• Home
  • About

A Hank Williams Journal

This blog discusses the life and works of Hank Williams, his contemporaries, and musical descendants.

Feeds:
Posts
Comments
« Hank Williams historian and broadcaster Bill MacEwen passes away
Museum unveils new website »

Hank Williams’ ethnic roots

February 12, 2013 by ahankwilliamsjournal

Hank Williams’ ethnic origin was obviously a big factor in his development as an artist. His roots are Scottish, but may have had a more specific origin than that, the Scots of Ulster also known as Northern Ireland.

We usually think of the Irish in America as the Southern  Irish Catholics who emigrated in the mid 1800’s to avoid the great Irish potato famine.These immigrants are best represented by the famous Irish of Boston exemplified by the Kennedy clan and figures such as the great House Speaker Tip O’Neil, and today’s Secretary of State  John Kerry.

The Scots and especially the Ulster Scots from Northern Ireland were protestant and came to America much earlier. Sad to say many Scots of that era were participants in the slave trade at the time of Robbie Burns in the late 1700’s. These Scots became involved in the Tobacco trade in the Southern US, and ran the great plantations of the Caribbean such as the sugar industry Jamaica. Scots also had a powerful position in the early days of the Republic as architects of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

I’ve stolen a lot of this information from a fascinating article in the ‘Irish Echo’ online newspaper a publication for Americans based in New York. Author Karen McCarthy places Hank Williams in the Ulster Scot stream of immigrants to America who settled largely in the south. Indeed the North South split can be traced back to Protestant Ulster Irish Scots settling the South while English Puritan stock and late Irish and European Catholics settled the north.

McCarthy cites Hank Williams as very typical of the Ulster Scot mentality, isolated from the south In Northern Ireland, separated from their native Scotland and then isolated once again in the American South after the Civil War. Ulster Scots in the South were, she says, clannish and inward looking and families didn’t move far from their roots through the generations. She identifies these roots as they influenced an artist such as Hank Williams:

Through centuries of hard work, harsh conditions, poverty, and war, the Scots Irish maintained their love of music and storytelling. People in the South still talk about Hank Williams, a country music legend who embodied the Scots-Irish contradiction: a poet that could move people to tears with his sincerity, yet terrify them with his violent self-destructive streak.

Here’s the link to the original article.

I haven’t personally researched Hank’s family history, but I am sure many of you have. If there are corrections needed to the Irish Echo article or my post, please add to the discussion in the comments section below.

Update: Karen McCarthy’s book ‘The Other Irish: The Scots Irish Rascals who made America’ was published in 2011. It is available from Amazon. Here’s a brief description from the Amazon website:

What do Mark Twain, Neil Armstrong, and John McCain have in common? They’re all descendants of a merry group of Scots-Irish braggarts that crossed the Atlantic from Ireland in the early 1700s and settled in America’s South. Also known as the “Other Irish,” this wild bunch of patriotic, rebellious, fervently religious rascals gave us the NRA, at least fourteen presidents, decisive victories in the Revolutionary War, a third of today’s US Military, country music, Star Wars, the Munchkins, American-style Democracy, and even the religious right . . . not to mention NASCAR, whose roots go back to Prohibition-era moonshine runners. Yet few Americans are familiar with the Other Irish or their contributions to American culture. Now author and documentary filmmaker Karen McCarthy shines a probing light on this fascinating topic, illuminating the extent to which the Scots-Irish helped weave the fabric of our nation.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Hank Williams' culture, Hank Williams' ethnic origin, Irish Echo, Karen McCarthy, Scots in America, Ulster-Scots |

  • Archives

    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
    • January 2013
    • December 2012
    • November 2012
    • October 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
    • May 2012
    • March 2012
    • February 2012
    • January 2012
    • December 2011
    • November 2011
    • October 2011
    • September 2011
    • August 2011
    • July 2011
    • June 2011
    • May 2011
    • April 2011
    • March 2011
    • February 2011
    • January 2011
    • December 2010
    • November 2010
    • September 2010
    • August 2010
    • July 2010
    • June 2010
    • May 2010
    • April 2010
    • March 2010
    • February 2010
    • January 2010
    • December 2009
    • November 2009
    • October 2009
    • September 2009
    • August 2009
    • July 2009
    • June 2009
    • May 2009
    • April 2009
    • March 2009
    • February 2009
    • January 2009
    • December 2008
    • November 2008
  • Recent Posts

    • Jett Williams troubles
    • More new Hank Williams radio performances
    • ‘I Can’t Help it if I’m Still in Love with You’ on new Linda Ronstadt album
    • The very best ‘Cold, Cold Heart’
    • Anniversary celebration at the Hank Williams Museum
    • Hank Williams starred in seventh best Super Bowl commercial ever
    • The spirit of Hank Williams lives in Japan
    • Hank Williams’ death remembered at museum: stunning radio news bulletin
    • Cincinnati celebrates Hank Williams and the Herzog Studio
    • Ray Price dies in hospice care at home: December 15/16, 2013 updates
  • Recent Comments

    • James on Hank Williams in Vancouver 1949
    • Chastity on Hank Williams in Vancouver 1949
    • Jimmie kilpatrick on The spirit of Hank Williams lives in Japan
    • Anonymous on Jett Williams and husband Keith Adkinson tackling the mystery of Hank Williams’ death
    • Ron Reagan on Jett Williams and husband Keith Adkinson tackling the mystery of Hank Williams’ death
    • Ron Reagan on Hank Williams’ death remembered at museum: stunning radio news bulletin
    • Ron Reagan on More new Hank Williams radio performances
    • ahankwilliamsjournal on The spirit of Hank Williams lives in Japan
    • Terri on The spirit of Hank Williams lives in Japan
    • Hellbetty on Positive review for Hank Williams movie bio ‘The Last Ride’
  • Add to Technorati Favorites
  • Blogroll

    • 3 Chords A Day
    • Alabama Talk Line
    • Citizen K
    • Hank Williams Discography
    • Hank Williams Fan Club
    • Hank Williams Festival
    • Hank Williams Museum
    • Hank Williams Sr Listings
    • Hank Williams, The Legend
    • Raizor's Edge
    • Saving Country Music
    • The Hank Williams Boyhood Home and Museum
    • WordPress.com
    • WordPress.org
  • Pages

    • About
  • February 2013
    M T W T F S S
     123
    45678910
    11121314151617
    18192021222324
    25262728  
    « Jan   Mar »
  • Meta

    • Register
    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • A Hank Williams Journal
    • Join 31 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • A Hank Williams Journal
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
%d bloggers like this: