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Subject: [SCT-ISLAY] ROBERTSON/SKEEN
Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 22:59:51 EDT

Dear Listers:

I had an interesting conversation this past weekend with an old friend whose
surname is SKEEN, and I thought that I should share it with you. Although it
probably has nothing to do with Islay, he told me a family story of how his
family came to have that name.

One day the king was hunting alone and a stag pinned him to the ground. A
man named ROBERTSON happened by and killed the stag with his dirk, saving the
king's life. The grateful king stated that, from that time on, he would be
called SKEEN (for dagger) and have a grant of land in Scotland. Apparently,
when the family later emigrated to the United States, a similar grant of land
was given to them.

Some researchers have complained that their family trail back through time
seems to abruptly end and they cannot seem to get across a hidden "barrier."
Perhaps this incident will help explain why this happens. At least it may
for the ROBERTSON and SKEEN families. Unfortunately, he provided neither
dates nor the name of the king, so it cannot really be verified. However, it
is an interesting tale.

Don Davidson
Los Alamos, New Mexico USA

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