American Ethnic Studies

Scotch-Irish Americans

Where Were They From: The term Scotch-Irish is ambiguous; it does not refer to people of mixed Scottish and Irish ancestry, as the name might seem to imply, but to the descendants of the Presbyterians from lowland Scotland who settled in Ulster, the northernmost province of Ireland, in the 17th century and subsequently emigrated from there to America.

When: The first known use of the term Scotch-Irish dates from 1695 in a report by Sir Thomas Laurence, the Secretary of Maryland.  A generation later, the name had become current in Pennsylvania and by the 1750s was fairly widely accepted throughout the colonies.
Scots migrated to Northern Ireland and at least 2 million of their descendants made a second move across the Atlantic.  Although Scotch-Irish emigration is often thought of as a phenomenon mainly of the colonial period, it did not in fact lose its impetus until the 20th century
What region of the US did they settle: The Scotch-Irish settlements in the Chesapeake Bay region probably had begun at this period, but taking the earliest distinct mention of Scotch-Irish settlements as the safest guide, their chronological order appears to be as follows: 1. Maryland, 1680; 2. South Carolina, 1682; 3. Pennsylvania, 1708; 4. New England, 1718.
Of these the Pennsylvania settlements were the most numerous and the most important in their bearing upon American national development. Consideration of them will be reserved until after some account has been given of all the other settlements.
In the colonial period the Scotch-Irish played a significant role in the westward expansion of the frontier in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the Carolinas.
What occupations did they take part in: Iron ore + limestone + charcoal + water power + labor = iron.  Because the Cumberland Valley was rich in all of the natural resources – iron ore, limestone, forests, and running water – needed to produce iron, it was the ideal place for the establishment of numerous iron works in the 18th and 19th centuries.  The eastern and western borders of Franklin County held the richest iron ore deposits in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and perhaps in the nation, generating at least ten different ironworks in the county.  An ironworks complex, such as the Mont Alto ironworks, might have included the iron master’s mansion, cottages for the employees, gardens and working farms, livestock including horses and mules, one or two iron furnaces, charcoal pits, chafery (finery) forges, foundry, a rolling mill, and later a nail factory.  The ironworks were the largest single employers in their time period. At the Mont Alto Furnace alone, 500 workmen were employed. In 1840, Franklin County had eight operating furnaces, 11 forges, chaferies, and rolling mills. 

What are the family patterns, Rituals: Although the legal barrier to marriage between Catholics and Protestants was lifted in 1611, such unions weren't common. The natives bore religion like a shield against their alien persecutors. Nevertheless, adolescent hormones sometimes overcame the dread of losing one's immortal soul, and a desire to rise from the pauper class was enough to cause some natives to renounce Catholicism. The prospect of starvation led many to contract with speculators who sold human cargo in American ports where they sometimes became the property of Irish Protestants who had immigrated earlier. Nevertheless, when indentured contracts expired, or when they escaped, these true Irish with names like Flynn, Brady, Casey, Callahan, and Kennedy also followed the frontier.

Are they a group that appreciates schooling:  The multiple affiliations of men like Traynor and Echols demonstrate the extent to which the Scotch-Irish were able to function as American without rejecting kinship with those of similar antecedents.  The Scotch-Irish Society of America was established in 1889 to “preserve the history and perpetuate the achievements of the Scotch-Irish race in America.” The founders of the organization were relatively high in social and economic status, some occupied positions of leadership in American society.  They included Presbyterian  clergymen like the Reverend John Hall.

What are the basic demographics today? The Census Bureau defines ancestry as a person’s ethnic origin, racial heritage, descent, or "roots," which may reflect their place of birth, place of birth of parents or ancestors, and ethnic identities that have evolved within the United States.

The following table includes the number Scotch-Irish living in the United States. "Scotch-Irish" are defined as people who marked their ethnic origin as "Scotch-Irish" on the Census survey in 1990 and/or 2000.

- Rounds to 0.0.

FunFacts:     History of Franklin County 1887, Warner, Beers, and Co. 1887
Historical Sketch of Franklin County, Pennsylvania, I.H. Mc.Cauley, Publisher-John M. Pomeroy, 1878
Conococheague- A History of the Greencastle-Antrim Community 1736-1971, William P. Conrad, 1971
Shelter for His Excellency, Le Roy Greene, Stackpole Books, Harrisbur, 1951
A History of Pennsylvania, Klein and Hoogenboom, Penn State University, 1980
Archie Reid, President of Ballyclare Historical Society, County Antrim, Northern Ireland,
www.ollar.utvinternet.com