favourite subject. Sure there are lots of stories about the clearances and the expelling of Jacobite rebels but I think these reasons represent only a tiny percentage of those who left Scotland. In my family I know my mothers family accepted land grants in Canada in return for their military service fighting Americans in the revolution and 1812. On my fathers side they were much more recent. My Grandparets came in 1919, I remember them well, they came to Canada for the simple, compelling but unromantic motivation of cruel and unrelenting poverty in Scotland. They had roots in the Highlands but moved to Glasgow and the shipyards for work. This boomed through the leadup and duration of WW1 but collapsed after. With no hope and no opportunity apparent in Scotland they took a chance on Canada. It worked out well for them and they prospered here, perhaps like your ancestors?

[heatherhono]

My ancestors seem to have done well here, I think im the first of my family to question the whole decision. Don't get me wrong im a very proud American and the majority of men in my family have served in the US military, that is how I found myself in England able to visit Scotland on holiday, I just found the culture shock of returning to the states very shocking. I miss the smiles and friendliness that were found on almost every face in Scotland and even in the majority of places we visited in England. I do not like how the norm in the US is to pretend that you don't see the people around you and if you do you don't acknowledge them. I also don't like the fact that it has become normal to not know your neighbours. When we lives off base in England in the town of St. Ives, we knew almost every neighbour for blocks and blocks and all of the neighbourhood kids would play for hours on the green. I also miss the rain, which I find very comforting although I know it annoys a lot of people. There is sooo much that I miss.

[JohntheBiker]

from Toronto