Quote Originally Posted by piperdbh View Post
This is a quote from my clan's (Lockhart) webiste.



According to my chief and the original organizers of the family society, blood ties were not required for membership, and a "strong interest in the family" is a good enough reason to a part of the family society. There's no mention of allegiance to the chief.

This is from the American branch's side:

My last name is not Lockhart, but my grandmother's maiden name was. And, just as on the clan webpage, there's no requirement of allegiance.



Is this pretty much standard practice for other clans/socities, or just for ours, which was trying to attract members?
My take on it is that you don't need to be member of the Lockhart clan to be a member of the society, so allegiance doesn't enter into it. I believe that my clan's society in North America has even looser membership requirements. Still, you can be a member of the society but not a member of the clan.