A personal greeting from the Society President...

Welcome to the official website of the Clan MacRae Society of North America!  We invite you to explore our website and learn more about your MacRae clan history and lineage.  And we sincerely hope you decide to join us by becoming a member.  You won’t regret it!

Clan MacRae has a long and illustrious history from its roots in the Highlands of Scotland.  The MacRaes served Clan MacKenzie well and became known as MacKenzie’s “shirt of mail” because of their loyalty and fighting skills.  But after the Battle of Culloden in 1746, a large number of warriors were not that important to the Highland Chiefs.  Grazing sheep on the land was now more profitable, but that required the people to be removed.  So in the late 1700s, the trickle of MacRaes leaving the Highlands turned into a flood.  These were our ancestors who probably did not want to leave their beloved Highlands, but likely had no choice.  They left family and friends for a new land not knowing if they would ever see their homeland again. Soon MacRaes were all over the world including America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.  They were truly the “scattered children of Kintail”.

Our Clan MacRae Society is dedicated to educating and helping all MacRaes understand not only the history of Clan MacRae, but also their personal family history.   As you explore our website, you will find detailed information on all the significant events and locations in Clan MacRae’s history.  When you join our Society, you will also receive our Sgurr Uaran newsletter three times a year with many educational articles related to Clan MacRae.  Our active members also host Clan MacRae tents at festivals all across America in order to reach and help MacRaes wanting to know more about their clan history and ancestry.  Just click on “News and Events” to check the calendar of events where we have a presence at festivals all through the year.  Come see us for we would love to come alongside you in your search.  There is almost an instant connection that happens for we all carry a common love of our ancestral homeland.

We also have an excellent Clan Genealogist and an equally exceptional Clan DNA expert who are available to help our active members free of charge.   Please go to our Resources section and check out our Clan MacRae DNA Project and consider taking a DNA test.  We are discovering more every day about how our MacRaes are related to each other.  We have much to offer those wanting to learn more about their ancestry.

We would love to have you join our Society and become a member for it does accelerate your journey.  Never before in history have so many people wanted to know more about their family history.  We welcome you on your personal search and we want to help you find answers to your questions.  Our leadership is proud of our Highland history and heritage and desire you to know more of your identity as a MacRae.  The word “clann” in Gaelic means “children”, so we desire to bring all the “scattered children of Kintail” back together so we can all know who we are as MacRaes!  We can all walk proudly in the “footsteps of our ancestors” together as family.  I sincerely hope you enjoy our website and we look forward to welcoming you into the fold!

Sgurr Uaran!