The First Era

"You must know where you've been to know where you are going." - Me Knowledge of your history is one of the best keys to unlocking your future.

You may wonder why I chose a thistle to link to this page. The thistle is a Scotch Thistle, and as such is traditionally associated with Scotland, which is where my family roots go back to. The Clan MacClellan was located in the area around Kirdcudbright Castle in southern Scotland. The Clan MacClellan website has far more information than I do and if you are interested, it is worth a quick look.

What I will tell you is that I am researching my family history and, to be perfectly honest, have not yet been able to trace my roots back beyond seven or eight generations. In short, I have a long way to go before I can claim any true kinship to the Knights of Kirkcudbright. Still, it is an enjoyable past time for me to work on. So far my research indicates that my roots go back to Ireland in the 1800's. I've put a rough outline of some of my research up here for any geneologists that care to have a look.

One last comment on the topic of Clan MacClellan. The family crest is of a head on a sword with the motto Think On. A rather gruesome motto, or so I always thought, until I read the story behind it. Apparently a fierce rover called Black Morrow came from Ireland and was raiding the area around Kirkcudbright. King James offered arms, as in a coat of arms, to whomever caught the bandit. It is said that William M‘Clellan gathered his followers, both kin and kith, and, after defeating the band and killing their leader, carried the head of Black Morrow to the King on the point of his sword, and bade him Think On, the King having at erst forgotten his proclamation. William was then knighted. Hence the coat of arms.

I find this story encouraging. To think that my family has stood on the side of the just. The image on my splash page is also rather fitting given the above story. A pair of hands holding a head. Beware the just.

Of course, that head could just as easily be that of an angel. Everything depends on perception.

This portion of my web site is devoted to my geneological research, some small information on the MacClellans, my family and finally, myself. Who I am and where I come from. If you're more interested in what makes me tick and my thoughts, I refer you to The Second Era. if you are interested in my personal projects, I refer you to The Third Era. If you are interested in my commercial endeavours, I refer you to The Fourth Era. If none of that satisfies you, try The Fifth Era.