Love this! if only the History Channel would go back to its roots and actually teach us about "history."

So very proud of my Scott Irish,Cherokee Indian and Italian heritage. My kin live in the Appalachian Mountains and hollers of West Virginia. My mother always referred to me as Heinz 57.

The term Scots Irish did not evolve until they arrived in America. They were called Ulster Scots in Northern Ireland...

My ancestors were Lowlander’s of the Hamilton Clan. My family settled in Wise County in a place called Big Stone Gap VA. Most of my kin still lives there to this day.

My ancestors were Highlanders, we imagrated too, I live in East Tennessee

We were always "people in between", first as border Scots, neither fully English or Scottish, then as strangers in a strange land, both in Ireland and America, always caught between England and her enemies. Fighting was bred into us by necessity through countless generations, along with a strong distrust of outsiders. We haven't really gotten over it yet.

One thing: Cherokee and Scots-Irish and Scottish Highlanders did get on fairly well together. They shared quite a number of the same customs and traditions and intermarried a great deal.

My family dates back to the early 1700s. Starting off in Port Tobacco, Charles County, Mayland as Free People of Color then moving westward into Kentucky & Ohio. We are of mixed race ancestry African Americans with Native American and Scottish blood... we are melungeon people from Madison County, Kentucky. Madison County is listed within the foothills of the Appalachia region.

Most Americans who claim Irish descent are descended from the Gaelic Irish who came by the millions in the 1840s. The "Scots-Irish" came in the early to mid 1700s, and would've identified as either Scottish or Irish. They made up 20% of the population at the time of the Revolutionary War.

My daddy’s mostly British, but my mama’s line came from Dumfriesshire and Antrim, settling in Virginia, where I’m still a proud resident of. I’ve always been a fierce girl, so it’s nice to know where my hardheadedness came from lol

These same people, the ones that fought at King's Mountain, had signed an Independence Agreement against England, 4 years before our own Declaration of Independence.

I would also like to add how important documentaries like this, on Scottish Americans, are. Most Scottish Americans today mistakenly call themselves Irish, even though they are Scottish, but they don't know it. They dropped the "Scots" from "Scots-Irish" and just call themselves Irish, when it should be the exact opposite. Most Scottish Americans don't know that they are Scottish. They mistakenly think that they are Irish because of the confusing "Scots-Irish" term.

The American term is “Scotch-Irish.” “Scots-Irish” is a recent form, only a few decades old, and a bit pedantic, in my opinion. The British term is “Ulster Scots,” as others have noted. For more on this subject, read The Scotch-Irish by James G. Leyburn.

The Scotch-Irish farm featured from about 1:29 to 2:16 is part of the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, Virginia. It's a working farm, just like the half dozen or so other farms on the museums property. Really cool to see it featured here.

I spent a summer in NC. Many of the folks there had ancestors from Scotland or England. Some both. Was cool

I was surprised to find my highest ethnicity on ancestry was Scottish, but my family has deep roots in Northern Alabama, and Northern Arkansas, with multiple Gaelic and northern Anglo Surnames, with the majority of family still living in the southern backcountry today!

I get my Scots-Irish ancestry from my Grandfather. He scored over 70% Scotland on his DNA Test. From Western Pennsylvania

Ulster Scot(s) is the preferred term by historians and genealogists today. A general search on publications can easily prove this. Scotch-Irish is a term that was very popular in the 19th century that survived till today. In the 20th century, Scots-Irish became more preferred to Scotch-Irish, with the argument being Scotch is Whiskey from Scotland and a Scot is a person. The further reasoning behind "Ulster-Scot(s)", most did not marry any Irish being staunch Protestants!

Thomas Sowell has an excellent book on this subject.

My mother’s mother’s family the Polk’s came over in the 1700’s. Scotland to Northern Ireland to the US. The made their way through Tennessee, Missouri to Kosse,Texas. Then Kosse near Waco to North of Greenville near Dallas through the Depression. My aunts’ and uncles’ words, terms and accents sound just like they are straight out of Appalachia.

A good video for the most part. However, at 2:37 they say that the Scotch-Irish were uneducated. This is not true. If anything, the Scotch-Irish were fairly well educated when compared to their relative poverty. Education was very important within the Scotch-Irish community, especially for those connected to the Presbyterian church.

❤So proud ! So deeply proud of my ancestry both Scot / Irish / Ulster / and Welsh ! Strong , independent , tough ! We gave birth to the spirt that became America ! And if anyone wants to argue that , we’ll fight ya fir it ! It’s what we do ! 🥰❤️🥰❤️👍👍❗️❗️❗️❗️

My great grandmother got a teaching degree, and her mother (my grandmother) the Scottish were disciplined

You've made a exllecent point. It's always been difficult to be Presbyterian without knowing how to read. In my own line, members couldn't have had careers calling for a educated background without knowing how to read at a minimum.

Love this history! We are trying keep this history alive in our videos too! Especially Appalachian!

This is my grandmother's maternal line and my grandfather's paternal line..plus more. Proud of my heritage!

These are my people! My family came from Scotland in the mid 1700’s and settled in south, central Kentucky until the depression when they moved to the cities for work.

Great video Billy Ray! I think it's time to drop the "Irish" part and just call them Scottish Americans, since they are not Irish, but rather Scottish. In Northern Ireland, they call themselves Ulster Scots, not Scots-Irish, which is an American invention.

Some of those Scots-Irish from the borders were originally Irish from Dumfries, Galloway, or the Borders. I am happy you have included McCulloch’s Traders trail (the northern most branch off of the Warrior’s Trail) but south of Braddock’s Road. It was my 5x great grandfather John McCulloch, who pioneered that route. He first traveled from Pittsburgh to New Orleans on the eastern Mississippi basin and sailed back to the Philadelphia area checking the geography before moving his family to Old Fields in the valley of the South Branch of the Potomac!

Great video. Jim Webb's book, Born Fighting, tells more of this story. Thanks for posting.

I'm 76 percent Scottish Irish Welch. My great grandpa was from west Virginia was Scott Irish

According to one relative who researched family history, my mother's folk, Kirklands by name, were Scotch Irish coming into the Colonies through Maryland in the late 1600's. As the family grew they moved into Virginia and the Carolinas. Eventually my Mom's branch settled in the area around the town of Selma, Alabama Territory, after the Dancing Rabbit Treaty and into East Central Mississippi after the Civil War. It is known that one of my ancestors served with Lighthorse Harry Lee in the Revolution and many fought on both sides in the Civil War.

My family 1st came over on the Mayflower, and by 1700, they were all here, from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, ❤

To think half of my ancestors walked the Appalachian trail.

My family came this route from Ireland.. we traced them back to the early 1700’s in Ireland then each generation their descendants were born more west.. Virginia, Ohio, Illinois then Kansas is where they stopped and have been for over one hundred years

I appreciate your video, it's good information. Would you consider making another video about the Boarder Clan's who went to Edinburgh on ships such as the St. George steam ship for example. They often went to Canada, sometimes if the journey became troubled, they were held at a Hospital on a Island off the coast of Canada. Many tried farming in Canada. Some continued to Kanass and some went on to other areas.

I am Ulster Scot from my dad's side. My dad was from PA. I am from NJ because when my dad met my mom (she is Italian), they moved to NJ and had me and my sister. I'm a Laird by surname and very proud of my Ulster Scot ancestry. My 4x great grandparents are the ones from Ireland and most of my other relatives, all the way up to my dad were (and are) Scottish. My mom's side is Italian, mostly from Umbria, Rome and Sicily. The only other ancestry I have is my dad's mom (my grandmother), who was Romanian. So all together I've got Ulster Scot, Italian and Romanian. I am very proud of all my ancestry but something about the Scot-Irish music hits me like the others don't (maybe a little the Italian music too). I like bagpipes and I love the Highland coo! My tartan I wear ( a scarf usually only) is for the Sinclair clan as I believe the Laird surname has no clan. It's my favorite colors of blue and green (with a hint of some yellow) plaid. It's a pretty big scarf so I wear it like a shawl when I'm at home and it's cold. I love my heritage and am thankful to my relative as far back as I know and even beyond that that they came to a land where they could be more free and I had lived and grew up there. I moved 4 years ago to Turkey but I never forget my heritage. It makes me who I am.

There were as many Scots Irish who entered the Appalachians via Charleston, SC as entered from Pennsylvania...

Recently found out my heritage (I was adopted as a child, so what I was told was inaccurate), and some of my heritage is both Scottish and Irish, so I'm wondering if some of my ancestors came over during this particular time period. Interesting video, with a decent amount of info. Looking forward to learning more about my potential ancestors.

My ancestors were Scots-Irish. They fought natives on the frontier. My 4th great grandfather was Capt. Alexander Hamilton of Pine Creek and he wrote the Pine Creek Declaration. My family fought along the Susquehanna River.

Excellent explanation in just 4 minutes. Well done Billy Ray.

My family Cherokee Scots-Irish Scottish Highlanders London KY God Bless Just Saying ...

I love history

You should research the Carolina road, which led from Philly, through Virginia, and then down to the yadkin valley as an alternative path.

Love this history. We try to tell it too!

I'm proud of my Celtic name sirdonovan from Ireland Wales Scotland

Wow, now I know. So many red haired & blue eyed people running around my Appalachian town (including my daughter). This combo is only 1% of the world population. No surprise the vast majority of red haired/blue eyed people come from Scotland.

That's my family's journey. Came into port at Philadelphia and lived in York PA for a time. Then migrated to SW Virginia and set up a blacksmith's shop.

Lowland Scots-Irish here. The family settled in Western PA in the mid-1700s. Most of the Walker family settled farther South and had a rough go of it with the Cherokee.

My folks came from Bavaria Germany in 1749. Landed in Pennsylvania and settled down in the wilderness of eastern Tennessee. What is now called Horse Creek, Tennessee on the edge of Smokey Mountain National Park

We researched our history and family tree and found out my ancestors were Scottish but came from Ireland.. pretty crazy cause I never knew and it’s half my DNA

We all are "Heinz 57's " when it all boils down to it. My mother's paternal line was MacPatrick from Argyll, the Cowal peninsula to be exact. Her maternal line was Forster from the Middle marches of England, who may be English one day and Scottish the next. My dad's 2 lines came from England and Wales. Along the way there are traces of Cherokee,Norse, Northern Italian and a "dash" of German. My feeling is, it is good to belong to an ethnic group but we all bleed red, walk on 2 feet and closely resemble each other. I'm proud of my British Isles heritage BUT at the end of the day I am still just a human and one of God's many children. Long live the Scotch-Irish

Being half Cheyenne half Scot Irish I finally feel at home in TN.

All books that I have read said that Ferguson's men were loyast mostly Scottish.He was the only Britt.Over the Mt. Men mostly came down the Wilderness Rd. from Pa.,Md. & VA.

im a canadian highland scot with mothers side from scots who settled in mass and came to canada after the revolution and some moved back

Beautiful Spirit 👍

The Scottish and Irish have an indomitable spirit. Fighters to the core.

Please Billy Ray -- don't break my heart!

The struggle off the Ulster Scots was tough. Sometimes their heart would achy breaky.

Although Scotch is an adjective used to describe people from Scotland, most people from Scotland prefer being called Scots or Scottish. The term Scotch is now mainly applied to food and drink e.g. Scotch whisky, Scotch eggs.

Warning TL;DR: There were a few Native Irish who ended up with the Scots-Irish early on (1680s to the 1720s and after) I'm sure that wasn't planned ... but life just throws you around sometimes, especially back then, especially if you were Catholic and Native Irish ... you eventually just had to blend in if you wanted to own land, get married and there were ZERO Catholic Churches around ... after a while you just "get busy livin' or get busy dyin'" . I believe my own Irish ancestors were fallout from Cromwell and were shipped off to Barbados AFTER their lands were confiscated. Then in Barbados they had to learn English (they only spoke Irish in western Ireland where my family was from (Connacht or Connaught) after being practically a slave and learning English ... if they survived, mine obviously did, they moved to Montserrat had earned a living any way they could and jumped to Maryland as fast as they could. By this time they are English speaking and Protestant (at least faking it as protestants) We've struggled with the "Church" thing in my family and I believe it goes back to this time. (My great grandpa said his church was "on top of a hill and under a tree" whenever he felt like he needed "church" and "church" to him was just himself speaking privately to "the Lord") We have this huge distrust of Churches in my family but your mileage may vary. Belief is one thing, Church is another. Anyway they obviously met up with Scots-Irish on the "trail" and headed right down the Scots-Irish wagon road through the mountains and in the valleys of Virginia and ended up in the Piedmont (Danville, Virginia in our case) by 1745. So not all Scots-Irish are completely 100% Ulster-Scots ... just sayin' ... some are blended with actual Native Irish ... after they were enslaved, taught English and converted to Protestantism. Contrary to popular belief ... this actually happened. See the book: To Hell or Barbados.

Interesting but I don't like how the History channel seems to portray southerners and Billy Ray is really laying on that southern draw.

My people went to Northern Ireland then headed over to Nova Scotia...then to NY. My Grandpa was one of 22 siblings......if you are a McCann, we're probably related!!

I'm of Scots Irish origin. I learned white collar workplace tactics almost the same exact way.

this is a good video..check out the whole documentary..it explains alot about how us hillbillies played major roles in the makeing of america..alot of people have the wrong impression of us mountain folk..true we definitely dont talk like everyone else but that just adds to our individuality..im from the mountains of northeast Tennessee & so very proud of that fact..we are a strong,hardworking,kind & fair bunch..we have tight knit community's that believe in god & guns..if you dont value what America stands for,then this isnt the best place for you..we will just keep right on being a simple bunch of people & enjoy our little slice of heaven without you..those of you that do believe in the American way,well,"ya'll come back now,ya hear"

McColgin(gan) & Lyle on my side come from Ulster. But immigrated in 1776 to PA.

Ulster Scots were people of the south of Scotland given little choice by their own government officials (Hugh Montgomery, James I of England) to relocate in a slow attempt to reform Catholic Irish to Protestantism. It mostly backfired, being they never belonged there in the first place and began to immigrate to the colonies about 3 generations later. Those very people whom immigrated to the new world are the very core of the American Revolution who forced the British into a surrender.

Some of my Dads folk be from Lothian. Though. It bears more research. Sure would be great to kniw how my people came by way of to America. There's Irish here too! Its be neat to go where they that brought me here walked and lived. I wonder if there's anyone that would be akin to me? #bucketlist #Ireland #Scotland #Pilgrimage

If toughness is genetic, how do you explain your daughter Billy?

Webb, Bailey,Banks and Grandstaff- English, Scottish and German/America what a blood line no wonder I like tea in the morning and beer in the evening 😊

I thank god for my hillbilly roots poor but free

THE EARLY HISTORY OF APPALACHIA John Fitz - put the relationship between the Ulsters and Cherokees a bit differently!

The topography of Scotland and Appalachia is similar because they were once part of the same mountain chain.

My ancestors were German speaking Loyalists; served in Butler’s Rangers. Had to leave town when the Revolutionaries won out. Later a Battle on their farm ( Battle of Crysler’s Farm, Nov. 11. 1813) sent the Americans back home after attempting an invasion. A force of British regulars , Quebec Voltigeurs and Mohawks sent them packing ! History is fascinating !

Such nice warrior garb. Anyone know the factory they used? Halloween will be here in no time. It’s July already. 🙂

The City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was basically created by the Scot-Irish. And Fun fact: Pittsburgh IS the largest city in Appalachia.

Bell Clan lass. Appalachian grandparents came North during the Great Migration. Seven kids and now were everywhere. The "uncouth hoards" built this country, with their bodies and their minds

The highlands of Scotland and the Appalachian mountains are both part of the same mountain range geologically! They became separated over time with continental drift.

I’m proud my Scottish heritage

Whats the name of the fiddle music? I love it. Please let me know

I'm from the lowlands of Scotland and the soil ain't poor its rich one of the greenest places you'll see

My Grandmother was born in 1905 on a farm in Western Pennsylvania.

I know for a fact that my bloodline came from Duncan's landing in point Reyes California..... He conveniently forgot that a huge portion of Scots-Irish went directly to Dallas Texas (Port)

The correct terminology, Ulster Scots!!!

I am here because I'm interested in the connection between the Irish/English/Scottish accents and the evolution into Southern accents and other American dialects. Any further recommendations for this study?

I would like to know and to research when they arrived why were they known as wild hordes?--What in their history accounts for that--there must be things that we are not being told.

many many of these ulster scots would still have been full scots having lived in ulster a few years or even months then moving to amerikay. not forgetting the earlier scots who started arriving in the late 1500s

There was admixture between the Scott's and Irish.

I have my paternal grandmother's family history back to 1302ad, they were Scots-Irish. My father's dad came from Germany as well as my maternal grandmother's side. Yes, I have a red tint to my hair and if I get mad I have a blackout temper, I hate getting this way, for I don't know or remember what I do, It takes alot to get me mad, but I get PO'd alot. There is a big difference between getting mad and peed off. I also have Blackfoot Indian on my dad's side and Cherokee on my mom's side. But all in all, I'm part parakeet, part woodpecker, Part Blackfoot, part Cherokee, but 100% AMERICAN.

Some of the Scot-Irish went to Canada's Eastern provinces on the Atlantic Ocean. Nova Scotia means New Scotland. Newfoundland also. Newfoundland was independent till it became a part of Canada in the 1950s. In my family line 2 Scots-Irish brothers left the Northern part of Ireland (Ulster) and went to Nova Scotia. 1 brother stayed there and 1 went to Pennsylvania. So there are many people in Canada who share a history and genetics with those we consider hill folk, Appalachian or even Hilly Billies in the USA. No video I've seen mentions how the Scots-Irish went to countries besides the US. They also immigrated to Australia and New Zealand. On a genealogy sure I just found a distance relative in New Zealand. Sure enough they're of Scots-Irish descent.

I shouldn’t be surprised at the inaccuracies since this is from the history channel (oh the irony)

On Ancestry, I discovered I have Scotch-Irish heritage in one branch, but the weird thing is, they were from the highlands and I am still trying to find out when they moved to Northern Ireland, all I know is that they came to the US in 1840. Can anyone help me out how many Highlanders moved to Northern Ireland? The last names were, Campbell, Tosh, and Blair.

My name is Scott my DNA is deep Irish French brit fin. I found my father's side from West Virginia.

Somebody please correct me: Why don't we hear the vocal accent of the highlands in the speech of modern Appalachia? If it's there, what areas? Post an example...

I married into this clan and they NEVER gave up their need to fight.

This may be interesting to some: After Culloden, many Scots left due to persecution, esp in the Highlands, by the English. My relatives traveled to what is now known as Republic of Ireland as they were Jacobites, and of course,Roman Catholic. So they were Scots-Irish even though they were NOT Scots- Irish. Lol. Later, they settled the coastal areas of VA, NC, and SC. My relatives were mostly fishermen and oystermen. In Tidewater (VA/NC in particular), the original accent (Tidewater brogue) reflected an Irish lilt and Irish pronunciation of certain vowel sounds. My generation is probably the last to exhibit it. Mine comes out only when I’m nervous as I went through public speaking training to tame it. It’s a true southern accent that isn’t recognized as much as the others.

so family story here, my mother insisted we were all irish on her side and majority on my fathers but she didnt know much about that, turns hous hes half polish and half irish and scots irish, now my mother im 99% positive after all the research her dad was mized of english and scots irish and her mother was scots irish. which after watching other scots irish videos explained how someone of northern ireland would only have roughly 75% irish dna which makes a whole lot of sense now

I'm proud to be Scott Irish I am also Basque French.

Mìos Dualchais Albannach Ameireagaidh sona dhut! Bithibh moiteil, mo charaidean Gàidhlig! Slàinte mhath!

Im Scots-Irish that ended up in Salisbury, NC Rowan county. Does anybody have difficulty with pronunciation like I do? Ive always felt that I'm speaking the wrong language. My family arrived in Philadelphia in 1763 their name was Ramsey.