Dad also tells the story of a bed and breakfast owner who spelled the Somers name correctly when he first checked in. He was surprised because most folks want to add an extra "m" or spell it like the season. He complimented her for getting the spelling correct, to which she replied "Is there any other way to spell it?"
These two events prompted him to do some family research while in Scotland and when he returned home, he was convinced the Somers family had roots there.
Yesterday while researching the Somers family from Caswell, County, NC, I came across information that just might confirm Dad's suspicion that we have some Scottish blood flowing in our veins.
Our branch of the Somers family is descended from Capt. John Somers (1750 - 1803) and Catherine Arden (1760 - 1820). His son, John Somers II (3rd Great Grandfather) married Rebecca Wright on July 25, 1804. Their son Abraham is my 2nd Great Grandfather, and his son Henry Francis was my Great Grandfather. What I hadn't investigated was the ethnicity of their wives or those of my 5th and 6th Great Grandparents.
If the information found at the Rootsweb Whitesell-Somers family tree is correct, then there is a Scottish connection through at least three of the Somers wives, including Rebecca Wright.
Jacob Somers, who is thought to have been born around 1690 married Ann McGregor. I believe they settled in Warwickshire, England where their son George was born in approximately 1720. George then married Jane Sutherland, who was the mother of John Somers Sr.
For fun, I googled the wives last names and found this Scottish history:
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Clan MacGregor History (ScotClans.com)
The MacGregor‘s motto ‘My blood is royal’ is their claim to royal descent.
The clan were one of the most famous victims of the Clan Campbell’s expansionism. It held lands in Glenstrae, Glenlochy and Glenorchy. With the capture of Iain MacGregor in 1296, his property was passed to the Campbell Clan.
They were pushed further into Glenstrae. From then on began the clan’s survival as an independent tribe with the Campbells setting up rival line to Gregor MacGregor.
After a series of incidents the entire clan were outlawed in 1603.
Read more MacGregor history here.Wikipedia also has an article on the Gregor clan which states that the legendary Rob Roy MacGregor was part of it and it is a Scottish Highland clan.
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I also found a Brief History of Clan Sutherland compiled by Andrew Sutherland which provides this information:
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| Sutherland Crest |
The origins of the earliest residents of Sutherland date back some 6000 years and are somewhat obscure. There were ancient Picts and Celts who built stone tombs, hill-forts, and brochs throughout their territory. The 17th century historian, Sir Robert Gordon stated, "In the year of Christ four score and two, there arrived a great company of Germans named "Catti", a valiant people of mighty bodies who were banished out of their native land for killing of a Roman general. At their first arrival, their captain went onshore to spy the land, when he was suddenly invaded by a company of monstrous big wild cats that much molested the country. The fight between them was cruel, yet in the end he killed them all. From thence the thanes and earls of Catti, or Sutherland, even unto this day do carry on their crest or badge, above their arms, a cat sitting with one of its feet upwards ready to catch his prey." He continued, "There is not a rat in Sutherland. And, if they do come thither in ships from other ports, which often happeneth, they die presently as soon as they do smell the air of that country." Whatever the fate of rats in the area, there is tradition that after landing in the north of Scotland, the Catti named the area of Caithness and their chief married the daughter of the Pictish king Brude.
From the end of the 8th century onwards, Norsemen attacked Scotland, gradually gaining a foothold. By the end of the 9th century, they had conquered Orkney, Shetland, the Western Isles, Caithness and Sutherland, and by the early 11th century, the Norsemen were in control of Scotland beyond the Moray Firth. They referred to the lower half of this province a "Suderland" as it was south of their homeland and of Caithness. This is the origin of the name "Sutherland". These groups, with their intermarriages, comprised the earliest ancestors.
A further influx of people into Sutherland occurred during the twelfth century consisting of the defeated followers of the Royal House of MacAlpin, the last truly Celtic Scottish Kings. In 1150, King David I (1124-1153) marched north into the Province of Moray to put down what would be the last in a series of rebellions.
The Sutherland forbear was Freskin de Moravia, whose father was probably a Flemish noble named Ollec with lands in Morayshire and elsewhere ("de Moravia" being "of Moray"). He was given a commission by King David I to gather the Sutherland Gaels together and clear the Norsemen from the area, and he received Strabrock in West Lothian and Duffus in Moray from King David I.
Some hold that he was therefore probably the hero of the clan legend about the killing of the last Norseman. The crucial battle took place near Dornoch where the Norse chief had gathered his men in a desperate attempt to stop the Scottish advance. The fight at first went the Norsemen's way when they penetrated the Scot's formation and the Sutherland chief was injured. As the chief lay wounded though, he spotted a Norse general coming up to support the attack. Finding a horseshoe at hand, he threw it with all of his might striking the Norseman squarely in the forehead, killing him, and turning the whole battle around. By the end of the day, all of the Scots' foes had been killed or captured.
Read more Clan Sutherland history here.Third Great Grandmother Rebecca Wright has really piqued my interest and I hope to find more information on her family roots. But from what I've read, Wright is a Scottish name, and it's also associated with the Scots Irish who migrated to America in the 1700's.
Here's a bit of information on the origin of the Wright name I found written by Caitlin Wright Binning:
The Ancient History of the Distinguished Surname Wright
The dark rolling moors of the Scottish/English border are home to this notable surname Wright. Its ancient history is closely woven into the rich and beautiful tapestry of the border chronicles.
Wright Coat of Arms
In-depth research into some of the most ancient manuscripts such as the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, the Inquisitio, the Ragman Rolls, the Domesday Book, baptismals, parish records, tax records and cartularies, gave researchers the first record of the name Wright in Berwickshire where they had been seated from ancient times. Ralph Wright of Stirling and Thomas Wright of Blakenhall in Lanarkshire rendered homage to King Edward I of England in 1296, on his brief conquest of Scotland.
The name, Wright, appeared in many references, and from time to time, the surname was spelt Wright, Right, Write, Wrighte, Alwright, Allwright, Oldwright, and these changes in spelling frequently occurred within the family name. Scribes and church officials spelled the name as it sounded, and frequently the spelling changed even during the person's own lifetime.
The family name Wright is believed to be descended originally from the Boernicians. This ancient founding race of the north was a mixture of Scottish Picts and Angles, a race dating from about the year 400 A.D. By 1000 A.D. this race had formed into discernible Clans and families, perhaps some of the first evidence of the family structure in Britain. From this area we get some of the most impressive names in history, surnames with unique nicknames such as the Sturdy Armstrongs, one of whom was, appropriately the first to colonize the moon, the Gallant Grahams, the Saucy Scotts, the Angry Kerrs, the Belts, the Nixons, the Famous Dicksons, the Bold Rutherfords, the Pudding Somervilles, and most of the names ending in "son".
From these fighting clans of the border the surname Wright was found in Berwickshire. They were first settled in Plowland in Holderness where they had been settled from very early times, moving north into Durham, where they were seated at Bradbury and Sedgefield, Northumberland and Berwick. Their estates in Yorkshire were at Bolton-upon-Swale, Botton Hall, and Sigglesthorn Hall. Moving south branches of the family also acquired Brattleby in Lincoln, and at Mottram and Bickley in Cheshire.
Read more of Caitlin's history about the Wright surname here.I've also come across some information suggesting the Somers' in Scotland were a sept (or branch) of the Lindsay Clan. I hope to explore this possibility more in the near future. So, as you can see, it appears the Somers family does have Scottish roots just as my dear father has claimed since his visit to Scotland approximately 40 years ago!
May the good Lord be so pleased as to reveal more of our noble Scottish heritage and show us how His hand has been guiding and leading us throughout His- Story. In Lord Jesus Name, I pray, amen.
Additional Resources:
- Scots-Irish in Colonial America (The Irish Times)
- Scots-Irish Research (The Irish Times)
- The Scots-Irish in the Southern United States: An Overview (Archives)
- Common Scottish Surnames and Surname Organizations (Clan Scott Society)
- The Scots-Irish: The Thirteenth Tribe (Ulster Ancestry)
- The Scots-Irish (Blogger)
- Beginning of the Ulster Scots (YouTube)
- Forged in Ulster (Website)
- Ulster Scots Index (thereformation.info)
- The Highland Clans (Historic UK.com)
Highlands and Lowlands Map:
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| Wikimedia Commons |
Scottish Clans Map
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| PlanetWare |
Click on images to enlarge maps.
Clans the Somers Family is connected to:
Lindsay (Somers) , MacGregor, Sutherland
Updated 5.23.2019
Clans the Somers Family is connected to:
Lindsay (Somers) , MacGregor, Sutherland
It appears the Lindsay clan, which Somers is a branch of, were part of the Lowlands, while MacGregor and Sutherland were in the Highlands. The Wrights are from the border area between Scotland and England.
Updated 5.23.2019
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