Carolina Scots, An Historical and Genealogical Study of Over  100 Years of Emigration
Bha feum againn air leabhar mu Ghaidhealtachd Charolna: seo e.  Leabhar bragha agus sgoileireil a tha seo, le fear a mhuinntir an Eilein Sgithanaich a thuinich a shinnsrean an Carolna a-Tuath an 1803. Cha do chaill Gaidhil Charolna riamh an ceangal ris an t-seann dthaich; chum iad an cuid Ghidhlig gu chionn fhada, s tha beagan aig Dubhghlas Ceallach fhin.  Tha d leth san leabhar. Sa chiad leth tha cunntas air na Gaidhil an Alba s an Carolna; san dara leth tha cunntas mionaideach air teaghlaichean fa leth s an cuid shloinntireachd.[translation: We have needed a book on the Highland Scots of Carolina: here it is.  This is an attractive and scholarly book, whose author is of Isle of Skye stock, whence his great-grandfather came to North Carolina in 1803.  The Carolina Gaels have never lost their connections with the old country; some of them have retained some Gaelic for a long time; Douglas Kelly himself knows a certain amount. The book has two parts.  The first part explains the background of the Gaels in Scotland and in Carolina; the second part traces genealogically the connections of each of the (migrant) families.] --Gaelic section of 'The Scotsman', Edinburgh, Scotland, October 1998CAROLINA SCOTS is an outstanding resource for understanding and researching your Scottish ancestry.  Part on is an historical study of early emigrations starting with the Argyll Colony in 1739. It outlines and describes life both in Scotland and the new settlements of the Carolinas during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.Part two is a comprehensive listing of names and locations of North and South Carolina Scottish families, beginning in 1739.  This book includes resources that are hard to find including privately distributed genealogical publications and manuscripts. Descendents are traced into other southern states including Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and East Texas.CAROLINA SCOTS will be a valuable addition in the library of any Scottish family.  Whether you are a family genealogist or just beginning to trace your Scottish roots, almost everyone will find a connection in the incredibly extensive index. --Angus John Ray, in Scottish Journal, Barrington, Ill.CAROLINA SCOTS provides an opportunity to research and better understand one's Scottish heritage.  The authors examine the social, political and religious aspects that form a rich culture, making a direct link from the Scottish Highlands to eastern North Carolina.  They also provide a meticulous genealogy of three to five generations of 64 families who emigrated from Scotland to the Cape Fear Valley of North Carolina and the Pee Dee Valley of South Carolina from 1739 to the 1840s, blending straight genealogy with cultural life and economic history, including more than 100 photographs, maps and art.It's easy to see how our Scottish heritage has affected Southern life, from music to speech patterns to customs. CAROLINA SCOTS provides the threads that weave through Southern traditions.   --Our State-The Magazine for North Carolina, October, 1999Carolina Scots is an impressive piece of work, well supported by evidence and historical references throughout. The historical section offers an excellent account of life before the Clearances in the Seventeenth Century, noting the widespread use of Gaelic by the settlers, the role of the Highlanders on the British side of the American War of Independence and the links to famous characters like John MacRae, the Kintail Bard, and Alan MacDonald of Kingsburgh.The genealogy study includes the history of the Bethunes - famous in Skye - and traces strong connections of the families in Sleat today - MacGillvrays and Kellys.  Many highlanders prospered - an irony that those who very much the underdogs in their own country should become so powerful.It is obvious that the study is a labour of love with the author, who establishes strong family ties with Skye.  His enthusiasm for the subject comes through within the book. --John Norman Macleod, Head Of Studies, Sabhal Mor Ostaig, the Gaelic College of the University of the Highlands and Islands, SkyeFamilies by the dozen. For whatever reason, keeping up with family history is an ethnic distinctive of the Highland Scots to this day.  This book has been a labor of love for three decades on the part of Douglas Kelly.It opens with a roots-in-the-Highlands picture. The next pages outline immigration from 1739 to the 1840s.  The bulk of the book is a selective genealogical survey of dozens of families, beginning with some from the 1739 Argyll colony, but more likely those who came later in the much larger migrations that occurred just prior to the American Revolution.With its handsome format, rich illustration, and modern way of listing complex family relationships through as many as four generations, this book has been hailed as the new resource for Carolina Scots families and an ideal First Reader for anyone who is just beginning a serious study of the Highland Scots who came to North Carolina. --Fayetteville Observer, NC, August 16