Redshank notes 16 September 2024

  

Redshank by Angus McBride

My research into the Redshank settlements in Ireland began innocently enough, it was through research into my own McCain family history. I used Y chromosome DNA testing and primary source documents to uncover the fascinating history of the Gaelic Redshank migration to Ireland. The McCain family originated in mid Argyll, from the parishes of Glassary Kilmichael and Kilmartin. These McCains were a fixture there from the early mid 1300s to the late 1500s. The McCains (in Gaelic Mac Eáin) were Redshanks. The Redshanks were a type of professional Gaelic soldier that were much in demand in that time period. My McCain were one among several thousand Redshank families that migrated from Argyll to west Ulster.

There were two areas in Ulster where Redshanks settled in large numbers, in west Ulster, primarily in east Donegal, and in north Antrim. Over the years I have located primary sources that mention them and there is also new data coming from the DNA testing results, that provide a good basic history of the Ulster Redshank families. For various reasons, the history of Scottish Gaels that migrated to Ulster during this time has not been written about much by historians. 

The reasons for this lack of acknowledgement of Redshank history involve Irish cultural politics, the marginalization of Gaelic history in general, and just basic lack of interest in what is seen by some as a minor aspect of Ulster history. This Redshank migration took place during the Elizabethan attempts at conquest of Ulster and the beginning of the Plantation of Ulster. This Gaelic migration has not been the subject of the historians in this field. The Redshanks are normally allotted a paragraph at best in a history of this era in Ulster.

The Redshanks are usually mention only in passing in histories as summer warriors that travelled from Argyll to Ulster to serve in the armies of various Irish Gaelic lords, and then they returned back to Scotland at the end of the campaign season. However, by the mid 1500s, many Redshanks began to settle in Ireland.

Most Redshanks were typical Scottish Gaels, usually from the west Highlands and the Hebrides. Some were from the Scottish Lowlands, usually from Ayrshire and Gallowayshire. The Crawfords of Ayrshire and example of a Lowland Redshank family that settled in numbers in east Donegal in 1570.

The Redshanks were a major element in Irish armies in the 1500s into the mid 1600s.  In the 1500s to the mid 1600s this type of Gaelic soldier had several names in English, Redshank was a common name, but the English also called them Irish-Scots, and Scots-Irish. In Gaelic they often were called simply 'na Albainigh' i.e. the Gaelic Scots, but in Gaelic bardic poetry they are often called 'Fionnghall' which means 'fair foreigner.'  All these names in both English and Gaelic speak volumes about who they were, their ancestors and descendants, and their history. More on that later as it is complex. 

I will be writing more about these Redshanks in a upcoming writing project. Not only are they interesting, but their descendants migrated to the Colonies in 1700s, and in large numbers. They are normally grouped in the Scots-Irish category of history, but there is more to their story. 

© 2024 Barry R McCain  

Happy Michaelmas

And a Happy Michaelmas to one and all...  so named as this is the feast day of Saint Michael.  At least, since Christian times, and it falls near one of the Celtic quarter days. The actual quarter day was 23 September on this year, but the festival is celebrated on 29 September in more recent times. In Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man, this was, and still is, an important festival time. 

Saint Michael was an important angel in the Christian cosmology. He was a warrior, the leader of God's army. The festival is much older than Christian times however, and it was the Celtic god Lugh that was the original celestial being associated with Michaelmas. Lugh is the god associated with the harvest, with various arts, crafts, etc. There is a pseudo history of him being the 'sun god.' However, this is in error stemming from a mistaken etymology of his name that suggested his name was linked to 'light.'  The real etymology of Lugh is from the Indo-European word lewgh meaning 'to bind by oath.'  And Lugh was the god of oaths. 

And on that theme... the photo is of two Morning Glory flowers. This photo I took just minutes ago. The Morning Glory is the fancy name for a Sweet Potato. And, my garden, half of my garden in fact, has been taken over by Sweet Potato vines. Harvest date of these sweet potatoes will be in the first week of October, which is a fitting tribute to Lugh I think. 

Anyroad, a very happy Michaelmas to you all, and tip a cup to Saint Michael, or to Lugh, as they are pretty much the same entity.  A fire in the firepit and the drink of your choice are all that is needed to mark this day. Enjoy. 

Barry R McCain 

Notes About Halloween!

I like Halloween, I always have and still do. Here is some basic data on this wonderful festival. The name Halloween is a contraction of the words 'All Hallows Eve.' This is a name created by Pope Boniface IV who proclaimed it 'All Saints Day' in AD 609.  Hallow is an archaic word meaning 'Saint' or 'holy person.' The plural is Hallows.  

From this we get to All Hallows Eve on 31 October and on 1 November we have All Hallows Day.  But, there was already an important festival at this time. In the Isles, there was Samhain (said Sow-in). Samhain was a festival that dates to early pagan times and it was an old festival already when Pope Boniface attempted to claim it. In Gaelic, Halloween is still known by its real name, Samhain and Halloween night is Oiche Shamhna (said ee-ah how-na).

Samhain has a folk etymology that goes back to the middle Gaelic word Samain (also said Sow-in) meaning summer. But, that is a pseudo etymology, the real origin is from the Proto Celtic word 'Samoni,'which means 'assembly' in this case the gathering of the living and the dead, which happened on 31 October to the daybreak of 2 November. The 1st century BC Gaulish Coligny calendar marks the date. So even in ancient time the Celts already had Samhain as a major festival time.

Samhain was important to the ancient Celts as it marked the change of season, i.e. the start of winter. At this time the cattle herds went from summer pastures to their winter pastures. Very important to the pastoral people in the Isles. On Samhain people gathered, feasted, held contests, and there were rituals associated with this time. This change from light to dark, from summer to winter, marked a time when the portals between worlds, our world and the Otherworld, opened up. Beings and entities from the Otherworld could and did appear and walk about in our world. 

These Otherworld beings included the Síthe (people of the mounds, also known today as the Fairies), the spirits of the dead, including one's ancestors, and other odd entities associated with the Otherworld. From ancient times to the present, it is in this context, that Samhain and 'Halloween' became the festival that we have today in the 21st century. 

carving the Jack o'lantern

The Gaelic people in Ireland and Scotland had many ways to commemorate Samhain. As already mentioned, the were assemblies, feasts, parties, bonfires, etc.  People also practiced seership (divination), and the use of costumes and icons to protect themselves from any malicious entities that came into our world from the Otherworld. 

Dagda, the Gaelic Sky Father, had control over time and the passages from our world to the Otherworld. Dagda is a psychopomp, i.e. a guide to souls to and from the place of the Dead. There were, and still are, bonfires lit up hills and mountains to commemorate Samhain.  These fires were part of the rituals associated with this movement of entities between the world. 

The Gaelic people also made toasts and left offerings to the Síthe. An example is seen in the Hebrides, on the island of the Lewis the population presented 'Seonaidh' with a cup of ale on the eve of Samhain. Seonaidh was a nickname for the Manannán, one of the Síthe, particularly revered in the Hebrides. This practice endured into the 20th century. Seonaidh is a taboo name, i.e. it was thought better not to say Manannán's name out loud. Important members of the Síthe often were known by pet names.  Much like the Síthe themselves were often called Na Daoine Maithe (the good people) rather than their real name.  

painting of Dagda by Howard David Johnson

Samhain/Halloween is a time of heightened spiritual activity, a time when the passages between the worlds opens. It is a time to revere ancestors, to be cognizant of the Síthe.

Guardians of the home 

Samhain was brought to America via the many Irish and Scottish immigrants that came here. It has evolved into the modern Halloween and has become a world wide festival.  It is good to remember its Gaelic origins. Many people, sadly most people, have little or no idea why we have all those curious customs associated with Halloween. The ghosts, the entities of the Otherworld, the feasts, candy, parties, bonfires, etc., have lost their meaning to many in our consumer, materialistic, post modern society. Too many people participate in Halloween not knowing what the festival is and the older spiritual connections. 

I have placed a Jack o'lantern out, and I will welcome trick or treaters to my door. Later tonight I will have a fire in my large firepit, have a salutation to Dagda and my ancestors.  I wish ever one a wonderful Halloween. 

© 2022 Barry R McCain 

The Future

 To best way to predict the Future, your future, our tribe's future...

is to create it, with your thoughts, beliefs, and actions. Do the work. 

© 2021 Barry R McCain

Finding the McCains

The McCain DNA Project Update March 2020

The McCain family DNA project began in the late summer of 2003.  When we began the McCain DNA project many of us had been working on our family history for many decades.  For me, the search began in the 1960s.  I was born in Mississippi and grew up in north Louisiana. I lived on McCain Drive, near Monroe, Louisiana.  I had many McCain cousins, some famous, such as admirals and historians, etc. I was interested in the family history at an early age, around ten years old, the moment I realised my surname was not English, that it was Gaelic. That started the long odyssey to locate our family's origin and learn their history.  

Before we started the McCain DNA Project our family history was a mess. We had many cousins, that we knew, but often we did not know how we were related. We had some data, such as naming patterns, oral histories, etc. I wanted more, I wanted the facts.

Even our McCain origin myth was a mess. Some accounts claimed we were members of the famous Clann Dhónaill, through the Glencoe McCains, while others said we were the famous Ó Catháin clan of County Derry, Ireland. The true story of our family was lost in time, in a dim fog of the past. The McCain DNA Project was started and with it came the DNA test results. The real McCain family history was revealed through the brutal reality of genetics.

Our first two participants were myself and Joe McKane from Ballwatt, County Antrim, Ireland. Jim and I submitted our DNA samples and waited patiently for the results. These came in an email from Family Tree DNA Ltd, the company our project uses. The emails read, 'You have a match.'  And that was the start of how we discover our real history. 

From that initial DNA match we were able to methodically progress in extracting that history. There were many surprises and pseudo history uncovered. We learned we were not the Clann Dhónaill McCains and also discovered that we were not the Ó Catháin family of County Derry either. We did confirm that we had branches in New England, in Canada, and that allowed us to understand how each branch arrived in the New World and the various dates of their immigration from Ireland.     

 

Our McCain cousins in Ireland

We confirmed we had many cousins from Canada, most located in New Brunswick, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. We located and confirmed kinship to McCains, McKeens, McKeans, McKanes, from New England and Pennsylvania. We located and confirmed kinship with a small army of McCains across the South, from North Carolina, to South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas... and confirmed kinship with other branches in Indiana, Arizona, and California. (note Mac Eáin is anglicised in many ways, McCane, McCain, McKane, McKean, McKeen, etc.)

The DNA results allowed us to locate geographic areas, or points of origin, of the McCains. Two places emerged of significance; in Donegal, the Porthall, St Johnston, and the Finn Valley area. The second location was the parish of Kilmichael Glassary in mid Argyll, in the Scottish Highlands. From there, I was able to locate 'our' McCains in the primary sources. We are the Mac Eáin family that originated in Kilmichael Glassary, and moved en masse to the Porthall area of Donegal in 1569. 

location of McCain DNA connections in Argyll

By 2017 new DNA techniques have greatly enhanced the methods of DNA research.  The use of higher level SNP test (single nucleotide polymorphism) allows much more data to be extracted from our Y chromosome DNA tests.  The mutation rates for SNPs are more stable and happen at a predictable rate.  The geneticists are finding new SNPs that allow one to research with great precision the time frame of the DNA matches through observing the discovered SNP mutation between branches of the same family.

One interesting development that the DNA results revealed is that our McCains share the same paternal DNA as the Mac Ailpín family, also of Kilmichael Glassary parish in mid Argyll.  We do not know the details of how these families began to use two different surnames. We only know they are genetically the same family and we can place them living together and interacting with each other in the records. Research on this is ongoing at this time. Gaelic surnames were not fixed, and it was normal for one branch to take another surname. Also, the reader should keep in mind that this data is specifically for the Mac Eáin family that originated in Kilmichael, and ditto with the Mac Ailpín family from there.  There are dozens of McCain families across Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man, but here we are only speaking of the kinship group that is the Kilmichael Glassary McCains. This is true also with the Mac Ailpín family of Kilmichael Glassary.

To date, among the participants of the McCain DNA Project, we have not located any Scottish origin McCains. Those McCains that were born in Scotland all have roots in Donegal. It appears when the McCains left Kilmichael Glassary, they all left for Ireland. Of interest, many of the Kilmichael Glassary Mac Ailpín families also left for Ireland. We know the McCains were Redshanks, a paid soldier much in use in the 1500s. Our McCains came to Donegal with other Highland Gaels from mid Argyll as part of a military buildup to assist the Ó Dónaill clan of Donegal. This story is complex, but the details are in the book Finding the McCains.  

The link to the: McCain DNA Project.  We are still testing and encourage McCain males to participate in the projects.  We use the 111 level Y chromosome test. We also encourage our participants to consider doing the higher level SNP tests. 

A few photos of our cousins...

Magh Gaibhlin castle Porthall, Donegal, where we located William McKean the Soldier

Jim McKane, Ontario, Canada

Frank McKane, Scotland (and California)

Donovan McCain, North Carolina

Joe McKane of County Antrim

Letitia and Ivan Knox (Ivan's mother a McCain), with Bruce McCain and his wife, in Donegal

Joe  and Julie McKane of Belfast

Michael McCain born in Rome, lives south of there now

Henry McCain and John McCain of Arizona

Conar McCain of Oxford Mississippi

Mervyn and Jean McKean of Porthall, Donegal

Chris McCain of California

Jack and Dot MacKeen of Massachusetts

© 2020 Barry R McCain

Mac Eáin family icon

Lughnasa 2018

Modern advertisement for a Lughnasa festival in Ireland

Here we are again, another year and the return of Lughnasa.  Lughnasa is one of the oldest festivals we have in the Isles.  In modern Gaelic spelling, it is Lúnasa, in Scots Gaelic, Lùnastal, and in Manx Gaelic Luanistyn.  I like the spelling Lughnasa myself.   

The festival is observed in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and throughout the Diaspora of the Gaelic people.  The etymology of Lughnasa is from the Old Gaelic, Lug (the god) = násad (assembly). Lughnasa is the start of the Harvest season.

Lugh

Lughnasa has been celebrated for at least three thousand years and probably much longer.  Traditionally it is held on 1 August and the surrounding days.  This is the time between the summer solstice and the autumn equinox.  Lughnasa is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals along with Samhain, Imbolc, and Lá Bealtaine.

An Tarbh (The Bull)

Lughnasa is mentioned in the earliest Gaelic literature and was ancient even by early Christian times.  The festival is named from the god Lugh, who is one of the ancient gods of the Gael.  Lughnasa includes religious ceremonies, ritual sporting contests, matchmaking, visits to holy wells and Faerie trees,  and special market days.  Since ancient times, there festival included the tasting of the ‘first fruits’ and elaborate feasts, the sacrifice of a bull, servings of bilberries, and a ritual play and dance where Lugh takes and protects the harvest for the people of the tribes. 

A pre Christian image of Lugh from France

Lughnasa enjoyed great popularity well into the 20^th century, but waned in mid-century, as modernity put stress upon these old customs... but, fortunately, Lughnasa has seen a great revival in the last few years.  Lughnasa  festival, fairs, and activities are growing in popularity.  The festival survives under different names, such as Crom Dubh Sunday, Garland Sunday, Bilberry Sunday, Mountain Sunday.  Lughnasa has been incorporated in Christian ritual with Saint Patrick filling in for Lugh, in the pilgrimage to the top of Croagh Patrick on the last Sunday in July.

the Lughnasa fire

In Irish myth Lughnasa was begun by the god Lugh as a funeral feast and athletic competition to commemorate the death of Tailtiu,  his foster mother.  The legends tell us that she died of exhaustion after clearing the fields of Ireland for agriculture. Tailtiu was the wife of the last Fir Bolg king of Ireland, before the coming of the Tuath Dé Danann.  

Enjoy your Lughnasa... I cooked a beef brisket for the celebration and will have a wee fire out in the fire pit tonight.   We remember our ancestors on such occasions, always a good thing to do. 

Irish And Scottish Female Ancestor Surnames

Irish and Scots Female Ancestor Names in Primary Sources

Finding the name of a male ancestor is fairly straight forward.  It will appear in some anglicized or phonetic spelling of the original Gaelic surname.  Most people are familiar with male surnames prefixes; Ó means “descendant of” and Mac means “son of.”   Mag is an alternative spelling of Mac and was sometimes used when the name that follows it began with a vowel.   

The ladies used a similar prefix system. Girls and unmarried women with an Ó surname are written Ní.  A Mac prefix surname is written as Nic.

A married woman would take her husband's surname, but the prefix form was different than the male form.  Ó became Uí and Mac became Mhic.  

This name change did not always hide the surname of the woman’s father however.  In traditional Gaelic society some women retained their father's surname due to the strong sense of family and clan affiliation.  This was done when the woman was the daughter of a land holding family and had high status within society.

 Two examples from the mid to late 1500s that I located in my own research are:  Fionnuala Nic Eáin married Dónaill Mac Ailín.  Her “married name” was Fionnuala Mhic Ailín.  In actuality, she retained her maiden name in the community and is listed by that name in the records.  Her name appears crudely anglicised as Finvall Nikean.  Here is an entry from the Argyll records: 

…In the same year (1572) Finvall Nikean, the wife of Donald M'Alane V'Donile of Dunnad, resigned to James Scrymgeoure of Dudhope constable of Dundee the twenty shillinglands of Carnyame, the said Donald warranting the constable free of all harm in respect of the lands from the heirs of the deceased Lauchlane M'Donald V'Alane.

This data allowed me to connect Fionnuala Nic Eáin to the House of Dónaill Mac Ailín's cousin, who was Donnchadh Rua Mac Ailín, who used the clan surname of Mac Eáin. (the man's name in the above document 'Donald M'Alane V'Donile' is Dónaill Mac Ailín Mhic Dhónaill, the 'Mhic' here meaning grandson or descendant of.) 

As you progress with your genetic genealogy research you will eventually reach a point where records were not written in modern English.   The records are often in Gaelic or written in an English dialect, such as Lallans or Hiberno-English, with the surname anglicised into a phonetic Gaelic form.
 

Dun Na Muc in Kilmichael Glassar

Another example connected with the family of Donnchadh Rua Mac Ailín, is Aifric Nic Dhonnachaidh Rua the wife of Malcolm Scrymgeour.  Again, this Gaelic woman does not use her husband’s surname, but rather a surname that identifies her clan.  In this case once again, to the family of Donnchadh Rua Mac Ailín of Dun na muc. He was a thane in Glassary.  In the actual record her name is recorded as “Effreta nein Donche roy.”

With men’s names this does not present too much difficulty if you are familiar with their Gaelic forms. Do not overlook the possibility of locating a female ancestor from this time period.  Most records and pre 1600 genealogies tend to feature only male names.  However, in some cases the name of a female ancestor will appear, but you will need to know how to recognize the surname when you see it.

When you get on the trail of your Irish and Scottish ancestors be aware of both male and female Gaelic surname forms.  You might make a great find.

Barry R McCain on Amazon

Summer Solstice 2018

Dagda

This is the Summer Solstice today.   It is the Midsummer festival which is often celebrated with a bonfire.  Saint John the Baptist was associated with the festival in Christian times and there were prayers for God's blessing upon the corps at the height of the growing season.  Of course, the festival is much older than St John and dates back to pagan times.  St John was a relative newcomer to the Midsummer event and it was none other than An Dagda, also known as Crom, who used to bless the crops. 

In astronomical speak, it is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere... and the shortest night of the year.  Midsummer is, and has been, a prominent cultural event in ancient Europe and still going strong in the 21st Century.  

Sucellus (Dagda's cognate in Gaul)

Midsummer is celebrated on or near the Summer's Solstice throughout Northern Europe.  Festivals and celebrations are held from 19 June to 25 June.  Midsummer festivals are held throughout Ireland on the weekend closest to the actual Solstice day.  Bonfires lit on the hill tops are a tradition. 

It customary to have a fire on the eve, or on the night, of the Solstice and advisable to run and jump over the fire to evoke the blessings of Dagda.  A toast to the Solstice, to Dagda and to ole St John as well, all advisable.  A bonfire is best, but a small fire in a fire-pit we do splendidly.  And for those apartment dwellers, it is fine to just light the candle and open the wine and make your toast.

So, Shake a Leg and Pull a Cork and Welcome in the Solstice!!!



Barry R McCain

The Lone Star Flag Part II

Mary Long's Long Star Flag 1819

In The Lone Star Flag Part I, we learned that the Lone Star flag dates back to 1810 and events in Louisiana.   It is evident that the icon of the Lone Star lived beyond the 1810-1811 Republic of West Florida.  It returned just a few years later, again in Louisiana, among the same group of settlers and citizens.

James Long was a US Army surgeon and served with distinction in the War of 1812 and was present at the famous Battle of New Orleans (January 1815).  After his US Army service, he became a filibuster who led an expedition to seize control of the province of Texas from the Spanish ( a filibuster is a man who wages war upon a foreign country, meaning the man by himself and not operating on behalf of another country's government).

The border between New Spain and the United States was disputed at that time.  The Anglo-Celtic settlers planned a filibustering expedition to outright conquer the province of Texas, a province in northern New Spain.  James Long's comrade in this adventure was José Félix Trespalacios, a citizen of New Spain, who had been imprisoned for instigating a revolt against Spanish rule in México.  The two men gathered some 200 militiamen from their headquarters in Natchez, Mississippi.  

Jim Bowie and Ben Milam, two well known figures in Texas history, were in Long's militia group.  Both Bowie and Milam had prominent roles in the Texas Revolution in 1835-1836.   Long also attempted to recruit the famous French pirate, Jean Lafitte, but his attempts were unsuccessful.  Long's forces were primarily Anglo-Celt frontiersmen and several former French soldiers; a typical Deep South amalgam.

Long's Lone Star flag, version II; 1820

By June 1819 the Long Expedition arrived in Texas. The small army was initially successful and established a republic of sorts.  It did last longer than the ill fated Republic of West Florida. However, as the Spanish organised themselves to confront Long, the republic began to lose impetus. The men became restless and there was no method of expanding upon their success.  The Spanish organised their militia to confront Long's forces.  A number of the Long's men returned to Louisiana.  The Long affair did not end well.  Spanish military units confronted the remaining men in Long's force and quickly routed them.  Long escaped to Natchitoches, Louisiana.

Long was persistent. On his return to Louisiana, he began raising funds to equip a second invasion into New Spain.  In April 1820, he joined members from his first expedition on the Boliva Peninsula (in present day Galveston County, Texas).  He had 300 troops and brought with him his pregnant wife Jane.  There his expedition remained for a year, but only controlled the land under their feet.  Long seized Presidio La Bahía in an attempt to force the action.  The Spanish military counterattacked and forced Long and his men to surrender four days later.  Long was imprisoned in several Mexican towns and eventually sent to Mexico City.  There he was shot to death by a Mexican guard on 8 April 1822.

After Long's misadventure in Texas the Lone Star was next used in the mid 1830s.  It is interesting, that the Lone Star was again used by the same group of settlers and frontiersmen.  It is obvious, they liked the icon, knew its history, and continued to use it.   As the impetus toward revolution gained support in the province of Texas, the Lone Star icon returned. 

The Lone Star is on the Gonzales Banner (the Come and Take It flag), on the Scott Lone Star Independence flag (1835), and on the Golidad flag (1836).  The red Long Lone Star flag was also used in the 1842 Summervell Expedition when Texas troops crossed the Rio Grande and fought in Mier, Mexico.  

Replica of the Come And Take It flag 1835

The cannon that appears on the Come And Take It flag was used briefly at the beginning of the Texian revolution against the Mexican government in October of 1835.  There are two schools of thought on the cannon's fate.  I would urge the reader to explore the topic further.  The important point being, the Gonzales cannon was used in the first skirmish in the Texian revolution, and was a feature on the Come And Take It flag along with the Lone Star. 

Captain William Scott's flag 1835

The Troutman flag was designed by Joanna Troutman, in a response for aid for the cause of Texas in 1835.  Troutman made the flag for the Georgia Battalion of volunteers going to support Texas in their struggle against Mexico.  The flag had two inscriptions, 'Liberty or Death,' on one side, and Ubi Libertas Habitat, Ibi Nostra Patria Est'  (Where Liberty Dwells, There Is Our Fatherland).  The flag was unfurled at Velasco, Texas, on 8 January 1836.  It was used as the Texas national flag after the news of the Texas Declaration of Independence.

Troutman Flag 1836

Burnet Flag 1836

The Burnet Flag was used in December of 1836 and later became the national flag of the Republic of Texas.  The Burnet Flag continued on as the Texas state flag until 1879, when it was incorporated into the present day Texas state flag.

Other splendid examples of the Lone Star in use from the mid 1800s include the excellent Republic of Mississippi flag in 1861.  It was the flag of Mississippi after secession from the United States and prior to joining the Confederacy.  It is a very handsome flag with a Lone Star on a blue canton and a magnolia tree on a white field.  After the WBTS this flag returned as the Mississippi state flag, and remained so until the late 1800s.

And then there is the Bonnie Blue Flag, which interestingly enough, has never been an 'official'  flag of any government outside of Texas.  It became popular in the early 1860s in the build up to the Southern secession movement.  The Bonnie Blue Flag remained a symbol of Southern independence, albeit, an unofficial one.  The Bonnie Blue flag continues to be popular and one still sees it use.  It is flown at private homes, at events, picnics, over decks with barbecues going on, at any festive occasion, etc.  It represents the same qualities that all the manifestations of the Lone Star flag represent.... Liberty and Freedom.   It is a good symbol and attractive flag.

The Bonnie Blue Flag

© Barry R McCain

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