Forbes in the Military

From recorded Scottish history in the13th century, members of the House of Forbes have amply demonstrated their military prowess. The Forbeses were well represented in many crucial battles throughout Scottish history and achieved recognition for their military leadership skills throughout the world. This tradition continues into the 20th and 21st century as we salute the Forbes in the Military. We are still updating this list. Please send your entries to ssgjgf@yahoo.com. Learn more here: https://www.clan-forbes.org/military 

James Forbes, 2nd Lord Forbes

James Forbes, 2nd Lord Forbes, (circa 1424 - 1462) was the son of Alexander, 1st Lord Forbes, and Elizabeth, daughter of George Douglas, Earl of Angus. She was the granddaughter of Robert III by his daughter Mary. James was therefore the first cousin once removed to King James II. The “high courage and bravery” displayed by James, 2nd Lord Forbes, at the 1452 Battle of Brechin impressed his commander, the Earl of Huntly. In 1460, the Earl agreed to the marriage of his daughter, Christian Gordon (1443 – 1500), to James’s son William, the Master of Forbes. James was appointed to Parliament in 1457 and became one of the Lords of Session for the court of Justice at Aberdeen. Learn more here: https://www.clan-forbes.org/post/second-lord-forbes

Forbes and the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony 

The son of an outspoken critic of the Church of England who fled to Holland, John Forbes (1608 – 1661) followed the Pilgrims to the Plymouth Colony and was the progenitor of generations of Forbes in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. In the early 1600s, Scotland was embroiled in religious upheaval between the strict adherents of John Calvin (1509 –1564) and other Protestants. Starting in about 1607, many Puritans moved to Leyden, Holland, to create their own religious community. Among them was the Reverend John Forbes (1568 – 1634) and his son John (1608 – 1661) was born in Leyden, South Holland, United Netherlands Republic. Starting in 1620 with the Mayflower, several ships sailed from England and Holland with members of the Puritans seeking the relief from religious persecution. In 1629, then 19-year-old John Forbes likely joined them on the Talbot, one of Isaac Allerton’s ships that sailed from England 24 April, 1629. Learn more here: https://www.clan-forbes.org/post/forbes-pilgrims

Farewell, Sir Sean Connery

On October 31, we bid farewell to Sir Sean Connery (1930 – 2020), the grandson of Helen Forbes Ross. He was a prolific movie actor who rose to prominence as the fictional British secret agent James Bond, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. In later life, he became a strong advocate for Scotland’s independence from the United Kingdom and was the spokesperson for the Scottish National Party. In 2001, the American Scottish Foundation presented him with the William Wallace Award at the United States Capitol in Washington, DC. (See photograph, above.)

Welcome New DNA Admin Philip Stead

Please welcome an additional Administrator of the FamilyTreeDNA (FTDNA) Y-DNA Forbes Surname Group, Philip Stead! Philip is currently a postgraduate student at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, in the MSc Genealogical, Palaeographic and Heraldic Studies Programme. His goals for the Forbes surname group are (1) helping members with understanding of their DNA results; (2) advising members on upgrade options if they wish to advance their research; (3) developing the results page with clusters of appropriate genetic groupings; (4) assisting members to create genetic links to the House of Forbes; and (5) supporting other genealogical aspects of research. Learn more here: https://www.clan-forbes.org/post/new-ftdna-admin 

Christmas Movie Scene Shot at Castle Forbes

Even if your travel plans are cancelled this holiday season, you can still enjoy Christmas in the Highlands! The movie “Christmas at the Castle” (originally released in 2019 as “Christmas in the Highlands”), will be broadcast on Wednesday, December 23 at 8:00 PM U.S. Eastern time on the Lifetime cable channel. The 90-minute film produced by Reel One Entertainment follows Blair Henderson (Brooke Burfitt), a perfume expert based in New York City who travels to Scotland to purchase the rights to a rare Scottish fragrance from Alistair McGregor (Dan Jeannotte.) The usual mix of romance, conflict, and holiday magic ensues. Malcolm, Lord Forbes, notes that, “I thought members of the Society who have visited the perfumery at Castle Forbes might like to know that it is featured (briefly!)” Learn more and see more photos here: https://www.clan-forbes.org/post/christmas-castle

2021 Elections Are Underway!
 
All Active, Patron, and Legacy Life Members are eligible to vote in the 2021 Clan Forbes Society Elections. If you are receiving this free newsletter as an Affiliate Member, and are not yet an Active or Patron Member of the Society, please join here: https://www.clan-forbes.org/join  

You will be required to enter your Member Number, printed on your membership certificate. (Please note: one-time House of Forbes members need to be an Active Member for the current year in order to be eligible to vote.) You are eligible to vote for three officers, which constitute the Board of Directors. Since we have received no additional expressions of interest, the current nominees are:

• President: Barry Robert (Bart) Forbes 
• Vice President for Operations: James G. Forbes II
• Vice President for Conveners: Leslie A. Furbis

For more information, please see the Bylaws in the “Society Business” page of the Members section of the website. Please read the profiles of the nominees in the Members section of the website. You have the option to propose a “write-in” candidate for each position. You can access your ballot here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWGHCTC 

Scottish North American Community Conference

The 2020 Scottish North American Community Conference will be held on-line on Friday, December 4, through Sunday, December 6, and is open to the public. Some of the topics that will be covered will include the latest advancements in DNA research, the genetic make-up of Scotland’s People, and Scotland’s influence on North America. Some of the speakers will include historian Andrew Morrison, Viscount Dunrossil; genealogist and heraldist Dr. Bruce Durie; Joni Smith, Scottish Affairs Counselor to the USA for the Scottish Government; Henry McLeish, Former First Minister of Scotland; and Dr. Joseph Morrow, QC, Lord Lyon King of Arms. Tickets for the entire three days are US$45 and half-day tickets are US$20. For more information, please visit https://scottishleadershipconference.com/ .

U.S. and Canadian Clan Associations

The Clan Forbes Society is a member of both the Council of Scottish Clans and Associations (COSCA) in the U.S.A. and the Clans and Scottish Societies of Canada (CASSOC). Each organization had their Annual General Meetings last month. COSCA featured the usual officers’ reports, a report on the ongoing strategic planning efforts, and a report from Director of Online Communications Bart Forbes (president of the Clan Forbes Society.) For new business, COSCA approved bylaw revisions and elected new officers and trustees (which included Bart Forbes as Trustee.) CASSOC also presented its officers’ reports, discussed plans for 2021, voted on bylaw changes, and approved funding for expanding membership. The Clan Forbes Society needs an Active Member to represent the Society in Canada. If you are interested, please contact Bart Forbes at president@clan-forbes.org. 

Welcome Members!

Please welcome our new Active Member for November 2020:

• Ms. Brenda Forbes Chandler, California USA

Please welcome back our renewing Active Members for November 2020:

• Ms. Stephanie Forbes Hayward, Michigan USA
• Mr. Bryan Lawrence Forbes, Oregon USA
• Ms. Mary MacGowan, Michigan USA
• Mr. Mark Forbes Wray, Washington USA
• Mr. Christopher Forbes, Kansas USA
• Mr. Christopher Forbis, Texas USA
• Mr. Larry Evans Tune, MP, Georgia USA

If you haven’t already supported the Society financially, please consider becoming a paid member! Active Membership is $25 annually will help the Society research the history and heritage of the House of Forbes; develop resources for tracing your genealogy with your cousins around the world; connect with other members in the Clan Forbes Community; and encourage more members to join us in events, tours and gatherings. 

House of Forbes Membership: Please welcome new House of Forbes Member Deborah Faye Hurdle Friend! She has successfully submitted her application with lineage to a member of the House of House in the genealogical book of the same name. Once her genealogy is verified, she will be added to the official House of Forbes Family Tree on Ancestry.com. You can find the tree by searching for Ancestry.com member “Clan Forbes” and clicking on the "House of Forbes" family tree. For information on becoming a one-time House of Forbes Member, please see https://www.clan-forbes.org/house-of-forbes-member. Please note that this does not replace your annual dues as an Active Member.

Patron Members: If you don’t want the bother of renewing your membership every year, consider becoming a Patron Member for lifetime membership at the level of $600. 

Donations

Before the end of the year, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Clan Forbes Society! For your donation of US$60 or more, you will receive a copy of Castles & Mansion Houses of the House of Forbes as your free gift. For your donation of US$25 or more, you will receive a Clan Forbes Challenge Coin as your free gift. Our thanks go out to Ms. Victoria Forbes for her donation during October!
 

Highland Games & Festivals

Many of the 2020 Highland Games and Scottish Festivals have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please check the Clan Forbes Society website for the latest announcements: https://www.clan-forbes.org/games 

• Mount Dora Scottish Highland Festival, January 16-17, 2021, Downtown Mount Dora, Florida