The Scotch-Irish began emigrating to Northern Ireland from Scotland in the seventeenth century to form the Ulster Plantation. In the next century these Scottish Presbyterians migrated to the Western Hemisphere in search of a better life. Except for the English, the Scotch-Irish were the largest ethnic group to come to the New World during the eighteenth century. By the time of the American Revolution there were an estimated 250,000 Scotch-Irish in the colonies, about a tenth of the population. Twelve U.S. presidents can trace their lineage to the Scotch-Irish. This work discusses the life of the Scotch-Irish in Ireland, their treatment by their English overlords, the reasons for emigration to America, the settlement patterns in the New World, the movement westward across America, life on the colonial frontier, Scotch-Irish contributions to America's development, and sites of Scotch-Irish interest in the north of Ireland.

Given by Eugene Edge III.

"Part I stands on its own as an historical study of early emigrations following the lead of the Argyll Colony in 1739 ... Part II provides a comprehensive listing of names and locations of Scottish North and South Carolina families beginning in 1739 and continuing with the descendents down to three, four or five generations for nearly a century."--Front flap of jacket.

The aim of this groundbreaking book is to identify source material in Scottish libraries and archives that could enable people of Scotch-Irish (Scots-Irish) ancestry (i.e., the Ulster Scots) to locate their Scottish roots.Besides identifying the key records for making the leap from America or Ulster to Scotland, the author equips the researcher with a number of important tools for maximizing his/her efforts. These include a glossary and list of abbreviations, a list of family history societies in South-West Scotland, bibliographies of family histories and local histories concerned with South Western Scotland, and a general bibliography. Anyone daring enough to search out the Scottish origins of his/her Ulster heritage will be grateful to immigration authority David Dobson for having plotted a course.