The Sporran

Davidson of Davidston

Arms Of The Chief

July News From

2013

The Clan Davidson Society

(USA)

Its Almost Here!

Clan Davidson Society (USA) Annual General Meeting
New Hampshire Highland Games Loon Mtn Ski Resort, Lincoln NH September 20th through 22nd., 2013
Details Start on Page 4

INDEX

Subject
Editorial Item (President)

Page

Item
3 Rich Halliley announces his intent to not seek reelection as CDS-USA President in 2014 elections.

Editorial Item (Sennachie) 4 Details of the 2013 Annual General Meeting to be held in New Hampshire in September. 2014 to be held in Estes Park Colorado, September 2014. 5 The Sennachie makes plea for switch to the electronic newsletter; seeks candidates for the CDS-USA President; announces the tools for communication available to members of CDS-USA; warns of phony information regarding Scotland Homecoming 2014 activities. Feature Item, Genealogical 24 John Lisle presents report of the Family of William Davidson of Connellsville; Diane Morgan tells of her search for Williams son, Daniel Rogers Davidson and her book about Daniel. 28 Part I of the story of CDS-USA member, Jim Davidson (Culberson NC) and his discovery of the connection to the founder of the Northwestern Military & Naval Academy (Harlan Page Davidson) and Harlans son, Royal Page Davidson, called the Father of American Armored Vehicles. Feature Item, General 39 Nick Hides (CDA-UK) story of the completion of the project to restore the Davidson (of Harley Davidson fame) homestead in Netherton, Scotland. 40 The Most Convincing Nessie Photograph Ever - Nessie Spotter, George Edwards, claims to have proof that Nessie exists. 41 Auld Lang Syne, Beloved of All - article about the use of this revered Burns song around the world. 42 The Runnable Stag, a poem by 19th C poet, John Davidson. Feature Item, History 36 Part II of the Story of Brothers At War - Letters written by two Davidson Brothers during the American Civil War by Robin Crofton Feature Item, People 33 James Michael Davis (Mike) tells of his actions to establish a residence in Grantown on Spey in Scotland. Flowers Of The Forest 8 Memorials to Rear Admiral Eugene Fairfax, RD16 Stacey Dawsons grandfather; Anna Marie York, longtime member of CDS0USA. Regional Director Reports 10 Reports from Region 7 - Debbie Davidson; Region 8 - Pat Davis and Richard Halliley (includes report of Dedication of May Davidson Heritage Hall at Old Davidson Plantation at Rural Hill); Region 11 - Don Cloud Davis, Davis Babcock & Dave Chagnon; Region 15 - Don Cloud Davis; Region 16 - Matt & Stacey Dawson; Region 19 - Hugh Dawson; Tartan Day Activities - Darwin Davidson in New York City and Wayne & Shannon Davis in St. Charles MO

A Ceann Cinnidh Cuimhne

(The Presidents Thoughts) by Rich Halliley Greetings Clan Davidson members! By now, I would imagine a lot of you have already attended or plan to attend games in your respective regions. I recently heard from several of our Regional Directors and many of them have been busy on the games and festival circuit, some since February. Its great to know that our national representation for Clan Davidson is well into swing. Jane and I have attended the Loch Norman games (more on that in a minute!) and have just returned fresh from our hosting duties at the Blairsville Highland Games and Festival, just a jaunt up the road in NE Georgia. We had a great time especially with a record-breaking crowd on Saturday! Were absolutely looking forward to joining the Davidson masses several weeks from now at the biggest event in our SE region; the Grandfather Mountain HG in North Carolina and saunter on down to the Charleston, SC Highland games in September, which are held at the historical Boone Plantation. Its not too late for me even to consider sprinkling in one or two smaller festivals between now before our final gathering at Stone Mountain in Octoberbut well see what steams left in the boiler (I think some of us conveners can relate to that statement!) Many of you should know from our last Sporran edition that the Rural Hill Festival and Loch Norman Highland Games held in April presented an exciting challenge for Clan Davidson, as the new Rural Hill Cultural Center and May Davidson Hall was officially opened to our Clan and to the public. Space doesnt allow here so I have provided more detail on how all of that went in the Region 8 Report Section.. What I will say here is that the emotional highs I personally went through over the weekend has to rank as one of the best, actually in my recollection, the number three event I have experienced as a member and officer of the CDS. In case you may be wondering, the other two would be the International Gathering now three years past (oh my!), and the meeting with our Chief Jock and his wife Mary during their tour of the States some twelve years ago. I hope the separate article Ive provided about the weekend will bring color to the events which took place, but now I have to switch the message to something Ive have personally decided on in regards to the future of Clan Davidson and my role as your President. After lengthy consideration, I informed the Board of Directors of my intention to not seek re-election as your President of the Clan Davidson Society. This decision is solely based on what I perceive as the right thing to do at the right time in order to promote growth and expansion within the Society and inject a new level of participation across the USA. There is no reflection whatsoever of retreat in regards to my decision, for I intend to remain on the BoD, participate and expand my role as one of the many fine Directors in the Southeast and the entire clan, and I will continue to promote this Society for as long as I remain with feet on the ground! With the planned clan-wide nomination and voting process still taking shape for 2014, it is my serious intent to assist in developing a continuous and tidy process for normal succession of this Office, as well as grooming others to succeed within all positions of the clan. The only way for this to happen of course is to strengthen the communication within the ranks and promote the expansion of our national organization (not one of my strong undertakings, I have to admit, over the years). This is my primary goal and in fact, weeks ago, that process was initiated, but there are still many folks yet to be contacted by me as of this writing. All of this said there is much work to be done, not just by a few others, or me but also by the faithful members of this entire great Clan family. Most important to realize, it is entirely in your hands to come forward and make recommendations on who you think has been, as our motto says: Sapienter si Sincere in their all words, their actions and their deeds! I am entirely confident that there are many within our organization that will be very capable to maintain those beliefs and at the next writing of our Sporran, you will be apprised of who they are! Gu robh beannachd nan diathan agus ar sinnsearan air liebh! May the Gods and ancestors bless you

Annual General Meeting 2013 by Dave Chagnon

Coming soon to the Northeast corner of the USA is the first-ever Clan Davidson (USA) Annual General Meeting, (AGM) held somewhere outside the confines of the Southeast corner of the USA. It will be held amidst the splendor of the New England Fall Foliage in conjunction with the New Hampshire Highland Games (NHHG). The event venue is the beautiful Loon Mountain Ski Resort, in Lincoln, New Hampshire and the dates of the AGM are September 21st & 22nd, 2013. The AGM will be hosted by the Northeast Regional Director Jeff Smith and his lovely spouse Merry. The meeting component of the AGM will be held at the Loon Mtn HG venue Saturday afternoon at a time and specific location to be announced at the Davidson Tent. It will consist of a brief business meeting at which various reports and presentations will be made, and will give the membership present an opportunity for their voice to be heard on topics relevant to the CDS-USA. In all honesty, the primary purpose of the AGM is to present an opportunity for Davidson Clansmen from all across the Region to gather, socialize and get to meet your fellow Clansmen. Jeff & Merry Smith There are a large number of very neat people in our Clan Society, and this is THE opportunity for those who live in the Northeast (or anywhere else! All are welcome!) to come together and enjoy each others company and make new friends. It was this mixing of the Clansmen from all different parts of the country and from across the seas that made the International Gathering two years ago such a special, memorable and glittering affair and we hope this will be the case at Loon Mountain, too! The Host Hotel for the event is the Indian Head Resort [http:// indianheadresort.com/]. The Indian Head Resort is only a ten minute drive from Loon Mountain. The resort is holding a limited number of cabins for Davidson Clansmen, and only until the end of July, so dont drag your feet! When you call for a reservation [1-800-343-8000], be sure to tell the clerk you are with Clan Davidson and reference the following range of confirmation numbers: 4623901, Indian Head Resort 4623902, 4623903, 4623905, 4623907, 4623908, 4623909, 4623910, 4623911 and 4623912. In addition to Jeff and Merry Smith, other National Clan Officers who will be present include your wee and umble Sennachie, Dave Chagnon, and the Society Genealogist and Founder of the Davidson DNA Project, John Lisle. Come on out and tell the Sennachie mano a mano just how bad his newsmagazines really are! John Lisle will be available to answer your questions about his favorite topic, the Davidson DNA Project, and to give you some good advice about starting your own genealogical excavations. As a special treat, our Clans youngest piper will be present to strut his playing ability on his new, full-size adult pipes. Only 10 years old, wee Logan Connor Andrick, from across the border in Portland, Maine, will also be competing as both a piper and in the childrens athletic games. Logan recently played Amazing Grace at a veterans memorial for his grandfather in Florida. Logan is the son of Karen Davidson Field and T.E.D. Andrick. We have designed a special commemorative tee shirt to mark the The Official AGM Piper occasion as well. The shirts are a high quality Gildan Ultra Cotton (100% pre-shrunk cotton) brand shirt and are available in sizes from Small to 5XL. They are available for order NOW on a pre-paid, pre-sale basis for $15 (S XL) and $20 (2XL 5XL). Your pre-paid and pre-ordered shirt will be available for pickup at the AGM or can be mailed to you for an additional $2 per shirt for shipping in early September. If you wait until the event, the shirts will only be available on a to be ordered and shipped basis for the base cost plus the $2 shipping cost. The cut-off date for receipt for your pre-paid shirt orders is August 10th, 2013. Send your shirt orders and payment to the Sennachie [Dave Chagnon, 7004 Barberry St. North Little Rock AR 72118]. They can also be ordered on-line on our website Davidson Shopping Mall at [https://www.clandavidsonusa.com/products-page/categories/agm-tee-shirt/].
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We will also have a special complimentary, custom-made, name badge for all attendees. If you send me an email or card with the names and City & State of residence of those for whom you wish to have a name badge prepared, the names and States will be included in the printing process and will be available for pickup at the AGM. Otherwise, the name and residence info will be added by hand at the event. The cut-off date for the manufacturing of the name badges is September 12th, 2013. Send your name badge orders to the Sennachie [Dave Chagnon, 7004 Barberry St. North Little Rock AR 72118] or email to him at sennachie@earthlink.net. Remember, these name badges are for everyone who will be at the AGM, children, spouses, guests, hitch-hikers, camel drivers everyone! (except the camel) Sample of the AGM Name Badge Also planned is a Clan dinner on Saturday evening. Please RSVP to Jeff Smith [smithjeffl@yahoo.com] no later than September 1st, 2013 if you plan to attend this dinner. While there is no mandatory dress code (Scots are not known to be good rule followers!), Highland wear is encouraged. The dinner will be held at the Truants Taverne, an eclectic and rustic spon only 3.7 miles from the Highland Games venue. You can check them (and their menu) out at [http://truantstaverne.com/]. To recap the cutoff dates: 1) To book a room/cabin at the Indian Head Resort: no later than July 31st, 2013; 2) To pre-order (and pay for) a commemorative AGM tee shirt: August 10th, 2013; 3) To order a complementary AGM name badge: September 12th, 2013 4) To RSVP for the Clan Dinner: September 1st, 2013. So, come on out and help your fellow Clansmen celebrate this momentous occasion!

AGM for 2014

CDS-USA is pleased to announce that the AGM for next year, 2014, will be held in conjunction with the Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival in Estes Park, Colorado. The date of this event is September 4th through the 7th, 2014. The event will be hosted by Tom and Diana Davisson and other stalwart residents of the Rocky Mountain area.

Ramblings From The Sennachie

by Dave Chagnon

A Whine (with no cheese) From the Sennachie

Every so often, I start to wonder just what it is I accomplish (if anything!) by publishing this newsmagazine. After all, more than two decades into my tenure as Sennachie, it might seem that getting fresh material for the membership would have become impossible, right? But, no, new material continues to appear, as if by magic sometimes, and the wheel continues to turn. Of course, I nag, wheedle and cajole with gusto, and the golden goose lays its precious golden nuggets quite predictably. Then it occurred to me a few weeks back that what my real task is, is that of a weaver. Like the makers of the Tartan fabric so beloved by Scots, I have become the weaver of the tales and stories that turn our Society from a myriad of disparate membership threads into a lovely tapestry that is our modern-day Clan Davidson USA. And its only made possible from the material you folks send me, so, please, keep it coming!
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On The Subject of the Cost of Operating the Clan Davidson Society (USA)
I did a cost analysis of our Societys overhead recently, particularly as it applies to the expenses generated by the Membership Registrar and Sennachie (Newsletter). The lions share of these expenses is, by far, the printing and mailing of the newsmagazine, The Sporran. Despite the dramatic 300% increase in the cost of paper, printing, and mail (over the last 5 years), our current overall costs for the distribution of The Sporran has dropped by a staggering 42%! And why is this, you ask? Because the majority of our membership has graciously made the switch from the costly hard-copy version (and still in a most unattractive black and white, too) of the newsletter to the full color electronic version of the newsmagazine. Similar savings in the Membership Registrar operations (new membership Information Packets, dues reminders, and correspondence in general) show a similar drop as well, thanks to electronic communications. So, THANK YOU to all the members who take their copy of our award-winning newsmagazine (he modestly asserts) as an electronic document! Your actions are a huge reason we manage to keep from having to raise our membership dues. And what about the rest of you folks out there, reading this in your black-and-white and very expensive commercially printed and snail mailed issue I know at least half of you have an email address how about making the switch to the eversion and lets keep this cost saving trend going! On the other hand, the cost of our sponsorship of Davidson Tents at the dozens of Highland Games and Scottish Gatherings at which CDS-USA is fortunate enough to have a convener has skyrocketed over 100% in the last 4 years alone. And this is something we do not want to stop doing, either. Our Clan Tents around the USA are our principal way of connecting with our existing members and to recruit new members, and we are actively trying to expand our Clans representation to as many new venues as possible. Weve managed to hold the lid on our overhead by increasing our merchandising efforts and reducing the newsmagazines operational expenses, but just how long well be able to avoid raising the Membership Fees (unchanged since 1997) remains to be seen. So, please, do your part! Renew your membership dues in a timely fashion, switch to the e-version of the full-color newsmagazine, and, even (gasp) think of a healthy and tax-deductible bequest to your beloved Clan Society when your turn to join the spirits of our Clansmen in Scotland rolls around. Another handy alternative would be for you to join the ranks of 26 member households (including Mark & Cindy Roupe) who have become Lifetime Members of CDS-USA. Not only have they shown their long-term support of our Clan, they have also escaped being nagged on by the Membership Registrar for their dues renewal. Thank you to all these folks!

WANTED Candidates for Clan Society Officerships

You have read by now of the plans for our current President to retire from his longheld position, effective with the Society elections to be held in 2014. Truth be told, CDSUSA rarely has vacancies in the elected officer positions and why would this be, do you think? For one thing, the pay scale that goes along with being an officer in CDS-USA is quite low and that would be nothing, nada, zip, and zero, at least in coin of the realm. For another thing, theres lots of work and a time commitment associated with an officership of CDS-USA, particularly if the job is to be done the way it should be done. So why do we do it, you might ask? Heres why everyone associated in some official capacity with CDS-USA is a volunteer, harnessed to the yolk of Clan service by selfimposed gossamer, yet titanium-strong, strings of love for our Clan and a sense of duty to those who came before us. This is our time in the long progression of our Clans history, and we need to do this to keep alive the flame of our Scottish and Clans heritage for our children and our childrens children. So, you ask, what are the duties of the President of CDS-USA? The principal duty of the President is to facilitate the jobs of the other officers, mainly the Regional Directors. The President should remain in close contact with the current RDs and to work at recruiting new RDS. The President, the Treasurer, and the Membership Registrar are the Societys Senior Executive Officers, and they act in concert in the conduct of the Societys day-to-day business affairs. They seek advice from the Societys Board of Directors, Regional Directors and other interested parties in long term planning for the future growth and direction of the Society. CDS-USA is, after all, a legally incorporated entity, and, as such, has certain legal and financial activities to accomplish to keep us straight with our financial commitments and the IRS.
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So, NOW is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their Clan! Well have one or two vacancies in the Executive Core Committee along with several incumbents that will be standing in the 2014 elections. So, please, give this matter some thought and step up to the plate if you think this is something you might wish to take on. Drop an email or note to Rich Halliley or me if you would like to stand for election next year.

Tools for CDS-USA Communications

FaceBook Are you aware that CDS-USA has its own FaceBook (FB) Group? You can reach it by either doing an FB search for Clan Davidson Society or copy the following link into the command line of your web browser [https://www.facebook.com/groups/423650997651724/?fref=ts]. If this is your first visit to this group, youll need to click on the link for requesting to join the group. Personally, Im not a strong proponent of FaceBook its waaayy too public a forum for most of the electronic communications I want to send out to the world. It is a great way to make a general announcement to your fellow CDSUSA members, however. Reminders about an upcoming event where youll be hosting a Davidson tent is a good example of this. There is another FB Group out there, too Clan Davidson. This is not sponsored by anyone with an official attachment to any of the four Clan Davidson organizations to be found around the world, so postings here are not specific to CDS-USA. Website Our Events Calendar If youre looking to see if the Society will be sponsoring a Davidson Tent at a specific event or time of year, you should check on our Events Calendar on our website [https://www.clandavidsonusa.com/our-events/]. The events that are listed (those that the applicable RD has told me about) will include the name of the event, the dates of the event, the Regional Director who will be hosting the Davidson tent and a link to the events website. Check it out!
CDS-USA Wants YOU!!

Odds and Ends

Shannon Davis, the feisty sword wielding daughter of Region 14 Directors Wayne and Pam Davis, graduated from high school back in May. Shannon has plans to take advantage of a full-ride scholarship at Truman State University in Kirksville MO, pursuing a degree in Nursing. All I can say is, watch out TSU! Regional Director Emeritus for R16 (Colorado), Jennifer Bozeman, is a proud granny, times two! Her lovely daughter, Amy Guthrie, and son-in-law Paul, gave birth to a pair of bouncing bairns on May 3.
Ol Mizz Layback! Shannon Davis practises her swordsmanship.

And, lastly, congratulations to Debbie Davidson and Jim Hensley for their third consecutive Best in Show Clan Tent at the Southern Maryland Celtic Festival. Great job!
Katherine (L) & Chase (R)

Home Coming Scotland 2014

These are strange times, indeed, for those of us who pay attention to many of the comings and goings-on in Scotland and UK these days. With the vote on Scottish Independence now scheduled for September 18, 2014, the rhetoric on both sides of the issue is heating up somewhat like a teakettle put on to boil up some tea. The political shenanigans of the current ruling party in the UK Parliament, a coalition of the Conservative & Unionist Parties, is getting downright nasty in their efforts to keep Scotland from abandoning the shotgun wedding Act of Union of 1707 which brought Scotland, screaming and kicking, into the forced marriage with their neighbors to the South. The nastiness is reflected in the sparring between the various political parties constituting the Scottish Parliament and the various branches of the Scottish Government. One example of this, which has caused some concern to me, is the premature posturing of the groups extolling the so-called Home Coming Scotland 2014, the 700th Anniversary of Bannockburn and other similar events being touted to attract overseas visitors. One group is dominated by those with a distinctly Edinburgh Glasgow dominated agenda, while another with a north of the Highland Line composition is pushing a much different agenda. So why should this be of concern to me, an American with no dog in the fight over Scottish Independence? Because the press releases being issued by these different factions have a very large potential for influencing the travel itineraries for Americans who are trying to make Scottish travel plans based on information that is all too frequently premature, or in some cases, is just sheer bull-feathers. To make matters worse, as far as Im concerned, it appears that the USA-based Council of Scottish Clans and Associations (COSCA), has allowed itself to be used as a puppet by some of these Scottish flim-flam artists in publishing Scottish event information which, in some cases, has been proven to be totally wrong! Yeah, sure, they put out corrections as best they are able, but the information should have been verified and confirmed before it was ever published to begin with! So, please, if you have made travel plans to attend any major Scottish event next year, make sure the event will actually take place where and when you think it will. There have been lots of wrong pronouncements about 2014 Scottish events, made by seemingly reliable people or groups, that have then been cancelled or radically altered. I keep in pretty close contact with knowledgeable members of our sister organization, the Clan Davidson Association (UK), about this very issue and I think I have much more accurate and unbiased sources of information than any Scottish newspaper or American-based COSCA. If you have any questions about a specific event over there feel free to contact me at sennachie@earthlink.net or 501-416-7532. To be forewarned is to be forearmed!

Flowers of the Forest

Its been a rough year in the life of the CDS-USA Director of Charitable Activities and Co-Region 16 Director, Matt Dawson and spouse Stacey. Matt lost his beloved grandmother, Marie Dawson, last year (July 12 Sporran). Now, Staceys favorite and very special grandfather has left us as well. I had occasion to meet Staceys grandfather a few years back when Matt and Stacey were married. Although the Admiral was confined to a wheelchair, I recall vividly how alert and aware he was, his still quick eyes capturing every moment of his favored granddaughters wedding, who her friends were, what they discussed. I was hoping to be in such good mental condition when I was 70, let alone my mid-90s! We chatted briefly and then the waves of the crowd separated us. I wish I had had more time with him Rear Admiral Eugene G. Fairfax, November 16, 1916 April 5, 2013 by Matt and Stacey Dawson Eugene George Fairfax was born in a coal mining camp in Naples, Utah, in 1916. His family soon moved to Salt Lake City (after some stops in Price and Provo), where he completed high school. While attending West High, he was president of the debate club, and played varsity football as the team quarterback. However, after being laid out multiple times a couple of those with concussions he decided to go out for a safer sport, and joined (and later captained) the boxing team
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He enlisted in the Navy in 1934, and served his first year as an enlisted man aboard the U.S.S. Nevada, where he studied for and took his Officers Candidacy Exams. He passed these and was discharged from active duty to attend the Naval Academy. While at Annapolis, he captained the boxing Team, and excelled as a midshipman, which launched him into a long and successful naval career in 1939. Over the many years of his long Naval career, Admiral Fairfax commanded such well-known combat vessels as the U.S.S. Ticonderoga (aircraft carrier), the U.S.S. Tennessee (battleship), and the U.S.S. Hornet (aircraft carrier). Prior to commanding the Hornet, he served as commanding officer of the fighter squadron, VF-11 (now VF-111), The Sundowners, flying F6F Hellcats in the Pacific theater of WWII. Of the regiments of renown in the Pacific (the others being the Black Sheep Squadron and the Flying Tigers), the Sundowners are credited with downing the most enemy aircraft. Though never particularly proud of the fact, Eugene was personally responsible for four of these enemy kills. He flew multiple combat aircraft thereafter, served with distinction in Korea, and was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1966 as the Chief of Staff of the 1st Carrier Division. In that post, he again served with distinction in Vietnam. He was later made the Deputy Inspector General of the United States Navy, where he finished his career with the Admiralty in 1972. At his retirement, he moved as far away from the sea as possible, and brought his family to Albuquerque, NM, where he lived out his remaining 41 years; he passed away peacefully at home on April 5 of this year, at the age of 96. These are the things you will find highlighted in his obituary but while he was indeed a national icon, a war hero, and a man whose similar life story is seldom, if ever, told, none of this describes the man he was to his family and to all of us who loved him. To us, he was just Dad, or Grandpa, or Uncle Gene. I called him Admiral, or sir when I spoke to him thatd be my own military background and bearing that always prevented me from calling him familiar in his presence but to others I too generally called him Grandpa. He was a kind and loving man and, to the day of his passing, possessed all his faculties, wit, and charm, having none of them dulled by the passage of so many years. His jokes however often corny or not his stories, his songs, and his smile will be missed by all of us and, even with the knowledge that he lived much longer than do most, had a good and full life, and that no one lives forever, it has been hard to adjust to his absence the man was such a presence in our lives. I was only privileged to know him for a short 8 years, yet another benefit that came along with my wife, but those who were fortunate to know him all of their lives will confirm: there are none who were, are or, likely, will be, like him, and we are all better for having had him in our lives, for however long that may have been. So, thank you for your service, Admiraland anchors aweigh, Grandpa! Anna Marie York Anna M. Davidson York, 82, of Sultan, went suddenly to be with our Lord on January 26, 2012. Anne was born in Palo Alto, California on July 24, 1929 to Dr. Fredrick A. Davidson and Dr. Vera G. Smith Davidson. She grew up in the Laurelhurst area of Seattle then moved with her family to a farm in Kittitas, WA in 1942. Anne graduated in 1947 from Kittitas High School and 1951 from Central Washington College of Education. She stayed in close contact with her many treasured friends from both high school and college, When Anne was 5, she knew she wanted to be a teacher. In 1952, she began teaching high school in Sultan. Anne was asked to teach Kindergarten in Sultan in 1965 and became a beloved teacher to hundreds of students in the Skykomish Valley. Anne loved teaching, her students and their families. She
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Anna on a camping expedition with her Dad, circa 1946.

retired from teaching in 1993 but continued volunteering in the grade school for several years. June 7, 1956 she and Raymond A. York were married. In 1958, they celebrated the birth of their first son Oran. Daughter Jaci joined the family in 1960 and when Garth was born in 1962, their family was complete. They moved to the family farm in Sultan in 1968 where Anne resided until her passing. In addition to teaching, Annes passions included her children and grandchildren, knitting, crocheting and reading, and being a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints, family genealogy and organizing reunions. She was the most loving and generous woman that you would ever want to meet. Anne is survived by daughter Jaci Wilson (Scott) of Beaverton, Oregon; son Garth York (Ginger) of Startup; grandchildren Chelsey, Zara, Slate and Lauraina (Garth); Alexandra and Alaina (Jaci): and Lydia and Wyatt (Oran.); her sisters Carole Clark (Clifford) of Tehachapi, CA and Grace Ellison of Olympia WA; brother-in-laws Jess York (Mary) of Arizona and Don York (Marlene) of Monroe; numerous nieces and nephews and special friend Marsha Lauck. Anne was preceded in death by her husband Raymond and on December 23, 2011 by son Oran.

Anna at the time of her retirement.

Although I never knew or even met Anna, the death of any Davidson Clansman diminishes the Clan and saddens all of us. Sleep well, Anna

Reports From The Regions

Report from Region 7 by Debbie Davidson & Jim Hensley,
Directors Southern Maryland Celtic Festival April 27 Region 7 is off to the races already this year. In April, we spent the day in beautiful Patterson Park in Southern Maryland. Southern Maryland has always been a favorite of ours. Years ago, before I was the Regional Director, I used to frequent the Southern Maryland Celtic Festival. At that time, the Davidson tent was set up by Bill Davies (rest his soul). Bill was known for his Maryland hospitality, his fine, slow-roasted brisket and his well-stocked pub tent (which I frequented far too often in my earlier days). Bill was a real character and always had plenty of tales (some real mostly fish) with which to regal us. When Bill passed away a few years ago, we made him a solemn vow to make sure there would always be a Davidson tent at Southern Maryland. Jim and I have done our best to keep that vow. It was a beautiful day for the festival and we had lots of clan members (existing and promising) stop by, keeping us pretty busy all day. I didnt even mind himself running out to the car once or twice every hour to check the Washington Nationals/Cincinnati Reds score on the car radio (we won)! We won the best Clan Tent award for the third time since 2002! We will, however, have to find a way to take ourselves out of the competition next time were eligible. Dont get me wrongwe enjoy the honor. However, each year the loving cup trophy gets bigger and bigger! The cup in 2002 could hold a half a liter of soda (or beer for those with a more adult pallet). The cup in 2011 could hold about two quarts of soda (or beer for those etc.) and the cup in 2013 could hold a keg (because no one would want to drink that much soda)! If we win again, well have to rent a trailer to get the trophy home! I dont think my pocketbook could take that much attention! Next year, for the record, well be the judges and were already accepting bribes. So, Clan Keith, get your bids in early! Frederick Celtic Festival May 11th Two weeks later, we set up a tent at the Frederick MD Celtic Festival. It was a lovely venue, with rolling hills. The clan tents, however, were on those rolling hills and we noticed the majority of our space was void of grass and the hill
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behind us sloped in our general direction. Knowing the law of gravity which states that you-knowwhat flows downhill (and you will obey the law!), and with rain in the forecast, we rushed out and bought a patio rug to put in the tent. Good thing too, because around 15:00 (3:00 pm to those who have never served), the clan tent organizer came around and told us to shelter in place because the National Weather Service just issued a severe thunderstorm warning and it was going to hit our area in less than 5 minutes! I guess the clan tent organizer had to stop at the pub tent before spreading the word, since I doubt if the NWS only knew 5 minutes before the rain hit. We immediately went into survival mode. Rebecca Dawson grabbed books, paper articles, and brochures off the tables and handed them to me, and I shoved everything into plastic containers. In the meanwhile, Jim took advantage of Robert Dawsons extreme height and put him to work grabbing flags and posters. Jim shoved them into our van (which conveniently was parked in the parking lot a few feet behind the tent maybe in a no parking zone, but I could always plead ignorance later). It was a ballet of great note. The rain did come in less than 5 minutes and poured buckets. Except for us getting drenched, everything else was either 100% saved or got off with minimal damage. We noticed that the entertainment and crowds from the nearby pub tent were not bothered even the tiniest bit by the ordeal and kept on singing and drinking. what troopers! And, Coming Soon to an Area in R7 Near You Next on our agenda will be the Virginia Scottish Games during the Labor Day weekend. It is a two day event and has a history of, shall we say, extreme weather challenges. Usually, one day will be hotter than the hinges of Hades and the next day will be pouring rain with gale force winds. Oh, joy of joy A little more than wee Scottish weather! The bad thing is they make us march in the parade of clans in the pouring rain and wave at the non-existent crowds. No joke literally empty seats! We just smile and do our best QE I wave. (Please note, the current queen is our Elizabeth the First, not Elizabeth the Second. But, thats a whole nother political discussion which I will forgo at this time.) The last Highland Games of the season will be the Richmond Highland and Celtic Festival in October. After that, we will pack up our tent and its ever growing contents, trying to remember what needs to be fixed before next year (although we will promptly forget once were home and everything is put away). Well leave out only the flags and banners for the last event of the year, the Alexandria Scottish Christmas Walk. Then we will rest for a long winters nap and do it all over again next year! Over the many long years Ive been associated with CDS-USA, Ive become personally acquainted with nearly all the Societys Regional Directors and Clan Tent Conveners. All of these hardworking people put a huge amount of time, personal resources, and themselves into the task of representing our great Clan Davidson at dozens of events around the US of A, and all do a great job. But, truth be told, I dont think anyone takes on the task of the Regional Director with more sheer chutzpah and gusto than do Debbie Davidson, and himself, Jim Hensley. And Debbie writes great Regional Reports, to boot! If you havent read Debbies report on the Alexandria Scottish Christmas Walk last year (Sporran, January 2013), you really missed one of Debbies finest hours!

Report from Region 8 by Pat Davis, Region 8 Co-director

Rural Hill Scottish Festival and Loch Norman Highland Games April 19th 21st, 2013 by Pat Davis For the 20th Gathering of the Clans at Loch Norman, Clan Davidson was the Distinguished Clan for the Games. Our own CDS-USA lame duck President, Richard Halliley, opened the games with a very brief speech. Even though Mother Nature wasnt overly nice for the weekend, the clans and visitors were many! Along with the honor of being named the Distinguished Clan for the Games, we also got a much larger than normal clan tent. Elaine Davidson hosts this event and left nothing undecorated. And, as normal, her helpers were in attendance setting up and taking down many thanks to all who helped you know who you are!
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The Davidson Gang at LNHG 2013

Based on the numbers of people eating lunch with the clan Saturday and Sunday, our attendance must have been close to 70 or 80, although I have it on good account that my numbers might be slightly inflated. There was only one short period when the clan tent was not full, and that was during the Parade of Tartans. We proudly led the clans onto the field. Clan Davidson was also invited to a special dedication of the newly built May Davidson Scottish Cultural Center at Historic Rural Hill. The Center is named after May Davidson, the last surviving descendent of John Davidson (she died in May 2011). She left a generous gift to the Rural Hills Games. The clan was the first to use the meeting room in this wonderful new building. We also held the first Handfasting held there with Richard Halliley officiating, for Fredric and Sherry Jones. It was

a very nice ceremony and in a truly beautiful setting. But like all great games, it did come to an end. So, with the joy of seeing many old friends, and many new ones too, we all left the 20th Gathering of the Clans at Loch Norman looking forward to the next one. 2013 Loch Norman Highland Games Report, Part II by Richard Halliley What more can I say about the weekend we all experienced at the 20th annual Rural Hill Festival and Loch Norman Highland Games? Well, give me about half of this Sporran edition and Ill cover it all for ya! The excitement for many of us began to build way back on New Years Day when Elaine Davidson, our fearless Secretary-Treasurer, represented all of us for the christening of the Rural Hill Cultural Center and the May Davidson Hall during the First Footin. Despite the chilly winds of winter, she braved that effort for the presentation and hanging of the sparkling new Davidson Tartan banner inside the main Hall. As May Davidson Hall - Scottish Cultural Center discussed in the last newsletter, we knew that things would lead towards the grand event during the April games! Later that month yours truly was informed that Clan Davidson would become the Distinguished Guests for the games. In addition, I was asked to accept our being one of the Hosts to lead the procession onto the stage for the Friday evening Reception, followed by the annual Calling of the Clans on the main field. If that werent enough, I would also announce the official opening of the games on Saturday morning as well as officially close the games on Sunday evening. I was filled with initial trepidation and excitement to know that for the first time, a member of the Davidson Clan would be under the spotlight before one of the top five gatherings in the Southeast. So without hesitation, I proudly accepted all of the requests. With ample time to plan for the formal meeting and dedication of the May Davidson Hall, the main event for our close group, things began to get even a bit more interesting. A long standing member of Clan Davidson, Mr. Fred Jones of Atlanta, dropped me a call and asked whether it would be possible to arrange a Hand-Fasting ceremony for his new bride-to-be. Well, of course! I responded. Heck since we were going to break-in the new May Davidson Hall, why not take advantage of a Davidson Hall Banner fantastic setting and time to not only dedicate it, but make use of it for something as fitting as this event. Then a little more action into the mix! A good friend and long-time shaker and backer of the games, Ms. Daphne Taylor, contacted me out of the blue and asked if I would consider being one of the judges for the first-ever Scottish Shortbread Bake-off for the LNHG. So again I figured, why not! and immediately signed up for the job. Of course, in the back of mind and days before the games, I concerned myself what I had gotten into and that I might not possibly be the (continued on page 14)
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Loch Norman & The Festivities

Rich Halliley presents a Special Achivement Award to Earleen and Jack Mobley for their donation of the Davidson Chairs to the MDHH (pictured on right) Rich Halliley presents a Special Achivement Award to Elaine Davidson. Elaine is the Treasurer of CDS-USA and she is truly SPECIAL, so much so that she deserves TWO photos!

Fred & Sherry Jones tie the knot in a Hand Fasting Ceremony at the May Davidson Heritage Hall.

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best in judging Scottish cuisine. What if I step on someones toes by miss-judging a good buttery crust from a tasty and sugary (my preference of course) shortbread! Might it be the wife of a Clansman ready to wield a freshly sharpened Claymore? Oh well, itll all work out... In the days before heading to Loch Norman, one reality set in and that was the weather. The forecast called for heavy rains on Friday and clearing but becoming rather chilly. Adjustments had to be made by Jane and me for the wardrobe for sure! I even brought my goofy looking rubber farmer boots. Halfway to Huntersville, with the wipers on full bore and slow traffic, we received the call from Elaine. The officials decided to cancel the Friday evening Call of the Clans. A first! Never before had this happened in the 20-year history of the games. Actually though, it was a relief for we were seriously off target and deliberating on just how wed change into kilts in the van. So we proceeded to the hotel and met up with Elaine, her sister Judy and Darwin Davidson (a long-standing member and now-retired Regional Director for the CDS in Maine). After a light dinner, Jane and I bunked in for a good nights rest. The next morning, despite the chill, all the Davidson troops began gathering early at the tent (a double sized one granted us by the LNHG folks) which Elaine and several other busy bees had neatly packaged into a fantastic lodging with all the furnishings. A good turnout of thirty of us was Let the Games begin! already assembled and ready to take on the days events and Looking spiffy in their Davidson Modern Tartan, the LNHG our important role in it. Pipe Band lead the opening of the Games. At the designated time of 9:30am, we made our way to the front yard of the Davidson Homestead for a picture session with the games officials, an early sampling of some fine waters-o-life, and the queuing of our flock for the opening procession on the field. With two-dozen of us in tow behind the Loch Norman Pipe Band (dressed in appropriate Davidson Modern), we took to the field and marched around the entire encampment of clan tents on the periphery. We looked sharp and took every moment to wave, salute and announce our presence before the gathered masses. As we approached the main grandstand, it was time for me to get serious about the opening speech. We neatly took our positions in the seating behind the podium and listened intently as the other games officials made their opening comments and the Chaplain called us to prayer. I was then called upon to give my remarks. I had already memorized what I was going to say and as I rambled through the first canned sentence, I made quick decisions to elaborate here, and skip there. What Im told from one of my top two critics (my wife and the Sennachie, who wasnt present, thank goodness) is that my speech was on point. In the 45seconds, I had whittled it down to, I covered all the bases I had intended to cover! Everyone was acknowledged and the point that I wanted to make about the new Rural Hill Cultural Center and May Davidson Hall was nailed. For me, the best part was relaying to the masses just how proud and honored I was for representing our Clan Davidson Society (USA) as the distinguished guests of the games. That point made it very easy for me to accomplish the task and so it was finished! But wait! I hadnt opened the games yet, so a few others had to speak their turn. Then a slight gaff was made the games announcer somehow got a bit confused in remembering my actual title, so he asked if Richard When shall we four meet again... Halliley, the Chieftain of Clan Davidson, would now From Left: Patricia Davis, Judy McNeil, officially open the games. I could hear the chuckling and
Jane Halliley & Peg Davis 14

whispers from our group behind me as I made my way back to the podium. With promptness, I responded that my elevation to Chieftain was deeply appreciated but would probably not fly with our real chief Jock Davidson back in New Zealand and so my moment of chieftainship promptly ended and the games became official! We resumed our position within the confines of the elaborate Davidson tent and immediately began receiving the guests inquiring about our clan. Everyone gladly pitched in to give warm receptions to the visitors and answering the many questions each had directly or indirectly about his or her clan. Also, as requested by the LNHG officials, we formed miniparades around the field now and then to acknowledge the other clans present and maintain our prominent status as distinguished guests!. Then I remembered it was now time for the 11:30 Shortbread Bake-off contest! Quickly I sailed over to the host tent and there gathered were the two other judges, the Captain of the Huntersville Police Department and Archibald Kennedy, President of Clan Kennedy. Daphne Taylor was pleased I had finally joined the other two who had been surveying the fourteen plates of shortbread aligned in precision for the tasting. With scoring papers in hand (but unfortunately no wee drams with which to tame the pallet) we began munching on the goodies. There was no doubt in our minds that one sampling had to be immediately culled, for whoever it was that decided Hersheys chocolate might make a fine accompaniment in shortbread had a bit of oversightYuk! As we tried our best to be precise and blind to the looks of these fine morsels, it got difficult to Welcome to the MDH Meeting Room! distinguish better from best. Nonetheless, after 20-minutes From left: Earleen Mobley, Rick & Helen Davis, of making the rounds and collaborating (negotiating on the Gary & Kathy Davis final three selections), we made our final decision. We settled in on good-ole number 12, for it had the buttery taste I loved AND the right amount of sugar to draw attention to the tongue. And so (with no knife-wielding Clansman in sight) the proud winner of the competition was none other than the wife of the Chaplain of the games! How appropriate, and when asked her secret about her success, the answer was simply forty some-odd years of baking Scottish shortbread. No recipe given, just fact! Our meeting in the new cultural center and May Davidson Hall was set for 2:00pm. We gathered about a half-hour sooner to get a chance to tour the facility and we were all pleased to see this fabulous building. The grand hall seemed larger than envisioned, and there the Davidson banner proudly hangs, aptly forward and prominently displayed to the front. The library/archival room (temporarily set with a large conference table) looked a bit small but nonetheless is appropriate for future researchers. In all, the facility is designed well and will work for the multi-functional plan for which it was designed. As we took our places around the conference table, the official meeting in the Hall began and it was time to acknowledge three folks who had given much of their time and resources towards making the May Davidson Hall what it is. In the weeks before the games, I had already crafted two plaques with the names of Jack and Earleen Mobley, and Elaine Davidson as the worthy recipients of the official awards. We were now finally able to see the fruits of Jack and Earleens labor in contributing the Davidson chairs, table and centerpiece and we were all very pleased by what they had skillfully done to embellish the hall. With the dedication concluded, we all returned to our prominent positions back at the clan tent. Much Hey! Theres more of em! merriment was to be had, and to our amazement, news From Left: Patricia Davis, Jack Mobley, Elaine Davidson, Pat Davis of another donation towards the May Davidson Hall, a and friends Hank Shomber & Jan McKenzie Slane. gracious $100.00 sum, was announced. Indeed, along with several new members joining our Society and a bunch of merchandise sales, we were on a roll. With the winding
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down of Saturdays big day, we departed and then re-gathered for a nice meal at what has become a traditional clan dinner at a local Greek restaurant joined by many other clans. On Sunday, we once again joined forces, though some of our flock had to leave early to make their safe paths homeward. The weather held all the promise that was given on Saturday cobalt blue skies and a bit more comfortable in the upper-60s. A dozen or so of us made our way to the 9:30 Kirkin of the Tartan service, held at the lovely Davidson Family cemetery across from the Rural Hill homestead. Yours truly led the procession of the tartans around the Chaplains tent and, joined by twenty or so other tartan bearing clans, enjoyed the service in all its pageantry and meaning. During the service, Jack and Earleen Debbie Mecca, 4th Great Grand-daughter of Rev. War General Mobley had prepared a commemorative wreath, which with the William Lee Davidson, and her crew: From Left: Mom Doris Sorrels; Son & D-I-L Mason and announcement of each individual name of the departed given Heather Holley; Debbie and Husband Mike Mecca. during the Flowers of the Forest, a white rose was placed in honor of their memory. This was a truly touching moment by two folks who continue to give of themselves! After the service, we made our rounds once again, visiting other clans and sharing moments with a great many visitors. We all felt very proud of our assignment as delegates of the games. In the meanwhile, preparations for the Hand Fasting ceremony were finally underway. The Rural Hill folks had accommodated us with use of the facility again for Sunday. Rick and Helen Davis, who were given the ritual two years prior at the Stone Mountain Games, graciously assisted with getting things prepared for the bride and groom. So with the various representations of the elements (Air, Fire, Water and Earth) in tow we marched together to the Hall with high anticipation of the event. I have to say that the ritual went rather smoothly and, despite the amount of recitation that Fred and Sherry had placed upon themselves, they made my delivery of the words quite comfortable and meaningful to themselves and to the other members in attendance. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and, despite a few stumbles here and there, The Davidson Posse enjoys a Saturday evening repast. we managed to pass the rings, bind the cord, and guide our way through their celebration. Back at the tent, we continued with handling the never ending rush of visitors and acquaintances that had made the trek to Loch Norman. As the crowd began to thin and the skirl of bagpipes fade in the distance, the afternoon soon turned into the time for closing up, saying our goodbyes to dear friends and family, and making our way to the Closing Ceremonies. As a couple hundred or so gathered around the memorial Cairn and joined hands in the singing of Ole Lang Syne, the emotions and meaning of the weekends events began to rush inward. As a seemingly endless line of family members and clan representatives began placing stones on the Cairn (including one for our dearly missed Janet Poole given by Rick Davis, her uncle) we all welled up with tears, not of sorrow, but of deep pride, knowing that we would once again return and give thanks for our fond memories of good times with great folks. And so the weekend at Loch Norman and the great moments we shared together will remain forever etched in my memory banks. I was very proud to be a part of it and Hey! Who let this homeless person in to know our Clan was a shining star in making the 20th Rural Hill Festival and Loch here? OOPS... thats not a homeless Norman Highland Games a memorable one for everyone who attended the event!
person, thats Gary Davis of West Palm Beach FL!

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Savannah Scottish Games May 11th, 2013 by Pat Davis Every year as a prelude to Mothers Day, the Scottish Community of Savannah, GA holds their game. This year was a true rarity in the southeast as it was not very hot or humid. For a small one day event, there are a lot of things packed into just a few short hours. The Games is held on the historic grounds of Bethesda School for Boys, it was originally a church orphanage for boys built in the mid 1700s. Its location is very breathtaking as it is on the banks of the river that Andy Williams made famous as he sang the song Moon River, by Johnny Mercer. Clan Davidson, like always, had a perfect location for seeing everything going on at the game from their Clan tent. If ever you are looking for a nice Scottish game in early May this is a great one to opt for!

Peg Davis holds down the fort at Savannah.

Greenville Scottish Games May 25th, 2013 by Pat Davis Greenville, SC is another little games with tons of things going on. Actually, this game begins on Friday evening with a parade down the middle of the city of Greenville. This year Clan Davidson was invited to march with all of Clan Chattan in honor of the Chief of Clan MacThomas, Andrew MacThomas of Finegand, the 19th Chief being the Honored Guest for the Games. I must admit I enjoyed meeting both he and his wife Anneke, as they were very warm and friendly folks. Saturday is game day and it is held at Furman University. I should at this point warn you I called this a small games, it is small in length of time only. It is held on the almost entire campus of the university and it is not that small! This year Clan Davidson was once again in the same location allowing us an almost perfect view of most of the Games - in particular the Heavy Athletics (both mens and womens) and the main field. The Mike & Deanna Lewis and grandchildren lead the Clan opening of the games was accentuated with the dropping in of 4 US Davidson in the Parade of Tartans. Army retired Skydivers, one with an American Flag, and one with a Scottish Saltire. It was very impressive to watch them land perfectly in the middle of the field. The flags were then presented by members of the US Navy and Marines Corps for folding and presentation. Chief MacThomas then opened the games. About an hour later, the Parade of Tartans was held. And with near perfect weather, we (Clan Davidson and the rest of Clan Chattan) took to the field behind Chief MacThomas. This was a great spectacle for the crowd there since we Davidsons were about a dozen strong alone! Throughout the day, we talked to many, many people, had some renewals, and got to meet some new Davidson folks. All in all, it was a great day to be a Davidson! [Gee, Pat, every day is a great day to be a Davidson Clansman!]

Report from Region 11

Arkansas Scottish Festival April 13th & 14th by Don Cloud and Kristi Davis, Co-Directors The Arkansas Scottish Festival was once again held on the campus of Lyon College in Batesville Arkansas. Being held mid-April brings a certain nervousness with regards to weather but this year was absolutely beautiful. If memory serves correctly, there were 23 clans in attendance. We were very grateful and fortunate to have the ol Sennachie himself in attendance with his entourage, Ms. Ev and Ms. Margaret. Trust me when I tell you, having that much knowledge and experience on tap is both daunting and a true blessing. Thank you also to Phyllis Davis from Memphis who was in attendance all weekend and always willing to sit in when we needed a break. The ASF had good attendance and we had a respectable showing of members, sales, and interest in all things Davidson.
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I did try in earnest to bring home the gold for Clan Davidson in the Bonnie Knees, but alas placed only in the top 5. The real highlight of course was getting to visit and renew our bonds with family and friends in our home state. An aside of interest, which I know many conveners experience, is the ability to help someone not of our clan. This happened for us on a special level at Batesville. Kristis cousin, Beverly Henderson Holman and her son Nick (10yrs old) made the trip up from Mena, AR just as a something to do type of day. The wonderful thing is Clan Henderson was in attendance and they not only welcomed Beverly and Nick with open arms but also had them walk in the Parade of Tartans. Well done! Smoky Mountain Highland Games May 18th & 19th by Davis & Ruby Babcock, Co-Directors

This event, held in mid-May on the campus of Maryville College, is excellent, but the weather was not! It rained off and on all weekend. In between rains (torrential at times), the Clan Davidson tent was open for business! Folks from the area turned out in good numbers in spite of the weather. Anyone and everyone with a shelter were crowded, but after the rain, everyone stayed and continued to visit the Clan tents and the vendors. Again, for the tenth time, we were located next to Clan Macleod. We have built up a really close relationship with them. Their leader, Jack Lewis, has even offer to play pipes for a Clan Davidson wedding at the Glasgow (KY) Games in early June! Yes, two of our newest members, Steve Graves and Donna Knicely will have the deed done by our own Dave Babcock on Saturday, June 1st! It should be a fun time. Jean Davidson is the newest Clan Davidson member from East Tennessee, as she became a part of her Clan Society during the Smoky Mountain Games! We all welcome her and hope she will participate in future games there in Maryville, KY. Our two faithful members, Bubba and Sally Macy really helped out during the weekend, bringing things we needed to be the best we can be. Our grandson, Chase Howard, was with us again but went from bonniest knees to boniest knees winner, in just one year. He serves full-time with the Tennessee Air Guard. One of the great things about the Smoky Mountain Games is the presence of so many pipe bands. We had at least six bands, from South Carolina and North Carolina, in addition to four from Tennessee. The parade of the massed bands at these games is outstanding. Athletics were also really good with amateur and professionals participating. At Maryville, there are also some women who take part, in their own division, of course. Watching the girls toss the caber is an interesting sight. They do very well. While the Smoky Mountain Highland Games may not be as large as other events (about 40 Clans represented), the spirit is really good and Ruby and I enjoy doing them. Since the events move from Gatlinburg to the campus of Maryville College, they have grown more Clans, more vendors, more food, and more people attending. To paraphrase Douglas MacArthur, we shall return!
Old friend and great singer, Colin Grant-Adams performs at Maryville. Colins home is now in the Glasgow KY area, and hes the featured performer at that venue. 18

Kristi and Don Cloud Davis with Margaret Davis Bailey at the ASF. Margaret was one of the principal builders of the lovely Davidson Banner that tops the tent.

Glasgow Highland Games May 31st June 2, 2013 by the Sennachie While the mostly unrequited threat of nasty weather kept many of the tourists away, the braw gang of usual suspects who normally attend this, my favorite Highland Games venue, was present in all their Tartan finery. The Davidson Tent was hosted by new Co-Directors for Region 11, Doug and Chrisie Kirby, ably backed up by the veteran Clan Tent Cavaliers Davis & Ruby Babcock who manned the Glasgow tent for many years. Chrisies daughter and son-in-law, Gini and Jeff Conley, also filled in at the tent. A return trip to GHG is a bitter-sweet journey for me the ghosts of so many of my oldest and dearest friends who are no longer with us haunt this place. So do the memories of my daughter when she was just a wee girl happily terrorizing the creatures in the campgrounds, including, one year, a gang of baby skunks!

Piper Jack Lewis leads the bridal party around Clan Row towards the Davidson Tent. The Sennachie was honored to be Dadfor-a-day and give the bride, Donna Knicely away.,

We had a special treat this year, the marriage of two CDS-USA members, Steve Graves and Donna Knicely. They were the subject of a story I wrote for the July 12 Sporran Your Heart Will Tell You. The ceremony was attended by members of the bridal couples family, the Davidsons present, and a fair number of the others attending the HG. The ceremony was preceded by the couple being piped around Clan Row by a MacLeod piper, Jack Lewis. I was especially honored when Donna asked me to be her Dad-for-a-day and give her away to the groom. We were also graced by a visit from former Region 11 Director Suzanne Crabtree and husband Mike along with a number of other odd and sundry Davidson Clansmen.
The bride, Donna, peeps over the grooms (Steve Graves) shoulder while RD 11, Reverand Davis Babcock, performs the marriage ceremony.

Report from Region 15 by Don Cloud and Kristi Davis, Co-Directors Texas Scottish Festival and Highland Games May 4th & 5th The Texas Scottish festival and Highland Games in Arlington TX was a great event this year. Held just 3 weeks behind the Arkansas Scottish Festival (R11) in April puts a wee bit of strain on the old bones, but it turned out to be enjoyable as work can be. 47 clans were represented and this year saw a new format and arrangement/layout of groupings, which was a very positive move on the organizers part. The new design promoted good spectator traffic through the clan areas. Upon leaving on Sunday I heard the through the gates number was in the neighborhood of 40,000 head count. We didnt do very well with sales or memberships, but did hear a message that rings true to many a convener which was we were wondering if yall would be back again this year. With that said, what we realize is that North Texas needs to be
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worked back to an energetic and vital area for Clan Davidson. Our absence there for those years had an effect and we will just have to put in our time and be in attendance so our family can find us again. We did see some family and a few Davidson Moderns and you know its a good day when one of them is in the Texas Caledonia Pipe Band. Our thanks to those that stopped in and said hello or helped out a bit. Top 5 again in the Bonnie Knees, methinks I need a new tactic, or perhaps better cologne. Texas, we will be back!
Don & Kristi Davis with Kristis daughter, Kayla Blanton man the tent at the Texas Scottish Festival. Only in Texas...

Report from Region 16, by Matt Dawson and Stacey Chambliss, Co-Directors
Rio Grande Celtic Festival and Highland Games 2013 Greetings, fellow clansmen and women! This note comes to you following the close of the 25th Annual Highland Games and Celtic Festival here in hot, dry, and windy Albuquerque, New Mexico. The festival took place the weekend of 18 and 19 May, once again at Albuquerques Balloon Fiesta Park. The event has grown exponentially since its launch in 1988, when it made its debut onto the University of New Mexicos football field. That year, attendance was under 100 participants and spectators combined, for a one-day celebration of all things Celtic. This year, the festival, which has been a two-day affair since 2004, boasted record attendance of more than 4,000 people each day! The Rio Grande Games has always been a somewhat special kind of shin-dig, because here in New Mexico, the actual celebration of the Celtic (let alone Scottish and Highland) traditions, culture, and people is so rare, at least on a larger scale. In fact, that 4,000+ people per day probably represents the entirety of the Celtic population in the state! This Gathering is also one of very few events nation-wide that places a full emphasis on the Seven Nations of the Celts: Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, and Galicia, and The Albuquerque Dawson Gang: boasts samplings of music, dress, food, and all other aspects of From left: Matt, Jackson, Larry, Bo and The Parasite the respective elements of the overall Celtic culture. Oddly enough, especially because the majority of the local population is unaware of the connection, and if they were, the Games here would likely be a larger event each year, there are enormous ties between the descendant families of the early Spanish land grants and Galicia; many a landowner family in New Mexico via these grants originated from that northwestern, Celtic province of Spain! This year, the event was made even more spectacular, as we hosted the International Heavy Athletics Championships! Highland Athletes from all around the world came to pay homage to the local cuisine (green chile) and to compete in mens and womens caber-, sheaf-, and hammer-toss contests, and the full gamut of other Highland competitions and feats of strength. A titan of a woman (though also cover-model beautiful) from Germany set world records in both the weight-forMatts favorite female distance and the sheaf-toss, and lads from Scotland, Norway, Australia, and the U.S. posted scores Scots athlete.
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with the hammer, stone, and caber for the next generation of athletes to try and best. Highlights of the event will, I believe, be reported on in detail in one of the next issues of The Celtic Connection, for any who receive it. There were nine bands this year, down from the 11 of last year, but the El Jebel Shrine and Fort Collins pipe bands both had other venues to attend this time. The High Desert Pipes and Drums, New Mexicos premier Grade IV through Open competition band took a second place overall and first in drumming, and will be headed toward another Worlds competition in Scotland later this year. I make special mention of them here because their Pipe Sergeant, Dave Reynolds, will be playing as part of the Honor Guard at my wifes grandfathers (Admiral Eugene G. Fairfax) memorial in July, and does us great honor by doing so. This is the same chap who The Davidsons sit in the Honored Clan spot. played for our wedding and, during these Games, also presented me with my first nip of Ardbeg - really starting to like those Islays! Once again, we were visited by the Clan Tynker, those melodious and mischievous players, musicians, and magicians I made mention of last year. Some may recall from that report that these traveling folks are a group of brothers and sisters who go around the country to various events like Highland Games, Ren Fairs, and so on. They do a mix of acts, songs, dances, and magic tricks inspired by cultures from all over the world, and they drive the crowds - especially the kids - absolutely mad with laughter and applause! They do create an atmosphere that harkens back to many a century ago wherein they may have done this type of show for some Highland Lord, perhaps a king. They really are a blast to behold, and they are beginning to draw a regular crowd of their own each year - the more, the merrier! There were, of course, some of the auld favorites at the Games once again: the Dogs of the British Isles show (though I think there were several dogs out there that were about as British as the current Pope), the sheepherding Border Collies, the British Car Show (even a same model and color 64 Aston Martin as that used in the early Bond filmswe did much drooling over that car, I can tell you), weaving demonstrations, the Vikings from the Viking Camp and Demonstration Troupe and, lest we forget, those folks from the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronisms) who dressed in full plate-and-chain armor in these sunny days of New Mexican summer, and bashed each others heads in for our amusement. Not a single concussion or case of heatstroke this year, though a new record! One of my absolute favorite musical groups was also in attendance this time around: The Wicked Tinkers! Folks, if you have not heard them - or, better yet, seen them - you need to find out where they are going to be next and head that way; you will NOT be disappointed! There are four lads in the group, three of whom have been playing together since the early 90s, and all of whom have been traveling and playing together since 2006. You have one open class piper, a chap who looks like he walked out of the Highlands of the 1600s who plays the snare, war drum and, well, every other drum imaginable, a lad who plays the tenor and war drums, but who also specializes in playing an anvil with hammers and a saw with a bow! Lastly, what band could be complete without the player of the didgeridoo (of various sizes)?! They all put in on vocals (though they are largely instrumental) and together they play with so much energy and heart that every time they took the stage, the field would literally empty in places as the crowd came running - our tent space ended up right in front of the stage, so front row seats for us! They label themselves as Tribal Celtic, and you cannot help but move when you hear them. So, do yourselves a favor, and give them a listen; I promise you will never regret it! It does seem we are repeating one unfavorable trend every year now, because, once again, our greatest challenge was attempting not to become airborne each afternoon! The first day, winds were consistent at about 20 mph, with sudden gusts The Alba-Turkey Dawson Gang matriarch, Charlie, is guarded of up to 40 mph!
by grandson Jackson (L) and son, Matt (R). 21

Day 2 was even better: 35 sustained with 50 mph gusts! Have to say, the tune Donald Wheres Yer Trousers? is not too far from the truth: Marilyn Monroe had little on some of the kilted lads this weekend - though I much prefer that particular blondes performance, I must say! We ourselves were Honored Clan this year, though Stacey and I have a running theory that others may have run screaming when they were approached, and we simply didnt know any better. Essentially, what that meant was we were the first clan in Clan Row, we got a streamer-thingy to put on our banner that says Honored Clan, and we got to lead off the Calling of the Clans parade and Massed Bands...even though the Games Commission had NO idea which way we were supposed to head first! So, essentially, wherever WE went was where everyone else followed. Oh, the temptations! We did get a special nod from the Commission, and they did Whats a days outing to the local Celtic Festival without a quite a nice little write-up on us (well, actually, I wrote it) that they stop for the all-time-favorite-Celtic-food-item, published in the Games program, however, so all-in-all, we felt pretty FROG LEGS! Honored in the end. Mum put together a very nice new banner for us for the occasion; a banner that became an early birthday present for me - I swear, that woman can do anything, and do it with style! We sold a bunch of t-shirts, a couple of the new - and accurate - Davidson books (one to someone who was so adamant about that other historys truth that I had to set them straight, and they bought the book in the end: off home, and schooled proper, ha!), and we had one Steve Shackley (of Dawson Davidson ancestry, even) return to the fold after many a year he and his family have just moved to NM to retire, so we are glad to have crossed their paths this year! We were visited by a great number of Davidsons, most of whom took applications, but all of whom were ecstatic that there was Davidson representation in New Mexico - not that we havent been here for several years or anythingbut, I digress, ha! All-in-all, another pretty fantastic time (save for the wind)! Year three at Aztec is eminent, and we look forward to the return trip. Between now and then, well gear up for a better defense against the wind, and well have more to impart to you about the goings-on of the Davidsons and our Scottish brethren here in the Land of Enchantment. But, for now, slante mhath, and all the best until we see you again!

Report From Region 19 by Hugh and Barbara Dawson, Co-Directors

April 27 started our Scottish Games season in Northern California with the Sacramento Games held in Woodland Fairgrounds. The 2-day event is well attended by the public with most Clans being represented. Hugh Dawson and Barbara Dawson welcomed members and their families along with prospective new members. Joining Clan Davidson as new members are Joseph Davidson and Jeffrey Davidson. Welcome to the Clan. We presented our Clan Davidson banner at the noontime March of the Clans on both days with help from members of the Scott Dawsons daughter, Laura and Tim from Clan Chattan. New member Jeffrey Davidson Schrager and wife Evy asked to set up the Davidson Tent at the Fresno Games September 21. This will be the first time the Davidsons will be represented at Fresno. The Dawsons will work with the Schragers at Pleasanton Labor Day weekend and transfer over all materials to them for Fresno. The Dawsons hope to transfer the Directorship of Northern California for 2014 to a younger and more dynamic couple and help expand membership in Northern California. The Dawsons will assist the new directors in making the transition as they are needed. If you are interested in representing Clan Davidson at our tent during any of these From Left: Hugh Dawson; Janell & Norman Harris (Note, Norman is the former R19 Co-Director, now, events, or becoming directors, please call Hugh at 707-996- 7361.
22 sadly, deceased in 2011)

This year Clan Davidson will be represented at the Monterey Highland Games July 6 and 7, Dixon Games, date to be announced and Pleasanton Highland Games on Labor Day weekend. Fresno, as stated above, will round out the season in September.

Tartan Day USA!

While the Tartan Day Parade down Fifth Avenue in New York City might lack the pizazz of the St. Patricks Day Parade, it more than makes up for it with chutzpah and color! Here, Darwin Davidson (far left), Retired Regional Director for Region 6, carries the Davidson Banner with the Clan Chattan Federation. The banner was provided by Jeff Smith, current RD for Region 6. Left: Maybe not as impressive a Venue as NYC, but heartfelt, nonetheless! Shannon Davis and her Dad, Wayne, RD for R14, strut their stuff for the Clan in St. Charles, MO. Below: Darwin and Kathy Davidson join forces in NYC to represent Clan Davidson.

Above: Darwin is joined by Kevin McKidd in NYC to show their love for Scotland. Great job, guys!

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The Dig - Genealogical Explorations

Truth be told, Ive been nagging John Lisle, the CDS-USA Genealogist, about writing more articles for The Sporran for quite some while, alas, with little effect until now! John is a brilliant and dogged genealogical researcher, most adept at using the electronic resources now available. He is also passionate about the Davidson/Davison DNA Project of which he is the founding Dad. The second article of the two below was written by Diane Morgan, also a skilled genealogist. Diane is the author of a semi-biographical novel of her GG Grandfather, Daniel Rogers Davidson. But theres more to the back-story on the articles that follow: In the early spring of this year, a chap by the name of Jed Lyons sent in a genealogical query to Matt Dawson, CDS-USA Director of Charitable Affairs and Co-Director R16, via a link on our website. Jed was looking for 1) more information about one of his wifes ancestors; 2) and someone John Lisle interested in writing a genealogical treatise of this ancestor. Matt forwarded this message to John Lisle and me. One thing led to another, resulting in the teaming of John and Diane in the pursuit of this genealogical puzzle. I suspect this story has not ended quite yet
(Note regarding the illustrations that accompany the two articles dedicated to the Davidsons of Southwestern Pennsylvania that follow: This corner of Pennsylvania is dominated by rough terrain and wild rivers, not the best place to build railroads by any way of reckoning. It is a testament to the perseverance and cleverness of Daniel Davidson that he was able to build his Pittsburgh and Connellsville RR in the place and time he did. I was taken with the beauty of the area and the period photographs of railroads in this area I was able to find as I was preparing the material provided by John Lisle and Diane Morgan and have opted to add some of these to illustrate their stories. There are also a few photos that are directly associated with the Davidsons, and these are identified in the captions. Sennachie)

The Family of William Davidson of Connellsville, Fayette County, Pennsylvania

by John Lisle, Genealogist, Clan Davidson Society USA; Administrator, Davidson Surname DNA Project Did your Davidson ancestors hail from Pennsylvania? If so, maybe we have some news about your ancestry. Along with colonial Virginia, colonial Pennsylvania has been one of the hardest locations to do Davidson family research. Most of the Scotch-Irish immigrants to colonial America arrived in Pennsylvania colony and from there quickly migrated west and south as new lands were open for them to settle. And, unlike New England, towns did not maintain any vital records. As these Scots seemed to name all of their sons John, William, George, Samuel, James, and very few other names, researchers have found sorting out the various different lines very difficult, and often almost impossible, just from paper trail records. Consequently, a lot of very incorrect genealogies have been published! Fortunately, the science of DNA testing is allowing us to do a bit more of that sorting out. In February 2013, I was introduced to new Clansman Jed Lyons and his family. He came to us with a simple question. Who was William Davidson of Connellsville, Pennsylvanias father? According to several 19th century county histories, William was born in Carlisle, PA, in 1783 and, as a young man came to Connellsville. He had an Connellsville PA, on the banks of the Youghiogheny River excellent business career and served several terms in the State Legislature, including House Speaker in 1818, and, subsequently in the State Senate. Members of his family had been searching for decades to find some evidence that correctly identified Williams ancestry, including hiring one of the top genealogists in the 1960s for Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Another descendant of William Davidson, Diane Morgan of El Paso, Texas, had researched the family (see following article) and had written an excellent book about one of his sons, Daniel Rogers Davidson. After reviewing what was already known about the family, getting a copy of Dianes book, and contacting other researchers who had worked on the Connellsville and Cumberland County Davidsons, I began some research on the family, thinking that fresh eyes on the problem might notice something that had been missed.
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Diane became a terrific research partner because I first wanted to document fully the descendants of the William Davidson family; in part, to locate some male Davidsons in order to get a DNA sample; and also to use this opportunity to give the family a wide look at their somewhat distant cousins, some who became cowboys and some who have married into English aristocracy; and, hopefully, to locate someone who might have retained more extensive family history papers. In the few months we have worked on this project, we have accomplished quite a bit, but there is still a lot to do. We did locate a distant Davidson cousin of Jed and Diane for the DNA testing, and DNA results match the DNA for Davidson DNA Family 3 (see www.davidsongenes.org). This was the hoped for and expected Davison Siding bridge near Connellsville ca 1902 result. DNA Family 3 is one of the larger and more geographically dispersed Davidson DNA families and has several members that link back to Pennsylvania and Cumberland county ancestors. Yet Davidson DNA Family 3 also has ancestors that can only (at this time!) be traced back to various Southern states and one whose only North American roots were in Nova Scotia! Because of the paper trail research, Jed and Dianes ancestry can now be traced back to a Patrick Davidson who was likely born about 1696 in Ireland and who came to America as a child. DNA evidence now clearly proves that any Davidson who can be proven back to this family is part of DNA Family 3. But that does not mean that that all DNA family 3 members are descendants of Patrick as Patrick might have cousins or siblings who also came to America. Diane recently discovered that the first Davidsons to arrive in Cumberland County were a John and a William. The record is still unclear as to whether they were brothers or father and son. After securing land in what is now Cumberland County, William moved to South Carolina, and he could be the ancestor to some or all of the Southern Family 3 Davidsons. If so, then that would likely tie William and John to Family 3 also and provide more clues to who the family were in Ireland. We did not yet locate any primary family history papers being held by any descendant of his son Daniel Rogers Davidson. We are still trying to contact descendants of his son Thomas Rogers Davidson for papers. The only possible clue among the descendant research that links Williams descendants to his ancestors is a headstone in the Connellsville Cemetery with just the name Patrick Davidson. We believe that was an infant son of one of Williams grandsons and are trying to prove that. We have much more work to do on Williams direct ancestry to fill out more of Patricks descendant lines in hopes of proving the connections to many of the other Family 3 members and providing a framework for others who have Pennsylvania roots. I will be posting this genealogy on a Clan Davidson Genealogy Web site in the near future. If you have Davidson ancestors from Pennsylvania or might have come from Pennsylvania, we would be pleased to hear from you. Come visit us at the Clan Davidson USA Annual General Meeting at the New Hampshire Highland Games! My Search for Daniel Rogers Davidson and His Family by Diane Morgan, author of Daniel Rogers Davidson, Dreamer & Doer Prior to 2005, I did not think it would be possible to discover who belonged in my Davidson line prior to Connellsville, PA. I had been researching everything I could about my great-great grandfather, Daniel Rogers Davidson, since about 1970. I had read that a book about this man should be written, and I felt that I was meant to write that book. The only thing we knew for sure was that Daniels father, William, had moved to Connellsville from Carlisle, Pennsylvania. That was written in several sources. Then in 2005, I was looking at different sites on the internet and came across a site put out by the Cumberland County Historical Society that said that for $50, they would research an ancestor for you. I was so excited. I sent in my $50 and was lucky enough to be assigned to Stanley Miller, a volunteer researcher who has unfortunately since passed away. This man
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Daniel Rogers Davidson

Dianes Grandfather, Mary Higgins Dinsmoor, with Marys Grandfather, George Davidson, son of Daniel Davidson.

went above and beyond my request and sent me a whole packet of information on the Davidsons there and a genealogy of that line put together by Bob Davidson, not of that line and who has also since passed away. It all seemed to fit for me. Williams father was Patrick, Patricks father was William, and Williams father was Patrick. Unfortunately, the only tie-in I had for William in Connellsville to connect him to Patrick in Carlisle was Patricks will. I had some people question that. Enter, John Lisle from the Clan Davidson Society (USA). He contacted me to work together to try to solve this problem. He likes proof beyond probables. As I shared with him, he also did research on these same people, and found things that I had never seen. He is amazing. He wanted to learn as much as he could about all of these people who descended from William Davidson in Connellsville. He is very thorough and wants to make sure that everyone connects without any doubt. After feeling comfortable with all of the Davidsons in Connellsville, he was ready to move back to Carlisle. We had the Will that mentions William, but with zillions of Williams and Patricks (OK, maybe a slight exaggeration), and it not mentioning Connellsville specifically, it was not enough.

Three problems were then: 1) Conclusively tie my William back to the younger Patrick 2) Verify that the William and Patrick prior to the first Patrick were definitely the father and grandfather; and 3) Separate out two Patricks who were both born in Cumberland County about 1748, one of them with a specific date of 14 August 1748. (They were first cousins, one a son of Patricks son William; the other, a son of Patricks other son Samuel.) John found a Carlisle newspaper article from May 21, 1822 that mentioned Cousin William Davidson, who at that time was serving in the Senate in Harrisburg this would have been the William that had moved from Carlisle to Connellsville. William was Speaker of the House in 1818, and then served three years in the Senate. This article stated, Cousin William Davidsons time is out this session. I seen them all shaking hands with him bidding him farewell. Old Patrick was not pleased with him for opposing Findlay. The bad news was that the article, in the form of a letter, was not signed. Finally, something that linked the William of Connellsville with Patrick of Cumberland County! John and I had planned to meet in Carlisle to see if we could tie this line up for sure. Unfortunately, due to a family emergency, John had to cancel his trip, but I carried forth, and arrived at the wonderful Cumberland County Historical Society. There I met a wonderful man by the name of John Fralish, a previous President of that Institution. He graciously helped me in my mission. He found the letter in a book; it was originally a newspaper article. After making a hard copy of it, I then started highlighting all the family members that were mentioned in the letter/article. Joseph Fleming was an Uncle whose widow had a brother named James Hughes. The writers sisters were Margaret, Jane, and Ann, and he had a brother who had died. The only person who fit into all these relationships was William Fleming, son of James Fleming and Jane Cowen. The writers father was a brother of Sarah Fleming who had married William Davidson, the grandfather of the William Davidson, who was in the Senate from Connellsville. The writer had a brother Daniel who died in 1819. He had sisters named Margaret, Jane, and Ann. He had an Uncle Joseph who died at the age of 41 who was married to a Rebecca Hughes. The writer was 65 at the time he wrote this, and Cousin William Davidson was 39. Now, I was able to start working on not only the Davidson line, but also the Fleming line and see how it all pieced 19th C railroad bridge over the Youghiogheny River near Connellsville together. Its all like a puzzle. We have now established that the William Davidson who traveled from Carlisle to Connellsville did indeed tie back to William Davidson, his grandfather, and wife Sarah Fleming.
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Using Land and other Probate records, we further clarified the family line. Williams son Patrick stayed in Carlisle and purchased his parents farm from them. The two Patricks can be distinguished by land records. The Patrick, son of William and Sarah, is always referred to as Patrick of Cumberland County. Cumberland County was formed in 1750, when Patrick was 2 years of age. Carlisle was part of Middleton Township in Cumberland County. Patrick purchased his parents farm June 13, 1785. It states, William Davidson of Middleton township and Sarah his wifefor and in consideration of natural love and affection they bear to their son Patrick Davidson also for the 19th C coke ovens in Connellsville consideration of 180 pounds lawful money of Pennsylvania convey land whereon we now live. Tax records show Patrick living on that land for years after. The tax record of 1798 shows a Jacob Zigler as an occupant on that land. It is interesting to note that Patricks will was later witnessed by a John Zigler in 1832. In that Will, he gave $400 to his son William. The Patrick, son of Samuel, along with his wife, Martha, purchased land in Metal Township, Franklin County in 1798, selling it April 23, 1805, and moving to Venango County, and purchasing land there. This Patrick spent the rest of his life in Venango County. Thus, we have now established two different Patricks; we have a tie from Connellsville to Carlisle with the Patrick, son of William. We now needed to verify that Patricks father William was a son of the earlier Patrick Davidson. That earlier Patrick died the 6th of November 1754, proven from his Will. I had originally thought this Patrick was born in 1704, but came across a notation at the Historical Society that said that he was 58 years old at his death. That would have made his birth about 1696. He had three sons, Samuel, William, and George. Land records show that his son William owned the land in Middleton Township that we saw Patrick II with later. According to information at the Historical Society, it said that at this point it was easy to distinguish the Davidsons as Samuel moved to Venango County, William stayed in Middleton Township, and George moved to Western Pennsylvania. Going back to 1696, there were fewer Patricks and Williams to deal with, so we can know that this Patrick belonged to this line through his will. A historical record, written by John W. Jordan in 1916 states that this line descended through ancestors who as Protestants were driven by religious persecution from their native Scotland and took refuge in the northern counties of the Green Isle, their children and grandchildren forming that stalwart Scotch-Irish stock which has given to the United States some of her best and ablest citizens. The founder of the American branch of the Davidson family came, about 1695, from the North of Ireland and settled near Harrisburg, Cumberland Valley, Pennsylvania. It is a noteworthy fact that he had lived in Londonderry during the famous siege of that city by the English. Maybe Patricks father was either the John or William Davidson who are said to have been the first Davidsons in Cumberland County. We will leave that mystery for another day. We hope that William Davidson (1783-1867), resting with much of his family in Hill Grove Cemetery in Connellsville, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, will be pleased that we are bringing his descendants closure and now able to honor our Davidson ancestors. Well! Quite a story, wouldnt you agree? Thank you to Jed Lyons who kicked a hole in this genealogical wasp nest and to John and Diane for their reporting on the quest for answers to this puzzle! I can only hope that this might inspire others out there to send in their own genealogical excavations Copies of Dianes book are available from www.danielrogersdavidson.com or from the Clan Davidson USA website.
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An Extraordinary Genealogical Dig With Some Very Unexpected Finds!

As most members of CDS-USA know by now, I am ALWAYS on the lookout for new and interesting material for our award-winning newsmagazine. I beg, I plead, I threaten, I wheedle, I cajole, and Ive even promised to wriggle on my belly like a reptile, all in the pursuit of material for The Sporran. But every once in a blue moon, something falls out of the sky like a package of manna from heaven. This next article is just such a case, and absolutely one of the best in memory. It was a quiet Sunday back in February when I received a phone call from a CDS-USA member by the name of Jim Davidson, a resident of North Carolina. My Membership Database has 37 James or Jim Davidsons, 6 of which reside in North Carolina hmmmmm, which one is calling? As it turned out, it was the Jim Davidson in Culberson NC, a gentlemen whose acquaintance Ive not previously made, although that makes no difference since I have an open door policy to all members of CDS-USA, or anyone with an interest in CDS-USA. After a bit of warm-up chit and chat, we came to the meat of the conversation. Jim, the son of a man raised in an orphanage, had been diligently pursuing his genealogy, and in this pursuit, had kicked open some pretty interesting doors. It seems that his Dad had a previously undiscovered granduncle by the name of Harlan Page Davidson. This fellow was the founder of the Northwestern Military and Naval Academy back in 1888. His son, Royal Page Davidson, is considered by many to be the Father of American Armored Vehicles. What?!? Since I was a veteran of the US Armys 2nd Armored Cavalry, my interest level rose quickly. Jim and I had a lengthy chat about the material he had come across and he promised to let me have it on loan so I could extract material for The Sporran. Wow! What a wealth of material it was way too much for one issue of The Sporran. I have to admit, I had to struggle with trying to figure out how best to boil down the ton of material (both text and photos) Jim had provided me. Eventually, I determined there are actually 5 themes threading their wiggly way through the overall story: 1) The story of Jim Davidson and his search for his people. 2) The story of the people he found and their origins in Northern Ireland. 3) The story of Harlan Page Davidson and the founding of the Northwestern Military and Naval Academy (NM & NA) in 1888. 4) The story of his son, Royal Page Davidson, and his interest in inventing uses for armored military vehicles. 5) The story of Royal Page Davidson and his life-long involvement with education and leadership of NM&NA. So, this is how Ill tell Jims story. I think itll stretch out over maybe three issues of The Sporran, perhaps more. When this is done, Ill compile all the pieces into a coherent whole (hopefully) and load it onto our website as I did with Debbie Meccas story about William Lee Davidson. Until then, however, kick back and enjoy the first installment.

Northwestern Military and Naval Academy, originally located in Highland Park IL, was founded by Harlan Page Davidson in 1888.
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Dear Sennachie, Sometimes the way to tell a story from history is to start with how I tripped over it, and, in this case, it was from my genealogy research. I am James A. Davidson, born in Detroit, MI in 1940. My father was Austin James Davidson born in Amherst, MA Oct. 18,1906. The day he was born his mother, Clara May Lamb Davidson, died giving birth. So his father, Herbert (since this was his second wife who died early), did not fare well. My father and his 7 year old sister, Muriel Belle Davidson, were placed around to many hands, and eventually ended up in a county orphanage. When money from the home ran out my Aunt Muriel, now 16 yrs, was loaned $50 from the orphanage and sent on her way. My father was moved around until spring of 1916 when he was 11 years old. From probate records, he was driven to the Ascension Farm School in South Lee, MA. The school, run by the Episcopal Church, was for underprivileged boys (the 500 acre farm is now an upscale condo complex in the Berkshires). My father was released from the school in Sept. 1922 at 16 yrs old. He was given $ 40 to start his life. He worked his way to Detroit, MI. When in 1980 I tried to find out the details of my dads life, he had his moms name wrong he thought it was Mary, which was his grandmothers name; he also always said his dad was Herbert R. Davidson and he believed he came from Scotland. He also thought his father died when he was 8 or 9 yrs old (his father died May 14th, 1919 in Amherst, MA) and he knew from stories that there was royal blood in the family of Davidson. Sadly, my father died on March 17th, 1981 without ever learning anything of his family. Harlan Page Davidson After I retired as a public safety commander, 30 years of police work and some years of being a detective, finding out about this family stuff should be easy! Not so! I started working on this hard in 1999, before everything was on the Internet much old fashion phone calls and boots to the ground. The ah-ha moment came when I discovered my grandfathers name was Royal Herbert Davidson, born June 6th, 1859. He went by Bert. My great grandfather was James M. Davidson, born Jan 23rd, 1831 and died Jan 15th, 1894. He did two tours of duty in the Civil War on the Union side. He had a younger brother, Harlan Page Davidson, born sept.15th, 1838 and died Jan 20th, 1913. Harlan Page Davidson in 1888 founded and commanded the Northwestern Military Academy in Highland Park, IL. After a major fire in 1915, he built a new academy on the shores of Lake Geneva, in Lake Geneva, WI. This academy became known as one of the best military institutions in the country. Sadly, before I found this academy and my roots to it in the year 2001, it had been torn down the year before. The school, however, merged with the St. Johns Academy in the late 1990s, and the school, in Delafield, WI, is now called the St. Johns Northwestern Academy. I had been invited to see and stay at the new academy, which I did and was treated like a king, and allowed to go though the museum devoted to the Davidsons and the original school, and to glean much more information and photos about my family. Now on to Harlans only son Royal Page Davidson, (born Oct 9th, 1870, died Jan 16th, 1943), first cousin to my grandfather. All that was written about Royal Page Davidson, made it clear he was entitled to be known as the Father of American Armored Military Vehicles, starting in 1898 while he was the Commandant of the Northwestern Military Academy. Historians trace the lineage of the Bradley fighting vehicle back to Davidson. Royal Page Davidson is credited with being the inventor of the famous Davidson- Cadillac armored car and semiRoyal Page Davidson armored anti aircraft Cadillac, which were the first American anti- aircraft vehicles. How much he had to do with a track-type tank I know not, but we have a picture of one at the academy.

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So ends my personal thoughts about the Davidsons in my family. The material I included with this letter is loaded with additional information about the academy, my great-granduncle Harlan Page Davidson, and his son Royal Page Davidson. I hope you share some of this wealth with our fellow Clansmen in the Clan Davidson Society. Jim Davidson Culberson, North Carolina And so I shall, Jim! Lets start with the Introduction to the book, Boys and Men A Hundred Year History of Northwestern Military and Naval Academy 1888 1988, written by Michael Gray-Fow, Ph.D. It describes in some detail the ancestry of this branch of the Davidsons and the founding of Harlans Academy. Introduction Northwestern Military and Naval Academy was the dream of one man, Harlan Page Davidson; it was also the lifes work of his son, Royal Page Davidson, and between them, these two strong personalities molded and directed the Academy during the first half of its 100 years. Even today, the Academy is still housed in Davidson Hall, the Davidson arms are still quartered on the Academys coat of arms, and the bagpipers in Field Music still occasionally wear a kilt in the Davidson plaid. To understand how Northwestern came to be founded, therefore, we must look first at the story of Harlan Page Davidson. He was a man of strong family ties, and with a deep sense of history. Behind him, there was a family tradition of striking out into new ventures, combined with a strong Presbyterian streak of doing the Lords work. The Davidson family had been part of that Scottish settlement in Northern Ireland in the 17th century devised by English politicians as a way of introducing a Protestant element among the Roman Catholic Irish. Then, as now, the result was feuding and bloodshed, in the course of which the ancestor of Harlan Page Davidson, William Harlan Page Davidson at age 26 Davidson, lost both his parents, and decided to quit Ulsters religious strife for the American colonies. In 1728, William Davidson and his wife Mary immigrated to Woburn, Massachusetts, where they settled and raised a large family. Their son John was a leading member of the local Presbyterian Church, and his son, Deacon James Davidson, fought in the Revolutionary War. The Deacons son Nathaniel, Harlan Pages grandfather, married a Margaret Wetherspoon and moved to Acworth, New Hampshire, around 1800. There he and his wife had six children, but it seems likely that Nathaniel and his wife died soon after this as the eldest child, Harlan Pages father Samuel, is described as having to shift for himself at an early age and as having received no educational advantages. Samuel Davidson in his turn married a Lydia Jackman, who bore him six children, of whom one was Harlan Page Davidson. He was born at Hookset, New Hampshire, on September 1st, 1838, but in his early childhood the family moved to Colebrook, New Hampshire, where his father had purchased some 300 acres of mostly forested land. Whether the trees proved recalcitrant, or whether the soil was poor is unknown, but Samuel Davidson had to combine his farming with being a stonemason to make ends meet. And it was the stonemasons craft that he taught to his son Harlan. In 1860, Harlan Page Davidson was 22 years old, inured to hard work, of limited education, and apparently destined for the life of a poor tradesman or farmer. However, in that year he suffered an injury serious enough to rule out being either a farmer or a stonemason and as he could no longer follow either trade he resolved to obtain a better education. After some preparatory studies he entered Norwich University in neighboring Vermont, an institution specializing (rare at that time) in technical education. He proved an able and popular student who joined the Athenian Society and the A.S.P. fraternity. As his funds were very meager, he taught to defray his college expenses, which gave him his first teaching experience. This meant
Harlan Page Davidson at age 43 30

occasional interruptions in his university career, and it was while he was teaching (combined with the role of Commandant) at the Episcopal Academy of Cheshire, Connecticut, that he heard that Norwich University had been destroyed by fire, Although the university was speedily rebuilt, he gave up the idea of completing his studies at college and pursued his academic work independently. In later years Norwich University conferred upon him the degree of A.M., in recognition of his outstanding success as an educator. It was while he was teaching at the Episcopal Academy that Harlan Page Davidson met Adelaide Ford, descended from an old Connecticut family. They were married in 1866, and had two children: Alice (born 1867) and Royal (born 1870). With new responsibilities (and more teaching experience behind him), Harlan Page Davidson left Connecticut soon after his marriage and went as Principal to Chestnut Academy, at Chestnut Level (Pennsylvania), where he stayed for two years. It is clear that a number of ideas which were to become more fully developed later were already forming in his mind, and Norwich University, Northfield VT circa 1862 while he was at Chestnut Level he was already advocating the advantages of a military structure combined with a good liberal education. Similarly, he took a strong interest in local civic affairs, and was a leading member (and musical reformer) of the local Presbyterian Church. Remaining in Pennsylvania, he moved to Phoenixville, where he opened a private school that prepared students for college. Although many of the students did in fact go on to enter LaFayette College, the school does not appear to have been a great financial success, and by 1872, he was serving as High School Principal and Superintendent of Schools at Somerville, New Jersey. After this brief excursion into public education, in 1873 he bought a school at Salem (New Jersey) which he operated for 12 years as the Collegiate Institute and Business College. His years at Salem enhanced his growing reputation as an educator arid also marked his emergence as a strong and forceful advocate of the Temperance Movement - which point of view was to have considerable influence on the later history of Northwestern Military Academy. For six years, he fought the local liquor interests, closed saloons, and published a Prohibition paper. 8 His interest in social progress expanded and in 1884, he took over a newspaper in Jersey City that he published in the cause of political and moral reform. With the failure of financial support he sold out (spring 1885), and after a few months recuperating at Amherst (Massachusetts) in December 1885 he returned to education by accepting the post of superintendent of Leland and Gray Academy at Townsend, Vermont. He stayed with Leland and Gray for only a year, finding an enrollment of 10 students on his arrival and leaving it with an enrollment of 47. Despite his success, he was not ready to settle in Vermont, and in July 1886, he made the significant decision to move to the Mid-West, accepting the post of Commandant at the Military Academy at Morgan Park, Illinois. The Academy was only 15 years old, and had been run since 1876 by a Captain Talcott, who was becoming increasingly discouraged by the small enrollment. Funds were limited and Commandant Davidson also doubled as the Higher Mathematics teacher. The school opened in September 1886 with an enrollment of about 25, instead of the anticipated 60 cadets. During the year, there were some fluctuations in numbers but the year closed with only four or five more boys than it had commenced. Although Leland & Gray Academy (Colorized) circa 1870 relations between Major Davidson (as he was entitled) and the Superintendent had been good, the former was by now totally disheartened and the latter dissatisfied unless the cadet corps could be brought up to a respectable number. Just before Commencement 1887, it was agreed that Talcott should retire and Major Davidson should assume the superintendency. This took place and with a great deal of effort, the enrollment for the new school year was almost doubled; in fact, there were no empty rooms and guest rooms and infirmary had to be taken over for cadets. At this point the inadequacy of the existing facilities became manifest and Major Davidson approached the owners of the property with a view either to purchase it outright or to secure a longer lease, in order to justify the investment necessary to improve and expand the premises. Agreement could not be reached, and by early in 1888 Major Davidson was casting about e general area for an alternative site. It was at this juncture that his attention was drawn to Highland Park. 10
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In 1888 Highland Park was an increasingly prosperous suburb to the north of Chicago, incorporated in 1869 from a number of earlier villages. It boasted a small high school (opened over a paint store in the early 1880s, with a first graduating class in 1885), and an even smaller public library opened in a store the previous year. Local support for education was mixed, and several elections were needed to secure a township high school instead of a district one. The community was certainly lively, with mayor, council, town marshal (when there was one), and citizens divided over law and order, the local cider trade, public health (there was a typhoid out-break in 1887 caused by neglected sewage conditions), and fire hazards. Despite some unfavorable reports about the area, in spring The first of two locations for the Northwestern Military Academy, 1888 Major Davidson arrived there searching for Highland Hall, circa 1889. an alternative site for his school. He found what he was looking for in a closed-up three story building, some 300 feet long and standing on a comer lot, located about a half mile from Lake Michigan. It was a striking construction, built in what was called the French Style, with a roof covered in what a local reporter described as all sorts of queer devices. It had been built in 1872 by the Highland Park Building Company as a mammoth summer hotel to lure Chicagos wealthy to the suburb, and contained 125 rooms erected at a cost of $50,000. It stood grandly on the comer of Ravine Drive, along which horses hauled barrels of pure water to it from the Lake, and it proved to be a commercial white elephant. In 1876, the Building Company was happy to sell it to a teacher from Lake Forest Academy who renamed it Highland Hall (it had been called Highland Park House) and opened it as a private school for young ladies. It ran successfully as a school for eight years, still opening as a hotel during the summer months, but in 1884 it closed because of a fire, and remained closed and shuttered until Major Davidson came upon it in spring 1888.14 By this time, the actual property had been reduced to five acres and the building had stood empty for four years. Nevertheless, to Major Davidson it offered what he wanted and he purchased it, also buying an additional five and a half acres as campus. On top of the original purchase price, he spent an extra $4000 installing a steam heating system, and another $1200 on new wash-halls and bathrooms. In the The last of the Highland Hall graduates late spring of 1888, a small blue pamphlet was published and circulated, marking the before the Academy moves to Wisconsin, first catalog of the new Northwestern Military Academy.
circa 1889.

And thus ends the first three of our five themes. Coming in January 2014, will be the start of the rather lengthy story of Royal Page Davidson and The Story of the Davidson Armored Vehicles. Needless to say, we should all be indebted to Jim Davidson for his generous sharing of this almost priceless material.

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Membership Profile
The author of the following article is one James Michael Davis, preferring Mike as his primary form of address. I had received an email heads-up from Mike back in early April regarding the much touted Scottish Homecoming 2014. [Ive already passed along the most current and accurate information regarding this much heralded non-event and figment of some Scottish lowlanders with delusions of grandeur and a not-so-well hidden political agenda, so nuff said on this topic.] I replied to Mike that someone was blowing hot air up his kilt and gave him the truth about this topic. Mike stated he would keep an eye out for further news, and, since he was moving to Scotland soon, would be in a great position to determine fiction from fancy. Moving to Scotland soon?? Whoaaaa, I couldnt let that pass without a few questions and the request for an article for the newsletter about this move. Soooo, in response to my request, Mike sent me the following article. He has promised to keep us posted with news about his on-going adventures as he settles into his new Scottish home.

My Scottish Life by James Michael Davis

Many years ago, my partner Sherril (Clans Gunn and Lamont) told me if she ever got me to Scotland, shed never get me out. We sang in a chorale that did a concert tour in Scotland, performing in Stirling at The Church of the Holy Rood and the royal chapel at Stirling Castle, as well as St. Giles Cathedral Edinburgh and St. Andrew Cathedral Inverness. I was born and raised in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains and knew the vast majority of families there were of Scots or Ulster Scots heritage. On the train up to Inverness, I looked out the window and suddenly understood why my first sight of the highlands looked just like home. Our next trip was with a couple that shared our heritage and love of golf and whisky! Sherril named the trip Mike and Kevins Excellent Whisky Adventure. We visited twenty-one distilleries, three castles and three golf courses in 10 days. On our visit to Culloden, Kevin and I found our clans side by side on the battle line. At this point, vacation plans were strictly limited to Scotland. After touring a good bit of the country, I was impressed by the warm reception of all the Scots, but especially in the Inverness, Nairn, and Strathspey areas where I was adopted by 2 pubs and a golf club. By this time, I had researched my family and was introduced to Clan Davidson at the Stone Mountain Games, learning that this is our clan territory. Sherril said she had met my blood kin, but now she had met my spiritual kin, literally and figuratively! A couple of years later, we decided we would like to experience Hogmanay in Scotland. Google search found several towns and cities having festivities. Edinburgh was too big and crowded and Drumnadrochit was too remote with snow forecast. And in between these two places lay Mike & Sherril share a moment as they contemplate a small town we had been around before, Grantown on Spey, and it their future life in Grantown On Spey. seemed just right. We arrived a day early and were allowed early check in at the hotel, but their bar and restaurant was closed until New Years Eve. They suggested a place on the High Street for dinner and the pub next door for drinks. They said, The people there are crazy, youll fit right in. I went in the pub, which was in the lounge area of a home, and sat on one of the two barstools. As I was drooling over the list of single malts on offer, a portly gentleman seated beside me said, Ach, ye know yer whiskies. Wheres the other one? I had no idea what he meant and he explained they knew two Americans were coming. After sharing a few drams, I learned he was Norman Grant (the Grant Castle is just outside town) and that he was running the festivities.
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As we talked, I noticed about every second or third person coming in was carrying a fiddle case. Eventually, a keyboard and bodhrn (a small Gaelic drum, somewhat like a broad yet thin-bodied bongo drum, most frequently played with an egg-timer-shaped piece of wood using a lot of fancy wrist-action) showed up and they started a jam session. Norman explained the national championship had just completed and the musicians were invited to stay in several hotels and be fed at different pubs if they would perform. People kept arriving and soon the pub was packed. Norman introduced me around and said people in the know were aware the musicians would be there. There were Shetland, Orkney, and Strathspey fiddlers and one would start a tune, another would pick it up and High Street in Grantown On Spey play it in their style. Norman said there was no way one could buy a ticket to something like this. I agreed and said that it was a graduate course in fiddling. The next morning, we took a walk around the town and people up and down the street were calling Hey, Mike. Sherril just shook her head saying she might have known. We met lots of people and fell in love with the place. In 2009, we attended The Scottish Homecoming Gathering; that was a wonderful few days! We visited with the Davidsons and I marched with them up the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. Sherril had been by the Gunn tent and marched with them. However, this was not the Highlands so we took off up to Grantown. We renewed many acquaintances and made even more. Sherril and I started discussing retirement and wanting to have a real home in Scotland. There was no question it would be in Grantown so we planned a trip over Thanksgiving 2010 at a self-catering to practice. One of our friends decided we should practice having company visit, so she met us there. Even a surprise two-foot snowstorm didnt change our minds. The New Bridge over the beautifyl Spey River, We were supposed to return in October 2010, but by This is a large part of the reason Mike and Sherril chose now Scotland was in my blood and I didnt want to wait. I had to live here in the summer. retired, but Sherril was still working. I guess I was driving her nuts, so she sent me back to check out living arrangements. After checking purchasing property and long and short term leasing, I discovered a lot of problems with insurance, taxes, etc. There is a very nice Caravan park right above the town where an owner is classified as a non-resident and therefore escapes these problems. Sherril retired July 1, 2012 and by July 12, we were in our new home. We now spend summers in Grantown (for winter weather) and winters in Florida (for summer weather). Grantown on Spey was founded in the 1760s on the bank of the river Spey. Grantown is about 30 miles downstream from the confluence of the Trium River with the Spey River near presentday Newtonmore. This place in ancient days was known as Invernahavon and is thought to be the seat of the Clan Davidson in the 14th century. It was a council seat for some time and has several very good local shops including two bakeries, two butchers (great supply of fresh venison), a produce shop with fresh fruit and Heres that same bridge in winter. vegetables, grocery store and retail shops (including a kilt maker Aside from tax considerations, this is why they chose to spend where Sherril apprenticed). There is an 18-hole golf course and an winter in Florida!
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activity center with gym and swimming pool. We have 2 pubs, several restaurants and take-aways (chippies), a Royal British Legion Hall and a very nice town square. On Fridays, two fresh fish trucks set up and there is a mobile burger van. The town is also the headquarters of the local newspaper, The Badenoch and Strathspey Herald, which does excellent reporting of local news and happenings. The rail line came through town until the cutbacks in the 1960s, which did reduce the trade and tourism. There is rail service to Aviemore, the large ski center 14 miles to the south and bus service to Inverness and Aviemore. The main highland The lovely Grantown On Spey Caravan Park motorway A9 is very close if one wishes to take out a mortgage and purchase petrol. On the other hand, we have learned the wonders of senior rail passes and internet booking which allow very reasonable travel. What can one say about the weather in the highlands? Summer 2011 was the coldest in 60 years, summer 2012 was the wettest in 100 years, and March 2013 was the coldest in 60 years. We have seen rain, snow, sleet, hail, and bright sunshine all in one morning! However, looking out the window at the Cairngorm Mountains and the Cromdale hills is breathtaking! As my neighbor, Gordon says inside were dry and warm and theres plenty to drink! For a small town, Grantown has many activities. Once a month, we have an international market with vendors of French, German, and other foods. The Cairngorm Farmers market also stops in town with local meats, seafood, pastries, and crafts. Once a year, the town has Motormania when antique cars are shown as well as antique ambulances, military vehicles, whisky trucks, and even a steam calliope. In August, Thunder in the Glen arrives. Over 3600 motorcycles from many countries (including the US) come roaring in and fill both sides of the High Street and all side roads. It is a weekend affair with bikers riding the mountain roads from Aviemore to Inverness. Last summer was especially busy with the Queens Jubilee garden parties, a store window-dressing competition and a picnic in the town square. (Shes a nice lady, but I did wear my kilt!!) The Olympic torch came through town with an impressive parade and, since the town is so small, we could get very close. Each year, the town hosts its Highland Games that are very The massed bands at the local Highland Games. similar to ours with heavy athletics, dancing competitions, but no piping competition. That takes place at the World Piping competition in Glasgow where our Dunedin Florida Pipe band competed and we attended as their Scottish groupies. The other big difference in the games there is they are much smaller since every little town has their own. There is only one clan in attendance, the traditional sponsor, and a very small massed bands. The main industry in the area, other than tourism, is farming predominately sheep with some cattle. Grantown, as most towns, has an annual Farm Show livestock competition and Highland Farmers Ball. The latter can be heard for miles and weve been told its a pretty wild affair. Were busy at this moment summerizing the Florida house and packing to leave in a few days. Well be in Scotland soon! Thanks, Mike! Youre living the dream for every Davidson Clansman!

Despite the harsh conditions, sheep thrive in the Spey Valley, nestled between the Monadhliath Mountains to the north and the Cairngorm Mountains to the south. 35

I received a most interesting email last June, from a gentleman by the name of Robin Crofton, resident in Durham County, England. Robin is in possession of a batch of letters written by a pair of Davidson brothers who were living in Louisville, Kentucky during the American Civil War and sent back to their home in UK. Here, in the words written by Robin, is the gist of his message: I have a family tree starting with Andrew Davidson who married Janet Davidson in Eckford, England, in 1760. My main aim is to trace the family of his grandsons, Andrew born 1823 Sprouston (UK), died Louisville in 1889 and James born Sprouston 1835 and died in Louisville in 1859. I have in my possession letters written by these two brothers during the Civil War to their relatives in Tudhoe, England and would like to pass them on to known descendants. I have a John George Davidson died 1965 Louisville, a Morris Way Davidson died 1965 in same place as did many others. I also enclose an article that I wrote for the Davidson Clan in Scotland, please feel free to reproduce it as you wish. I can send the files of the letters later, it is quite a lot. I also enclose my Davidson Tree including some in your country. In the 1990s a lady in Lexicon did the research for me. The Janet b.1818 died 1873 is my Great Grandmother and The Villa in Tudhoe, a village 10 miles from Durham City where I was born, was the main home of the Fleming Family and where the letters were sent to. Because of the size of Robins article, I was forced to brak it into two pieces. The first was published in the January, 2013 edition of The Sporran. Here is Part II. Brothers at War Letters Written By Two Davidson Brothers During The American Civil War To Their Relatives In England Part II by Robin Crofton, reprinted with permission. This article is an account of the experiences of two Davidson brothers who lived through the American Civil War and is based upon letters they sent from Louisville, Kentucky to their relatives in Tudhoe, near Spennymoor in County Durham, England. Part II continues Jamess letter of the 13th (Letter 23a) is more explanatory:You will see from the Herald that Kentucky has been invaded by Southern troops and also that Paducah has been taken possession of by the United States troops under General Grant to prevent it falling into the hands of the enemy who were within 16 miles of it when General Grant took possession. General Anderson, the hero of Fort Sumpter is in the city (Louisville) and is to lead the forces in Kentucky. An elder in the Presbyterian Church is raising a regiment. I have no doubt there will be a hearty response from the loyal men of Kentucky to drive the invaders from the soil of Kentucky. I am glad that the state remains to a great extent loyal and will render assistance to crush this infamous rebellion against a good and just government and I believe it will be put down no matter what sacrifice of blood and treasure have to be made. I should not wonder if we are compelled to flee for refuge to England. The future is certainly very dark and gloomy at present. But the Lord reigns and He can bring order out of confusion and make the wrath of man to praise Him and restrain the remainder thereof. The Herald is still suffering from hard times and now the whole of our Southern subscribers (about 1000) are cut off there being no mail. It may be that it will go James Davidson down altogether if the war continues and at present it would be difficult to get anything to do there are so many out of work. Andrew wrote to his brother George on 3rd January 1862 (Letter 9): Kentucky is becoming more and more filled with troops of soldiers both Federal and Confederate but there has not been any great battles although there has been a number of skirmishes. James also writes to their brother on 4th April 1862 (Letter 24) telling him that he has had to sell The Herald to a consortium that included his brother Andrew. The papers name has been changed to The True Presbyterian and it sympathizes with the secessionists thus
Andrew Davidson 36

showing for the first time the brothers on different sides, as happened in many families. James is now working for an insurance company but does not make much money because of the hard times. The war is being proscribed now with more vigour and we hope that soon rebellion will be put down not to arise again for a long time. They cannot divide the country and the sooner they return to their allegiance the better. The rebel forces have been driven out of this state and the war carried to Tennessee. We are daily expecting to hear of a great battle at Corinth, Mississippi and the border of Tennessee and Mississippi. The large armies are now very near together and the conflict must take place soon unless the rebels fall back. The Government troops have won every battle. The Union Army is in good condition and not likely to be panic stricken. Map showing the Union and Confederate campaigns in the West McClellan is now stirring them up in Virginia. They had had one small battle at Winchester in which the Federals cleared them out. Andrew wrote again to his brother on 13th October 1862, (Letter 10) saying that women and children have been told to leave: yet I have never had any great fears and did not obey the order believing it is an unnecessary scare on the part of the military the Federal army reached our city first and it never was the intention of the rebel army to come to make an attack on the city while held by such a force. The fighting now going on in the State is very severe between the two contending armies and the number of killed and wounded very large. It seems that battles do not bring any results more favourable to peace and God only knows when we will have peace again in this land. God is certainly punishing this nation very severely and it may be as you seem to affirm, for the tenacious hold of slavery, and as you further say, his besetting sin. Now I am no advocate for slavery, I do not own any, I do not hire any. But I am not sure that slavery is the worst sin or even the besetting sin of this nation I can conceive of sins more heinous in the sight of God than slavery. - We are all very well; the children I am sorry to say are not at school this season. The military have taken the city schools for hospitals. We had an army of one hundred thousand men once around our city for several days but now they have now gone out into the interior of the State to meet the rebels and a very bloody battle has been fought at Perryville, killing large numbers of men on both sides. - I cannot see any end to this war, and unless God interposes in some way we may go on killing each other which is an awful thought. We certainly have a very imbecile administration, from the President down and until we can place in power a different sort of statesman, we have little hope for any change. The party in power were elected upon a dangerous platform and it evidently was their desire to change the state of things in the Southern States and any man who has read their ravings and doings, can see that no nation can prosper with such men in power. In the loyal North, men are arrested and put in prison without charge being made against them, let out again without trial. In this city large numbers of people have been put in jail, some of them my personal friends, good men, elders in the church for no other reason than being in sympathy with the South. Andrew wrote to his mother on 26th December 1862, (Letter 11) telling her that the rebels had again entered the state and General Morgan and his cavalry are within forty miles of the city and there are few soldiers to prevent them entering should they wish to do so, but he has no fear for his personal safety and he hopes that his mother does not worry about him. He wrote to his sister Janet on 4th March 1863, (Letter 12) telling her that the schools have Map showing General Morgans Raid and as well as Fort reopened but the war had caused prices to rise, Sumter at Charleston, and the battlefields of Stones River, especially cotton goods which will soon be beyond the
Chattanooga and Knoxville. This raid threatened the inhabitants of Louisville. 37

reach of poor people. He hopes that God will speedily withdraw the heavy hand which has been laid upon us. You know dear sister that I have been opposed to this war from the first and upon the principle that no good could be accomplished by it. - There is no doubt that the radical party in power, I mean the Abolitionists, desire war in order to carry out their plans of destroying an institution in the South with which they have no right. - I make this prediction that if this war is continued much longer, all our liberty in America is gone and we will have a despotism here which will have no equal upon the continent of Europe. Congress has passed an act of conscription which calls into the Military all able bodied men between the ages of 20 to 40. On the 17th March 1863, (Letter 25) James wrote to his brother-in-law telling him that he is now working for the Government at the Depot of Army Clothing and Equipage. There is no war news of great importance. There has been no great battle since Murfreeshon, (Stones River) but we are daily expecting to hear of important movements on the Mississippi River and also in Tennessee. The condition of the roads for some time has prevented active campaigning. The London Times is Union General Ambrose Burnside being found out now; it has been unscrupulous and scandalous in its statements. It led several western campaigns. never did represent the sentiments of the English people except a small minority who hate a Republican form of Government. Andrew was an American citizen and in a letter (No. 13) to his sister of 10th June 1863, he says:I have just been enrolled and will have to take my chance for the draft to fight the battles of King Abe so that he may give freedom to the negro. - I suppose you have seen that the rebel Stonewall Jackson has fallen fighting. In Kentucky we are comparatively quiet at present having no rebels in the state and our generals are employed mainly in escorting noble Ladies beyond the lines especially if they happen to have husbands in the South. We are having trouble with servants and at the moment are without one, the last one was too fond of the bottle. Aunt Lizzie (his brother Jamess wife) has black servants but I have always been so much of an anti-slavery man that I did not wish to encourage the vile system, but will probably after all have one. In Jamess letter (No. 26) of 17th September 1863, James writes to his sister about the course of the war:Confederate General Thomas Stonewall Jackson The union army is still killed by friendly fire at Chancellorsville. progressing; they have just cleared the Rebels out of East and Middle Tennessee. General Burnside has taken possession of Knoxville. Rosecrans has taken Chattanooga which gives a foothold in Georgia and all of middle Tennessee. General Gilmour is thundering at the gates of Charleston and no doubt in a short while will have taken possession of the city. In Andrews next letter (No. 14) dated 13th September 1864, written to his sister we find a change in his attitude to America. We have a terrible state of things in our state of Kentucky. We are living under a perfect military despotism. Men are arrested, kept in prison and by the payment of a considerable sum of money are allowed to go at large. Corruption runs riot. We are piling up a debt which we can never pay. I am confident that Lincoln with the power of the government to back him will be re-elected or will reelect himself and thus inflict upon us another four years reign. If such an event should come to pass I certainly should not care to stay in America. Do you think Union General Wm. Tecumseh Sherman that I could get anything to do in England by which I could support my family in Credited by some as being comparative comfort? the first modern general.
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However, he never had to fight as he explains in a letter (No. 15) to his mother on 27th October 1864:About six weeks ago little Carrie was taken with scarlet fever and a few days following I was attacked with the same disease which confined me to the house for a little over two weeks. But to add to our trials, I was drafted into the army two days before I was taken sick which gave me a great deal of trouble, not being able to go out to find a substitute which I had to furnish or go myself and which cost me $12,000 or about 2140 pounds sterling. My friends presented me with a large part of the amount which was gratifying to me besides a great relief. - You The American Civil War certainly captured the will ask, being a British subject, why were you drafted, and if imagination of Andrew and James Davidson. drafted, why were you compelled to go into the army or find a substitute? You remember dear mother what a great lover of America I was years ago; well, about eight years ago I declared my intention to become an American Citizen and which I have had ample time to repent of since; that act makes me liable to do military duty like any other able bodied American. Jamess letter (No. 27) to his sister dated 22nd February 1865 is written on Washingtons Birthday and signals that the war is nearly over. This is Washingtons Birthday and is a holiday in many parts of the country and especially in the Government Departments. We are also made glad by the official announcement of the capture of Charleston, South Carolina, by the U.S. Forces under the gallant General Sherman. The flag of freedom and of the union now floats over the Cradle of the rebellion, and over the ruins of Fort Sumter. The time of the end is drawing nigh. I suppose you have all heard of the Constitutional Amendment which as soon as ratified by three quarters of the states becomes a law abolishing slavery forever in the United States of America. The last letter (No. 29) from James dated 20th April 1865 is to his mother and is entirely a eulogy on the death of Abraham Lincoln, no mention at all of any family matters. Under peculiarly, sad and solemn circumstances I address you. You have doubtless ere this reaches you heard the intelligence of the assassination of our much beloved and deeply lamented President. The whole loyal portion of this vast country is mourning in a great bitterness of heart, as one household, over the untimely fall of a tried and very dear and precious friend. The fatal bullet which pierced the head of Abraham Lincoln did indeed pierce the heart of the American Nation and of lovers of freedom, justice, law and order and Representational Government throughout the civilized world. Yesterday was a solemn day in Louisville. There were services in many of the churches and a very large procession marched through the principle streets about the hour the funeral would take place at Washington. We did not know how much we loved Abraham Lincoln until last Saturday morning. What a great article! If you have any knowledge of either John George Davidson, died 1965 Louisville KY, or a Morris Way Davidson, died 1965, also in Louisville KY, please let me know.

Hither, Thither & Yon

This article is a follow-on from previous articles published in The Sporran regarding the project to restore the homestead of the grandparents of the Davidsons of Harley Davidson fame. This project was taken on by a group of Harley-Davidson motorcycle lovers in Scotland. Nick Hide, the CDA-UK font of ever-lasting energy in UK, sends the information that follows. Netherton Cottage, near Brechin, Angus, Scotland By Nick Hide, London The Davidson Legacy Project to restore the original family home of the Davidson family behind the famous American Harley-Davidson motor cycle business reached an important milestone on Saturday 14 July 2012.
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Project leaders: From Left, Keith MacKintosh, Maggie Sherrit & Mike Sinclair

After four years of hard work by the Netherton-based project team who have raised the funds and undertaken the painstaking restoration work themselves, the Cottage was opened. Pipes were played, short speeches were made, and simple ceremonies marked the occasion. Representatives from Harley-Davidson in the USA, and the Clan Davidson Association in the UK took part. It was from this cottage that the Davidson family migrated to the USA in the 1850s, and later founded the famous motorcycle business with William S. Harley, from Cambridgeshire. As the Cottage site itself could not possibly hold a large scale A job well done! The restored Davidson ceremony, separate events to mark the cottage stands as a testimony to the dedication occasion were held in nearby Brechin. to those who took part in its restoration. This small city with its historic cathedral played host to a major rally of HOGS [Harley Owner Groups] from across the UK. This was an extraordinary event with hundreds of bikers parading in and around this historic town. Every sort of Harley-Davidson bike and owner took part. The bikes gleamed in the sunshine, the music was loud, the hamburgers were sold in thousands, and the whole community turned out for hours to watch and stare, while the distinctive roar of the Harley-Davidson engines could be heard across this part of Angus for most of the day. The atmosphere was magnificent and enormous fun. I suspect the people The town of Brechin reverberates with the of Brechin will be talking about this event for generations. sound of a BUNCH of Harleys. The Davidson family from Netherton is well and truly on the map now.

Is there any subject emanating from Scotland that generates more controversy than Nessie? Heres the latest round of photos churning the pot! The Most Convincing Nessie Photograph Ever: Skipper Claims To Have Finally Found Proof That Loch Ness Monster Exists from the Daily Mail, August 3, 2012 By Matt Blake He has dedicated more than two decades of his life to the hunt for the elusive Loch Ness monster, spending 60 hours a week on the water. And now George Edwards believes he has finally fulfilled his ambition of spotting Nessie; he even has photographic evidence to prove it. Mr Edwards, who has spent 26 years on his quest, managed to capture this image of a dark hump slinking in and out of the lakes waters from the deck of his boat, Nessie Hunter, before it vanished back into the deep. He claims the picture is the best-ever taken of the Loch Ness Monster and proves once and for all that the elusive leviathan exists - and is definitely not a sturgeon. He says he has even had it independently verified by a team of US military monster experts as well as a Nessie sighting specialist. Mr Edwards spends his life on the loch - around 60 hours a week - taking tourists out on his boat Nessie Hunter IV, Nessie Spotter and has led numerous Nessie hunts over the years. George Edwards I was just about to return to Temple Pier (in Drumnadrochit) and I went to the back of the boat which was facing the pier and thats when I saw it, said 60-year-old Mr Edwards, a lifelong believer in the monster. It was slowly moving up the loch towards Urquhart Castle and it was a dark grey colour. It was quite a fair way from the boat, probably about half a mile away but its difficult to tell in water. After watching the object for five to ten minutes, Mr Edwards said it slowly sank below the surface and never resurfaced. Im convinced I was seeing Nessie as I Urquhart Castle believe in these creatures. Far too many people have being seeing them for far too long, in the setting sunlight.
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he said. The first recorded sighting was in 565AD and there have been thousands of eye witness reports since then. All these people cant be telling lies. And the fact the reports stretch over so many years mean there cant just be one of them. Im convinced there are several monsters. Steve Feltham, who has dedicated the past 21 years to hunting for Nessie was unequivocval. It is the best photograph I think I have ever seen, he said. From his base on Dores beach and has studied many Nessie sighting photographs. I think the images are fantastic - thats the animal I have been looking for all this time, he said yesterday. I would say it doesnt prove Nessie at a distance what Nessie is, but it does prove what Nessie isnt, a sturgeon which is a fish that has been put forward as one of the main explanations as to what Nessie could be but this hasnt got a serrated spine like the sturgeon. I hung around for a good half-an-hour and used the deep scanning sonar to try and pick it up, but Im afraid I had no luck at all. Mr Edwards took the photo at 9am on 2nd November last year on a compact Samsung digital camera that he always keeps on the boat. Before releasing it publicly he sent it to the USA for analysis, though he cant reveal further details. I did not want to mention my sighting until I was sure that I had not photographed a log or something inanimate in the water, he said. I have friends in the USA who have friends in the military. They had my photo analysed and they have no doubt that I photographed an animate object in the water. I was really excited as I am sure that some strange creatures are lurking in the depths of Loch Ness.
Nessie close-up

To be continued, Im sure, over and over and over and

Auld Lang Syne, beloved of all...

In sentimental American movies, Robert Burns Auld Lang Syne is sung by crowds at the big New Year finale in Bangkok and Beijing it is so ubiquitous a song of togetherness and sad farewells they presume it must be an old Thai or Chinese folk song! In France it is the song which eases the pain of parting with the hope that we will all see each other again. Oui, nous nous reverrons, mes frres, ce nest quun au revoir. Auld Lang Syne is one of Scotlands gifts to the world, recalling the love and kindness of days gone by, but in the communion of taking our neighbours hands, it also gives us a sense of belonging and fellowship to take into the future. It is one of the many folk songs from the great Lowland Scots tradition collected and fashioned by the pen of one of the worlds greatest songwriters. Burns devoted the last years of his life to the song tradition, and often a mere fragment from some old ballad was transformed by his alchemy into a memorable love song or Scots poem. With Auld Lang Syne, though, the brilliance was already there; this is the Bards first mention of it in a letter to Mrs. Dunlop in 1788: ... Light be the turf on the breast of the heaven inspired Poet who composed this glorious fragment. One of the most interesting facts is that the Auld Lang Syne tune which is sung from Times Square to Tokyo, and has conquered the world, is not the one to which Robert Burns put the original words. The older tune, however, is still sung by traditional singers. It has a more douce, gentle, nostalgic feel to it than the popular tune a mood evoked by the subtle use of the traditional air sung by Mairi Campbell in the first Sex and the City movie.

However, whichever tune it is sung to, and wherever in the world it is sung, Auld Lang Syne retains the great emotional resonance of the original traditional song of the Scottish people of those days in the distant past. Lets leave the last word to Burns himself... ... is not the Scots phrase, Auld Lang Syne, exceedingly expressive there is an old song and tune which has often thrilled thro my soul.
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The Runnable Stag by John Davidson

The image of the Scottish Highland Stag has long been associated with Clan Davidson. The next piece is a poem written by John Davidson (1857 - 1909), a Scottish poet, translator, novelist, and man of letters, well respected by his peers and the public at large. The material was sent to me by our own Woman of Letters, award-winning author, Ruth Ellinger. When the pods went pop on the broom, green broom, And apples began to be golden-skinn'd, We harbour'd a stag in the Priory coomb, And we feather'd his trail up-wind, up-wind, We feather'd his trail up-windA stag of warrant, a stag, a stag, A runnable stag, a kingly crop, Brow, bay and tray and three on top, A stag, a runnable stag. Then the huntsman's horn rang yap, yap yap, And 'Forwards' we heard the harbourer shout; But 'twas only a brocket that broke a gap In the beechen underwood, driven out, From the underwood antler'd out By warrant and might of the stag, the stag, The runnable stag, whose lordly mind Was bent on sleep though beam'd and tined He stood, a runnable stag So we tufted the covert till afternoon With Tinkerman's Pup and Bell- of-the-North; And hunters were sulky and hounds out of tune Before we tufted the right stag forth, Before we tufted him forth, The stag of warrant, the wily stag, The runnable stag with his kingly crop, Brow, bay and tray and three on top, The royal and runnable stag. It was Bell-of-the-North and Tinkerman's Pup That stuck to the scent till the copse was drawn. 'Tally ho! tally ho!' and the hunt was up, The tufters whipp'd and the pack laid on, The resolute pack laid on, And the stag of warrant away at last, The runnable stag, the same, the same, His hoofs on fire, his horns like flame, A stag, a runnable stag. 'Let your gelding be: if you check or chide He stumbles at once and you're out of the hunt For three hundred gentlemen, able to ride, On hunters accustom'd to bear the brunt, Accustom'd to bear the brunt, Are after the runnable stag, the stag, The runnable stag with his kingly crop,

Brow, bay and tray and three on top, The right, the runnable stag. By perilous paths in coomb and dell, The heather, the rocks, and the river-bed, The pace grew hot, for the scent lay well, And a runnable stag goes right ahead, The quarry went right ahead-Ahead, ahead, and fast and far; His antler'd crest, his cloven hoof, Brow, bay and tray and three aloof, The stag, the runnable stag. For a matter of twenty miles and more, By the densest hedge and the highest wall, Through herds of bullocks lie baffled the lore Of harbourer, huntsman, hounds and all, Of harbourer, hounds and all The stag of warrant, the wily stag, For twenty miles, and five and five, He ran, and he never was caught alive, This stag, this runnable stag. When he turn'd at bay in the leafy gloom, In the emerald gloom where the brook ran deep He heard in the distance the rollers boom, And he saw In a vision of peaceful sleep In a wonderful vision of sleep, A stag of warrant, a stag, a stag, A runnable stag in a jewell'd bed, Under the sheltering ocean dead, A stag, a runnable stag. So a fateful hope lit up his eye, And he open'd his nostrils wide again, And he toss'd his branching antlers high As he headed the hunt down the Charlock glen, As he raced down the echoing glen For five miles more, the stag, the stag, For twenty miles, and five and five, Not to be caught now, dead or alive, The stag, the runnable stag. Three hundred gentleman, able to ride, Three hundred horses as gallant and free, Beheld him escape on the evening tide, Far out till he sank in the Severn Sea, Till he sank in the depths of the sea The stag, the buoyant stag, the stag That slept at last in a jewell'd bed Under the sheltering ocean spread, The stag, the runnable stag.

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Clan Davidson Society Membership Roster

New Members Since 12/1/2012
Name Davidson , Adam - Safia Davidson , Dale Davidson , Jean L. Davidson , Jeff - Joan Davidson , Jeffrey - Teresa Davidson , Joseph - Casandra Davidson , Robert - Susan Davis , John - Shauna Davis , John - Susan Davis , Phyllis Davis , Richard - Melissa Dawson , David - Julie Day , Glen - Elizabeth Day , Peggy Dey , Miriam Ford , Ameira Fraley , Anne - Ken Harvey , Paul - Wreatha Hicks , Bruce - Shannon Lyons , James - Blythe McCord , Kevin McWilliams , Linda - Daniel Morgan , Diane - Danny Oliver , Teresa - Bruce Seibert , Jane Address 3990 Riverside Park Macon 19942 Carmania 2417 Creekstone 859 Jones Road #28 1409 Brenner Street 1256 East Oak 12711 Candlewood 310 Lochaven Rd GA 31210 USA 478 390-5449 adamj.davidson85@gmail.com USA 714 962-5296 Daleharguess4@gmail.com USA 865 268-5610 rev2jean@gmail.com USA 530 671-6457 j.davidson@msn.com

Huntington Beach CA 92646 Maryville Yuba City Nashville Woodland Hudson Waxhaw TN 37804 CA 95991

TN 37221- USA 615 646-1702 tenliving@comcast.net CA 95776 FL 34667 USA 707 761-9024 davidson75@gmail.com USA 317 514-7105 Bobhfy@aol.com USA 210 862-1104 johndavis_2012@yahoo.com USA 434 792-0998 suebeelake@comcast.net USA 901 830-9564 pixiephyl@att.net USA 757 451-3170 richarddavis1960@cox.net USA 813 661-5340 dist1995@yahoo.com USA 712 767-2343 dundeebeehoneyday@yahoo.com USA 865 696-8611 daypeggy58@yahoo.com USA 910 527-4519 miriam.dey@safety-kleen.com USA Wallflowerstudio@aol.com

NC 28173 VA 24541 TN 38016 VA 23505 FL IA 33547 51566

147 Pendleton Road Danville 9116 Deer Meadow 414 Hariton Court 17121 Falconridge 1137 G Avenue 582 Kyker Circle 4271 Highstakes 96038 Heath Point 1613 Lilac Drive 5411 Ridge Road Cordova Norfolk Lithia Red Oak Seymour Parkton

TN 37865 NC 28371 32034

Fernandina Beach FL Lebanon Lockport

TN 37084 NY 14094 NC 27406 DC 20016 TN 37091 KY 40741 TX 79922 AZ 85362 IL 62565

USA 615 453-9620 wolfdance9@gmail.com USA 716 433-3195 ridge5411@embarqmail.com USA 336 674-9222 USA 202 362-1392 jlyons@rowman.com USA 931 359-8921 kd7zrw@aol.com USA 606 862-4036 linda_mcwilliams3@hotmail.com USA 915 584-8584 dianemorgan@danielrogersdavidso USA 928 231-3921 dinkyduckles@yahoo.com USA USA 949 363-1293 rnbjstreetta@aol.com USA 479 561-1505 Sararobinwright1@juno.com Cana clanyoung@hotmail.com

4603 Bentford Road Greensboro 5135 Rockwood Washington

584 Douglas Avenue Lewisburg 317 Maplesville 4201 Siete Leguas P.O. Box 271 1011 West North London El Paso Yarnell Shelbyville

Street , Beverly - Ronald Wright , Sara Young , Douglas -

25111 Sanoria Street Laguna Niguel 5221 Johnson - Apt. Fort Smith 5197 Conc. 5, R.R. New Lowell

CA 92677 AR 72904 Ont L0M

Davidson Organizations Around The World

In addition to our own Clan Davidson Society (USA), there are three other Davidson organizations to be found in the world. All of these sister branches publish newsletters and journals from which your Sennachie frequently and cheerfully reives material. Please feel free to support these fine worldwide Davidson efforts!

Australia
Clan Davidson Society in Australia, Pres. Dr. Frank Davidson, 23 Elizabeth St., Paddington NSW 2021, Australia Annual subscription is AUD25 per year.

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Clan Davidson Society (USA) David G. Chagnon Sennachie & Membership Registrar 7004 Barberry Drive North Little Rock AR 72118 USA

Address Service Requested

New Zealand
Clan Davidson Society In New Zealand, Maureen MacDonald, Secretary, 10 Kingston Street, Lower Hutt, New Zealand Membership is $35 Annual; Lifetime Check with CDS-NZ

United Kingdom
The Clan Davidson Association., Nick Hide, Hon. Membership Secretary, 58 Chandos Avenue, Whetstone, London N20 DO, UK Membership is 20 BP per year (approx. $32); Lifetime Check with CDA-UK

Thanks From The Sennachie

The Sennachie would like to thank all the contributors for their thoughtful submission of material for this newsletter. The Sennachie offers heartfelt apologies for any heavy-handed editing to which he may have subjected these submissions! Once again an extra special thanks to ALL the contributors who so thoughtfully submitted their material to the butchery of the Sennachie. Without their efforts, you folks would have to live with my efforts... and we all know how pitiful they can be! An extra special thanks to all the Regional Directors who graced us with the Reports and photos; also, John Lisle & Diane Morgan; Jim Davidson; Robin Crofton; Nick Hide; Mike Davis; and everyone who provided photos of the various activities to be found in this issue. For a current copy of the Officer List, a current Membership Roster or a ton of other information about the Clan Davidson Society (USA), go on-line to our website at http://clandavidsonusa.com. The Sporran is published semi-annually in January and July. Written material may be submitted to the Sennachie on paper, CD, to my snail mail address (7004 Barberry Drive, North Little Rock AR 72118), or electronically via Internet email to sennachie@earthlink.net. Cut-off dates for submissions are May 15th and November 15th, more or less.

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