It is worth noting that Scotland, in the early days, was pioneered by the
Vikings, Celts, Picts, and Norsemen. The land was free for the taking.
Much of it was in big areas and controlled by the different tribes of the
times. Some were as large as one hundred and eighty (180) miles and
could not e patrolled by the owners, so different sections were laid off by
large chiefs of the different clans. They built castles and keeps for their
setps, which let to quarrels and fights between the clans and the Septs, and
later the rulers of strongholds. As the clans grew, more land was
needed. Strict limits had to be imposed. The general practice at
that time was as much land as a man could cover in a day's time, with a
lighted torch, and be back to where he started b dark.
A woman could also have land if she was a direct descendant, but only what she
could cover in a day's time, leading a two year-old cow. This was
practiced for many years. About the 10th or 11th century, this practice
was changed as society developed. The larger clans and castles were then
needed to protect their septs and slaves from other clans and slaves from
other clans that were established.
Then came the Kirks and Churches with their different laws and religions to
live by. If a man killed another man, he was tried and was handed hot
stones or pieces of hot metal to hold in his hands for a full measure of
time. They were not interested in the burns they got. They had to
return to the Godi or Priest in 5 to 7 days. The Godi or Priest would look at
their hands. If they were clean and healing, he was a free man regardless of
his crime, but if his hands were festered and not clean and healing, he was to
be killed by cutting off his head. If one hand was healing good and the other
wan not healing, the hand not healing was cut off as his punishment.
Beginning in about 930, there was a meeting held each year called the meeting
of "All Things". It was what you would say was the people's
General Assembly. An elected law speaker would recite from memory one
third of the legal code of the land. The entire code took three years at
a time. A new lawspeaker was elected by the ones who were present. If
need be, the laws were amended or adjusted to whatever the case might
be. Marriages were performed. Great contests were held.
Games and merrymaking and sometimes bloody fights broke out between clans over
grievances of both old and new.
The "All Things" was Europe's first parliament and was by no means
democratic, for all the real power was vested in 36 prominent land
owners. Such land owners were called a Godi or a Priest.
There were only two ways to settle disputes and feuds at that time in
history. That was almost complete extermination between clans unless it
was carried to the "All Things" for settlement. Here, the
justice was asked. Ass Things would get together and say, "Come
before us and state your case." All Things then would declare one
party guilty and condemn him outside the law of existence. he or they
were then free game for one and all. The All Things would make payment
of "Wergild" of blood money for each man slain. This was for a
period of years or for their entire life. Then, anyone who fed or
sheltered them was under the same sentence. This did away with many
small tribes and clans, putting them under the Septs and slaves of large land
owners, Godi, and Priest. Some religious orders gave them protection.
Those who roamed the wilderness would change their names and start new clans
and tribes under other clans. Some of them were sent to the islands off-shore
of the mainlands where the large landowners had placed hogs to be raised for
themselves and furnish meat and sport for hunting. This is where some of the
big clans were formed. They lived there for years and became independent and
grew, built large forts and castles and defended themselves against the
mainland owners. They set their own religious beliefs and their own laws
to govern themselves.
About this time in history, the earliest inhabitants of the area around Loch
Lomond were the Caledonia tribes of "People of the Woods."
Traces of their movements and culture can be gathered today through a close
look at the many burial cairns, free standing stones, stone circles, and old
cup and ring carvings which stand today. However, the cairns and stones
are markings of the neolithic peiod.
With the advance of the Roman armies, the Caledonia tribes were pushed north
of Antonines wall which was built between the fort and the Clyde River cutting
Scotland apart. Remains of the last Roman fort on the line at old
Kilpatrick is still apparent today and is being dug out on the hillside in
some places. Old lead pipe are still underground with running water just
as it was used int he old Roman fort.
With the departure of the Romans in the third century A. D., the Ancient
Kingdom of Strath Clyde came into being. This Kingdom embraced the Loch Lomond
area entirely, stretching south beyond Carlisle with Dalriado kindom of the
Celts to the northwest and Pictland to the East. A stone clash Nam Breatann or
"Stone of Britons" marks the junction of these three ancient
kingdoms still standing in the lonely Glen Fallsh today.
In the sixth century A. D. Christianity had taken roots and one of the first
martrydoms for faith in that country took place at Luss where St. Kessog was
martyred for the cause. In alter years, while road improvements were being
made nearby, a stone effigy believed to be that of the Saint was found buried.
This stone, which is of great antiquity now, rests for everyone to see in the
local church at Luss.
Like the weather, Loch Lomond's history has seldom remained settled for
long. The worst scenes of carnage took place in 1263 when the Vikings
under King Hakkon of Norway carried out a lightning commando raid, laying
waste to most all the clans on the shores of Loch Lomond. By manhandling their
long boats over the narrow isthmus (1 1/2 miles wide) the fearful warriors
launched a frightful surprise attack on all in their way. They took all they
wanted and burned the rest.
The next shameful scene highlighting man's inhumanity to man took place at
Glen Fruin or the "Glen of the Weeping" as it was sometimes called
in February of 1603.
The clans on the Loch side at that time in history were the MacFarlanes, Gows,
Buchanans, Calquahauns and the outlawed MacGregors. The clan chosen to enforce
the laws was drawn mainly from the Calquahauns, since they were the largest
clan. Then the MacGregors got the MacFarlanes to join them and to fight the
Calquahauns on moon light raids on everyone. This went on for several years
until most all the clans helped in the effort to catch Allistair MacGregor and
other chieftains, tried, and executed them. Their limbs were displayed to
discourage any others from the horrors of the MacGregors. King James, at that
time, when such hazardous acts were being committed, was also compiling the
English version of the Holy Bible.
Today, the hillsides and valleys are covered with the ruins of the 15th and
16th centuries. Old Kirks (churches) of that time with walls still
standing mark the place and the graveyards with many different symbols of the
different beliefs of mankind.
In these parts, I came across some of the old sheep ponds still being used.
They were circles of stones with one side open where the sheep were kept at
night to protect them from cold, wolves, foxes, and hungry people. They
were fed there with salted leaves from the woods where the people had walked
the leaves in the woods in the fall of the year. This is still a practice in
some parts of Scotland.
Some of the tombstones were marked with the old numerals used before the Roman
numerals were used. I had the Gaelic numerals translated, so I would be able
to read some of the dates. It was the old way they used to ount sheep and it
is still used in some places. It was brought to this country by some of the
old Scots and to Vineland by the Vikings.
1 - Yan, 2 - Tyan, 3 - Tethern, 4 -
Methern, 5 - Pimp, 6 - Sethera, 7 -
Lethera, 8 - Hovera, 9 - Dovera, 10 -
Dick, 11 - Yan Dick, 12 - Tyan Dick,
13 - Tethera Dick, 14 - Methera Dick, 15 - Bumfit, 16 - Yan
Bumfit, 17 - Tyan Bumfit, 18 - Thethera Bumfit,
19 - Methera Bumfit, 20 - Giggot
These old numerals were found where the sheep were sold in the fall of the
year before the hard winters began. The shepherds would sell what they
could for that year and have a big supper, a sing song, tell jokes and
old tales. Most of this was held at Gowbarrow Hall, a meeting place in
South Central Scotland, about 20 miles from Loch Lomond. Nearby was an
old Kirk or church with a new one on the same spot where the old one once
stood. The records there went way back, almost complete since
1613. With the help of the pastor of this church, I was able to unlock a
lot of history and to translate a lot of information on the Gows, MacGows,
MacGowan and the Smiths, as this was the last stronghold for them. After their
battle there, they scattered to the four winds with some of the many clans and
some on the Isle of the Mull, but no real clan was ever together again.
Here is the place I found by true ancestors' graves and their markers. David,
the son of David, was the chief of the old Smith Clan "Emery" in
1644. However, the old church records show 1666, but the tombstones show
1644. Some of the stones are so badly worn by the weather, you can't
make them out, but the big huge stone of David, the son of David, is still
visible. I was able to get information from some of the descendants who
are still living in that area. We received help from Rev. W. J. Morris, who is
a PHD, and has been there for many years. He helped my wife and me for
more than a week.
David had four sons and three daughters. The four sons had large families.
Their sons left Scotland on William's ship out of Glasgow for America. Most of
them were forced to leave the British Crown. Some came with the name of Gow,
others with the name of Smith, but all of them were of the same family.
Changing their names did not help. They were still forced to leave
Scotland with seven years to serve for the Drown for crimes they had placed
against them to rid Scotland of as many as possible.
The four sons of David had many sons, who spread from Pitlochry in the central
hills of Scotland, Tayside, Blairgowry and Perth on back to Dumbarton and
Ballock on the southern tip of Loch Lomond. There were some of the family
members who left Tarbet and settled on the Isle of Jura. Some of this
familoy on the Isle of Jura came to Fayetteville, N. C. and on up to Moore
County at Lobelia, just south of Vass.
My great grandfather (Thomas Thin Smith) roamed the highland of central
Scotland as a blacksmith, pot mender and lead washer. He is supposed to be
buried at Callander, but I couldn't find the place. There is no
marker. He was the son of James. My grandfather was born there in
1829. My grandfather's sister, Ruth, was born there in 1832 and died in
1893. She was also a lead washer. She had a marker erected there. Her
children and great grandchildren are still in the area today and were a lot of
help to me. She had an older sister who lived in Comnock. They did not
know much about her. That was 50 or 75 miles away.
From what I could piece together, the families of this group seem to have lots
of ties with one another. The old history was there, but very few dates. The
ones who went to America that they knew aout were John, David, Elijah, Joseph,
James, Sarah, and Edward. I found that Elijah Smith came to American in
1772 to Elizabeth City and married Prentince Williams, the daughter of the
Barnes Williams family for which he was indebted for seven years' labor under
the drown. Elijah's brother, Joseph, arrived in Edenton, N. C., in 1766,
and worked his time out with a merchant and farmer. A Frenchman pain ship
passages and fines for Scotch, Irish, and Negro immigrants who landed in
Edenton Ports. he then let large land holders pay him for their labor or sold
them to the people who could buy them. He was never looked upon as a slave
dealer, only a good merchant, farmer, and businessman. Joseph came as a
Scottish Gow. His son Joe married Chowan Indian and raised a large
family at Rockyhock on the Chowan River.
There were several Smiths who arrived in Edenton, Elizabeth City, and Newbern,
N. C. Ships loaded with immigrants from Scotland or Ireland were not
allowed to land anywhere north of Norfolk, VA., from about 1750 to 1760.
They were driven away by the British. The Scots and Irish couldn't own
land and were starving to death during the long hard winters, and the British
would not feed them for their labor. The last boat load was driven into
the German and Dutch settlements in western Pennsylvania by the people in
Philadelphia. many starved or froze to death. In 1747, the Tartans and
Twes were forbidden in Scotland, Ireland, and England, so they had very little
to cover their bodies. There were put into prison if they were caught wearing
plaids of any kind. That is why so many Scots were sent to America to work for
the Crown for seven (7) years. They were caught for wearing plaids to keep
warm. They had very few other garments to wear to keep them warm at that time.
Elijah's only son by Prentince Williams raised his family in Dumplin County on
the Little Cape Fear River. His name was David. He was very young when
his mother died. Elijah then married Nancy Freeman, who had several sons and
daughter for him: Henton, John, Alfred, David, Ralph and others. David married
Mateldia Tootle. John married Lemmidine Rilley Tootle. It is very
difficult to tell which David it was that traveled with the salt wagons from
Fayetteville, N. C. to Moore, Randolph, Guilford, and Yadkin counties on the
old Yadkin Road to the foothills of the blue Ridge Moutains. It was
called the Cape Fear Trade Route that ran from Wilmington, N. C. to
Fayetteville, N. C. by boats and then on wagons to Old Salem and to the
foothills of the mountains.
James Smith as the oldest one I traced from Scotland, and he was with William
Williams, son of Robert Williams. He was given a land grant of
21,000 acres to create trade for England in Virginia, so he gave up being a
captain on a ship he was operating for the Crown of England. James Smith lived
in Virginia until he died. His sons then began to leave all the land they had
helped their father clear and plant. It went back to the Williams.
They could only have land to live on if they cleared it and built houses to
live in. Whatever they had, one-half of the crop and livestock went to the
land owner. This was common practice at that time in history with the ones who
did not own land.