From the Desk of the President:

Hello Society Members,

Fall yard work tells us we’re getting ready for the Society Annual Meeting. Please set aside the afternoon of Sunday December 4 to gather for our annual meeting. We’ll brainstorm fundraising ideas for Benevolence and Education accounts. The annual election of officers and Board happens then as well. Plan to include yourself and your friends in the Society's Burns Celebration on Saturday, January 28, 2017. Consider a seat at Burns as a gift this holiday season. Membership renewals for 2017 will arrive mid-December with Burns Celebration details

Wherever you are, enjoy St. Andrew’s Day on November 30.

Slàinte mhath!

Pam

Pamela Munro, President

HHaappppyy SStt.. AAnnddrreeww ’’ss DDaayy NNoovveemmbbeerr 3300

St. Andrew's Day is the feast day of Saint Andrew. It is celebrated on the 30th of November. Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Cyprus, Scotland, Greece, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople,[1]San Andres Island, Colombia and Saint Andrew, Barbados.

St. Andrew's Day Is Scotland's official national day. The day in Scots: Saunt Andra's Day, in Scottish Gaelic: Là Naomh Anndrais. In 2006, the Scottish Parliament designated St Andrew's Day as an official bank holiday.

In Scotland, and many countries with Scottish connections, St Andrew's Day is marked with a celebration of Scottish culture with traditional Scottish food, music and dance. Schools across Scotland hold special St Andrew's Day events and activities including art shows, Scottish country dancing, lunchtime ceilidhs, dance festivals, storytelling, reciting and writing poems, writing tall tales, cooking traditional Scottish meals, and bagpipe-playing. In Scotland the day is also seen as the start of a season of Scottish winter festivals encompassing St Andrew's Day, Hogmanay and Burns Night. In Edinburgh, there is a week of celebrations, concentrating on musical entertainment and traditional ceilidh dancing.

The Caledonian

November 2016

Keep in Touch with the Society Join in the Conversation

Website: www.sasct.org

Facebook: St. Andrew’s Society of Connecticut

Snail mail: St. Andrew's Society of Connecticut P.O. Box 1195 Litchfield CT 06759-1195

SSSoooccciiieeetttyyy AAAnnnnnnuuuaaalll MMMeeeeeetttiiinnnggg

2:00 p.m. Sunday, December 4, 2016 Middlefield Community Center 405 Main Street Middlefield, CT 06455

All members are encouraged to attend. Please bring a dessert to share.

It’s time to review the Society Bylaws. We will form a committee at the general meeting. No changes can be made until proposed changes have been presented at two meetings.

Nominations for the annual election of SASCT Board of Managers will be accepted from the floor at the annual general membership meeting. Please consider serving.

OFFICERS

President Pamela Munro Vice President Peg Limbacher

Recording Secretary Peg Limbacher Corresponding Secretary Ken McClen Treasurer Ellen Waff

MANAGERS Two Year Term: Heather Gromko, Bob Goldie, Isabella Goldie One year remaining: Melanie Gustin, Catherine Sutherland, open Directions to Middlefield Community Center 405 Main Street Middlefield, CT 06455

The parking lot and building entrance are in the rear. ~From Fairfield County: I-95 North to exit 48, merge to I-91N toward Hartford Exit 15 for CT-68 Toward Yalesville/Durham. Continue on CT-68E to CT-157N to the Community Center The center will be on the left. ~From Glastonbury/Wethersfield take I-91 South to Exit 20, left onto Middle St and left onto Country Club Rd, 2nd right onto Higby Rd, continue onto Jackson Hill Rd. Turn left onto CT-157N (Main Street). Community Center will be on the left. ~From Old Saybrook area – Route 9N (22 miles) to CT-17N. Turn left onto Washington St. First right onto West St. Right onto Middlefield St. Left onto Forest St. Slight right onto CT-157S, Wadsworth St. Continue on CT 157S and Community Center will be on the right.

The 2017 Society Membership Renewal will arrive soon.

You will find meal details for the Burns Dinner in that mailing.

Please return your membership renewal to our Membership Chairman:

Peg Limbacher 34 Ashlar Village Wallingford, CT 06492

Annual Robert Burns Celebration

Saturday, January 28, 2017 from 6 p. m. Traditional Burns Supper

Neeps, tatties and haggis

Vegetarian & children’s meals by arrangement

Reservation forms will include meal choices and will arrive in the annual membership mailing in mid-December.

Forms will also be posted on the events page on www.sasct.org.

Friends and interested public are welcome. Seating is limited to 90, so book early.

Seats make great holiday gifts.

J. Timothy's Taverne 143 New Britain Avenue Plainville, CT (860) 747-6813

Here are some websites on Robert Burns:

www.robertburns.org www.visitscotland.com/about/robert-burns/supper

www.bbc.co.uk/arts/robertburns/biography/

International Visitor Spending Up Overseas visitor boost.

International tourists visiting Scotland broke through the £500 million spend barrier in the second quarter of the year for the first time, according to figures published today. Overseas visitors spent £540 million in the second quarter of 2016 compared to £493 million in same period in 2015. This is the highest quarter two spend figures recorded.

Visitors from Europe spent £276 million in the quarter up to June 2016, more than half of the overseas expenditure in this period.

Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop said: “It is encouraging that overseas tourists are spending more when they visit Scotland. These figures highlight the hard work undertaken by our industry to make Scotland a must-visit destination. “Scotland is famed for its warm welcome and these figures prove that visitors are prepared to come here to enjoy our incredible views, top class attractions and to spend in our hotels, shops and restaurants.”

“External factors, such as difficult trading conditions and the economic uncertainty caused in the run up to the EU referendum, continue to present challenges for our tourism sector in a competitive international market. “However, our industry, which employs 217,000 people is resilient and continues to thrive.”

news.scotland.gov.uk/news/international-tourism-spend-up

£2.5m for sustainable aquaculture projects

European funding to support businesses. A £2.5 million European funding boost to support sustainable growth and investment in Scottish aquaculture will be announced today by Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing. £1.7 million from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) will go to the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre at Stirling University to promote environmental sustainability, and bring industry and research together to provide innovative solutions to sector challenges.

Loch Fyne Oysters Limited, Charron Ltd, Dawnfresh Seafoods Limited and Fassfern Mussels Limited will also benefit from the funding, which is part of the second round of the EMFF, supporting 56 projects in communities all across Scotland.

Mr Ewing is speaking at the Farmed Finfish Summit at Marine Harvest Ltd in Fort William today where he will demonstrate how essential support from the European Union is and again call on the UK Government to provide clarity around future funding. He will also commit to form an Aquaculture Industry Leadership Group (ILG) to drive growth and improve partnership working between the industry and government.

Mr Ewing said: “Aquaculture is one of our real economic success stories and the industry is on track to grow to a value of well over £2 billion annually to the Scottish economy by 2020, supporting 10,000 jobs. I am committed to supporting continued growth to 2020 and beyond as part of my wider priorities to build growth in the rural economy.

“This is a great example of how essential EU funding is, helping to encourage further innovation and supporting the sustainable growth of aquaculture, in turn benefiting rural communities which depend on this industry.

“In the absence of clarity from the UK Government on the longer-term impact of the EU referendum vote on EU funding, we will do all we can to champion our shared interests and provide reassurance to our aquaculture industry. We know aquaculture has a key role to play in our rural economy. It is a major Scottish exporter to the EU which is why we will continue to engage with the UK Treasury to get clarity on future funding and to secure Scotland’s place in the single market.”

news.scotland.gov.uk/news/25m-for-sustainable-aquaculture-projects

So how much is that!

These days 1 British Pound equals $1.26 US.

A little British Pound history: In the 1750s one British Pound equaled about $20.

1915 one British Pound equaled $ 4.70 1945 one British Pound equaled $4.03

The world changed and nations left the gold standard. The US wanted pay back for WWII lend-lease.

Full history is too complicated to address here. There certainly is fluctuation.

November 1971 $2.49 November 1984 $1.24 November 1990 $1.96

November 1995 $1.56 November 2006 $1.91 November 2012 $1.60

£ £ £ £ £ £

Genealogy Terms: What’s it all mean? LINEAL means ascending or descending in a direct line.

Example – If your surname/maiden name is Brown, your Brown line is your direct lineal line. COLLATERAL means descended from the same ancestor but not in a direct line of descent. ALLIED families are families related usually through marriage. YEOMAN AND FREEMAN: In England, the terms "Yeoman" and "Freeman" mean the same thing. There were roughly six social

classes in early England: the peers or noblemen; the gentry; knights of the shire who lived off the rents from their lands; lawyers, merchants, professional people; Yeoman farmers and then the common people. A Yeoman Farmer was a freeholder having quite a lot of land and employing others to help him farm it. The terms in New England probably meant much the same thing. BOAT OR SHIP: Ship - Strictly a vessel, square-rigged, on all masts from three up. The term is used loosely and applied to quite

generally to all vessels. A seaman speaks of his vessel as "the ship" regardless of rig or power. Boat - as used by seamen the term does not apply to a vessel, but to a small craft. Boat as distinguished from the general term ship, is constructed of bent frames and a vessel of ship of sawn frames. (This is the opinion of a shipbuilder.)

EVIDENCE AND PROOF: All evidence is relative in its value; none is absolute.

There are three kinds of facts: those for which you have abundant proof, those which you believe to be true but for which you do not have overwhelming evidence, and assumptions which you use as leads, hoping to find more evidence or a strong reason to abandon it. The problem comes when two pieces of evidence do not agree completely, or when we are not absolutely certain that the evidence we have applies. Here are some guiding principles: 1. The nearer the recording is to the event; the more likely it is to be correct. For example, a birth certificate is probably more accurate than a tombstone. 2. Legal documents tend to be more accurate than family notes or traditions. They were probably prepared by a third party and people tend to be more careful with legal matters. 3. The census is not a legal document. It is only as accurate as the census taker and the person giving the information. Names may be spelled incorrectly. Included may be nieces or nephews with the same last name being mistaken for children, and children may not be listed if they were away at the time of the census. 1. With Family Bibles, ask the following: a. What is the date of the publishing edition on page 2? Is it such that the family purchased it early in their marriage, or did an enterprising child fill it in later? b. Is the handwriting the same for all entries (someone "caught up" the record at one sitting)? Even if the same person wrote it all, if it was done over a period of years, their handwriting will vary, certainly the pen and ink will. 2. With birth certificates: a. The date and place is probably correct, though in very olden days, the doctor or midwife may have done the paperwork later and there may be a day or two difference. b. The mother's name is probably correct though the spelling may be off. The doctor knew who his patient was. c. Likewise the spelling of the child's name can vary. Be especially careful of transcribed copies of lists made before the days of birth certificates. d. The biological father is probably correct but not as sure. The doctor can only record what the mother told him. 3. With tombstones: a. Don't be surprised if dates vary from other records. The stone mason may have made a mistake, but more often the family member providing the information was doing so from memory. b. If the data doesn't fit, look for another explanation. 4. Wills: a. A good source of information but don't draw too much from them. b. If older children are missing from the list, don't be alarmed. Instead turn to land deeds and see if the father may have helped the older son buy land at an earlier date, or even have deeded some of his own land to him. c. Very rarely a person may have mentioned a brother, sister, niece, or nephew by name but without identification as to relationship. 5. The more facts we have about a person, the more he/she becomes a unique individual. Nothing is absolute and you may have to judge between conflicting facts. FINDING MAIDEN NAMES: In the lower left-hand corner of most deeds, you will find signatures of two to four witnesses. The first one

is always from the husband's side. The next one is always from the wife's side. This is to protect her 1/3 dower right under the law. Nothing you will ever use will give greater clues to maiden names than witnesses to old deeds! Also in the 1800's and before, it was traditional when the daughter got married, as part of her dowry, the father either covered the loan or carried the note for his son-in-law. If you know the husband's name but not the wife's maiden name and you can find out to whom they were making their mortgage payments, about 70% of the time it was her father. LEGAL TRIVIA

When land was sold, the spouse had to be listed in the land record. Land records should be searched after a death. Often a list of heirs will be shown during partition of the estate and sometimes a map. If there is a will, it is probated by an Executor. If there is no will, the estate is cared for by an Administrator appointed by the court. "IN RE" concerning adoptions means "in regard to" something. You can often find adoptions listed in record books where divorce and

probate records are filed. Instead of putting adoptions in under the letter "A" they may place them under "I" for "in re". Under this category you will find petitions to change name, petition to adopt, and so forth.

SASE: Enclose a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) when requesting information from ANY source, individuals, Court House,

Library, etc. You stand a much better chance of a reply if you do. Otherwise, your query may go into the trash pile.

Custom of Fosterage

TThhee pprraaccttiiccee ooff rraaiissiinngg aa cchhiilldd nnoott yyoouurrss bbyy bbiirrtthh..

Responsibility for the maintenance and early training of a chief s son was deemed a privilege, and it resulted in a close bond between the foster family and the fosterling. It helped to knit the clan together, and many examples are related of devotion to their charge in later life by the foster-father and foster-brothers - to Maclean of Duart at the Battle of Inverkeithing ('another for Hector') and to Cameron of Lochiel at Killiecrankie, for instance. As late as the eighteenth century, two Fraser soldiers went out of their way to accompany their officer foster-brothers, one on a dangerous night patrol with the Black Watch in Holland, and the other on war service in the American Revolution.

In bringing up a young child, the foster-mother would play an important part, and in some cases she too was named in the contract. Clothing had to be provided, as we know from the account of expenses incurred in fostering Archibald Campbell, the future ninth Earl of Argyll, by Sir Colin Campbell of Glenorchy and his wife Juliana (daughter of Lord Loudoun).

The custom of fosterage, common in Ireland and the Scottish Highlands, could be the subject of formal agreement, sometimes but not always committed to writing as a signed contract. By this practice, the children of a clan chief or cadet branch were brought up in the household of one of the leading men of the clan or a neighbouring chief or cadet; but there is a Fraser example of fostering of a younger son of Lovat (by a daughter of the Earl of Moray) by a quite obscure tenant in the Abertarff area, far from his home in Beauly.

The best known contract of the kind, the original of which in Gaelic is still preserved in the National Archives of Scotland, deals with the fostering of Norman MacLeod (later Sir Norman of Berneray), third son of Sir Rory mor of Dunvegan, by a Campbell family in Harris. It was drawn up in 1614, and most of the recorded examples date from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Of course, no money payment was involved, but it was usual for the child's father to supply the foster-parents with a specified number of cattle or other livestock, and at the end of the period - which generally lasted for seven years - an equal number were given by the foster-father to the fosterling.

Robert Burns, famous ‘round the world. Whether his subject was a man or a mouse (or even a louse), our National Bard had a rare talent for

putting himself into others' shoes and expressing life's universal emotions.

From traditional ballads and romantic songs to humorous satires and thought-provoking poems, Robert Burns

composed some of the world's most instantly recognisable lines of poetry and song lyrics.

His words have been cherished and passionately recited for the past two centuries. Indeed, it's because of this great man

that we promise, every Hogmanay, to 'tak a cup o' kindness' with our neighbours and go forward into the new year with a

sense of belonging and hope for the future.

Robert Burns was born on 25 January 1759, on a dark and windy night in the village of Alloway in Ayrshire. He

died just 37 years later, at his home in Dumfries, from an illness that sadly would have been easily treatable today.

Despite his short life Burns left a huge catalogue of poetry and songs that have been poured over, enjoyed and spoken

aloud for over 200 years. His timeless words have echoed throughout the generations, inspiring people from every walk of

life.

Although he left a great legacy, Burns' start in life was a humble one. He was born the son of poor tenant farmers

and was the eldest of seven children. Even with the family's money struggles, his father recognised the importance of

education and ensured that, alongside working on the family farm, his children were given the opportunity to read and

learn.

There were signs of Robert's exceptional writing talent from an early age …

Continued here: https://www.visitscotland.com/about/famous-scots/robert-burns/

Rabbie for kids is here! BURNS for WEANS* *kids

Children’s abbreviated information and coloring pages ready to print. http://static.visitscotland.com/pdf/rabbie-for-kids.pdf