Clan Morrison - are you there?

[kentuckywoman]

My family name is a sect of Clan Morrison and looking for them! I would like to find out if anyone knows anything about the surname Elmore.

Thanks!

[Polwarth]

Hello!

I think you mean 'Sept' rather than sect?!

According to what I read, Elmore is an English name from 'place of the Elm trees' - but that is not to say that there are not Scots Elmores!

Have a look on http://www.electricscotland.com - perhaps you can find more information there.

Good luck with your research.

[kentuckywoman]

You are correct, it's sept. sorry. I too ran across the british information. I then made the mistake of trying to convince my dad we were british. Needless to say, he was greatly disgusted with me. I can remember asking him when I was very young "where we came from, who we were." He answered without hesitation we're scotch-irish and when I asked him how he knew, he said "I know" and glared at me. As his family lived long lives, the history apparently was handed down orally. Between the hard disgusted glare and his insistence, I think he knew what he was talking about!!! There is a village in england named Elmore. Who knows. Dad was not an overly educated man, he was a farmer. For him to be that sure of what he was talking about tells me it was handed down thru the generations. He sure didn't learn it from books. He died in 1990 at age 83. He would have lived longer had mom not already died and he grieved for her.

Thanks for the reply!
Karen

[Polwarth]

Karen
You should understand that when you mean English you should write that..... All the constituent parts of the United Kingdom are within the British Isles - so although we are Scots, Welsh, English or Northern Irish, we are all 'British'...! I wonder why your Dad was 'disgusted' with you thinking you might be English?

'Elmore is an English village'

As for whether or not your family are Scots/Irish, I'm afraid the only way to 'prove' it is to start with your generation, go back to your parents, grandparents etc... until you find the first immigrant to the USA. If it was a long time ago, it may be possible to find, via passenger lists, where he/she emigrated from in the UK, which may give an idea of where in Scotland, England or wherever, he/she originated, and parish registers may be able to provide you with further information. Oral history is not reliable - only documented facts

It is a long, laborious process, but there is really no short-cut, I'm afraid

Good luck with your research

[kentuckywoman]

Thanks Polwarth for the reply. I confess I am confused in the use of English versus British. I saw a post on another board where someone was complaining a poster didn't know the difference...I'm almost (but not quite!) afraid to confess it publicly...! Thanks for the explanation.

Yes, I've been researching my family tree going on ten years now. Not only is it laborious, but here in KY during the wars (civil especially) many county courthouses were burned along with the records. Some church documents still exist. Fortunately, my family is long lived and I can accurately trace it back to the 1700s. The sticker is one elusive marriage early on in VA. I have searched online passenger lists, Cyndi's list, you name it. I've been there. That is how I found the village in England named Elmore.

I think dad was disgusted because he knew his lineage and I was questioning it. Can you imagine telling a Scots person he is British???!!!!! That is basically what I did to him. His name was Robert. I think they had used William and James so much for first names my grandma probably thought it was time for something different. She was a born a Walker.

One day I hope to strike the elusive gold mine of my family tree. But I'm pretty sure we're scotch-irish, most of KY is! Following the migration route here in the US, my dad's family chose not to go any further. I'm glad. If I have to live in the US, let it be KY, TN or NC. If the going gets rough, I can just head for the hills!!!!!

[Polwarth]

BUT - the Scots ARE 'British' .... in that we travel on BRITISH passports, not Scots! I think your Dad was tarred with that old 'hate the English' knee-jerk reaction that is still prevalent amongst people of Scots ancestry in the USA! The same group who are still perpetuating the skewed history of the Campbells vs MacDonalds/Glencoe feud.

BTW - very few people (even in the USA) still use the old-fashioned expression Scotch-Irish - It's now written as Scots-Irish. 'Scotch' is basically only used nowadays for foodstuffs - whisky, Scotch Eggs, Scotch Beef, Scotch pies etc....!

I hope your research eventually brings forth information!

[kentuckywoman]

I see! I'm a wee bit dense sometimes....

I figured dad was using the pronounciation he was orally taught. He was born in 1908. No, I'm not THAT old!!!! But he was educated only thru sixth grade....I come from a long line of farmers. LONG line of farmers. My branch of the Elmore family is the poor one!

Yes, I agree there are many skewered opinions out there. I read a lot of your posts and you are quite the historian! I've always been a diehard history buff and reading these posts is fascinating. It's nice to have different perspectives on past events.

BTW - are you familiar with the surname Marcum??? Was also spelled Markham....

I don't blame the Scots for wanting their independence. Heck, I wish KY could be picked up and moved over there too.

And here's a interesting tidbit - I read in the newspaper about Special Ops recruitment. (We have a unit in KY, Fort Campbell, Screaming Eagles among others). I read that they recruit their people locally because they seem to be the most successful in their roles. Tough, versatile, survivors. Gives a whole new meaning to "a country boy can survive." They surely can. So can country girls. We have grit plus.