Help me find my tartan(s).

[glengall1]

My family name is Dunehew (a variant spelling of Donohue). I'll just provide a list of the family names from which I descend:

1. Woods (grandmother's family name)
2. Felts (other grandmother's (OG's) FN)
3. Ford (great grandma's (GG's) family name)
4. Pendleton (OGG's family name)
5. Carpenter
6. Hennessee
7. Wood (no apparent relation to above grandmother)
8. Thorpe
9. Frost
10. Merritt
11. Cooper

--SSgt Baloo

Woods - First recordeded usage in Scotland is in Nairnshire in the 13th Century and in Dumfrieshire in the 14th century. No clan septs but could wear the district tartans.

Felts- No record in our Scottish or Irish books

Ford- We have a record of "Forde" being from County Leitrim in Ireland and therefore the County Leitrim tartan could be used. The first usage of Ford in Scotland is recorded in Annandale in the 15th century although they were not a sept of a clan.

Pendleton - No references in either our Scottish or Irish references. Seems kind of English to me.

Hennessee - There is reference to "Hennesay" in County Wesmeath and "Hennessy" in County Dublin in Ireland. No metion in Scotland.

Thorpe - No mention in either

Frost - No mention in either

Merritt - No mention in either but strong French sounding to me.

Cooper - First recorded in Scotland in Fife in the 13th century, no sept of a clan.

Hope this helps.

Good luck in your quest and please don't hesitate to contact me if you want to see the Irish County tartans.

[sirdaniel1975]

SSgt Baloo,

Cooper

Clan History: http://electricscotland.com/webclans/atoc/cooper.html
Clan Tartans: http://houseoftartan.com/scottish/di...77&subsecid=97
Associated Names and Septs (with spelling variations):
Cooper Copper Coupar Coupare Couper Couppar Cowlpar Cowlper Cowpar Cowper Culpar Cupar Cuper Cupir

The name has a double significance in Scotland, being both a maker of casks and native of Cupar, Fife, where it is recorded from the thirteenth century onwards. It is commonly spelt Coupar.

Thanks to James Pringle Weavers for the following information

COOPER / COUPER: This name occurs in many guises in nearly every English-speaking county of Scotland and it is also common throughout England and elsewhere for it's origin is largely derived from the occupation of barrel maker. In Scotland it may equally be of local origin in that some originated in or near the town of Cupar in Fife, or from the ancient settlement around the Abbey of Coupar in Angus (Coupar Angus, Perthshire), for in both associations the name is common in early records. Its first appearance seems to be in a Charter dated 1245, and an early widespread distribution is evidenced by a John Cupar holding lands in Aberdeen in 1281, while a Symon Coupare in Berwickshire rendered homage to Edward I of England in 1296. Finla Couper in Belnakeill in Atholl was fined for sheltering outlawed MacGregors in 1613, such occurence being worthy of record in the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland. A family of Coupers held the lands of Gogar near Edinburgh in the 17th century, and of this House, John Couper was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia in 1638, two years before being killed in an explosion which destroyed Douglas Castle during the 'Bishops' Wars'. Sir John's 3rd son settled in Dumbartonshire and from his House came others who settled in the West of Scotland. Amongst others, these families comprised the Coupers of Banheath (Dumbartonshire); of Failford and Smeithston (Ayrshire), and of Ballindalloch (West Stirlingshire). Many changed their spelling to 'Cooper' during the 18th century. In a letter from the 'English' poet William Cowper (1731-1800) he reminded a correspondent that his roots lay in Fife where his line was still extant. Those of the name have never united under a 'chief', nor has any been family been defined as the principal race. Thus lacking a chief it follows that there can be neither Crest Badge, Motto et.al., appropriate for kindred use. There is however a Couper tartan, originally woven by Messrs Peter Macarthur of Hamilton for a family descended from the Coupers of Gogar. It is quite distinctive in its colourings and appears to have been copied from an old shawl.


Wood

Clan History: http://electricscotland.com/webclans/stoz/wood.html
Clan Tartans: http://houseoftartan.com/scottish/di...=77&subsecid=9
Associated Names and Septs (with spelling variations):
Vod Voud Wod Wode Wood Woode Woods Yod

The name Wood was previously given as de Bosco’ a Norman name.

In the mid 15th century Andrew Wood was employed by James III to protect the Scottish trade with Holland.

In 1481 he defended Dumbarton against a fleet of Edward IV of England. James III granted him lands at Largo and bestowed a Knighthood upon him.

During the battle of Sauchieburn Andrews ships sailed up and down the Forth taking on board the wounded. Sir Andrew was the greatest seafarer of his time.

In 1488 and in 1490 he destroyed English fleets sent to attack the Scottish fleet. After the battle of Flodden he was sent to France to invite the Duke of Albany to assume the regency of Scotland.

The erroneous notion that clans are Highland groups and families are Lowland units is very much a Victorian one. In fact, the terms are interchangeable, and many a Lowland laird has held from the Lyon Court the title ‘Chief of the Name and Arms’. This is true of the Woods.

The Old English name Wood (also Wod, Vod, Yod, Wode, Woode, Woods, Voud and other variations) may well derive from the Norman French de Vosco, or de Bosco (modern French Dubois or just Bois), meaning ‘of the wood’ (occupational names of people crafting in wood being typically Wright, Wheelwright etc., Carpenter, Arrowsmith, Carver, Cooper, Sawyer and many others). Gaelic forms incorporating ‘Coill’ also took the English translation over time. Among the Wood families that moved into southern Scotland – some say with King David I – were the Woods of Bonnytoun in Angus. They held extensive lands in that district as well as Kinkardineshire, Perthshire and elsewhere.

Admiral Sir Andrew Wood Bt., of Largo, Fife, (circa 1455 – 1521) was almost certainly a scion of that ancient clan. He was famous for inflicting many defeats on foreign pirates and privateers as well as squadrons of ships sent by the English government to harass the Scots. His successors built a hospital and school in Fife for their kinsmen named Wood, and were prominent in Scottish history both politically and militarily: they continued to be a significant influence in British politics and were foremost among the thousands of Scots who contributed enormously to the economic and armed expansion of the British Empire well into the 19th century. The main line of Sir Andrew’s descendants is considered by the Court of the Lord Lyon King of Arms to be the chiefly one. The record of succession is complete right down to 1916, when Andrew George Wood died in Mayfair, London, leaving his estate on the border of Wales and Shropshire to his second wife. He had at least two children, maybe more. The Clan Wood Society is continuing the search for its Chief.

March 2006
scotswood@freeuk.com
================================================== ===

From Me: "Both seem to tie to the Perthshire District. This tartan is probably more available that the family ones."

from: www.tartans.scotland.net

Perthshire District

Similar to Drummond

This is the sett woven today. It differs slightly in proportion to Wilson's original pattern, recorded in his accounts c.1831, which was known as Perthshire Rock and Wheel. Rock and Wheel was an early type of soft tartan. The sett is similar to the Drummond tartan. (The Wilson papers, Scottish Tartans Society Collection)
The source of tartan 2060 was: after Wilson's of Bannockburn

To clarify info contact Matthew Newsome at:

The Scottish Tartans Museum
86 East Main St
Franklin, NC 28734
(828)524-7472
tartans@scottishtartans.org

================================================== ======

Daniel Williamson

[Tattoo Bradley]

All of the correspondence and materials I have received from the USAFR Band indicates the opposite, TB; the USAFR does, in some capacity, recognize the USAFR (Lady Jane) tartan as an "official" tartan. And the USAF (not the reserve band) Pipes and Drums wore the "Mitchell" tartan, not the Lady Jane, until their disbandment in the late 1960's. While the reserve band claims to trace their roots, some literature indicates they were actually two seperate bodies. I'm still gathering sources and I am still waiting for a USAFR band member to contact me regarding the history of the associated USAF tartans, but I would conclusively say that it is not recognized -- hopefully my research will clear this matter up.

Regards,

Todd

ps: I'll try to deal with the original question in this thread tomorrow!

I based my response simply on Matt's post in the other thread we've discussed this on. As far as the USAF Pipe band and the Mitchell tartan. Yes, but that was not discussed in this thread

#17 06-30-2006, 12:03 PM
M. A. C. Newsome
Curator - Scottish Tartans Museum USA
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: NC
Posts: 770

Ok, this post will either clarify things or make them more confusing (let's hope for the former!).

I'll use the ITI numbers for these tartans in order to be precise. You can look them all up at the Scottish Tartans Authority site:
http://www.tartansauthority.com

Tartan No. 2437 is the U.S. Air Force Reserve Pipe Band tartan. The STA notes say:

Quote:
One of a series of US Military tartans woven exclusively by the Strathmore Woollen Company and adopted by the Band of the Air Force Reserve, Georgia, USA in the early 1990s. Although this has no official US Military recognition, it has been widely accepted by US servicemen and their families with Air Force connections as a representative design.


There have been other attempts to creat unofficial tartans for the USAF, including Nos. 5080, 5075, and 4089.

The Mitchell tartan (No. 3178) was worn by the USAF Pipe Band (unsure if this was the reserve pipe band?) from about 1950, according to the STA notes. This is the same tartan that is worn by the Russells, Galbraiths, and Hunters, and, according to the STA, "acquired the name Mitchell when it was adopted by the U.S.Air Force Pipe Band and renamed in honour of General Billy Mitchell."

To answer another question, no, so far as I can tell the four families that share this tartan have no connection to one another, aside from the coincidence of sharing the same tartan!

Aye,
Matt
__________________
Matthew A. C. Newsome, FSA Scot
Member, Guild of Tartan Scholars
Curator, Scottish Tartans Museum
Maker of 4-yard box pleated kilts
Homepage: http://albanach.org

The red text summarizes with what I was attempting to convey. (From the STA notes... good enough for ME.)

[SSgt Baloo]

Let me see if I've got this straight.

1. As far as family/clan tartans go, I have a connection to Woods and Cooper.
   
2. I may have a connection to some Irish tartans, but I don't quite understand how those work. Is it by family or geography?
   
3. I may be eligible to wear some district tartans but how do I figure the connection to those?
   
4. I could wear the US tartan or the California tartan because I'm a citizen of both.
   
5. If I had lived in a state with an official tartan I could wear that tartan.
   
6. If I were a member of an organization with an official tartan I could wear that.
   
7. If I want to honor my branch of the service, I could wear the USAF/USAFR tartan or the "Mitchell" tartan.
   
8. If I wanted to honor my late father's service in WWII, I could wear the US Navy tartan.
   
9. If I wanted to honor my nephew's Army service (and the fact that the USAF started out as a branch of the army) I could wear the US Army tartan.
   
10. If I wanted to honor my sister's service in the Coast Guard (yeah, my sister was a coastie ) I could wear the Coast guard tartan.

So... Have I gotten it right thus far or do I need further instruction (apart from the questions posed above)?

--SSgt Baloo

[glengall1]

Let me see if I've got this straight.

1. As far as family/clan tartans go, I have a connection to Woods and Cooper.
   
2. I may have a connection to some Irish tartans, but I don't quite understand how those work. Is it by family or geography?
   
3. I may be eligible to wear some district tartans but how do I figure the connection to those?
   
4. I could wear the US tartan or the California tartan because I'm a citizen of both.
   
5. If I had lived in a state with an official tartan I could wear that tartan.
   
6. If I were a member of an organization with an official tartan I could wear that.
   
7. If I want to honor my branch of the service, I could wear the USAF/USAFR tartan or the "Mitchell" tartan.
   
8. If I wanted to honor my late father's service in WWII, I could wear the US Navy tartan.
   
9. If I wanted to honor my nephew's Army service (and the fact that the USAF started out as a branch of the army) I could wear the US Army tartan.
   
10. If I wanted to honor my sister's service in the Coast Guard (yeah, my sister was a coastie ) I could wear the Coast guard tartan.

So... Have I gotten it right thus far or do I need further instruction (apart from the questions posed above)?

--SSgt Baloo

I'll bet you're glad you asked now.

You could wear the Irish ones as the names that you suggested come originally from that part of Ireland (Irish County).

The Scottish District ones are the same, the district the name came from.

I will let the other posters answer in relation to theirs.

Tartan in my opinion about what you want to wear for whatever reason. We do supply Strathmore tartans.

Good luck.

[macwilkin]

I based my response simply on Matt's post in the other thread we've discussed this on. As far as the USAF Pipe band and the Mitchell tartan. Yes, but that was not discussed in this thread

The red text summarizes with what I was attempting to convey. (From the STA notes... good enough for ME.)

Matt, Brian Wilton, the Director of the STA and myself have all been in communication in regards to the USAFR tartan. I have forwarded to Brian and Matt all e-mails and other information I have received from the Public Affairs Officer with the USAFR Band, and it appears that there are several versions of the story out there. This communication has taken place since the first thread.

But, I think one can make a very convincing arguement that since serving airmen and women of the USAFR are wearing the tartan as part of their official capacity as band personnel, then the tartan has, at least tacit recognition by the Air Force. It is not just a band of retired or former servicemen:

All members of the Air Force Reserve Pipe Band are professional Air Force musicians working in support of Air Force and Air Force Reserve recruiting and community relations objectives.

-- http://www.band.afrc.af.mil/organiza...ID=3704&page=1

I'm still waiting to hear from a band member on this as well; once I finish my article, I will be happy to share it.

I mentioned the Mitchell tartan because you said something about the Lady Jane being the USAF tartan, which it is not -- it is the USAF Reserve tartan.

Regards,

Todd

[macwilkin]

Let me see if I've got this straight.

1. As far as family/clan tartans go, I have a connection to Woods and Cooper.
   
2. I may have a connection to some Irish tartans, but I don't quite understand how those work. Is it by family or geography?
   
3. I may be eligible to wear some district tartans but how do I figure the connection to those?
   
4. I could wear the US tartan or the California tartan because I'm a citizen of both.
   
5. If I had lived in a state with an official tartan I could wear that tartan.
   
6. If I were a member of an organization with an official tartan I could wear that.
   
7. If I want to honor my branch of the service, I could wear the USAF/USAFR tartan or the "Mitchell" tartan.
   
8. If I wanted to honor my late father's service in WWII, I could wear the US Navy tartan.
   
9. If I wanted to honor my nephew's Army service (and the fact that the USAF started out as a branch of the army) I could wear the US Army tartan.
   
10. If I wanted to honor my sister's service in the Coast Guard (yeah, my sister was a coastie ) I could wear the Coast guard tartan.

So... Have I gotten it right thus far or do I need further instruction (apart from the questions posed above)?

--SSgt Baloo

Genealogy is one way to determine which Scottish district tartans might be appropriate for you to wear; if you can trace your lineage to a particular town, district, etc. then you could wear that tartan. For example, if your great-great grandfather was from Fife, then the Fife District tartan would be in order. The same could be said for the Irish county tartans.

I personally like to see folks wearing district tartans.

Check out www.district-tartans.com

Cheers,

Todd

[Tattoo Bradley]

it has been widely accepted by US servicemen and their families with Air Force connections as a representative design.

The red text being the key to my identification with it. Everything I myself have seen says it is not official. Yes, they are wearing it in an "official" fashion. But, the USAF/R hasn't taken it as official. I have found the tartan on more than a few sites and many associate it with the USAF. This leads back to my initial point. There is no actual United States Air Force tartan. So, this is the closest and most indentifiable tartan.

[macwilkin]

The red text being the key to my identification with it. Everything I myself have seen says it is not official. Yes, they are wearing it in an "official" fashion. But, the USAF/R hasn't taken it as official. I have found the tartan on more than a few sites and many associate it with the USAF. This leads back to my initial point. There is no actual United States Air Force tartan. So, this is the closest and most indentifiable tartan.

Not to belabor the subject, but since they (the band) are wearing the tartan with official US Air Force uniforms, under USAF dress regulations, then there has to be some sort of approval somewhere up the chain-of-command, would there not? I can't imagine this not having some sort of approval.

But, hopefully the band member will reply to my query soon with some sort of definitive answer.

T.

[Tattoo Bradley]

Just because that's what they've decided to wear, doesn't mean the USAF or USAFR has officially adopted the tartan. I suppose they could turn around tomorrow and take a fancy to another unclaimed tartan and agree to dress the band in it with this line of thought. Whereas something fully official would be much more "concrete?" This is all speculation of course. I'm not claiming to have the definitive answer here. I'm just working with what I've seen, not trying to stretch it into something it's not. Who is this member you're waiting for a "definitive answer" from? Is this member in a position to give a definitive answer on behalf of the USAFR?