Help me find my clan :(

[Meggers]

I consider myself a pretty intelligent woman but I have a hard time wrapping my mind around exactly what a Scottish clan is and was. I have a few specific questions specific to my name (though I hope it helps other confused individuals) and I need a little organization with my facts.

I have one of the most common Scottish last names (Walker) and Ive had two different accounts of clans that I could very well be linked to. One of them is Clan MacGregor and the other is Clan MacMillan. Now, Walker is an English word but my family is not English. My Walkers are from Scotland--not England. Therefore, if I am not mistaken, our name was Anglicised from what it originally was in Scotland which I have learned, through just surfing the web, was MacNucator.

Neither "Walker" nor "MacNucator" are clans but both have been tied to other clans. MacNucator, Walker, and MacGregor share a clan crest and motto and I have been told by a MacGregor here on the boards that Walker was an alias used by the Gregors at one time. However, one cannot claim MacGregor ancestry unless one finds a MacGregor in their line? True? False? Im assuming true. I, personally, do not feel comfortable claiming clan ties if it's not certain. I like romanticising things sometimes, but I want this to be legitimate.

Today, I also found out from another wonderful member that the Walkers are a sept group of Clan MacMillan. I did some poking around on the MacMillan website and found that Walkers are pretty much openly embraced as a legitimate offshoot and would be welcomed into the clan just like anyone else bearing a sept name or even the MacMillan name as long as we register with the clan.

Now, is that even legitimate? How does one ever really find their clan if their last name is as common as mine? Can a last name like Walker really be tied to a clan at all since it's occupational? I have a hard time truly understanding how the clans work in the first place so researching this has been extra confusing for me.

[Downunder Kilt]

Meggars, you can have the most scottish of surnames but not neccesarily have guaranteed association with a clan. The best way is to trace your ancestory back as far as you can to a area in Scotland. If you can trace it back to a clan area prior to the mid-18th century, there is a good chance that that your family name was a part of the clan in that area. Unless you have a family tree going back to a known person within a clan at a particular time there are no done deals that you decended from a particular clan, the best you can hope for is a educated guess

[Friday]

Deleted repeat of prior post.

[Meggers]

Meggars, you can have the most scottish of surnames but not neccesarily have guaranteed association with a clan. The best way is to trace your ancestory back as far as you can to a area in Scotland. If you can trace it back to a clan area prior to the mid-18th century, there is a good chance that that your family name was a part of the clan in that area. Unless you have a family tree going back to a known person within a clan at a particular time there are no done deals that you decended from a particular clan, the best you can hope for is a educated guess

Thats pretty hard for me to do from America. My great^3 grandfather had the most common of Scottish names. lol. James Walker. Ive searched for him high and low and have nothing but the death certificate of his son in which James is mentioned as father and birth place is "Scotland." No town, no area, no nothing.

Drat when families dont feel its important to record these simple things down!

[auld argonian]

Downunder is right. Without direct knowledge of who lived where and when, it's just inference. Consider all of the people that I know that come from Eastern European families that Anglicized their surnames long ago for one reason or another...how would they figure their lineage out? Too many variables along the way. For most people who undertake these genealogical quests, it's a long journey but one that can be surprising and enjoyable. The family member who did most of the legwork for the Scottish side of my family did it all int the 1920's and 1930's so that was by traveling and by domestic and international mail...no internet involved.

Good luck and enjoy the research.

Best

AA

[MacMillans son]

Meggers,
I am certainly no expert, but the only real definitive answer to the question "What clan do I belong in?" is to follow your actual family line to it's actual clan connection. Understanding the challenges of accurately going way back, you may need to be satisfied with what you can reasonably expect based on the information that you do have. When you factor in anyone with any name may have been associated with the dominant clan in the region in which they lived, regardless of their own name, the possibilities are seemingly endless. Were your Walker family members firmly planted in MacDonald country, Chatten country, Gregor country, or possibly married into MacMillan, Ogalvie, Cunningham clans? You get the idea. Without knowing the actual specifics of your family, you may be left with the "Reasonable expectations based on what you Do know" way of determining your clan affiliation.

Of course, others with more experience than I may have some other ideas.

Best of luck in your quest!

EDIT: Sorry, slow to post, this is essentially what has already been said by the others

[Meggers]

*sigh*

Well, if anyone hears anything of a James Walker who married a Margaret Smith and had a son named Daniel Walker in 1870 then let me know. lol. I think these family members have the most common name ever. It's like asking to find a Jim Bob in New York City married to Jane Olson.

[Downunder Kilt]

Meggars, on the internet there are many free resources for checking up scottish ancestors, eg census rolls for a number of years. You can look for a James Walker using a educated guess of DOB, same for a Magaret Smith If they were together when a census was taken you may have your relatives. Many of the pay sites let you search for free and tell you if there are any records and often provide a hint of record which could provide a clur to another area to search.

Here is a site which maybe of help
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/?u...FchMpgodvk4Ahw

And some others
http://freecen.rootsweb.com/cgi/search.pl
https://www.familysearch.org/

[xman]

First things first, Meghan, if Walker is your married name then you do right to take your husband's clan, traditionally speaking. If your husband has no clan then he may take yours, thus you may remain with yours.

Next point is that the relationship between the MacGregors using the surname Walker comes from long before the 18th century even if I am not mistaken as it was a name used by William Wallace himself. Chances are slim for you there. Find where g-g-g-grandpappy John came from in Scotland and you'll be narrowing things down quite a bit.

If you want to be as precise as possible, try ancestry.com, they've got lots of dirt there.

Here's the final thing. The clan structure really ended well over 100 years ago when crofters were driven from the land by the chieftains who were essentially feudal lords by then. What's happening now as far as clan affiliation is a nod to lineage and that's about all. Since the MacMillan's are in the practice of accepting wayward Walkers that's where I would likely look. This is well too since Macmillan is the nicer tartan, IMO.

[Meggers]

First things first, Meghan, if Walker is your married name then you do right to take your husband's clan, traditionally speaking. If your husband has no clan then he may take yours, thus you may remain with yours.

Next point is that the relationship between the MacGregors using the surname Walker comes from long before the 18th century even if I am not mistaken as it was a name used by William Wallace himself. Chances are slim for you there. Find where g-g-g-grandpappy John came from in Scotland and you'll be narrowing things down quite a bit.

If you want to be as precise as possible, try ancestry.com, they've got lots of dirt there.

Here's the final thing. The clan structure really ended well over 100 years ago when crofters were driven from the land by the chieftains who were essentially feudal lords by then. What's happening now as far as clan affiliation is a nod to lineage and that's about all. Since the MacMillan's are in the practice of accepting wayward Walkers that's where I would likely look. This is well too since Macmillan is the nicer tartan, IMO.

Thanks

Im a wayward Walker A lonely wandering Walker....walking aimlessly through ancestry websites. lol.