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Helpful Links...
Below is an ever-expanding list of helpful links recommended by the Caledonian Society of Alabama. The link list will expand as updates to the website are made. In the meantime, you should find links for Genealogical Resources, Festivals and Games, History and Culture, Literature, Musicians, and Vendors for Scottish Attire.
If you would like to request to have your link added, or to report a broken link, please email the Webmaster.
— GENEALOGICAL RESOURCES —
Alabama Department of Public Health Vital Records
Files, stores, and issues certified copies of vital records including birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates collected by the Center for Health Statistics for the state of Alabama. Customers can obtain most vital records from the Center for Health Statistics through their county health department in 30 minutes or less. Records may also be obtained through the mail in about 7 to 10 days for $12. State office has birth and death records since January 1908 and marriage records since 1936. To obtain records, write to:
Alabama Vital Records
State Department of Public Health
P.O. Box 5625
Montgomery, AL 36103-5625
Personal check or money order should be made payable to Vital Records.
Ancestry.com
The largest online pay site for family history research with databases of various historical records.
Buyer Beware! Genealogy Scams and Pitfalls
A helpful list of things to avoid in your search for your ancestors, such as Family Coats of Arms and automatically renewing subscription websites.
Census Finder
Provides free access to census records for the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
ePodunk
A very informative site with highly detailed statistical information for states, counties, cities, and towns throughout the US.
Fake Titles
Beware! There are many sites offering an individual the ability to purchase legal title to one square foot of land in the Highlands, giving the owner the legal right to bear the title "Laird" or "Lady". This is a very helpful site debunking this scam, which even the Court of the Lord Lyon has declared "meaningless".
Genealogy.com: Beginning Genealogy
If you are a brand-new genealogist or need a refresher course, this is a great place to learn the basics of hunting for ancestors.
GENUKI: Scotland
Huge resource for all kinds of records, from census, church and court records, and directories.
Rootsweb: An Ancestry.com Community
Hosts surname mailing lists and message boards helpful for gathering information and even meeting distant relations.
ScotsFind
Free computer-searchable genealogical databases from old Scottish records.
Scots Origins
Features a Free IGI search, access to Origins Experts research of authentic Scottish records from 1700 to 1990, a Free Scottish Place search, and expert articles and discussion on Scottish history.
Scotland's People
Official government source for Scottish genealogy, census and family research.
Scotland BDM Exchange
Provides a free resource for sharing Birth, Death, and Marriage records for ancestors found in Scotland.
The Scottish Clans DNA Project
Provides DNA information for all Clans and Families of Scottish ancestry.
The Scottish Genealogy Society
Publishes the quarterly magazine The Scottish Genealogist and offers an online Family History Index.
Your Scottish Kin
Scottish family history research service for hire.
— FESTIVALS & GAMES —
Association of Scottish Games and Festivals
Provides calendar of Scottish festivals and games throughout the US listed by month.
Calendar of Highland Games and
Scottish Events in North America
Provided by the Clan Campbell Society (North America) and based on information from various sources, lists Highland Games, faires, festivals, Burns Suppers, and other Scottish and Celtic events.
CelticFest Mississippi
Celtic festival held every September in Jackson, Mississippi. Celebrates all the Celtic nations including Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Brittany.
Gatlinburg Scottish Festival & Games
Held every May in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, with pipe band competitions, athletic competitions, highland dance competitions, demonstrations, vendors and more.
Grandfather Mountain Highland Games
The Southeast's largest festival held every July in MacRae Meadows on Grandfather Mountain near Linville, North Carolina.
Stone Mountain Highland Games
Two-day festival in Stone Mountain, Georgia every third weekend in October, featuring pipe band competitions, athletic competitions, highland dance competitions, demonstrations, vendors and more.
— GENERAL INTEREST: HISTORY & CULTURE —
Electric Scotland
Information on the history of Scotland, the Scots and Scotch Irish as well as people and places of Scots descent around the world. We also have lots of information on Scottish clans and families and their tartans and genealogy.
First Foot.com
"Scotland's humour site" with articles on Scottish news and politics, Scottish history and culture, Scottish football, Scotland's genealogy, Scottish joke of the day and Scottish quotations.
FREELANG - Scottish Gaelic-English and English-Scottish Gaelic Online Dictionary
Free online dictionary. Translate from Scottish Gaelic to English and back. You can also download a version of the dictionary for Windows.
Google Book Search: History of the Scottish Nation
Download the entire digitized book History of the Scottish Nation by James Aitken Wylie in PDF format (7.8M), available from Google Book Search.
Google Book Search: Scotland
Download the entire digitized book Scotland by Sir Walter Scot in PDF format (11.5M), available from Google Book Search.
Hogmanay.net
Forum for sharing information about Hogmanay events throughout Scotland, complete with a Hogmanay FAQ and hangover cures.
Magic of Scotland
Selection of audio-visual clips of Scottish scenery and eCards.
National Tartan Day
Information about Tartan Day, the National Holiday for all Scottish Americans, held every year on April 6th.
Neil's Scottish Gaelic Lessons
Eleven lessons on Scottish Gaelic with pronunciation guide and basic grammar.
New York Tartan Week
The largest event celebrating Scotland sponsored by Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky and Walkers. A week-long festival taking place around Tartan Day in New York City, inviting pipe bands, individual pipers, drummers and drum majors, Scottish clans and organizations to take part.
Radio Six International
A private non-profit radio station operating from Scotland and playing an interesting mixture of unsigned bands plus specialist shows featuring oldies, Celtic, easy listening, lounge, Americana, jazz, instrumentals, light music, classical plus some talk shows to spice up the mixture from time to time! Broadcasts the College of Piping Radio with Robert Wallace reporting "news, views, reviews, interviews and music from the world of the highland bagpipe".
Rampant Scotland
Regularly updated information resource listing over 13,000 Scottish-related links and 3,700 web page features on Scotland and the Scots.
Save Gaelic.com
Informative website with information about Scottish Gaelic, as well as links to translatiton services, dictionaries, and learning resources.
School Gaelic Dictionary
MacFarlane's (Scottish-) Gaelic-English dictionary, online version with searchable dictionary, originally published in 1912.
Scotch Irish.net
A very informative website about the history and achievements of the Scotch Irish, "a race of people who created civilization in the American wilderness and helped lay the solid foundations for the greatest nation on earth".
Scotch Malt Whisky
Provides a guide to Scotch Whisky with articles about Scotch Whisky, how Scotch Malt Whisky is made, and how Scotch Blended Whisky is made. Includes the helpful article How to Drink Scotch Whisky.
Scotch Whisky.net
Provides the most comprehensive up-to-date information regarding Scotch Whisky and the Scotch Whisky industry.
Scotsman.com
Comprehensive site with links to latest news from Scotland and the United Kingdom as well as articles on culture and heritage.
Scots-Online.org
"Pittin the Mither Tongue on the Wab!" English to Scots online translator.
Scottish History.com
Contain links and information on all things Scottish, including essays and articles on Scottish History.
Scottish History
An online Scottish history magazine by Scotweb, with information about the history of Scotland from pre-history through the late medieval period and to the present day.
Scottish Tartans Authority
Provides a tartan certification service and offers online shopping for Scottish books and mobile phone covers.
Scottish Tartans Museum
Large museum and gift shop located in Franklin, North Carolina, founded by Scottish Tartans Society displaying Scottish Tartans.
Tartan Finder
House of Tartans large database of digital swatches of every registered tartan.
Tartan Maker.com
Fun tartan pattern generator. Create original digital tartan patterns and download the patterns for your desktop wallpaper.
Tartans of Scotland
A complete Register of all publicly Known Tartans online, including details and images of over 2800 tartans.
Whisky.com
Provides reviews about the various brands of single malt Scotch whisky and articles about the history of Scotch whisky.
Useful Scottish Gaelic Phrases
A collection of useful phrases in Scottish Gaelic, including greetings and other pleasantries.
Wall Street Journal Online: Secret GOP Weapon: The Scots-Irish vote (Article)
A fascinating article written in 2004 by James Webb about the political history of the Scotch Irish in America.
Wikipedia.com: History of Scotland
A great primer on the history of Scotland with information from historic times to the present.
Wikipedia.com: Scottish Gaelic
A great primer on the Scottish Gaelic language, with history, pronunciation guides, and basic grammar.
— LITERATURE —
Burns Country
Site dedicated to "everything you wanted to know about Robert Burns, Scotland's national bard".
Google Book Search: The Complete Poetical Works of Robert Burns
Download the entire digitized book The Complete Poetical Works of Robert Burns by Robert Burns in PDF format (22.7M), available from Google Book Search.
— MUSICIANS: FOR HIRE & INSTRUCTION —
Birmingham Bagpiper
Website for Ryan Morrison, the ONLY fully professional ceremonial bagpiper in the state of Alabama. Available for hire and for bagpipe lessons.
Colin Grant-Adams
Scottish balladeer. Raised near Winchester, England, Colin is a well-known performer of traditional Scottish ballads accompanied by guitar.
Hooley
Birmingham-based Irish and Scottish traditional music ensemble.
Ian Sturrock Memorial Pipe Band
Caledonian Society of Alabama's house pipe band, newly rechristened in honor of the first piper in the state of Alabama, the late Ian Sturrock, Scottish native, Society founder and the band's Pipe Major Emeritus. His pipes are still played today by the band's pipe major and Society Board Member Ryan Morrison.
SlipJig
Based in Huntsville. Performing the traditional music of Ireland, Scotland, and other Celtic Lands.
Southern Harpistry
Birmingham-based Celtic Harp ensemble directed by Caledonian Society Board Member Judy Deitz. For information and for lessons please email Judy.
— VENDORS: KILTS & SCOTTISH ATTIRE —
A Tartan Weaver
Molly V. Manaugh, professional weaver since 1995. Maker of custom tartan scarves in any tartan. Weaver commissioned for the Alabama State Tartan Project!
Alexis Malcolm Kilts
Quality Kilts, Kilted Skirts and Plaids hand made in the classic tradition, individually and specifically for each wearer. Made of 100% worsted wool Tartan from the finest mills in Scotland. Makers of Our Tartan Flags!
Henderson Imports, Ltd.
Supplies bagpipes, drums, accessories, uniforms and more. Home of "Build-A-Sporran".
J. Higgins, Ltd. (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!)
Makers of inexpensive quality kilts, jackets, hose and other Scottish clothing accessories for 25 years.
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