It is sometimes amazing how life, in its twists and turns, removes and then re-appropriates information on a family's past. Over the last twenty years, the Laing family has undertaken a Herculean effort to recover its ancestry. The odyssey took the family through the graves of long lost relatives, to Scottish Highland games and even across the Atlantic Ocean to Scotland. This is the story of the Laing Tartan.

1745

A branch of the Laing family had crossed the Atlantic to America from Renfrewshire during the time of the Jacobites. They were a proud lot, and settled in the Scottish communities of Georgia and South Carolina during the mid-1700's. Like most Scots, they did their best to maintain their Scottish heritage in the New World, despite the rigors of adapting to the new lifestyle. Over time, however, with groups of the family moving away, and the devastation brought by the Civil War, information concerning the family heritage was misplaced and forgotten.

Although the oral family history mentioned a family tartan, no one in recent times could find any information concerning this tartan or its makeup. This information, so vital to a family of Scottish origin, was considered lost forever, that is, until a member of the family was given a very unexpected and unusual break that brought the family tartan back, literally, into the light of day.

1979

In 1979 Reverend Michael T. Laing, received a phone call from a member of his old church in Oakwood, Texas. It seemed a local farmer was building a pond on his property, the flooding of which would cover some 56 graves in a local cemetery. Two of the graves carried the name of Laing, the same name as the Reverend, and the caller wished to know if the Reverend wished to be present when the graves are moved. The Reverend replied that, "Yes, of course, I wish to be there" and began to investigate the matter.

As it turned out, none other than George H. Laing, who died in 1853, and his wife Barbra, were buried in the graves. George and Barbra were the Reverend's great-great-great-grandparents. At the time of the exhumation, both the Reverend Laing and his genealogist cousin, Wesley Laing, were present. It was discovered that Barbra Laing's casket had been laid directly on top of the one belonging to George, and over time, the weight had partially caved in the lid of his casket.

When the two men investigated they made an amazing find. George H. Laing had been buried in full Scottish regalia, including Dirk and Great Kilt. Although most of the kilt had been damaged, the Reverend Laing did manage to recover a fairly large piece from under the Sporran. Both bodies were quickly reburied in a new portion of the cemetery.

In his excitement, the Reverend Laing sent information to Dr. Gordon Teall of the Scottish Tartan Society, who was an acquaintance from the Stone Mountain Highland Games. Several months passed before the Doctor sent a reply to the Reverend's letter. When the letter finally arrived, it contained both good news and bad. The tartan design appeared to be legitimate, unique and dated before the Battle of Culloden. The Doctor could also register it for a price of 2000 pounds Sterling (this was later discovered to be a typographical error). The amount of money was staggering to the family, and the matter was largely dropped and forgotten for many years. After all, they did have the design, and they could wear it if they wanted to as it belonged to them.

1990s

The matter remained dormant until Daniel Laing, the brother of Rev. Michael Laing, started to pursue the matter a few years ago. He began his search by trying to locate Dr. Gordon Teall. The Doctor, however, could not be found. It was later discovered that the man had passed away without leaving records of the family's find.

Further research did find more information from the Scottish Tartan Society and also revealed the fee for registering a Tartan was actually only 200 pounds, not 2000 as previously believed. The Tartan is now being registered with the Scottish Tartan Society as "Ancient Laing" and is a matter of record now.

Everyone goes through a journey of self-discovery in his or her lifetime. Some people admittedly go much deeper into the process than others, in the quest to find out "who" they really are. In most cases the journey is fraught with roadblocks and frustration, as the clues needed to complete the quest are hidden both internally by pride and ego and externally through relationships with others. One can get a jump-start on the process by learning about their ancestry.

Now and then, this ancestral information is on the bubble, just approaching the edge of the void from where it cannot be recovered. In these cases it takes a supreme effort of an individual or family to regain this "lost" knowledge. Otherwise, this information continues to slip off until it is gone forever. Rarely does anyone manage to recover information of this type, as it requires an almost reckless resolve to achieve this goal. Only occasionally are these efforts rewarded. When information is recovered, the story becomes of great importance to the family or individual. Such is the case in the story of the Laing Tartan.

Our thanks to Dan Laing, the Laing family and to Keith Lumsden of the Scottish Tartan Society, who supplied all the information for this fascinating story.

by BW, March 2000

Links:

Laing Family website

A Guide to Scottish Tartans (New, 2022)

Acts Against Highland Dress

The Highland Clearances: Three Part Series

Scottish Tartan Society

Scottish Tartans Museum, North Carolina

Stone Mountain Highland Games Internet Site

The Handbook of Texas, Oakwood

Oakwood, Texas