The Scots In America

On this side of the pond, there is a growing interest among writers and academics in the Scottish emigrant experience (see also Clearances books) and in the Scottish contribution to the making of the American nation. Other areas of interest are the Scottish plantation at Darien in Panama and trade with the West Indies in the 18th century.

The famous names from the past with strong American connections - Andrew Carnegie, Allan Pinkerton, Sir Thomas Lipton and John Muir among others - all have biographies devoted to them, while at the other end of the scale, there are books on such fascinating figures as 'John the Painter', a poor Edinburgh boy who became, according to the author of the book, the first modern terrorist with his arson efforts against British shipyards and docks during the American Revolution, and John 'Soolivan' MacLeod, 'Gael, Traveller, Rebel, Convict and Raconteur', a Lewis-born character who emigrated to the States in the 1930s.

Scottish writers with strong connections to the US include Robert Louis Stevenson. His links to Monterey, where he lived for some time, and Hawaii, which he visited, are particularly relevant.

For Americans of Scots descent wishing to research their ancestry we have a list of recommended books (see Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry) and a regional map linking books and writers to particular areas of Scotland.

A new Book of Scottish Connections is in the process of being established by the General Register Office in Scotland offering people from all over the world the opportunity to have births, deaths and marriages recorded of people with Scottish connections. More info available from GRO Scotland.

The Top 5 States with the most people claiming Scottish descent

• California
• Florida
• Texas
• Michigan
• New York