07/05/2026
In 1881 the last Chief of Clan MacQeen, John Fraser MacQueen, passed away. His heirs being in New Zealand had no desire to invest into the Chieftainship and thus we were designated armigerious by Lord Lyons. Our clan had gone roughly 470 years with a chieftain. Before the early 1400s we survived as kin group. A family of kith and kin underneath a larger clan group mostly among the Hebridean Isles. In time we scattered into the heart of Scotland and into Ireland. Our name was recorded in documents as witnesses and recorders of events. Our name was not lost into another clan, but existed by being known as a trustworthy family, something that would later be transcribed into our motto of Constant and Faithful. We as a family unit persisted and presevered though our commitment to each other first and the regional clan second. It's why we remained a smaller group, not one of power for land, but dedication to each other. We became desired for that dedication as religious and community leaders as well as guards and soldiers to be called on.
After the lost of a Chief and subsequent global spread of MacQueen descendants we never lost that family tie. From then to now you can see it throughout our history of MacQueens coming together and being drawn to one another. It's naturally in our blood from our beginnings in Scotland.
It is that desire for the MacQueens to be together and have a central voice that brought us to form the Clan MacQueen Society of America. We are now finding descendants all over the world, our name is in discussions in Scotland and Australia, and we are seeing a future opening up for us. As of this writing we are the only official Society in America as well as worldwide. For any Scottish clan society to succeed they need members who pay yearly dues to help the Society operate and grow. We have a large following on our social media platforms, but only a fraction of those are paying members of the Society. As in the past, our dedication to what it means to be a MacQueen kept our name alive with Scottish heritage. We want that to continue with this Society. Our memberships are $35 a year per person / $60 for couples. Like I said, we are a small clan, a network of families, kith and kin, so our numbers will never rival that of the larger clans. That is why every cent we get matters and helps us moving forward. Please consider becoming a paid member, joining us at the various highlands, and helping the MacQueens once again be known among the larger clans. We will always have membership applications at the Games. We can also email out applications to anyone who requests one. Our email is [email protected]
Thank you all for being here. I've met so many of you and heard some wonderful stories from all the different lines of descendants. We are truly one big family scattered across the world. I hope we can continue to grow and spread out to more Games and communities everywhere!
Sincerely,
Tim Elgin
Executive Director CMSOA
