[ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@zilker.net.
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Dear Laurel and fellow cousins;
I wanted to share with the Sinclair list the great admiration I have had
over the past year as to your historial insights and fine commentary. When
minds as fine as yours are able to communicate so articulately as to the
context of lives lived and loved, it adds meaning to the entire research and
understanding for all of us.
Let me add, as well, the importance of historical context in geneological
research. It frequently can provide a context as to how and where to search
for ones ancestors and what motivated them. Until one has the opportunity of
reading about the historical situation of ones ancestors something valuable
is missing. For instance I learned a great deal about the generational
migrations to Canada from Toni who had the good fortune to appreciate and
teach me about the crofting system on Islay and the pull between the older
and younger generations within one family.
The appreciation of historical and economic history is a vital part of the
process of education. Rebecca has worked on some detailed history of the
Argyll Colony in North Carolina, the absence of which would have altered the
migration understanding of many Sinclairs to North Carolina.
My intention for sharing these thoughts is that I want to encourage others
like you Laurel to keep contributing of their own research and knowledge.
What is evolving is a social history of a clan and a people that is very
distinct, valuable and contributing to a common inheiritance.
Now I would like to put my own knowledge where my mouth is so to speak. I
have a fun bit of Canadian History for you and the western clan mambers in
Oregon!
In Alberta Canada there is a "Sinclair canyon" named after a Sinclair that
was selected to lead an expedition to Washington and Oregon with a number of
Canadian settlers. The objective was to settle those locations for the
British crown by having a population that was more of British decent and
certainly loyalties. The scheme was to beat Jeffersons vision to the punch
and settle these lands in a fashion that they would peaceably become part of
the Dominion of Canada. This became one of the lost migrations in history
and as we all know it did not work. But one man tried and I would assume his
descendants are still somewhere in the west to this day enjoying the fruits
of their labour in that great state Oregon.
In researching ones family, one finds many individuals of noteworthy
comment. I have surprised myself to find ancestors having sat in Parliament,
travelled to the South Pole, been awarded the Congressional medal, and
walked across the west with the Indians. Every individual will find
excellent stories when they go back in time. Geneology is more than
connecting names, but recognizing a bit of who these individuals were and
what challenges they faced during their time and history, then learning how
they faced these challenges and overcame them.
There is another bit of importance of history to recognize. In both Canada
and the United States we are raising a generation of individuals that are
becoming more and more ignorant of the past and history is seen more and
more as being irrelevant. For that matter it is simply not taught in many
instances. I am one individual that finds this trend troubling for a host of
reasons.
But let me add one further insight for the individuals that get fustrated
looking for ancestors when they can't find the exact information. All of us
will, at some point, run out of any other leads and there is a dead end that
is not going to be found any further. This is not surprising. I tell many
individuals that unless their ancestor was rich, or an infamous man there
were no records kept period anywhere in Scotland. From this period we have
to start the careful work of surmising further information from the facts we
do know. This requires a detailed understanding of history and economics,
without which a full and complete understanding is not available.
Do keep up the fine work and excellent comments. I thank all those who
informed me about Rollo, for individuals like John and Peter who have
privately and publically allowed our collective knowledge base to continue
to grow. I for one throughly enjoy them and their efforts to connect us all.
I close with Karen's "Yours aye yours!" and a friendly wave to all the
members of this proud and noble clan.
Neil Sinclair
Toronto-PEI-Argyll
-----Original Message-----
From: Spirit One Email <laurel@spiritone.com>
To: sinclair@zilker.net <sinclair@zilker.net>
Date: 18 February, 1999 3:06 PM
Subject: Hang In there!!
>[ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@zilker.net.
>[ For more information, see http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html
>-------
>
>Dear Cousins,
> When I throw in some of this historic information, some of my
objectives
>are to psycologically help those who may be a bit discouraged but that can
>backfire. I am sorry if it has.
> My hope is that it will entertain, distract you from your
dicouragement,
>give you a feeling of the great history that you certainly are a part of
>even if you can't connected to yet which will make you even more determined
>to stick it out.
> I too have other lines that have sat there for 30 years without any
>progress so I do know your frustrations. However on these lines I don't
>even know any glorious history to make it worth while when, if ever, my
>quest is fulfilled.
>Laurel
>Portland, OR
>
>[
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