We're rolling out an exciting line-up of events throughout 2026 focusing on Scottish and American ties, history, culture and family connections.
These are in a variety of formats - from short talks to multi-week courses - both in-person and online. Speakers and educators include academics from Scottish Universities and expert Scottish genealogists.
The Scots in North America
This short course offers an introduction to Scottish migration to the United States and Canada. We’ll explore the reasons so many Scots left their homeland from the 1700s to the 1900s and consider what life was like for them when they arrived. We will trace where Scots settled, from the farming communities of the Carolinas, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island to the growing cities of New York and Toronto and the fur-trade frontiers of the Great Lakes and Rupert’s Land. And we will examine how Scottish identity evolved in North America through literature, music, language, and culture. This course will be held online. Recordings will be available to participants each week which will remain available for two weeks beyond the last class.
Dates & Time: 17 & 24 September, 1 October. 18.30-20.00 BST.
Teachers: Dr Nicola Martin and Dr Elizabeth Ritchie
Dr Nicola Martin is a lecturer in history at the University of the Highlands and Islands. She specialises in the eighteenth-century and is particularly interested in both Jacobitism and in North America during the revolutionary era.
Dr Elizabeth Ritchie is senior lecturer in history at the University of the Highlands and Islands. She specialises in the nineteenth century and is particularly interested in rural areas and family life, both in Scotland and North America
Booking link coming soon....
Using DNA testing to explore your early Scottish ancestry, 1600-1700
We will talk about Y and mitochondrial DNA, what they are, how they are used for genealogy, and how you can apply them to seventeenth century Scottish research. We will also discuss why you shouldn’t use autosomal DNA to investigate these early ancestors.
Dates & Time: 29 September 18.00-19.30 BST.
Speaker: Laura House
Laura House has an MSc. degree in Genealogical, Palaeographic, and Heraldic Studies from the University of Strathclyde and is a senior genetic genealogist on AncestryProGenealogists’ international team. She talks about her work at conferences around the world and on TV, radio, podcasts, and social media. Laura also writes articles and papers on topics relating to DNA and genealogy.
From Scotland to Mississippi: The Crofter’s Son.
A journey of discovery, from a DNA surprise to an eminent citizen of the Deep South. This presentation showcases the wide range of sources available online that can help to identify Scots emigrants after they arrived in the USA. This talk will be held online and a recording will be available to participants for two weeks post-event.
Date & Time: 5 November, 18.00-19.15 GMT
Speaker: Alison Spring is a professional genealogist, speaker, and writer specialising in the records of Scotland. With over 40 years’ experience of family history research, she has a Masters Degree in Family & Local History from the University of Dundee and is a member of the Register of Qualified Genealogists. Based near Glasgow, she is passionate about tracing your family tree on a budget and blogs as the “Frugal Family Historian”. She has also taught college and university genealogy courses and written for the UK’s “Family Tree” magazine. She has delivered presentations for events including the Virtual Genealogical Association, RootsTech, and Scottish Indexes, as well as family history societies in the UK and overseas.
Cost: £10.00
From Culloden to Concord: The Jacobite Rising and the American Revolution
Many Jacobite exiles, British army veterans, and political ideas crossed the Atlantic in the aftermath of the 1745 rising. This talk will explore how these individuals and ideas shaped colonial identities and understandings of loyalty and resistance during the American Revolution. This talk will be held online and a recording will be available to participants for two weeks post-event.
Date & Time: 11 November, 18.30 – 20.00 GMT
Speaker: Dr Nicola Martin is a lecturer in history at the University of the Highlands and Islands. She specialises in the eighteenth-century and is particularly interested in both Jacobitism and in North America during the revolutionary era.
Cost: £10.00