My Family History

The MacKinder Glenn American Legion Hall in Stockbridge Michigan

Son of The Pilgrim

I have been putting off doing this post for a while, but since I have nothing to write about today, it seemed like a good day to do it! So let me tell you a little of my family history! My last name is MacKinder, and it is Scottish. Is comes from the Gaelic word deoradh, which means "pilgrim," and is related to the Dewar family of Scotch whiskey fame. I do not know who the "pilgrim" was, but apparently he traveled the country and started clans that were all "landed gentry..."

Other Interesting Family History

The MacKinder family are also the holders of a Catholic "holy relic," specifically, Saint Fillans crozier, which is commonly called a "Shepard's crook." Our family motto is "Quid non pro patria" which translates to "What would not one do for his country." As you can see from the photo above, our family is also very big on military service, and we have an America Legion named after my great uncle that was the first to die in World War Two.

Upon Arrival in America

When my family landed in America, they primarily settled in Michigan, although there are several that have spread out from there in the last couple of generations. At one time, my mother was doing genealogy and discovered that our family had a lot of money in the "Old World," and when she asked my uncle, the oldest one at the time what happened, his response was, "We don't talk about that!" What that means was never really said, but as I have gotten older, it has become very clear that Freemasonry runs in my family. Men in my family do not have to "Ask12B1," we get "tapped." Personally, I turned down the invitation, but they have always made themselves known that they are there watching. I do know one thing for sure...

I sure wish I knew where that money was!