What's My Clan? ~ An Analysis

Just about all Jam?sons everywhere, who are at all interested in their family's history, especially those that know their family was originally of Scottish origins (that's most of us), will question and want to know more about what 'Clan' their ancestors belonged. The short answer is "that depends!"

The truth is, the general era of clans was mostly before surnames existed and even after surnames began, history was mostly unrecorded, at least in so far as genealogy is concerned. There has never been a "Jam?son" clan (see here) and mostly only vague references to "clans" with people using the surname Jam?son. It is however, reasonable to assume that all Jam?sons of "Scottish" decent belonged to some clan, sometime in their past. The problem is which one and under what name? Remember, this was before the name "Jam?son was being used (see here).

Clans are said to have existed in Scotland during the middle ages and continued, at some level of importance, until about the 15th or 16th century, about when more traditional governments began to take more and more effect on sovereign nations. It was at this point that "surnames" became relevant and the importance of clans diminished.

So, as stated above, it is an almost certainty that anyone who is now a "Jam?son" and can place his (or her) ancestry in Scotland in or about the 16th or early seventeenth century, can assume those ancestors were connected with some clan, probably of that area where they can be found back then. For instance, during the 16th and 17th century, we can find tons of Jam?sons in many of the different known clan areas of the Aberdeenshire area of Northeast Scotland alone (see here). Most likely, some of these families now identifying as Jam?sons, were part of the clans that occupied those areas only a few years earlier. Y-DNA testing could add a level of increased probability, with this and should be considered by anyone hoping to solve this quandary, not just for themselves, but for anyone else attempting to solve this issue.

Unfortunately for all of us, at least for now, is that this is about as accurate as we are ever likely going to get. Especially considering the almost insurmountable obstacles and probable pitfalls. Anything more would mostly just be an aspirational guess.