Muirhead Family Tartan Rediscovered by Clan Society Thanks to United Effort and the Help of the Internet Contributed by Raymond L. Morehead, President, Muirhead Clan Society http://www.muirheadclansociety.8m.com The 54th Annual Pacific Highland Games on July 29-30, 2000 will see the resurgance of the Muirhead Clan For over 30 years I have searched books and records for my family's history, obscured in a past that had been forgotten by most and for some never even dreamed of or imagined. This is but one event of that search, which in the end made all the long nights on the Internet and hours spent in libraries and record rooms worth every minute. Over the years I had traced my family back across the continent from the West to the East Coast of the United States. During this time I have corresponded with many others like me searching for the same thing, some even searching the same family names as I. On one of my long nights of internet travel, I corresponded with a gentleman from Texas, Lt. Col. David Grossett, and exchanged some ancestral information, then later by both E-Mail and post. Lt. Col Grosset's information led me to another researcher, Vernon Muirhead, who would put me in contact with but another Muirhead, Raymond Lloyd Muirhead, whose father, Ray Jerome Muirhead, had published a book about his family research The Henry Muirheid/ Muirhead family of Virginia & Mississippi (1989). In the book I saw a photo of a tartan outfit which a certain William Muirhead thought so much of that he brought it with him when he immigrated from Scotland in 1854. The first obstacle was the photo itself: It was small and in black and white, sadly not close up enough to get a thread count nor any hint of colors. But that black and white photo had a grip on me. I could not stop thinking about it or the ways to try to find out more about it. Then there was the short write up on the tartan's history in Ray's book, which did give me a name and the only good lead to who might have the tartan outfit now. The author of the book had given credit to William Muirhead's granddaughter for the photo of the Tartan. She was retired U.S. Army nurse Major Gracieuse L. Muirhead, from Friendship, Maine. Thus began a long and disappointing search for Gracieuse L. Muirhead. Many phone calls later and hours on the net would yield nothing. Eventually, through correspondence with my now good friend and fellow researcher in Texas, Lt. Col. David Grossett, I would find out that sadly, Graceiuse Muirhead had passed away some 30 years before. The copy of her Social Security Number gave us the date of death and once again the trail grew cold. While many would tell me you can't, I could only remember my father's and grandfather's words who both told me more than once. "`Can't' never did nothing! You have only to try and try again and with the help of God, try again." Next This article was contributed by Raymond L. Morehead, President, Muirhead Clan Society, July, 2000 Links: Muirhead Clan Society Website Pacific Northwest Scottish Highland Games