Precis of Volume 1, Issue No. 2

The Journal for Scotch-Irish Studies provides a forum for scholarly writing on Scotch-Irish topics and, it is hoped, will encourage research on all aspects of Scotch-Irish culture.

This issue is longer than Issue 1, with 169 pages of text and illustrations, some of which are in striking color.

A number of the papers, while not specifically genealogical, contain lists of names from church records, old letters, etc., which may prove useful to those researching their Scotch-Irish ancestry. There is also a scholarly paper by the distinguished linguist Professor Michael Montgomery on nomenclature for settlers from Ulster, which should lay to rest the many conjectures about appropriate terminology. This issue has also a second important paper by Montgomery that discusses the Ulster Scots language spoken by the early Scotch-Irish

A paper by Don Edwards, of San Francisco, calls attention to the resource material available in California for Scotch-Irish research. Many of the Californian pioneers were Scotch-Irish. A wealth of documentation exists in a number of archives, including those of the Bancroft Library at Berkeley, the Sutro Library in San Francisco, the Huntington Library in San Marino, and of a number of historical and genealogical societies, mainly in the Bay area.

Edwards also calls attention to the existence of a dialect, known as Boontling, which was developed by Scotch-Irish settlers in the Anderson Valley village of Boonsville. He conjectures that this may have some relationship to the Ulster Scots language spoken by many Scotch-Irish pioneers in the eastern United States. He recommends that this possibility should be investigated while a number of Boontling speakers are still alive.

Kathleen Curtis Wilson, in "Material Culture: an Opportunity to Study the Blending of Ethnic Traditions," writes about the art form of coverlet weaving in Southern Appalachia. The weavers came from the Scotch-Irish and German communities. Wilson observes that, while the menfolk of these groups are known to have kept their distance, there was obvious interaction and cooperation among the women of these groups, as evidenced by the sharing of complex coverlet weaving patterns. The paper is beautifully illustrated by striking color photographs of coverlets.

Papers by Richard MacMaster, Daniel Wilson, and Katharine Brown explore the practice of "chain migration" and interaction over many generations between specific areas within Ulster, to Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.

MacMaster illustrates how Scotch-Irish merchants trading with Ulster in the eighteenth century contributed to the rise of Baltimore and of the Presbyterian Church in Maryland.

Dan Wilson discusses the part played by the Scotch-Irish in the industrial revolution in Pennsylvania, and its continuation for several generations. This migration from Dunboe in County Londonderry to Mauch Chunk in Pennsylvania led to new Presbyterian churches with congregations from specific churches in Ulster. Wilson provides many tables of names with their congregation of origin; this information may provide useful genealogical clues.

Katharine Brown describes in detail how Scotch-Irish settlements in Augusta, Georgia, maintained close links with Ulster (sustained by marriage and commerce) which continued through many generations.

These three papers make it clear that the descendants of immigrants from Ulster had a clear sense of Scotch-Irish identity while, at the same time, they played important and sometimes vital roles in American society.

Papers by Karen Harvey and Peter Gilmore examine the effect of Scotch-Irish settlers on central and western Pennsylvania. Harvey shows their influence on town planning in central Pennsylvania which have diamonds (town squares) patterned after the diamonds of Ulster cities and towns. Gilmore discusses how traditional Ulster music became part of the culture of western Pennsylvania.

A paper by Nancy Sorrels examines the pervasive use of Ulster words in the Estray Books (registers of strayed and impounded animals) of Augusta County, Virginia, from 1775 to 1840. This paper shows the Scotch-Irish influence on domestic agricultural vocabulary throughout the period.

A research note by Marilyn M. Parrish describes the Coleman family papers and announces their availability for research. This collection documents the legal, business, and personal relationships of the members of this Scotch-Irish family from the mid 1700s through the 1900s. The papers are open to researchers at the Lancaster County Historical Society.

Mary J. Faris and Richard MacMaster have transcribed and annotated a set of letters from James Wightman. There is a short account of Wightman's attempts to succeed in business in early industrial Pennsylvania. These letters to his daughter are rich in observations about American customs and society. The letters are available to researchers at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI).

Issue 2 of the Journal of Scotch-Irish Studies maintains, and perhaps exceeds, the quality of scholarship demonstrated in Issue 1. The Journal is an important recent addition to the world of Scotch-Irish studies.

Dr. Joyce M. Alexander and Dr. Richard K. MacMaster are co-editors of the Journal of Scotch-Irish Studies; the publisher and business manager is Harold R. Alexander.