The First Irish in America
The Scots Irish were the first Irish immigrants in America, but their story is frequently forgotten by succeeding generations. This may be due to the fact they are considered the first culture to make a complete break from their origins in the British Isles and to think of themselves as truly American. As a consequence, uncovering your family origins can be an adventure in research. However, the history of how they came to live here is quite compelling and unique, and chances are that if you are from South Carolina then it’s fairly likely that someone in your family tree is Scots Irish and if you are from the upstate then it’s very likely that most of your family tree is Scots Irish.
One clue to help you get started can be found in your own family’s linguistics. Case in point, all of these words have sprung from my grandmother at one time or another: “I liked to kill over waiting on Verna in that airy room, but she came directly.” Likewise, I believe my father said something similar to this after I’d done something bad: “I swanny Will if you don’t tell me who all rolled our neighbor’s yard you’re gonna be fit to be tarred.” If some of these words and sentence structures are familiar to you then you’re probably one of the many who are of Scots Irish ancestry whose family still uses their speech patterns, a dialect that is as one Spanish ambassador to Scotland in the 16th century said, “…is as different to English as Portuguese is to Spanish.” The Scots Irish carried this patois and many other cultural traditions from the bloody frontier border of Scotland and England to the unrest of Northern Ireland and finally to their third frontier marked by strife, the backcountry of South Carolina. And whether they entered from the “top” on the Great Wagon Road or from the “bottom” by way of Charleston on the “coffin” ships, the Scots Irish found themselves interwoven into South Carolina and America’s history; producing presidents, influencing culture, religion, music and speech and leaving an outsized imprint on the fabric of America.
Fortunately, Richland Library and the Walker Local History Room have a many great resources for linguistic, genealogical and historical research on the original Irish immigrants.
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