Clan Chisholm Society NZ Newsletter # 42 November 2007 Editor’s note: A safe and happy Christmas to all readers, and good times for Inside this issue: 2008. This issue of the newsletter has a mix of articles, and From the President 2 news items, no one particular trend, although the Clan Chis- Society news 3 holm DNA project is quite topical at the moment, and weaves it way into many of the pages. Other current projects for the DNA: Dr Eve Lutz-MacKenzie 4 Society worldwide are the fine tuning of the International Ge- Blood of the Clan 6 nealogical database, organisation for the International gather- ing in 2008, and an Australian event in 2009. New Relatives: by Audrey Barney 7 On the web this month: For a general overview of things related to Sonny Chisholm 8 Chisholm and the Chisholm name, see www.chisholmname.com Ancient relics in Strathglass 10 In music, Duncan Chisholm of Inverness continues a long line of Chis- Australian Celtic Festival 2009 11 holms who are famous for the art of fiddling. Check Duncan’s music out at www.duncanchisholm.com. A preview MP3 sampler is at- International Gathering 2008 12 tached to the newsletter.”Moonlight on Loch Ness” A Stirling Chisholm 14 Christmas Quiz: This question rolls History, Genealogy, and Mathematics, into one. Given that Hamish is the 33rd chief, allowing that some chiefs have been brothers rather than sons, and also allowing that there would be some generations prior to the entry of the first Chief into the historical record, let us assume that there have been 30 generations since the Chisholm name was established. Re- gardless of whether your own specific Chisholm family descends from this particular line, how many direct ancestors do you think you have had over the last 30 generations? Answer on page 6. Congratulations to Fay White on being re-elected as Convenor of the Wellington Branch of the NZ Society of Genealogists. Interactive Chisholm Genealogy-History on one CD , now for sale. The big advantage of the CD is that the documents are hyper-inked which makes searches that much quicker. It costs $30.00 plus postage. Proceeds go to the CCS DNA project . Only a few copies available, contact the editor if you are interested. DNA project donations: A grateful thank you to the following people who have kindly contributed to the DNA project fund. Thanks to your generosity, a DNA test has been done on a descendent of Chief Alexander XVII, which may enable the project to determine the DNA line of the ancient chiefs: Eve Lutz-MacKenzie, Alice Fairhurst, John J Chisholm, Murray Chisholm, Stephen Chisholm, Muriel Chisholm, Audrey Barney, An- gelika Chisholm. Contributions can be made online at www.familytreedna.com by anybody wishing to sup- port the ongoing work of the Clan Chisholm DNA project. Acknowledgements: Thanks to the following for contributing to this newsletter: Audrey Barney, John Ross, Strathglass Heritage, Thomas Wallace FSA (Scot), Marg Whitford & Joseph Chisholm, Sue Thompson, Bob Chisholm (UK branch genealo- gist) , Jan Peleton, Ken Chisholm, Eve Lutz-McKenzie, Bill Bryson (“A Short History of Nearly Everything”), Merrit Chisholm, Carolyn Chown. Newsletter Editor: Robert Chisholm 09 817 7131 [email protected] Clan Chisholm Society NZ Newsletter # 42 November 2007 Page 1 From the President Dear Chisholm Clanspeople Greetings, one and all, Mainly, this is to forewarn you of events in the next two years. We decided at this year's AGM that in 2008 it should be in Wellington, and it's now scheduled for Saturday 24 May in the church hall, in Miramar, where we had it four years ago. This is later than in past years, and the reason is that our Secretary/Treasurer, Barry Chisholm, tends to be out of the country (or only just back) in late April. Various elderly members would presumably find the Miramar venue easier to get to than an out-of- town one. In 2009, we should have our NZ Clan Gathering in Dunedin, and if the late-May timing proves con- venient for people, would stay with that. Also, in 2009, all New Zealand Chisholms are warmly invited to come along to the Australian Clan Chisholm Gathering, at Glen Innes in New South Wales, from Thursday 30 April to Sunday 3 May. It will coincide with the annual Celtic Festival and Fair, centred on the Standing Stones Park in (or near) Glen Innes. This town is in northern NSW, north of Armidale, and looks to be more quickly ap- proached from Brisbane than from Sydney. See page 11 for more detailed information If you're thinking you could maybe get to this, please do contact Carolyn Chown, the Secretary of the Clan Chisholm Society of Australia, at: [email protected]. It's way ahead, as yet; but relatively early indications of serious interest would both help her planning, and enable her team to book accomodation for you. Alterna- tively, you could contact the Aussie Vice-President, Donald Chisholm, at: [email protected]. If enough of us turn up, it could become a kind of joint Gathering. Sadly, the recently elected President of the other clan body I belong to, the Clan Ross Associa- tion of New Zealand, Alan Ross, died a couple of months ago. He was 78, and on the day he died had just done a full day's school-teaching. A fine-looking man, his forte was pronouncing the Ad- dress to the Haggis. Our sympathy to his family, likewise to any of yourselves who have lost family members this year (as I have). Every good wish John C. Ross President: John Ross, 8 York Place, Palmerston North (06) 357 4614. email: [email protected] Secretary/Treasurer: Barry Chisholm, Palmerston North . Limited Edition of CD now available in New Zealand. Susan Chisholm of Chisholm has kindly arranged for this CD of highland tunes with a Chisholm flavour to be made available for NZ members. Price $20.00, available from John Ross. Great for yourself, and also for that special Christmas gift. Some of the tunes: Music varies between band, accordion, pipes, whistle & fiddle, and vocals. Ceud Mile Failte, The Old Chisholm Trail, Miss Chisholm of Chis- holm, Highland Laddie, Erchless Castle, The Ceilidh Song, Lament to William Chisholm, Ross’s March to Strathglass, Highland Wedding, and many others Clan Chisholm Society NZ Newsletter # 42 November 2007 Page 2 NZ Branch News: New Zealand War Graves Whilst travelling in Italy this year, our tour party stopped at a War Cemetery at Arezzo, just south of Florence, where fierce action had taken place against the Germans, when they made a stand over 4 days in July 1944 before being driven back. Nearly 1300 Commonwealth soldiers lost their life here, including 27 young New Zealanders. Amongst them was Private Percival Ewan Chisholm,25Bn, 2 NZ Div, son of William and Isabella Chis- holm of Fortrose, Southland. He was just 22. It is pleasing to report that the cemetery is beautifully kept and very peaceful. Contributed by Jan Peleton. (Pte Chisholm was a descendant of the country blacksmiths from Kirkhill, near Beauly, refer Chisholm Pioneers in Colonial NZ, page 174) Fronds of the Fern The death occurred in Dunedin, on 19th September after a short illness, of Bernard Stuart Chisholm, aged 80,the last remaining of eight brothers of Shona Kempton of Kaitangata . Stuart is survived by his wife Audrey, his three children and seven grandchildren. Our sympathies go to Audrey and family at this time. Sincere condolences also go to our President, John Ross, and his family, following the recent passing in Wellington on 27th October dear mother, Joyce Ross, nee Chisholm. William and Margaret Chisholm arrive in Whangarei Thanks to the Daily Southern Cross, which was edited in 1863 by the two sons of William Chisholm Wilson, we have a much better idea of how William and Margaret Chisholm went about establish- ing themselves in Kaurihorere. On April 30 1863, three months after their arrival on the Silver Eagle, waste land on the Apotu block, north of Whangarei, was put up for sale. And William Chisholm was involved in buying a large proportion of it, either by himself or with his Forsyth son-in-law. At that sale, in all, he bought approximately 600 acres for £600! Ten days later, according to the Whangarei Correspondent for the Daily Southern Cross, William had arrived in Whangarei on the Annie Laurie, with his family, goods and chattels and fourteen head of cattle."We hope and believe they will be a valuable accession to the district,” said the correspondent. Wedding Bells mixed with the sound of the bagpipes in October for Frances Chisholm, who married Richard Ayers. The service took place overlooking the Whau in West Auckland, on land which was part of the Whau estate of Frances’ great grandfather, colonial pioneer Robert Chisholm. DNA Genealogy Tests at FTDNA through the Clan Chisholm Group Project Christmas discounts, limited offer only. A $30.00 discount is available for the next two participants who order a 37 or 67 Y-DNA marker test. A $15.00 discount is offered to the next two participants who order a 25 Y-DNA marker test. A $15.00 discount is offered to the next two participants who order a mitochondrial DNA test (maternal line) Offers expire 31 December 2007. All prices are US dollars. Normal Fees: Y-DNA 12 =$99.00; Y-DNA 25= $148.00; Y-DNA 37=$189.00: Y-DNA 67= $269.00; mtDNA =$129.00 or $189.00. Contact the editor if you wish to join the Clan Chisholm DNA project, a great Christmas Gift, everlasting, to discover your deeper ancestral heritage, and to see how it is woven into the tartan of Clan Chisholm genealogy .