Tartan? What tartan?

[xman]

You can trace your family back to the Scottish lands they came from and determine which clan held those lands when they left.

If there is an oral tradition of being associated with a specific clan then I'd just go with that one. In fact, that's what I am doing. It would be almost impossible to determine with certainty where my ancestors lived before they came to these shores in 1803(ish?) due to spotty record keeping in the Hebrides in those days, so I must trust the claim of my forefathers.

[Nighthawk]

You can trace your family back to the Scottish lands they came from and determine which clan held those lands when they left.

If there is an oral tradition of being associated with a specific clan then I'd just go with that one. In fact, that's what I am doing. It would be almost impossible to determine with certainty where my ancestors lived before they came to these shores in 1803(ish?) due to spotty record keeping in the Hebrides in those days, so I must trust the claim of my forefathers.

Same here. My grandmother's maiden name was Wolfe. She was born on the Isle of Skye, and claimed descent from the MacLeod clan, and although Wolfe is not a tracable sept of MacLeod, and most often associated with Ireland, she was insistant that we are part of the MacLeod clan. So I go with that, and the oral tradition and place of birth are good enough for me!