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Just about all Jam?sons everywhere, who are at all interested in their family's history, especially those that know their family was originally of Scottish origins (that's most of us), want to know more about what 'Clan' their ancestors belonged. The short answer is "we do not really always know." We do know that there has never been a "Jam?son" clan (see here), as such. Probably because the surname Jam?son, meaning "the son of James" was not so much in use before official records pretty much forced the use of surnames, at about the time when clans themselves began disappearing and a more centralized form of government began to dominate (see here). Clans are said to have existed in Scotland during the middle ages and continued, at some level of importance, until about the 15th or 16th century, about when more traditional governments began to take more and more effect on sovereign nations. It was at this point that "surnames" became relevant and the importance of clans diminished. There are however, at least a few instances we know of, where "Jam?sons" were definitely members (and a sept) of a clan, the Jam?sons of the Stuarts of Bute clan being one of those. Clearly the McKeimy's (Gaelic spelling) and others there, who became Jam?sons, and all of their descendants, can assume that association. There are also some references to some Jam?sons being connected to the Clan Gunn, in what is now the far north Sutherland and Caithness area of Scotland, although with a far less certainty, given the problem of identifying ANY Jam?son descendants, in or from that area, since those earlier times.However, it is an almost certainty that anyone who is now a "Jam?son" and can place his (or her) ancestry in Scotland in or before the 16th or early seventeenth century, can assume those ancestors were connected with some clan, probably of that area where they can be found back then. Since clans, back then, were basically the primary form of government, everyone belonged to some clan, and with those of them simply named "James" ... of clan "whatever," would have adopted the surname Jameson as a way of distinguishing within their communities (previously known as clans) and conforming to a new way of governing. For instance, during the 16th and 17th century, we can find tons of Jam?sons in many of the different known clan areas of the Aberdeenshire area of Northeast Scotland alone (see here). Most likely, some of these families now identifying as Jam?sons, were part of the clans that occupied those areas, where there were lots of known clans, only a few years earlier.Y-DNA testing could add a level of increased probability, where a match (especially several matches) with others known to having belonged with some particular clan, could and should be the best solution for solving this issue. Consider that DNA does NOT determine names. So anyone hoping to solve this quandary, not just for themselves, but for anyone else should consider Y-DNA testing to maybe help solve this issue. Unfortunately for all of us, at least for now, is that this is about as accurate as we are ever likely going to get. Especially considering the almost insurmountable obstacles and probable pitfalls. Anything more would mostly just be an aspirational guess. |
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