I used the following recording system to save information about each family in the Scottish Settlement. I was not always able to find information in specific categories, but overall, this system kept my notes in usable order. I was not able to put these questions in a form that could be typed directly into the website. Until I get smarter (don’t wait up), would you please copy the questions below and paste your data into a word document. Then email your information to me (Doug Baldwin) at baldwind@sisd.cc. Thank you.

What family or families are you related to in the Settlement? I refer here to the pioneering families, the immigrants. Please share their birth date, date of death, and their children.

Where do you live? Do you live in the Scottish Settlement?

Regarding your ancestors, what was the date of arrival to America or, if known, the date of arrival to the Scottish Settlement in Michigan. Also, include the travel route and transportation details if these were known.

What county (Macomb, Lapeer, St. Clair) did your ancestors go to when they first arrived? Where did they settle? Families arriving in the settlement after a long and difficult journey often stayed with relatives or friends until they could buy their own land in Michigan. Consequently, they moved around initially, sometimes relocating (or ending up) in different counties at different times.

What are some of the surname (spelling) variations you have discovered. This is a far greater problem than you might initially think!

Letters and documents. A few of the families left extensive documents. Letters were also preserved by some families. Historical societies often saved newsletters and copied family trees that richly added to the documentation available. Online resources like Ancestry.com and Family Search.com were especially helpful as I pieced together each family’s story. You might very well have photographs, letters, and memoirs that would help others. Please share what you have, and we will put your documents online to preserve them digitally.

What religion did your relatives follow? The Scottish Settlement pioneers represented many of the major Christian religions of the time, including the Presbyterian (Church of Scotland), Baptist, Methodist, Swedenborgian, and Congregationalist churches. Catholics and Jewish families also were represented, but they were not mainstream or prevalent.

Who were the neighbors of your Settlement ancestors (taken from census records and land plats)? The Scottish Settlement families clustered together, so plat maps are especially useful. Unfortunately, only the maps from the late 1800's to the present have survived. I used mapping data from Scottish archives as well as mapping data from Michigan archives. It is especially helpful to know the estates, farms, and/or settlements in Scotland. People on or near these farms may have come to Michigan together.

What schools did your ancestors attend in Michigan and in Scotland?

Did your ancestors come through Canada? Do you know where they stopped along the way?

When you trace your ancestry did you discover Intermarriages between clans? Here is found the proof that we are all cousins! Intermarriages were the rule rather than the exception a hundred years ago. Middle names often point to family bonds.

Were you able to verify political, social, and educational groups associated with your ancestors? I rarely found information to put into this category, although religious affiliation was easier to verify. The schools attended and organizations like the Free Masons kept important records. Did your ancestors hold an office? What political party did they belong to?

What occupations did your relatives have? Most were farmers; some were weavers, others were shopkeepers and store owners. The young ones worked on neighboring farms as laborers and housemaids until they could establish their own homesteads.

Land Ownership: Some pioneers purchased original land patents from the federal government as these became available. Most governmental sales are dated to the late 1820s or the early 1830s. As roads were established, the emigration pattern moved north and west from Detroit.

Do you have family tree and is it online, on a site like Ancestry.com. for example?

Do you have a family Bible?

Cause of death. There may be important information around place and cause of death. Searching for one relative, I was puzzled why he died in Richmond Virginia. That’s when I discovered that he died in the Civil War.

Have you researched Naturalization Records? Not everyone registered for citizenship. Some went through the initial steps but did not follow through.

Do you have photos?

Do you have a list of research problems, brick walls, unresolved issues, ideas for future research?

Do you have a Family crest or Coat of arms? Most families in the Scottish Settlement were from southwestern Scotland in the counties of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. Clans, with their tartans and family crests were from the Highlands. Lowland families did not have designated clans, although over time the word "clan" also became associated with lowland names so, crests and coats of arms were then added.

Who, besides you, were the family genealogists who helped with research?

What ships did your ancestors sail on when they crossed the Atlantic? What ships did they take across Lake Huron? Thanks to better records being shared on the internet it is becoming easier to locate the ships that brought the pioneers to the Scottish Settlement. The passenger lists also revealed who traveled together.

What family stories have been handed down through the decades?

I used this format when I developed the Wallace page. Take a look to see an example (always in process, of course).