The Scotch-Irish of Colonial Pennsylvania

by Wayland Fuller Dunaway

The best history of the Scotch-Irish of colonial Pennsylvania ever written, Dunaway's classic is indispensable to the genealogist because it outlines the circumstances behind the settlement of Lowland Scots in Ulster, their life in that Province for two or three generations, and the reasons for their emigration to America, further tracing the important migratory movements of the Scotch-Irish from Northern Ireland to Pennsylvania, and from Pennsylvania down the foothills of the Appalachians through the Great Valley of Virginia to the Carolinas and Georgia.

Genres: History

Paperback

First published January 1, 1944

Reviews

[Ellen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was written in 1941. It is published by Genealogical Publishers, and is out of print. It is readily available through Amazon resellers.

I read this book out of interest in my "Scotch-Irish" ancestors on the Bailey side of my family tree. The book describes the history of the early Scottish settlers in northeast Ireland in present-day Ulster. Dunaway describes the conditions in Counties Antrim and Down in Ulster during the period 1600-1720. I found his description of this desolate part of Ireland fascinating. Since most of us consider northern Ireland in terms of the 19th-20th C political conflicts between Catholics and Protestants, this book gives an earlier account of the settlement of northern Ireland. Then in great detail, Dunaway describes the "Scotch-Irish" (Ulster Scots) settlement pattern in Pennsylvania. His account is so biased towards the Scotch-Irish as to be amusing. The detail of the mid-1700's settlement in PA is of interest to genealogists or local historians of colonial history. In conclusion, he describes the "frontier life" in western PA by the Scotch-Irish. If someone is curious about the state history of PA, this is an easily read, romanticized account. By the end, you will have a new view of Quakers and you will have heard the Scotch-Irish viewpoint, loud and clear.

[Margaret Skrivseth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this book was written in the early 1940s, it contains a wealth of historical information. I recommend it to anyone interested in history, the colonial period or genealogy.