From Ulster to Carolina: The Migration of the Scotch-Irish to Southwestern North Carolina

I knew this was a small book, but I was hoping that it might cover some information on my ancestors and where they lived. Unfortunately, I didn't notice that it said "Southwestern" in the subtext on the cover. My relatives migrated to the Albermarle Sound area which is an estuary off the coast, and therefore obviously the East side of North Carolina. I will donate this book to the library.

From Ulster to Carolina is very interesting if you have any interest in Scoth-Irish immigration to the New World of North America. This book explains why the Scotts were in Ireland and how they lived. It also tells why and how they left to go to the Colonies and then to the United States. I found it very interesting in describing the way the Scotch-Irish people settled and survived in the new frontier of the Carolinas as my own ancestors were among them and I know where they lived. It makes it easier to understand how and why they did things as I work on my family history although my family is not mentioned in the book.

Though of general interest, this book did not assist in tracking the genealogy or migration of specific Scottish families during the 17th & 18th centuries. In general, this is an overview of the history of those times through the 20th century.

I was looking for a book that concisely described the circumstances under which my Scottish ancestors decided to move from Scotland to Ulster and from there to America. Other larger histories have been good as reference books, but they get so bogged down in who was fighting whom (a never ending saga when it comes to Scotland) that I could not get a big picture of what was going on. This book solved that problem. It very concisely explains the major migrations and why they occurred. I feel like I should copy this entire book into my family history.

When doing genealogy you may know the state or territory where your ancestors were but it is very helpful to know the history of the the area. The footnoting of the book is rather confusing until you understand it.

This is a good introduction to the subject. However lacking a detailed description, I relied on the author's credentials in selecting it. I was disappointed to discover this "book" was originally written as a pamphlet to accompany a physical display on the migration. As such, it is brief and superficial as "a book." It is more in-depth than most such phamphlets, but I wish the description had mentioned this aspect. Very good as an introduction for those new to the subject, but not much use as a serious research text.

Brethren and Wood have tied together a vast array of existing literature and added very significant and helpful pieces of detail that take readers much farther into a clear understanding of Colonial treatment of these immigrants as well as their relationships with Native Americans, Catholic citizens of Maryland, and their irresistible draw to the Carolina's. This is an essential read for any serious student of Scots Irish colonial history and also provides great insight to serious genealogical research into Scots Irish ancestry.

As my family is Duncan from North Carolina, I already knew some of my heritage and have just learned a bit more. My husband, who isn't an Early American history buff, was fascinated to learn that there's been more than one wave of emigration from Ireland to the America's. All in all, a good read.