Mair is of a Germanic origin and the name is located in Germany as well as Scotland, America, Jamaica, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia to name a few places. Our Scottish roots begin in the Aberdeenshire region of Scotland between the Dee and Don rivers. We are closely associated with the Tribe of Mar. The Right Honorable Countess of Mar has accepted all of the name Mair as followers of the the Tribe of Mar and are authorized to wear the Green Tribe of Mar Tartan.
We are descendants of Morrison Mair who was born in Aberdeen Scotland and immigrated to Canada in 1834. Morrison's son A.M. Mair immigrated to America and settled in Illinois employed as a veterinarian. His descendants are in Illinois, Texas, Florida, and Tennessee. If you are a Mair please email.
I hope Mair's who visit US Scots contact us. If you have done a genealogy or DNA join US Scots on Facebook. We have a Group as well as a page where Mairs can share and discuss our lineage. Hope to see you there, Taing!
The Tribe of Mar is one of the original Tribes of ancient Scotland. It is the oldest organized House in the United Kingdom, and should not be confused with the Erskine of Mar. The Tribe of Mar is one of the original 9 Pictish Earldoms that made up Pictland. The Earldom of Mar is situated between the Don and Dee rivers in Lowlands of Scotland. Domnall mac Elmin melc Cainnig, Mormaer (Earl) of Mar (died April 23, 1014) fought with Brian Boruma mac Cennetig, High King of Ireland, against the Vikings at the Battle of Clontarf.
The Earls of Mar supported Robert the Bruce's claim to the throne. Kildrummy Castle in Aberdeenshire was the stronghold of the Earldom of Mar. It is believed to have been originally built during the lordship of Uilleam (6th Mormaer of Mar from 1244 to 1276} and Domhnall the 7th Mormear of Mar (1276 -1302). Domhnall was at Norham in 1292 with the other lords of Scotland who met with King Edward I of England to decide the future king.
Our chief is the Lady Margaret, Countess of Mar. She is a descendant of the Earls of Mar, first creation (1404). She is the Bearer of the name and arms of Mar.
The first European to set foot on North American soil, may have been a Scottish couple. It is known that Leif Erikson discovered the North American continent long before Columbus. It is also known that Erikson had two Scottish slaves on his ship named Haki and Hekja, a man and a woman. It is not known for sure if the were man and wife, but is known that they were called "runners" and acted as scouts. It would not be to far fetched to speculate that Heki or Hekja were the first to step foot on the newly discovered land to scout for food, water, and inhabitants. At the very least, they were one of the first Europeans. So keep that in mind during National Scottish Heritage Month in April.
If you have traced your family tree and found your Scottish ancestor was an "indentured servant" and was "sold" when he arrived in America, it will shock you. Your first thought after seeing your ancestor was bought by a plantation owner is that he was a slave, but that would not be true.
Jacobite Scots who fought in the Rebellions in Britain and were captured were treated as rebel P.O.W.S. Many were executed and thousands were sent to the British Colonials as indentured servants. Unlike a slave who is a forced laborer for life, and indentured servant is a sentence with a release date. All Jacobites were pardoned in 1747 and free.
You probably already know that many of America's Founding Fathers were of Scottish heritage. Most of the ideas set forth in the United States Bill of Rights stem from philosophies of the Scottish Enlightenment. But, did you know that one draft of the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson accused King George of purposely sending "Scotch and their mercenaries" to the American Colony to thwart any possible rebellion? It's true. John Witherspoon, Founding Father and native of Scotland asked Jefferson to remove the line.
At that time, Scottish immigrants to America were tired of war. The Jacobite Rebellion was just 30 years earlier and those sent to America were not eager to get into another war. Scottish families coming to America between the end of the Jacobite Rebellion (1745) and the start of the Revolutionary War (1776) wanted nothing to do with war either. There was a real animosity between Scottish Loyalist and the Patriots, as Jefferson displayed in the draft. John Witherspoon wote a pamphlet addressed to "Native of Scotland" to appeal to their reasoning about what a free America would mean to them. Which worked for some. You find many Scottish Revolutionary War veterans on both sides. Many Scots who served on the British side stayed here in America or Canada after the war.
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