Hello from Salt Lake City with a fun quest

**OliviaScott** · 24th November 19, 09:12 PM

Hi all!

I hope all is well. I am new here, I began the genealogy trend and traced my roots to the Scott clan (with my grandmother having the maiden name Scott)
It drew me here as I dig up more about my family history.

Another reason I’m here is I have a rather odd wish to fulfill...
my boyfriend is a Marshall as that was his last name given, however during our discovery with his family tree he comes from a long line of bastard children who were then unofficially adopted into the Marshall clan.
He really wants to embrace his Heritage however since nothing was ever official with any of the clans his family lived with he feels it would be a lie

I want to do something special, and maybe it’s even silly, for Christmas- if you’re a member of the Marshall clan, or know someone who is I want to give him an adoption certificate for Christmas so that he feels official. So that he can wear the tartan that his name sale belongs to.
If you feel like helping a poor soul out send me a message 😊

Have a lovely day

**Father Bill** · 25th November 19, 04:36 AM

Can't help with the certificate, but welcome to the "Great Rabble"!

**McMurdo** · 25th November 19, 05:14 AM

from Toronto Ontario Canada. He can wear whatever tartan he likes, the idea of a clan tartan is not that old. As for a certificate I don't know if anything like that even exists, perhaps you could get in touch with the clan chief and ask permission to wear the tartan.

**Liam** · 25th November 19, 05:32 AM

Welcome from Western Canada 🇨🇦!

**EagleJCS** · 25th November 19, 02:45 PM

Welcome from another Scott (my paternal line). I have a cousin who has traced this line back to the Clinch River Valley (Virginia) settlers, ca 1774. Before that, Heaven only knows.

**Karl R** · 25th November 19, 09:20 PM

Originally Posted by OliviaScott

Another reason I’m here is I have a rather odd wish to fulfill...
my boyfriend is a Marshall as that was his last name given, however during our discovery with his family tree he comes from a long line of bastard children who were then unofficially adopted into the Marshall clan.
He really wants to embrace his Heritage however since nothing was ever official with any of the clans his family lived with he feels it would be a lie

I want to do something special, and maybe it’s even silly, for Christmas- if you’re a member of the Marshall clan, or know someone who is I want to give him an adoption certificate for Christmas so that he feels official. So that he can wear the tartan that his name sale belongs to.

There was a recent thread (which McMurdo alluded to) where a couple of the members discussed contacting the Chief of a clan, not asking to be adopted into the clan, but instead, asking for permission to wear the tartan of the clan. Both were successful.

On the topic of adoption, when did this adoption take place? It's my understanding that official adoption first occurred in the U.S. around 1850, slowly became common in the U.S., and slowly spread to the rest of the world. For most of history, unofficial adoption was as official as it got.

There are other options for recognizing one's heritage. It sounds like your husband might know where in Scotland his ancestors come from (i.e. Aberdeen, Argyll, Galloway, Fife, etc). There are district tartans that anyone can wear. That's an option that might appeal to him.

I checked the tartan registry, and there's a Marshall fashion tartan. It's not associated with the clan. Fashion tartans are meant for everyone. However (and this is a big caveat), I can't find anyone selling it. That means it's probably not available except by ordering a custom run of the cloth. That's ... expensive. It occurred to me to look for non-clan kilts, because my nicest kilt is the Brown tartan, which is not a clan tartan. In the registry, Brown is listed as a "name" kilt. Therefore, it's regularly sought out and worn by people with the surname Brown (my mother's maiden name). (And just in case you were wondering, the Brown kilt is black, red, midnight blue, and forest green. It does not include the color brown.)

As a final thought, lots of us wear universal tartans or fashion tartans, which are unequivocally intended to be worn by anyone. These include some of the most common and popular tartans.

**bdkilted** · 26th November 19, 02:37 PM

There is no 'Marshall Clan.' The Marshall family is a sept of Clan Keith. The history of the name comes from when the Earl Marischal was exiled after the 1715 up rising. Members of his clan petitioned the King to allow the Earl to return to Scotland. These clansmen (no matter what their sir name was) were called the Marischal's men which was shortened and anglicized to "Marshall." So, your boyfriend shouldn't worry about not being born of a Marshall, as none of us were originally. Beside that, many are adopted into a clan that they have no relationship too.
So, as the Clan Keith convener for Texas, and a director for the Clan Keith Society, USA I hereby state he is a Marshall, with all privileges and honors as a member of the Clan Keith.
Happy Thanksgiving.
BD

**Karl R** · 26th November 19, 08:00 PM

Originally Posted by bdkilted

The history of the name comes from when the Earl Marischal was exiled after the 1715 up rising...

Thanks for the explanation, B.D. I knew that Marshall and Keith were interrelated (and not just because of your last name), but I wasn't sure whether it was a standard sept arrangement, or whether it was something more coequal.

OliviaScott,
To explain some terminology that is familiar to many of us, but probably new to you.... A sept is a family that has sworn allegiance to a clan. For example, my wife is a McEathron (which would have been formerly spelled MacEachern). The MacEacherns are a family that swore fealty to the MacDonalds. Traditionally (and these traditions go back approximately 150-250 years, which is far less than some romantic sources might lead you to believe), septs wear the tartan of the clan they are associated with. Since my wife's family is from the Isle of Islay, she wears one of the MacDonald of the Isles tartans.