Note:

We define Nova Scotia as the territory it encompassed when founded by Sir William Alexander in the early 1600s, viz what is known today as the Maritime provinces.

Material Appropriate for a Clan Homepage

Basic Structure of a Clan Home Page

Do you remember the "pre-fab" (pre-fabricated) houses that were built after the second World War to accommodate the rapidly increased need for affordable housing in a short period of time. Pictou had a wonderful sub-division created from them, its streets named for trees. They came in sections; they could be erected quickly and easily; they were not the ultimate dream castle; but they were functional, serviceable and housed their resident families well.

This is how we created the generic homepages on our website, template style, for the clans who would come to develop them with appropriate material, history, poetry, facts, lore, whatever. We did not prepare architectural wonders in these homepages, but rather sturdy structures, practical, functional homes which would enable each clan to personalize its homepage with flair and feeling, verve and panache, and come up with a unique homepage of which they can be justificably proud.

Directories already within each generic clan homepage

Basic Information Provided by Us for each Clan Home Page

Some basic clan information is already on the home pages. We have gleaned this from several resources available to us, including for each clan: motto, septs, tartan(s), crest badges, plant badges, and more.

We have, due to the generous involvement of Clan Armstrong, Clan Davis, Clan MacPherson and Clan Morrison, a substantial amount of graphics for the entire website, including (coming soon) crests for each of the clans homepages.

We also have a wide selection of clan tartans, which we are currently installing in each of the clan homepage sites. These tartans were generously shared with us by John Andrea of St. FX University (Antigonish, Nova Scotia) and Dick Grune of Vrije Universiteit (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), who literally wove them using the appropriate tartan sett and a computer programme designed for the purpose. Amazing what computers get up to these days, isn't it?

Alasdair McKay, Vice President of the Clan MacKay Society of New Scotland, examines various issues between Scotland and New Scotland with insight gleaned from his ancestors in Strathnaver, his childhood and education near Stirling, in Scotland, and his observations of the Scottish Heritage commemorated in Nova Scotia since he came here to accept employment with our provincial government almost three decades ago. Alasdair McKay sees further into the millstones than most Auld or Nova Scotia Scots; the Musings of Alasdair McKay are insightful and thought-provoking.

Within the vast information found in Electric Scotland on ALMAC in Grangemouth, Scotland, are a complimentary presentation of information for more than 450 clans, septs and Scottish families. Each generic clan homepage on our site is linked with its homepage in Electric Scotland; each homepage on Electric Scotland contains a reciproal link back to the specific clan homepage on our site. Thus a strong bond exists, between clans in Scotland and clans in New Scotland, which will grow stronger as Electric Scotland and ourselves continue our proposed expansions for the clan homepages.

We have waiting in queue, several "global clan projects" with which we can add significant material to several clan homepages simultaneously. This is strictly the realm in which we will share information for the pages; the remainder is up to the clansfolk and the clan society. Examples of projects in progress are:
Text of "Conflicts of the Clans", a 1700s booklet, with copyright expired,
adding in each home page a link to the conflict in which that clan features
Installation of tartans specific to each clan
Installation of crests specific to each clan
Clan membership in Standing Council of Clan Chiefs

Many more "coming down the pipes".

Information Submitted by Clan Society, or related Clansfolk for clan homepage So, what information do you send in for your clan homepage?

This is not at all as difficult as it might seem. Remember, this is the information which you prepare for the public. Your clan brochure is an excellent place to start, for it contains those key nutshells of clan material you have already compiled to invite fellow clansfolk to come join your society.

A perusal of your newsletters over the past years will yield much more information suitable for the public, on the website. This could be poetry, general articles about clan matters -- castles in Scotland, unveiling of a clan cairn, an important event or acquisition of the clan in past years, etc. etc. and etc. These clan newsletters are virtual goldmines of information for your homepages.

The material for the website can come from a wide variety of sources, and is extremely flexible in its opportunity to get clan information out to all corners of the globe.

The tales of the origin of your clan, the battles, the successes, the folklore, the clansfolk of early time, a description of the area or communities where your clan once lived, military endeavours, tales of the early years when your clan pioneers came to Nova Scotia, tales of their experiences now, details of your clan society (membership info, aims and objectives, history, etc.).

We appreciate having an e-mail address contact for each clan; failing that, a postal address which we can pass along to any person who wishes to be in contact with your clan. We will not, under any circumstances, put home addresses on the website. This is for the personal security of the individual at that address, and we will not consider it. Don't ask.

The various activities a specific clan hosts during the year is a crucial item on the website. John MacWhoever, living somewhere else in Canada, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, or wherever, may be planning a vacation in Nova Scotia want to meet clansfolk of his own clan while here. Through one of the dozen or more internet search engines, he can learn what clan events are happening during his visit ... or plan his visit to include some of the events of Clan MacWhoever. A general net search for Nova Scotia brings up our website for his perusal, which can make him aware for the first time that Clan MacWhoever is hosting functions. So, he gets the idea to come along and schedule time to join MacWhoever at that event. Using the corporate buzz word of the 90s, this is a "win- win" situation for the Clan MacWhoever and John MacWhoever; it gets them together.

Note on our main menu, first page in from the tartan frontspiece, there is a link to an extensive roster of Scottish events in Nova Scotia. This roster is still in the early stages of development. Your clan events will go here, and be presented in a much more efficient format as time allows. Clan events are important; get them to us, so we can put them on the website.

A perusal of the homepages already being developed by various clan societies and interested clansfolk is an excellent way of generating ideas what might be appropriate for your own clan. No clan homepage will ever be complete; these developing clan homepages, as yours will be, are in ongoing stages of growth.

It might be helpful to share what we have on the Clan MacKay homepages, not to in any way claim superiority for are excellent websites of other clans on this site that are equal or better than the Clan MacKay homepages. But, if assuming administration of this website on behalf of the Scottish Clans within Nova Scotia, dictates that Clan MacKay should attempt the onerous responsibility of setting an example, lets see what we have done in that regard. I hope that it is as least helpful to others, for we too are constantly expanding our Clan MacKay homepages

We do hesitate to put detailed personal information including home addresses on the web. Remember, anyone can and is reading this, for a wide variety of purposes, mostly entirely honourable and innocent. But, all it takes is one person, perhaps hoping to enter Canada illegally, to create a lot of pain and trouble for that individual. Please, let us avoid exposing any of our clansfolk to that. The Public Archives will not release vital statistics until they are 100 years old. Let us use that as a cautionary guide, though it may not be necessary to follow it strictly to the 100 years in each circumstance. Tread wisely, with caution.

General Information for inclusion on clans site:  Nova Scotia (New Scotland), our heritage, our tartan, etc.  The role of the Scots in the Multicultural Mosaic of Nova Scotia  A section for septs of all clans, sorted by clan and alphabetically.  "Seen & Heard" section for info-bits from all clans. Anything goes here.  History of the Scots in Scotland and in New Scotland (Nova Scotia)  Events during International Gathering of the Clans  Gaelic, haggis, Scottish foodstuffs, links to other Scottish web sites.  Highland Clearances, Battle of Culloden, more  Scottish events -=- festivals, games, Earltown Pipers Picnic, etc.  And much more ANOTHER MAJOR WORD OF CAUTION!. If an individual has submitted an article for the clan newsletter, that does not give the clan the right to submit the same article for publication anywhere else, including our website, without the consent of the same individual to publish it on your clan website.

Copyright issues have reached an whole new intensity and ferocity, with the coming of online internet publications, of which your clan homepage is one, and our Scottish Heritage website is a compilation of the clan homepages within it. CCN is, and for its continuing existence on the web, has to be strict on matters of copyright. Even the grey misty flats of the "in-between uncertainty" are scary, and a court can easily make a judgment call in favour of the "other guy". Tread wisely, and tread carefully.

Ensuring that proper copyright issues are addressed is the responsibility of the clan or person who submits that information. Conversely, the author of the material submitted for this website retains all copyright to that material, as outlined in our website document on Copyright

There are no extensive quotes to be lifted from books, for which the author has not been deceased for more than 50 years (hence, out of copyright). Short quotes, defined as quotes with the source clearly acknowledged, are acceptable if kept to a minimum. If you submit any published information for our website, obtain the permission of the author first.

Having paid proper attention to copyright and security issues, let's step forward boldly, develop our individual clan homepages, and have good fun doing it. ===================================== CLAN MACKAY

Document in Progress

SUGGESTIONS FROM THE MACKAY PAGES.....

MacKay Home Page is developed to include:
   Origin of Clan MacKay in Scotland, including early Genealogy
   Military presence of Clan MacKay in history
   Symbols -=- badges, crests, tartans, etc. 
   The MacKay Mind (some of you will enjoy that!) 
   MacKays in the Multicultural Mosaic of Nova Scotia
   Events of the Clan MacKay Society
   Septs of MacKay
   Chiefs of MacKay
   Biographies of outstanding clansfolk of MacKay, both in Scotland
and NS
   Membership information, aims & objectives of Clan MacKay 
   The MacKay Genealogy Project (no date, general outline of
intent)
   Experiences of MacKay families during the Highland Clearances
   And much more before the days are done.  
   Writings of individuals among MacKay clansfolk

Clan MacKay

Clan Armstrong [interested clansfolk]
Clan Cameron
Clan Campbell
Clan Davis [interested clansfolk]
Clan Douglass
Clan Elliott
[coming soon]
Clan Ferguson
[coming soon]
Clan Gunn
[coming soon]
Clan Henderson
Clan MacBain; Clan MacBean
Clan MacIntyre [interested clansfolk]
Clan MacIvor [interested clansfolk]
Clan MacKay
Clan MacLeod [coming soon]
Clan MacRae [interested clansfolk]
Clan Matheson
Clan Murray
Clan Ross