Books about local History

[EMDEE]

A query on the subject of local books:

I remember a booklet being in the house when I was young, (quite a while ago now) "Campbeltown's Yesterdays". I believe the author was Dr Wylie Blue, who was a minister. I have never heard of it or seen it anywhere else. I think it might have been printed and published by the Campbeltown Courier. The copy that was in the house disappeared.

I seem to remember that it looked quite old then, and was possibly first published maybe 1930s or 40s.

At the time I was probably too young to be interested.

Does anybody know anything of this publication?

[History]

Never heard of that one Emdee.

I read a book recently called the "Americans at Home" by Rev. David Macrae and it mentions the number of immigrants who settled in North Carolina from here.

A place called Cross Creeks was named Campbeltown because of the amount of settlers from Campbeltown. I think it was later renamed again to Fayetville. It mentions the amount of gaelic speakers there in the 1860's

History

[EMDEE]

I was over in North Carolina seven years ago, essentially to take part in a Highland Games in Waxhaw, near Charlotte. On one of the days we were there, we had occasion to visit St Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg. In that college they have a fairly large Scottish library, and a brief perusal led me to think that they probably have a greater concentration of purely Scottish books within that room than is available within any comparable place in Scotland itself. I was not aware of it before I went over there, but North Carolina is a particularly Scottish state. Almost everyone I spoke to claimed Scottish descent.

[Ptarmigan]

Hi,

Sorry, I can't help you on the book front, But I'd just like to say that your trip to N.C. sounds really interesting.
I'd love to get over to North Carolina, but not for the books, I must confess, more to explore the musical connections.

I wonder, did you hear many Old Time tunes being played which obviously had Scottish roots?

Cheers
Ptarmigan

[EMDEE]

Actually, I was playing with a Scottish Dance Band, and we had four engagements over five days. First a ceilidh, then a Highland Games, then a Scottish Country Dance night and lastly a concert at St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg.

Unfortunately we didn't really get a chance to meet up with local musicians, and on the one night off that we did have our hosts invited a few friends of theirs and held a party at their house where their wide selection of fine single malts got a severe hammering!