STEPHEN A. JOHNSTON, Ph.D., President: Clan Johnston/e in AmericaSteve was a friend to all Johnstons, Borderers, Scottish dancers and anyone who enjoyed Scottish culture; always ready with a humorous quip or sagely advice. This true Southern Gentleman could tell you volumes about a single-malt or introduce a Yankee (like me) to the joys of boiled peanuts. He knew more people in the Scottish community around North America than anyone I ever met. Those of us who knew Steve, miss him greatly and will for years to come.
 Bart JohnstonTop of Page
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News Links Below: 2011 AGM | Three Ends Bridge Project | DNA Surname Project | Vice-Admiral Sir William Johnstone Hope GCB
Note: The TOUR OF THE BORDERS AND JOHNSTON/E LANDS, SCOTLAND has been cancelled for this year. As tour signups are low, a casualty of the weak economy, the intent is to try again next year to organize a tour of our Johnston/e lands in Scotland.
THREE ENDS BRIDGE RESTORATION PROJECT
By Arthur Johnston, Chief Commissioner to Lord Annandale
At the 2009 AGM held during the NH Highland Games, CJA dissolved the Lochwood Tower Restoration Project due to the road blocks set forth by Historic Scotland that made the project unreachable and unaffordable.
With the help of Lord Annandale and Lord David Johnstone, we came up with a project that is slated to start work 2012 – 2013, called Three Ends Bridge at an estimated cost of 30,000 pds. A vote was taken and passed to transfer the funds of $1,916.50 from the Lochwood Tower Project to the new Three Ends Bridge Project. This is a foot bridge, with three entrances and a gazebo in the center, gives access over the Duff Kinne Waters about three quarter of a mile from Raehills and within its grounds.
Originally built as a part of the old Victorian walkways, some of our older members who have visited it, may remember when the gazebo had a thatched roof. Sadly the years and weather have taken its toll and is now in total disrepair.
Our first fund raiser will be a raffle of an acrylic painting of the Three Ends Bridge, painted by CJA member Patricia Hovey, who lives in Belmont, NH and donated by myself. We will also be raffling another acrylic painting of Lochwood Castle “in a lightening storm’, painted and donated by Patricia. The photos here, of the paintings, do not do them justice.
 
The Three Ends Bridge painting is from an old photo supplied by Lord Annandale and Lord Johnstone, and shows what it and the area looked like in its heyday. The Lochwood Castle painting was done from the model I built a couple years ago. Paintings are approx. 18”x 24”.
Anyone interested in purchasing raffle tickets, please send your checks, (made out to Clan Johnston/e in America) in the amount for the number of tickets you want. Also note which raffle you are interested in, Three Ends Bridge, raffle # 1 or Lochwood Castle, raffle # 2. Tickets are $2.00 each or 6 tickets for $10.00.
Lord David Johnstone is offering to place a plaque in the center of the bridge, when completed, with any member’s name who donates $100.00 or more along with those persons would have a 30% reduced rate for a stay the Bothy Holiday Cottage in Scotland. The cottage is just up the river from the bridge and on the Raehills property near the main house.
Please submit ticket requests to Arthur Johnston – P.O. Box 71 – Goffstown, NH 03045.
We will be selling tickets at some of the Games where we have Tent Hosts. Drawings for the paintings will be held at our AGM 2012. Attendance is not required to win. We are looking forward to your support.
Yours aye,
Arthur Johnston, Chief Commissioner to Lord Annandale.Top of Page
UPCOMING!!!! MAY 28th 2011: GREENVILLE SCOTTISH GAMES & HIGHLAND FESTIVAL, with HONORED GUEST: Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor, Chief of Clan Gregor
This year’s Greenville Scottish Games & Highland Festival will be held at Furman University Saturday May 28th, but will start with a parade on Friday 27th in downtown Greenville SC followed with a “Gathering of the Clans” reception at the Hilton Greenville. Tickets required. The Honored Guest, Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor, Chief of Clan Gregor will be joining us this year. We will also be honoring our Armed Forces and that of our closest ally, the Scottish Armed Forces. Several high ranking officers from both Armed Services will attend. Major General Mastin Robeson (ret.), former Commandant of the Marine Corps Special Operations Command, is on the games committee and has arranged for the Marine Corps Band to appear not only for in our Great Scot! Parade and Ceilidh, but will perform during Games Day. General Robeson is a consultant to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and through his efforts, invitations to each of them has been extended and we expect to have at least one of the Joint Chiefs in attendance. Also, invitations were sent to the General Officer Commanding Scotland, Maj. General David Shaw, and he informs the games committee he plans to attend, depending on scheduling, and promised if he is unable to attend, we will have one or more high-ranking Scottish military officials at the games. http://www.greenvillegames.org
Clan Johnston/e will participate in the Great Scott! Parade and have a tent at the games. For more information please call, write or e-mail: Buz Johnson, 394 Birchwood Street, Easley, SC 29642, Phone: 864 907-2596, Email: buzjohnson@bellsouth.net
Clan aye,
Buz Johnson Top of Page
DNA SURNAME PROJECT UPDATE: Johnson/Johnston/Johnstone
The DNA Project’s team would like to report that we now have 786 members, with 777 tests that have been mailed back to FTDNA for processing. We are continuing to grow with an average of 2-3 new participants joining weekly. The Johnson/Johnston/Johnstone DNA Surname Project is now the largest single Surname Project in the FTDNA Surname Project Family!
Excerpt from a story by By Lee Johnson in the Fall 2010 Spur and Phoenix (PDF).
More information can be found at J/J/J (Johnson/Johnston/Johnstone) Surname DNA ProjectTop of Page
"Following up an idea that was suggested to me, I thought it would be nice to try and write a brief history of the life of one of my ancestors, whom we affectionately refer to as “The Admiral”. There are, of course, many articles on the internet about him, but what I have tried to do is to add in a little bit about the family, his pictures and his awards. No doubt this article will not give the complete picture, but I
write it in the knowledge that it may be possible to amend it or add to it as our own archives are further researched."
The Earl of Annandale & Hartfell
25th June 2009
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SCOTTISH CULTURAL ORGANIZATION of the TRIANGLE, Inc. (SCOT) in North Carolina
SCOT is a non-profit organization dedicated to sharing the culture of Scotland with residents and visitors in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. Membership is open to all people who are interested in promoting knowledge of and appreciation for Scottish culture and history. The web site is http://www.scot.us/.
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SCOTTISH AMERICAN CENTER in Minnesota is moving to its new locationThe Scottish American Center in Minnesota will be moving from its current location at 151 Silver Lake Road NW, Suite 13 (basement level), New Brighton, Minnesota, to its new location at 3030 West River Parkway South, Minneapolis; just at the west end of the Lake Street Bridge, with a Grand Opening sometime in the month of July, 2009. This is the only Scottish American Center in the upper midwest. With 4000 items for research, brochures, newsletters, videos, DVDs and contact information, it is a great place to find a lot of Johnston/e information and we would like to encourage Johnston/es to visit. For more information, check out the web site at http://www.scottishamericancenter.org/ or call 651-636-1558. For additional information on various Scottish and Scottish American organizations in the state, visit http://www.scottishamericancenter.org/sac_d_008.htm
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TWIN CITIES SCOTTISH CLUB (TCSC)The Twin Cities Scottish Club (TCSC) was founded in 1969. A small group of Scots met that year to create a non-profit organization to promote Scottish cultures, tradition, history and entertainment. The TCSC participates in Scottish and Celtic community events and financially gifts numerous Scottish and Celtic organizations. Their web site is http://www.twincitiesscottishclub.org/.
SCOTTISH DANCING in Minneapolis-St. PaulThe Royal Scottish Country Dance Society - Twin Cities (Minnesota) Branch is a non-profit organization of individuals interested in learning and participating in the art of Scottish country dancing. Visit http://www.rscds-twincities.org/ for more information.
BEST CLAN TENT AWARD for Clan Johnston/ePosted May 24, 2009. Clan Johnston/e in America won the best clan tent award again at the Minnesota Scottish Fair and Highland Games on May 9th. Micah Johnston and Nick Johnston did a very good job plus they picked up three new members and got a new volunteer. It is the fourth time CJA has won the award since 2000. The third year we did the tent in 2000 we won and again in 2002. The rules are that the winner can't be in the competition the year following a win because they are a judge. In 2005, the first year Dee Johnston was commissioner, we won again. This year it was again a new commissioner and we broke the record among the clans as the clan that has won the most times. We are very excited. Micah and Nick did a great job!
DNA PROJECT (Johnson/Johnston/Johnstone)Posted February 18, 2009. Those tracing roots and lineage beyond documents and records may find the J/J/J (Johnson/Johnston/Johnstone) Surname DNA Project of particular interest. Look for further information in upcoming issues of the Spur and Phoenix quarterly.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING: 2009Posted November 19, 2008. The 2009 Annual General Meeting will be held during the New Hampshire Highland Games at Loon Mt., in Lincoln, NH. The dates are September 18, 19, and 20. A block of rooms has already been saved at the Beacon Resort. Shuttle buses will pick up attendees about every 15 minutes at the Beacon and other hotels and condos and deliver folks at the gate of the games, no charge. No need to even move your personal vehicle from the hotel!
The actual AGM will be Saturday evening at the Beacon and includes Dinner.
WEB SITE UPDATESPosted November 7, 2008. WEB SITE UPDATES: In order to make it easier for you to find information throughout the Clan Johnston/e in America web site, and to make it easier for the various search engines in the Internet to find us as well, our webmaster has been going through many of our web pages and providing a new set of links at the top, a new table of links on several of the main pages, and a new subset of links in the Lochwood Tower area. Also, many pages are being renamed to make it more obvious that they are tied directly to Johnstons and Johnstones and to the Clan; again, this is to help the search engines find us. All of the old page names still exist so that your web "bookmarks" will continue to work. Many of those old pages have also had their links updated, but now and then you may come across some that have not. They too will still work fine. Your feedback about our site is always appreciated. Please contact us at info@clanjohnstone.org.
WANTED: NEWS ITEMS and SCOTTISH HIGHLAND GAMES SCHEDULES!
Posted Sept. 30, 2008. PLEASE SUBMIT NEWS ITEMS to Clan Johnston/e in America by email to: info@clanjohnstone.org. We would very much appreciate your input and article contributions! Any information on upcoming Scottish Games and Festivals will be posted at Scottish Highland Games.
News Archive
March 1, 2008. CJA will have a tent sponsor at the Greater Greenville Scottish Games and Highland Festival on June 6 (parade and reception) and 7 (games), 2008. It will be our first time at these games! It is only their 3rd year, but they are large, well organized, and well attended. For more information, see CJA Events page.
February 26, 2008. Announcing "The Gathering" in Edinburgh Scotland, 24-26 July 2009, the first such event of this proportion in well over one hundred years. There are over 500 Clan and Family associations registered, extending Scottish heritage to all corners of the Earth. To all these Clans and members, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs have extended Welcomes and the call for this gathering in Edinburgh, with desires to meeting all, and desires for representation of all Clans. For more information, see The Gathering.
February 14, 2008. The Clan Johnston/e in America (CJA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held August 9, 2008 at Guelph, Ontario, Canada, hosted by the Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games. These games are held at the Fergus Fairgrounds, Fergus, Ontario August 8,9, and 10 2008. For more information about the Fergus Games see their website at www.fergusscottishfestival.com.
July 2, 2007. Johnson/Johnston/Johnstone DNA Project: Lee Johnson, cousin to Harold Johnson (* recently deceased), is the new Group Administrator for the Johnson/Johnston/Johnstone DNA Project. Ron Johnston as the new Group Co-Administrator. For further information, to join the project, or to make sure that your previously submitted information has been received, visit the Johnson/Johnston/Johnstone DNA Project, or you may send information directly to: sctsmn@charter.net. To check whether your information has been received and recorded, go to the Johnson/Johnston/Johnstone web page above, click on your corresponding member page (page 1-4), find your Kit # and click on it.
(* In memoriam: Harold Johnson had been one of the leaders in Johnson Genealogy for many, many years - a founding member of the Johnson/Johnston/Johnstone DNA Project in addition to serving as its' Group Administrator. His work and contributions in the genealogical society have benefited many people in the past, and will continue into the future. He will be ever so sorely missed as a family member, genealogist, and friend.
)
December 31, 2006. The Clan Johnston/e in America (CJA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held July 27, 2007, hosted by the Seattle Scottish Highland Games and Clan Gathering. These games are held at the King County Fairgrounds, Enumclaw, Washington, July 28th and 29th. For more information on the Seattle Scottish Highland Games and Clan Gathering visit www.sshga.org.
September 26, 2006. The Clan Johnston/e in America
Annual General Meeting will be held at the Magnolia Manor Hotel, Tucker GA, at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, October 21. See the AGM 2006 Agenda for details regarding the meeting.
July 13, 2006. CJA will not be participating in the Scottish Fair in Minnesota this weekend. There is a heat advisory out. Temperatures are expected to be near or at 100 degrees on Saturday with high humidity. Minnesota State Commissioner Dee Johnston has sent a message to members and contacts informing them of her decision not to participate. We are supportive of the decision as we have members who have health issues and are elderly. We don't want to put their health in jeopardy. We would not have been able to attend ourselves because of the heat.
Jun 7, 2006. The listing of Clan Johnston/e Chief Commissioner and Regional Commissioners for North America, as appointed May 1, 2006, and serving 2006 to 2009, has been updated at Commissioners to Lord Annandale.
February 14, 2006. Mark your calendar now and reserve your place for the CJA Annual General Meeting: October 21, 2006 Stone Mountain, Georgia. See AGM 2006 for more information.
August 22, 2004. It is now possible to make a tax-deductible contribution to Clan Johnston/e in America on line. Go to the "Clan Society" page and scroll down to the link for "make a donation".
July 18,
2004. Members can pay dues on line with a credit card, and new members
can join CJA on line. Go to the "Clan Society" page and scroll down to
the link for "membership".
April 8,
2004. Call for State and Provincial Commissioners! CJA currently has 14
Commissioners for the states of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida,
Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode
Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wahington. See State
and Provincial Commissioners. If you live in a state or province which
is not listed above and would like to volunteer, please contact Dr.
James K. Johnston.
March
31, 2004. We are currently assisting in the organization of a Clan Johnston/e
Association in France. The leader of the Association is:
Jean Marie Johnston
Chateau Malecot
33250 Pauillac
France
e-mail: raouljohnston@free.fr
Web Page: raouljohnston.org
March 30,
2004. Our new Genealogist is Barbara Hockman of Shawnee, Kansas.
March 15,
2004. Our new Newsletter Editor is Jackie Johnston of Maple Plain, Minnesota.
March
12, 2004. The March issue of the Spur & Phoenix has been mailed.
The address label shows the date when your CJA membership expires.
February
2, 2004. HELP WANTED. We are currently assisting in the organization of
a long-overdue Clan Johnston/e Association in the U.K. The U.K. Association
will serve Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland and many outposts. If you
have family or friends in the U.K., we ask that you have them enlist in
this new project. The leader of the Association is:
Mr. Cecil Johnson
Baron of Kilmaine
Johnson Hall
Flint Hill, Stanley
Co. Durham DH9 9JQ
England
e-mail: ceciljohnson@wyndways.freeserve.co.uk
Web page: www.johnstoneclan.org.uk
December
11, 2003. The Certificate of Merger of the Pennsylvania Corporation into
the New York Corporation was filed by the New York Department of State,
following the consent of the New York Attorney General and a Court Order
approving the Merger.
November
28, 2003. The Clan Johnston/e in America Website has been moved to a server
for nonprofit organizations, the Genesee Gateway. This will save on web
hosting costs.
November
20, 2003. Clan Johnston/e in America has received a nonprofit postal exemption
for mailing its newsletter from Johnson City, Tennessee. This will save
on postage costs.
October
20, 2003. The Clan Johnston/e in America Website has a new look.
October
18, 2003. At the 2003 Annual General Meeting the Membership elected Officers,
including a new President for Clan Johnston/e in America. See Officers.
Past president Arthur W. Johnston will remain on the Council and will
continue as Chief Commissioner for North America.
October
18, 2003. At the 2003 Annual General Meeting the Membership voted to merge
the original Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation into a New York not-for-profit
corporation. The change in state of incorporation will not affect the
activities of Clan Johnston/e in America. See Questions
and Answers about the Merger and Change in Tax Exemption
On
August 26, 2003, Historic Scotland issued its Report on Lochwood Tower.
See the Report at Historic Scotland Report on Lochwood
Tower
On July 31,
2003, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service recognized Clan Johnston/e in
America as an educational and charitable organization exempt from taxation
under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The change in tax
status will not affect the purposes or activities of Clan Johnston/e in
America. See Questions and Answers about the Merger
and Change in Tax Exemption
The
June 2004 Clan Johnston/e World Gathering is fully subscribed and no more
spaces are available.
Johnson/Johnston/Johnstone
DNA Genealogy Project
Although not originally a project of Clan Johnston/e in America, several
members have particpated in this fascinating study and CJA has developed
closer ties with the project.
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