I wanted to chime in on the DNA aspect of relationship to a tartan/Clan. I recieved my 67 marker test back in June of this year. They send you the results sets at a time. So, I first received a 12 marker result, then a 24 marker, then a 37 marker and finally a 67 marker result. It was fairly clear, for me, when the 12 marker test came back what clan I was part of. Of the hundreds of results returned, about 90% were MacLarens or MacLaren sept names. If you get a result like that, you have some clarity I would think. By the time I got to the 67 marker results, I had all McLaurins and McLarens with 2 MacGregors (whose female forbears may have some explaining to do) and a couple of Gows. Gow is an occupational name. It turns out a Gow is a Smith in Gaelic.

As to moving around in Scotland and that muddying the waters as to which clan a forebear may have belonged, that's no doubt true. I know that before they emigrated, my ancestors lived in several different places (most of which were close by, but some that weren't). For instance, I know my 6th g gf lived in the Appin area, but his son had his first son while living on the Isle of Skye in 1760. Afterward, the rest of his children were born in the Appin area. Why was he on the Isle of Skye in 1760? Dunno. I doubt it was a wee vacation. Given the times, the '45 was only 14 years gone, and my clan and especially the Appin area was out heavily for the Bonnie Prince, it could have been seen as safer on Skye than in Appin (especially after the Appin murder). These things are difficult to say with any degree of certainty.

The question that plagues me in this regard, is that I'm a McLaurin, sept of Clan MacLaren. Appin is not in a traditional MacLaren held land. The land was held by the Stewarts of Appin. But, Clan Stewart of Appin's first chief Dugald Stewart was from the union of a MacLaren woman and a Stewart. And, the two clans were solid allies for centuries. So, did it matter that a McLaurin lived in Stewart lands? Were they still adherents to clan MacLaren or were they adherents to clan Stewart of Appin? Ah dinnae ken. For me, I just took the simple route. I'm a McLaurin from as far back as they can figure with DNA, so I'm wearing clan MacLaren tartan and for clothing purposes, the rest of it be d*mned.

I totally agree about the wall of 1600. Everyone thank Oliver Cromwell! I go back to 1590. Then the trail ends.