Akins Clan Website
clann na acainaich
the official Clan Akins homepage on the world wide web. Those interested in
visiting this site can do so by logging onto
http://www.geocities.com/the_clan_akins where a wealth of informantion
can be found regarding the history, origins, customs, traditions, heraldry,
crest, tartan and other details which distinguish the Clan Akins amongst our
fellow Scots.
Don Aitken
"The web site you are trying to access has exceeded its allocated data
transfer." Such popularity!
--
Don Aitken
Mail to the addresses given in the headers is no longer being
read. To mail me, substitute "clara.co.uk" for "freeuk.com".
Andrew Chaplin
>
> On Sun, 21 Mar 2004 11:34:45 -0600, "clann na acainaich"
> <akin...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>
> >The Clan Akins Association has put together an all new website to serve as
> >the official Clan Akins homepage on the world wide web. Those interested in
> >visiting this site can do so by logging onto
> >http://www.geocities.com/the_clan_akins where a wealth of informantion
> >can be found regarding the history, origins, customs, traditions, heraldry,
> >crest, tartan and other details which distinguish the Clan Akins amongst our
> >fellow Scots.
> >
> "The web site you are trying to access has exceeded its allocated data
> transfer." Such popularity!
And the bugger has the nerve to try and inflict unsolicited cookies on
me! A plague on his house and a sentence to the purgatory of my twit
filter.
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
(If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.)
James MacBean
It's amazing that the infamous fraud AOTI has reappeared.
Martin Goldstraw
> Don Aitken wrote:
> >
> > On Sun, 21 Mar 2004 11:34:45 -0600, "clann na acainaich"
> > <akin...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
> >
> > >The Clan Akins Association has put together an all new website to serve as
> > >the official Clan Akins homepage on the world wide web. Those interested in
> > >visiting this site can do so by logging onto
> > >http://www.geocities.com/the_clan_akins where a wealth of informantion
> > >can be found regarding the history, origins, customs, traditions, heraldry,
> > >crest, tartan and other details which distinguish the Clan Akins amongst our
> > >fellow Scots.
> > >
> > "The web site you are trying to access has exceeded its allocated data
> > transfer." Such popularity!
>
> And the bugger has the nerve to try and inflict unsolicited cookies on
> me! A plague on his house and a sentence to the purgatory of my twit
> filter.
Up until quite recently the electricscotland.com web page detailing
the name Akins had at the bottom of the page a factual statement
outlining the refusal of Lord Lyon to accept the pretender "Akins of
that Ilk" as chief of the clan Akins. It has now been removed and
there is a direct link to the pretender's web site. This, I feel, is
unfortunate as it will merely serve to perpetuate the pretender's
fantasies and mislead some into believing that this man has some
credibility.
Martin
Glen Cook
Andrew Chaplin
>
> Did I miss something? Why is it believed Mr. Ilk is putting up this web site?
http://www.geocities.com/the_clan_akins/chief.html
Sean J Murphy
news:9fk7c.59865$xL3....@bignews1.bellsouth.net...
Oh no, not again! Whether or not this is a hoax, it is remarkable that three
years after I exposed the 1768 will of Archibald Akins as a forgery, the
text still resides in a corner of Rootsweb:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~mdbaltim/wills/will200.htm, and is also still to be
found with other fabrications on Genealogy.com:
http://www.genealogy.com/genealogy/users/a/k/i/Steven-L-Akins-of-that-ilk/in
dex.html What next, a revived Eóghanacht Royal House of Munster website?
Sean Murphy
http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/chiefs/akins1.htm
http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/chiefs/akins2.htm (slow loaders)
Glen Cook
info was not there when I looked. In fact, at one point the whole site was
taken down.
Now, what to do, what to do.
Sam McCacken
learned.
Fraud, though crushed to earth will rise again.
"Sean J Murphy" <seanj...@eircom.net> wrote in message
news:gHL7c.1910$qP2....@news.indigo.ie...
Harold Clootie
"Glen Cook" <coo...@aol.comxa> wrote in message
news:20040322230210...@mb-m15.aol.com...
> Yes, well, that is rather persuasive evidence <G>. Really, the
chieftainly
> info was not there when I looked. In fact, at one point the whole site
was
> taken down.
>
> Now, what to do, what to do.
>
> >Glen Cook wrote:
As an amatuer genealogist I was curious to see what authentic evidence
actually does exist pertaining to the family/name/clan in question and I was
quite surprised to find that there is quite a bit of credible historical
information on the Akins lineage which seems to correspond - at least in
part - with the information given on the Clan Akins website and other
internet sources regarding this family. There is, as has been pointed out,
at least one authentic depiction of the Akins coat of arms dating to 1785,
where it is rendered on the gravestone of one Thomas Akins in the cemetery
of Steele Creek Presbyterian Church in Mecklenburg Couty, North Carolia. And
there is an entry dated September Session, 1785 in the Mecklenburg County
Court book of minutes when notes that William Akins was granted letters of
administration on the estate of Thomas Akins.
This apperas to be the same William Akins who filed for a Revolutionary
War military service pension in Morgan County, Georgia, in 1833, citing his
service in the North and South Carolina militias during the Revolution where
he ultimately achieved the rank of Lieutenant having served a number of
consecutive terms of duty from 1777 to 1781. The pension record states that
William Akins was born in Cecil County, Maryland in 1756 (two years before
the Thomas Akins who is buried at Steele Creek) and that he first enlisted
for military duty in Mecklenburg County North Carolina in 1777. There is
also an entry in the Mecklenburg County Court records that a James Akins
purchased 200 acres of land in 1777 in the vicinity of Steele Creek from one
John McKnitt Alexander. The Revolutionary War Pension Record of William
Akins also shows that he later moved to Cherokee County, Alabama in the year
1839 where he died some two years later in 1841. His widow, the former
Elizabeth McCorkle, applied for a veteran's widow's pension while she was
living in Cherokee County, Alabama, and a William McCorkle served as a
witness in her claim stating that he was present at the marriage of
Elizabeth McCorkle to William Akins, which took place in York County, South
Carolina, in the year 1784. Tombstones of a McCorkle family bearing coats of
arms for that name are still existant in the cemetery of Ebenezer
Presbyterian Church in Rock Hill, York County, South Carolina, dating to as
early as 1790 where the arms are depicted on the grave of Stephen McCorkle,
his wife Ann, and their daughter Vilet.
A younger William Akins who applied for a military service pension for
his service in the 43rd U.S. Infantry during the War of 1812, appears to be
the son and namesake of the elder William Akins. Information in his pension
record indicates that he was born in York County, South Carolina in the year
1788 and that he enlisted for service under Capt T.L. Gordin at York Court
House in 1813. This William Akins applied for his veteran's pension while
living in Cherokee County, Alabama, and later requested that his pension be
transferred to Jasper, Walker County, Alabama where he was residing in 1877.
Records for Walker County, Alabama indicate that there is a last will and
testament recorded in will book #1 dating 1878 for a William Akins, but I
have not yet been able to obtain a copy of this will. So, it is notable that
at least part of the historical information provided on the Clan Akins
website can be verified and documented as authentic, including the coat of
arms, which was in fact in use by the Akins family over 200 years ago. If
nothing else,. the family is of genuine interest by virtue of its paper
trail documenting its place in history during a critical period of change
from British colonial state to American Independence.
Harold Clootie
Glen Cook
review here: http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/chiefs/akins1.htm.
Further, the existence of people named Akins does not mean there was ever such
a Scottish clan, does not mean this person is related to anybody who was a clan
chief, and does not mean there were arms granted by Lyon (indeed, there is no
evidence of such).
HC:I was quite surprised to find that there is quite a bit of credible
historical
information on the Akins lineage which seems to correspond - at least in
part - with the information given on the Clan Akins website and other
internet sources regarding this family...
Andrew Chaplin
>
> "Glen Cook" <coo...@aol.comxa> wrote in message
> news:20040322230210...@mb-m15.aol.com...
> > Yes, well, that is rather persuasive evidence <G>. Really, the
> chieftainly
> > info was not there when I looked. In fact, at one point the whole site
> was
> > taken down.
> >
> > Now, what to do, what to do.
> >
> > >Glen Cook wrote:
>
> As an amatuer genealogist I was curious to see what authentic evidence
> actually does exist pertaining to the family/name/clan in question and I was
> quite surprised to find that there is quite a bit of credible historical
> information on the Akins lineage which seems to correspond - at least in
> part - with the information given on the Clan Akins website and other
> internet sources regarding this family.
Une fois menteur, toujour menteur. Akins of that Ilk and the Rest of
His Mob used up all his credit.
If you will tilt at windmills, please find one of honest European
stock?
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
Sean J Murphy
Indeed. I intend to update my Akins webpages, but Nigel Carron's priceless
'double fake' tombstone still speaks volumes. Disturbing also to find that
years after I exposed them as fabrications, Akins 'wills' are still online
at
http://www.genealogy.com/genealogy/users/a/k/i/Steven-L-Akins-of-that-ilk/in
dex.html?Welcome=1082536781 How many more, er, digitally adjusted documents
and spurious pedigrees are floating around in cyberspace to tempt the
credulous?
Sean Murphy
Irish Chiefs http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/chiefs/
Bryan J. Maloney
news:IDjhc.36293$Yw5....@bignews4.bellsouth.net:
> has been pointed out, at least one authentic depiction of the Akins
> coat of arms dating to 1785, where it is rendered on the gravestone of
> one Thomas Akins in the cemetery of Steele Creek Presbyterian Church
If the gravestone even exists in the first place (which I doubt), this
proves nothing other than a man calling himself "Thomas Akins" had a coat
of arms on his gravestone. It proves no right to the arms nor no history of
having borne them in life.
> in Mecklenburg Couty, North Carolia. And there is an entry dated
> September Session, 1785 in the Mecklenburg County Court book of
> minutes when notes that William Akins was granted letters of
> administration on the estate of Thomas Akins.
And? It proves nothing at all about alleged ties to a Scottish
chieftainship. Prove that this "Akins" was the legitimate chief of a
Scottish clan that styled its chiefs "of that ilk".
Even if EVERYTHING you claim is true, it proves nothing. It in no way
means that the claims of Dimwit Akins of that Ilk are not a pack of howling
lies. Prove the claimed connection to the cheiftainship of a "Clan Akins"
AND prove this whole "of that ilk" rubbish was used by said "Clan".
Of course, since you merely are a sock-puppet for a liar, you will not.
Bryan J. Maloney
larblortch news:4085E52E...@yourfinger.rogers.com:
> Harold Clootie wrote:
>>
>> "Glen Cook" <coo...@aol.comxa> wrote in message
>> news:20040322230210...@mb-m15.aol.com...
>> > Yes, well, that is rather persuasive evidence <G>. Really, the
>> chieftainly
>> > info was not there when I looked. In fact, at one point the whole
>> > site
>> was
>> > taken down.
>> >
>> > Now, what to do, what to do.
>> >
>> > >Glen Cook wrote:
>>
>> As an amatuer genealogist I was curious to see what authentic
>> evidence
>> actually does exist pertaining to the family/name/clan in question
>> and I was quite surprised to find that there is quite a bit of
>> credible historical information on the Akins lineage which seems to
>> correspond - at least in part - with the information given on the
>> Clan Akins website and other internet sources regarding this family.
>
> Une fois menteur, toujour menteur. Akins of that Ilk and the Rest of
> His Mob used up all his credit.
>
> If you will tilt at windmills, please find one of honest European
> stock?
Oh, I'd say, given a look at pictures of His Fatitude of that Ilk that he
was of European stock. It's the "honest" part that he's eschewed.
Harold Clootie
"Bryan J. Maloney" <cavag...@sbcglobal.not> wrote in message
news:Xns94D2CDA0C2...@207.115.63.158...
> Even if EVERYTHING you claim is true, it proves nothing. It in no way
> means that the claims of Dimwit Akins of that Ilk are not a pack of
howling
> lies. Prove the claimed connection to the cheiftainship of a "Clan Akins"
> AND prove this whole "of that ilk" rubbish was used by said "Clan".
>
> Of course, since you merely are a sock-puppet for a liar, you will not.
Mr. Maloney,
I'm not sure exactly what your apparent grudge is or why you seem to be
directing it at me, I was simply pointing out that I had done a bit of
looking around on my own to see what I could find in the national archives
records out of curiousity and was just conveying what i had found on this
particular family/clan/name. This information came from records available to
the general public on microfilm through the National Archives, most notably
the Revolutionary War pensions file of William Akins ref # w. 5600, that of
his widow Elizabeth Akins ref # BLWt 30.624.160 -53, both of which are
contained on the same file on microfilm, and the War of 1812 military
service pension record of their son, Willam Akins ref # S.C. 22791 and S.C.
20056, and "Court Minutes, Docket Book 1, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
1774-1780" and "The History of Steele Creek Presbyterian Church 1745-1978"
published by Craftsman Printing and Publishing House, Charlotte, N.C., 1978.
As a genealogist my interest in family history is genuine and I am not
here to make a case for any claims to hereditary titles, either historical
or otherwise. I was simply pointing out that in researching the material
presented on the Clan Akins website, I was able to find authentic historical
records that agree with some of the material on the webpage, not having
researched all of the considerable period covered on this site however, I am
not in any position to form a conclusive opinion on the case as a whole, but
have not to date found anything which seems to contradict it either, so my
mind remains open on the matter, however much i may be in the minority in
that regard.
Sam McCacken
"Harold Clootie" <hclo...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:6LOhc.69332$Lh2....@bignews1.bellsouth.net...
>
> "Bryan J. Maloney" <cavag...@sbcglobal.not> wrote in message
> news:Xns94D2CDA0C2...@207.115.63.158...
> > Even if EVERYTHING you claim is true, it proves nothing. It in no way
> > means that the claims of Dimwit Akins of that Ilk are not a pack of
> howling
> > lies. Prove the claimed connection to the cheiftainship of a "Clan
Akins"
> > AND prove this whole "of that ilk" rubbish was used by said "Clan".
> >
> > Of course, since you merely are a sock-puppet for a liar, you will not.
>
> Mr. Maloney,
> I'm not sure exactly what your apparent grudge is or why you seem to
be
> directing it at me,
Mr. Clootie--
The question of Steven Lewis Akins is a vexed topic for many of us here.
He used to be an occasional particpant here before he was exposed as a
fraud, and besides his fraudulent claims to be the chief of a non-existent
clan, he was an outspoken racial bigot.
Sean Murphy exposed him as a crude forger of wills and he appears
further to be a forger of tombstone photographs.
No one here has the slighest doubt that various people named Akins (and
variants) have been honorable folks who have contributed to the history of
this country. S. L. Akins is not one of them. He gives a bad name to
heraldry, to genealogy, t he clan tradition, anything he touches with his
grimy fingers.
Sam McCracken
Harold Clootie
"Sam McCacken" <sm...@bu.edu> wrote in message
news:c69c1i$cnk$1...@news3.bu.edu...
Mr. McCacken,
I have reviewed Mr. Murphey's webpage as well as the tabloid articles
concerning Mr. Akins which were published in the Scottish tabloid "Sunday
Mail" and I can appreciate the skepticism which arose surrounding this case,
indeed it was skepticism which provoked me to go digging around in the
historical records to see exactly what I could find regarding the lineage in
question, and while I have not been able to verify a number of the
assertations made regarding this line, I was surprised to see that what
authentic historical records that are available to me do in fact correspond
to many of the statements presented as facts on the Clan Akins web-site.
My own position is unbiased as I have no interest in anything other
than accurate genealogical and historical information being available to the
general public. Many allegations have been made agaisnt Mr. Akins by a
number of different individuals. The whole "fake tombstone" thing seems to
have originated in statements made by a Mr. William Wallace of Glasgow,
Scotland, to the Sunday Mail tabloid (which it is my understanding is not
noted for accurate or well-researched investigative journalism, but is
rather a sensationalist pulp newspaper of the National Enquirer variety).
Mr. Wallace claimed in his interview with the Sunday Mail that Akins had
sought to contract with him to have a fake tombstone sent to Scotland,
however that claim appears to come from a man that had some romantic
interest in Akins' then wife, who was in the process of divorcing Mr. Akins,
all of which begs to question why a man divorcing his wife would contract
with her lover to help him engage in fraud? At any rate it does not seem
that any material evidence of this alleged contract was ever produced, so it
seems to boil down to an issue of hearsay evidence by someone who may well
have had a vested interest in discrediting Mr. Akins character by virture of
his amorous entanglements with Mr. Akins' estranged wife.
As for Mr. Carron's skill in showing how a photograph can be digitally
manipulated to alter its appearance to a desired format, this only proves
that such a thing CAN be done, it does not in any way prove that it WAS in
fact done. Certainly the already mentioned tombstone of Thomas Akins dated
1785 depicting the Akins coat of arms is verifiably authentic beyond any
question and there seems to be no reason to doubt that any of the other
Akins heraldic tombstones are less so. An altered photograph by someone
attempting to arouse skepticism does not prove nor disprove the authenticity
of any other photograph.
I can only say that it appears that Mr. Akins faced a "hung jury" in
the court of public opinion where this particular forum is concerned, and I
think a more unbiased judgement is called for in this case, based not upon
hearsay evidence, nor on speculation, but rather by a more comprehensive
investigation into what historical documentaion does exist reharding the
statements and claims made in this case.
Harold S. Clootie
Bryan J. Maloney
> directing it at me, I was simply pointing out that I had done a bit of
> looking around on my own to see what I could find in the national
> archives records out of curiousity and was just conveying what i had
> found on this particular family/clan/name. This information came from
> records available to the general public on microfilm through the
None of this proves the lying claims about connection to an alleged
Scottish "clan" nor the monumental lies told about alleged chieftainship
"of that ilk".
> As a genealogist my interest in family history is genuine and I
> am not
> here to make a case for any claims to hereditary titles, either
> historical or otherwise. I was simply pointing out that in researching
> the material presented on the Clan Akins website, I was able to find
Claims of chieftainship are the primary reason that lying pig Akins has
indulged in genealogy. You post in support of him. You are, therefore,
one with him.
> conclusive opinion on the case as a whole, but have not to date found
> anything which seems to contradict it either, so my mind remains open
> on the matter, however much i may be in the minority in that regard.
How about the fact that Akins the Lying Pilk tried to defraud Lord Lyon?
Bryan J. Maloney
> As for Mr. Carron's skill in showing how a photograph can be
> digitally
> manipulated to alter its appearance to a desired format, this only
> proves that such a thing CAN be done, it does not in any way prove
Lying pig Akins many times refused to tell anyone the location of these
alleged "tombstones" so they could be independently verified. He's a fraud
and a liar and you are a merkin for a fraud and a liar.
D.J. Racovolis
that England is always the best part of the UK conglomerate for me.
"Bryan J. Maloney" <cavag...@sbcglobal.not> wrote in message
news:Xns94D3D27D4D...@207.115.63.158...
James Dempster
<hclo...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I have reviewed Mr. Murphey's webpage as well as the tabloid articles
>concerning Mr. Akins which were published in the Scottish tabloid "Sunday
>Mail" and I can appreciate the skepticism which arose surrounding this case,
>indeed it was skepticism which provoked me to go digging around in the
>historical records to see exactly what I could find regarding the lineage in
>question, and while I have not been able to verify a number of the
>assertations made regarding this line, I was surprised to see that what
>authentic historical records that are available to me do in fact correspond
>to many of the statements presented as facts on the Clan Akins web-site.
I will quote Dorothy L Sayers from "Murder Must Advertise" since it is
apposite
"'How about truth in advertising?
'Of course, there is some truth in advertising. There's yeast in
bread, but you can't make bread with yeast alone. Truth in
advertising' announced Lord Peter sententiously, 'is like leaven,
which a woman hid in three measures of meal. It provides a suitable
quantity of gas, with which to blow out a mass of crude
misrepresentation into a form that the public can swallow."
<snip of Sunday Mail story>
> As for Mr. Carron's skill in showing how a photograph can be digitally
>manipulated to alter its appearance to a desired format, this only proves
>that such a thing CAN be done, it does not in any way prove that it WAS in
>fact done. Certainly the already mentioned tombstone of Thomas Akins dated
>1785 depicting the Akins coat of arms is verifiably authentic beyond any
>question
Have you seen it? What expert work has been done to confirm that it is
late 18th century in date? Language? Geology? Carving & Decoration
Style? Comparison with contemporary tombstones in the area? Is there
any documentary evidence about the stone? Is there is, does the
current stone match? How far back does that evidence go?
"Verifiably authentic beyond any question" is a very strong statement
to make without providing evidence of how that authenticity was
verified, unless you're meaning is that it is definitely a stone
(rather than concrete or madiera cake).
James
James Dempster (remove nospam to reply by email)
You know you've had a good night
when you wake up
and someone's outlining you in chalk.
Sean J Murphy
Dear Mr Clootie of Remarkably Similar Ilk
The photographs of the tombstones speak for themselves, and the vagueness
and evasion concerning the locations of some of the memorials likewise. No
doubt you will speak of 'hearsay evidence', 'speculation', etc, but I have
shown beyond a shadow of doubt that the will of Archibald Akins of Cecil
County dated 1764, as presented by Steven Akins, is a forgery based on a
genuine will of Archibald Aiken of Baltimore County dated 1768, which is in
the Maryland State Archives. Images of the forged and genuine wills are at
http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/chiefs/akins2.htm
'Clootie 1. (Scot and Dial Eng) A Little hoof. 2 The Devil.'
(http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Clootie) Clootie Dumpling is also a
Scottish dish made with self raising flour, etc.
Sean Murphy
The MacMurphy, Lord of All the Spuds
Harold Clootie
"Bryan J. Maloney" <cavag...@sbcglobal.not> wrote in message
Yes, I am an American, if i understand your meaning by use of the term
"merkin" and in America we have a long standing tradition of "innocent until
proven guilty." Guilt cannot be proven by the word of one man against
another, that is merely an accusation and accusations, unless they can be
proven true by material evidence, are worthless on their own. Much has been
made of this whole "fake tombstone" thing, but no fake monument has been
produced, nor has any evidence of Mr. Akins contracting to have such a fake
memorial created ever come to light. Some asked in another post if i had any
evidence of the authenticity of the one Akins heraldic monument I mentioned
earlier, to this I can only say that it was included in the cemetery survey
of Steel Creek Presbyterian Church burial ground that was conducted in 1976
by the Historical Committee who listed and illustrated it in the book "The
History of Steele Creek Presbyterian Church" published in 1978.
I might further add that I do not suffer from neurotic paranoia, which
seems to be a common theme here in rec.heraldry to the point of approaching
psychosis. Heaven help us if the same train of logic should ever be applied
to ascertaining if the Bible is in fact the Word of God, as I doubt God
Himself would be capable of assailing such skeptics.
Harold S. Clootie
Andy.III
>to ascertaining if the Bible is in fact the Word of God, as I doubt God
>Himself would be capable of assailing such skeptics.
>
>Harold S. Clootie
First you would have to prove that there actually is such an entity.
Then you would have to prove its interest in mankind.
Then you would have to prove that such interest was conveyed to mankind.
Then you would have to prove that the bible was the actual information that was
conveyed.
To my knowledge there has been no actual proof of ANY of the above- much less
ALL of it!
Andy.III
"Extremism in the destruction of intolerance is NOT a vice"
Viscount Bulge
>Guilt cannot be proven by the word of one man against
>another, that is merely an accusation and accusations, unless they can be
>proven true by material evidence, are worthless on their own.
Egad, sir. This worthless fellow Akins has adduced clearly forged wills in
pursuit of his preposterous claim to be the chief of a non-existent clan.
God's teeth, sir, but do you not know that the Lord Lyon himself--whose rulings
are dispositive--has rejected these silly haverings for what they are?
Damme sir, I believe you're a puppet of the Filthy Fellow of Jasper, sink me i
f you ain't.
My late uncle, sir, The Most Reverend Lord Archibald Pumpion, M.V.O., Bishop of
Swindon, would have had a word for Akins and his defenders. But being a man
of the cloth, he could not have used it in public.
Gadzooks, sir, enough of this or I'll horsewhip you on the stairs of your club,
God blast me and crisp me liver if I wom't.
M. E. Sievert
I can only say that it appears that Mr. Akins faced a "hung jury"
in
> the court of public opinion where this particular forum is concerned, and I
> think a more unbiased judgement is called for in this case, based not upon
> hearsay evidence, nor on speculation, but rather by a more comprehensive
> investigation into what historical documentaion does exist reharding the
> statements and claims made in this case.
>
> Harold S. Clootie
Ah, but Akins did face more than the court of public opinion, he faced
the Court of the Lord Lyon, and his petition was rejected.
Best regards,
Mark Sievert
Viscount Bulge
>mind remains open on the matter, however much i may be in the minority in
>that regard.
God roast my cullions, sir. The foul feller is such a howlin' cad he's had to
resign all his clubs. The KKK Chapter in Jasper expelled him for givin'
ignorant bigotry a bad name. God's elbows, sir, why are you defendin' the
fearful rotter?
Gad.
Harold Clootie
> First you would have to prove that there actually is such an entity.
> Then you would have to prove its interest in mankind.
> Then you would have to prove that such interest was conveyed to mankind.
> Then you would have to prove that the bible was the actual information
that was
> conveyed.
>
> To my knowledge there has been no actual proof of ANY of the above- much
less
> ALL of it!
My point exactly....so much of what is "known" and accepted as "truth"
is a matter of faith....faith in tradition, faith in evidence, faith in
whatever leads us to believe what we believe. Skepticism to a certain point
is healthy, but there is a fine line between skepticism and paranoia. I
remember a time here in the U.S. when a certain McCarthy had everyone
looking under their beds for Communist conspirators, how fitting that a
generation or two later a different McCarthy would throw the heraldic world
into a mass paranoia of armigerous conspritors. Royalty is the font of honor
because of its accepted role as "defender of the faith" Heraldry owes its
existence to faith in the unprovable. The knights who led the crusades to
defend the Holy Land from the infidels are responsible for the very
existence of heraldry as we know it today. The presumed ability of royalty
to convey nobility comes from the belief that the monarch is invested with
divine right. It is the monarch who of course appoints its King of Arms, so
the authority of that appointed officer of the Crown is really a matter of
faith as well, faith which is founded on unprovable beliefs and accepted
traditions.As an impartial observer I cannot help but roll my eyes at the
self-righteous indignaton of those who bedeviled Akins for assuming the
chieftainship of his clan...its a bit like the British nation calling for
the impeachment of a duly elected American president, there is just a
certain audacity in it. To my knowledge the whole anti-Akins campaign was
led and conducted outside the sphere of the Akins clanship by outsiders who
were apparently dissatisfied with the emergence of a leader of a people to
whom they did not belong and were never asked to follow, and one who oddly
enough, predated the man holding office of the authority whose opinion on
the matter the heraldic world waited on with baited breath. The whole saga
is really a statement of the obsolesence of a redundant institution and the
ludicrious snobbery attached to it, not to mention the hipocracy of its
followers. Needless to say I will not hold my breath waiting for Messers
Murphy and Carron to unveil their internet expose on the forgery of the
Gospels and the illegitimacy of Jesus.
Harold S. Clootie
Andy.III
>self-righteous indignaton of those who bedeviled Akins for assuming the
>chieftainship of his clan...
The point of the Atkins case is that there WAS no Clan Atkins to assume the
cheiftanship of. Had he said he was forming a new clan without trying to claim
some historical basis for it there would have been no problem.
Sean J Murphy
> Needless to say I will not hold my breath waiting for Messers
> Murphy and Carron to unveil their internet expose on the forgery of the
> Gospels and the illegitimacy of Jesus.
>
Just a tad off-topic wouldn't you say? Again, no doubt you will speak of
'hearsay evidence', 'speculation', etc, but I have shown beyond a shadow of
doubt that the will of Archibald Akins of Cecil County dated 1764 (or 1768
as I see), as presented by Steven Akins, is a forgery based on a genuine
will of Archibald Aiken of Baltimore County dated 1768, which is in the
Maryland State Archives. Images of the forged and genuine wills are at
http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/chiefs/akins2.htm
Sean Murphy
Harold Clootie
"Andy.III" <agh...@aol.commander> wrote in message
news:20040424075613...@mb-m25.aol.com...
> >As an impartial observer I cannot help but roll my eyes at the
> >self-righteous indignaton of those who bedeviled Akins for assuming the
> >chieftainship of his clan...
>
> The point of the Atkins case is that there WAS no Clan Atkins to assume
the
> cheiftanship of. Had he said he was forming a new clan without trying to
claim
> some historical basis for it there would have been no problem.
I suppose that boils down to the question of "what is a clan?" This of
course is open to a wide range of interpretation. The dictionary defines
Clan as "clann offspring, clan, from Old Irish cland plant, offspring, from
Latin planta plant. 1 a : a Celtic group especially in the Scottish
Highlands comprising a number of households whose heads claim descent from a
common ancestor b : a group of people tracing descent from a common
ancestor. 2 : a group united by a common interest or common characteristics.
None of this seems to be in contradiction to anything espoused by Akins or
his ilk. A people bearing the surname Akins and assorted variations thereof
are known to have existed in Scotland from a very early date, I believe
George F. Black cites the 15th century as being when it firs occurs on
record in his book "The Surnames of Scotland" and the theme of claiming
descent from a common ancestor is one shared by any family group....people
simply do not appear out of nowhere, they are descendants of ancestors and
families/names/clans are understood to arise from a particular ancestry.
Thus the Akinses would appear to fulfill the criteria for being called a
"clan" just as a people named Armstrong, or Ferguson, or Maxwell do.
Bryan J. Maloney
>
> "Bryan J. Maloney" <cavag...@sbcglobal.not> wrote in message
> news:Xns94D3D27D4D...@207.115.63.158...
>> "Harold Clootie" <hclo...@hotmail.com> abagooba zoink larblortch
>> news:b8Zhc.41973$ux4....@bignews5.bellsouth.net:
>>
>> > As for Mr. Carron's skill in showing how a photograph can be
>> > digitally
>> > manipulated to alter its appearance to a desired format, this only
>> > proves that such a thing CAN be done, it does not in any way prove
>>
>> Lying pig Akins many times refused to tell anyone the location of
>> these alleged "tombstones" so they could be independently verified.
>> He's a
> fraud
>> and a liar and you are a merkin for a fraud and a liar.
>
> Yes, I am an American, if i understand your meaning by use of the
> term
> "merkin"
No, I mean "merkin", look it up. Akin is a fraud and a liar and you are
merely his front stooge.
He very blatantly FORGED a will--it's been demonstrated. He REFUSES to
disclose the location of the alleged gravestones that back up his claims.
> I might further add that I do not suffer from neurotic paranoia,
> which
> seems to be a common theme here in rec.heraldry to the point of
> approaching psychosis.
No, you suffer from either gross fraudulent intent or pathetic credulity.
Bryan J. Maloney
> I suppose that boils down to the question of "what is a clan?" This of
Remember, when fraud is revealed, start playing the definition game. That
way, you can convince the credulous to buy your lies.
Harold Clootie
"Sean J Murphy" <seanj...@eircom.net> wrote in message
news:drtic.5484$qP2....@news.indigo.ie...
Not really that off-topic, Mr. Murphy, after all the right to bear arms
is a God-given right, is it not? Is it not your contention that arms are
legitimate only if recognised by the Crown's supreme officer of arms, and
does that not in itself come from the devine right of the monarch to act in
behalf of God on earth? Just to make a bit of a point in regard to your
statements about forged wills, etc., I'm going to quote a little from Robert
Bain's "The Clan's and Tartans of Scotland" wherein we read:
"The Urquharts derive their name from the district of Urquhart in
the old sheriffdom of Cromarty and although of minor importance are of
ancient origin. The famous Sir Thomas Urquhart compiled his own genealogy
and described himself as 143rd in direct descent from Adam and Eve!"
There are, of course, all kinds of questions where the truth of history
is concerned. I seem to recall it being suggested that more than one monarch
may not have been the legitimate. History is full of accusations of "bed
warmer" babies and the like. In truth, there is no way of telling, short of
an all out DNA investigation, to determine the legitimacy of this "font of
honour" that is so touted in all of its questionable glory for being some
sort of heriditary middle-man between God and armiger, and then there is of
course the whole question of God Himself, so where does it all end? Do you
simply limit your skepticism to one or two convenient scapegoats, or do you
let your skepticism have free reign to question the authenticity and
legitimacy and existence of the whole lot? It seems to me to be a question
of either one or the other, and of course scapegoats make wonderful
distractions to redirect suspiscion away from one house of cards to another.
Dazzel the public with smoke and mirrors and maybe they won't notice the
skeletons in some of the other closets. Just a little food for thought.
Harold S. Clootie
Sean J Murphy
addressed. Now that we are being philosophical, can I say that I have come
to the conclusion that while we fallible mortals can never arrive at
absolute truth, we are in a postion to identify an absolute lie. Into the
latter category fall the ancient pedigrees of MacCarthy, Lafosse and Akins
(and indeed some of the statements which have emanated from the Office of
the Chief Herald of Ireland in the past). Incidentally, it is coincidence
that the properties of messages from 'Harold Clootie' carry a reference to
'Organization: BellSouth Internet Group' , while the Ilk's e-mail is
akin...@bellsouth.net? I cannot find 'Clootie' as a surname on Google or at
FamilySearch.org, but as already noted, see that it is Scots for 'hoof', or
'devil', and the name of a dumpling dish.
Provoked by this new incarnation, I have taken the opportunity to bring my
Akins webpages up to date:
http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/chiefs/akins1.htm
http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/chiefs/akins2.htm
Sean Murphy
"Harold Clootie" <hclo...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:f9vic.82445$Lh2....@bignews1.bellsouth.net...
Derek Howard
>
> is a God-given right, is it not? Is it not your contention that arms are
> legitimate only if recognised by the Crown's supreme officer of arms, and
> does that not in itself come from the devine right of the monarch to act in
> behalf of God on earth?
I cannnot speak for Mr Murphy but I do think it is unnecessary to
introduce God into the criteria for bearing arms. After all God had to
rely on man for the attributioon of arms of his own. Monarchs may
grant arms under the sovereign authority of the state that they
represent. In those countries where the monarch exercises this power
the monarchs receive their authority by virtue of Parliament and the
people - in the UK for instance under various Acts of Settlement,
etc.. The republics that have heraldic authorities, eg South Africa,
do so under their own sovereign authority without the need for
invoking God.
> Just to make a bit of a point in regard to your
> statements about forged wills, etc., I'm going to quote a little from Robert
> Bain's "The Clan's and Tartans of Scotland" wherein we read:
>
> "The Urquharts derive their name from the district of Urquhart in
> the old sheriffdom of Cromarty and although of minor importance are of
> ancient origin. The famous Sir Thomas Urquhart compiled his own genealogy
> and described himself as 143rd in direct descent from Adam and Eve!"
False claims by some do not excuse false claims by others. Should we
tollerate falsification when we know better or should we point out the
error of the claimants ways?
> There are, of course, all kinds of questions where the truth of history
> is concerned. I seem to recall it being suggested that more than one monarch
> may not have been the legitimate. History is full of accusations of "bed
> warmer" babies and the like. In truth, there is no way of telling, short of
> an all out DNA investigation, to determine the legitimacy of this "font of
> honour" that is so touted in all of its questionable glory for being some
> sort of heriditary middle-man between God and armiger, and then there is of
> course the whole question of God Himself, so where does it all end? Do you
> simply limit your skepticism to one or two convenient scapegoats, or do you
> let your skepticism have free reign to question the authenticity and
> legitimacy and existence of the whole lot? It seems to me to be a question
> of either one or the other, and of course scapegoats make wonderful
> distractions to redirect suspiscion away from one house of cards to another.
> Dazzel the public with smoke and mirrors and maybe they won't notice the
> skeletons in some of the other closets. Just a little food for thought.
Where there is clear evidence undermining a claim or bring it into
disrepute it is fair for this to be public. However, monarchical
legitimacy surely depends on whether they have been accepted by the
people as such - dynasties have regularly changed - and not directly
on God nor at the end of the day on a proven DNA link to the earliest
founder of a dynasty.
Derek Howard
Andrew Chaplin
>
> "Sean J Murphy" <seanj...@eircom.net> wrote in message
> news:drtic.5484$qP2....@news.indigo.ie...
> > "Harold Clootie" wrote:
> >
> > > Needless to say I will not hold my breath waiting for Messers
> > > Murphy and Carron to unveil their internet expose on the forgery of the
> > > Gospels and the illegitimacy of Jesus.
> > >
> >
> > Just a tad off-topic wouldn't you say? Again, no doubt you will speak of
> > 'hearsay evidence', 'speculation', etc, but I have shown beyond a shadow
> of
> > doubt that the will of Archibald Akins of Cecil County dated 1764 (or 1768
> > as I see), as presented by Steven Akins, is a forgery based on a genuine
> > will of Archibald Aiken of Baltimore County dated 1768, which is in the
> > Maryland State Archives. Images of the forged and genuine wills are at
> > http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/chiefs/akins2.htm
>
> Not really that off-topic, Mr. Murphy, after all the right to bear arms
> is a God-given right, is it not?
Plainy and emphatically, no. A rejection of theism in polities like
the U.K. and Canada might call into question the legitimacy of the
Crown, but not the prerogatives associated with it. The laws of arms
are devised by humans for humans. Hell, if you want to look at other
arms, even the second amendment is devised by humans for humans.
> Is it not your contention that arms are
> legitimate only if recognised by the Crown's supreme officer of arms, and
> does that not in itself come from the devine right of the monarch to act in
> behalf of God on earth?
He alleged nothing of the sort.
> Just to make a bit of a point in regard to your
> statements about forged wills, etc., I'm going to quote a little from Robert
> Bain's "The Clan's and Tartans of Scotland" wherein we read:
> "The Urquharts derive their name from the district of Urquhart in
> the old sheriffdom of Cromarty and although of minor importance are of
> ancient origin. The famous Sir Thomas Urquhart compiled his own genealogy
> and described himself as 143rd in direct descent from Adam and Eve!"
That, and 75p, will tet you a nice cup of tea in the College or Arms
cafeteria. We all know better now.
> There are, of course, all kinds of questions where the truth of history
> is concerned. I seem to recall it being suggested that more than one monarch
> may not have been the legitimate. History is full of accusations of "bed
> warmer" babies and the like. In truth, there is no way of telling, short of
> an all out DNA investigation, to determine the legitimacy of this "font of
> honour" that is so touted in all of its questionable glory for being some
> sort of heriditary middle-man between God and armiger, and then there is of
> course the whole question of God Himself, so where does it all end?
It never ends. DNA is the way to go, and I would expect it to turn up
in case in the not too distant future.
> Do you
> simply limit your skepticism to one or two convenient scapegoats, or do you
> let your skepticism have free reign to question the authenticity and
> legitimacy and existence of the whole lot? It seems to me to be a question
> of either one or the other, and of course scapegoats make wonderful
> distractions to redirect suspiscion away from one house of cards to another.
> Dazzel the public with smoke and mirrors and maybe they won't notice the
> skeletons in some of the other closets. Just a little food for thought.
I don't think you get it. Stephen Akins is a proven liar and fraud.
The presumption of innocence you suggested the case is due is
something guaranteed in criminal law; civil matters -- and the laws of
arms and genealogical questions are civil -- are decided on a
preponderance of evidence. Stephen Akins's frauds are part of the body
of evidence. Mr. Murphy has skillfully and justly undermined any
credence one might give evidence offered by Akins, or anyone who uses
his "products".
Look elsewhere if you want to find useful information. Cite less
questionable sources if you hope to be taken seriously.
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
(If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.)
Viscount Bulge
>is a God-given right, is it not?
God's Foreskin, fellow! Is the right to forge wills also God-given?
God barbecue my scrotum, sir, but damme if you ain't Akins himself or a fellow
exellee from the Jasper KKK, marinate my rectum if you ain't.
Harold Clootie
> The question of the irrefutably forged will of Archibald Akins is not
> addressed. Now that we are being philosophical, can I say that I have come
> to the conclusion that while we fallible mortals can never arrive at
> absolute truth, we are in a postion to identify an absolute lie. Into the
> latter category fall the ancient pedigrees of MacCarthy, Lafosse and Akins
> (and indeed some of the statements which have emanated from the Office of
> the Chief Herald of Ireland in the past). Incidentally, it is coincidence
> that the properties of messages from 'Harold Clootie' carry a reference to
> 'Organization: BellSouth Internet Group' , while the Ilk's e-mail is
> akin...@bellsouth.net? I cannot find 'Clootie' as a surname on Google or
at
> FamilySearch.org, but as already noted, see that it is Scots for 'hoof',
or
> 'devil', and the name of a dumpling dish.
Yet again paranoia runs rampant through the posts of rec heraldry and the
devil himself is conjured up as a bugaboo in witch-trial like fashion. I had
never in my wildest dreams suspected "witch-pricker" and demonologist to be
among your talents, Mr. Murphy. Not since the days of good King James has
any mortal displayed such an apptitude for ferreting out Beezebub's minions
among plain common folk. How reassuring it is to know that an all-wise,
all-seeing gentleman such as yourself stands in vigil over the unredoubtable
purity of the Chivalric institution of heraldry and honors. Mankind is
forever in your debt, good sir.
Harold S. Clootie
Viscount Bulge
>any mortal displayed such an apptitude for ferreting ou
God's Armpits, sir, whether you maintain He shaves Them or no!
"apptitude," good sir, is just the sort of illiteracy that characterized AOTI.
But God blast me into eternal perdition sir, ken ye not that your persistent
refusal to address the issue of the forged Akinsian Decretals proves you at the
best a slavering running doglet of AOTI?
Damme, sir, you're a sock puppet at the least, sir, God barbecue my sigmoid
colon or you're not.
Bulge, MBE
Sean J Murphy
> "Sean J Murphy" <seanj...@eircom.net> wrote in message
> news:Dkxic.5510$qP2....@news.indigo.ie...
> > The question of the irrefutably forged will of Archibald Akins is not
> > addressed. . . . . . Incidentally, it is coincidence
> > that the properties of messages from 'Harold Clootie' carry a reference
to
> > 'Organization: BellSouth Internet Group' , while the Ilk's e-mail is
> > akin...@bellsouth.net? I cannot find 'Clootie' as a surname on Google
or
> > at FamilySearch.org, but as already noted, see that it is Scots for
'hoof',
> > or 'devil', and the name of a dumpling dish.
>
> Yet again paranoia runs rampant through the posts of rec heraldry and the
> devil himself is conjured up as a bugaboo in witch-trial like fashion. I
had
> never in my wildest dreams suspected "witch-pricker" and demonologist to
be
> among your talents, Mr. Murphy. Not since the days of good King James has
> any mortal displayed such an apptitude for ferreting out Beezebub's
minions
> among plain common folk. How reassuring it is to know that an all-wise,
> all-seeing gentleman such as yourself stands in vigil over the
unredoubtable
> purity of the Chivalric institution of heraldry and honors. Mankind is
> forever in your debt, good sir.
>
Yes indeed, 'clootie' is the devil of a dumpling. And as to the little
matter of the forged will?
Sean Murphy
Harold Clootie
> Yes indeed, 'clootie' is the devil of a dumpling. And as to the little
> matter of the forged will?
A forged will is a forged will, like any other fabrication, no telling how
many have forgeries have been accepted at face value as genuine over the
course of the last few centuries, I'm rather confident that if a through
investigation were conducted that the Akins and the McCarthy cases would be
a mere drop in a bucket that would no doubt be filled to over-flowing with
forgerires, fabrications, fakes, myths, and outright lies, as such things
are often what the crown of aristocracy uneasily rests upon. To make a
point, I will quote a passage from former Lord Lyon, Sir Thomas Innes of
Learney, in his revisal of "The Clans, Septs & Regiments of the Scottish
Highlands", whic reads:
"In 1597 several Acts of Parliament were passed relating to the
Highlands and Islands.....entitled "That the inhabitants of the Illis and
Hielandis shaw their hauldings (i.e. charters)."....According to the terms
of this Act, all persons possessing or pretending to possess a right to
lands in the Highlands and Islands were ordered to exhibit their titles to
the Lords of Exchequer on the 15th of May, 1598, and, at the same time, to
give suitable security for their future good conduct towards their king,
their neighbors, and such as desired to trade with them. The penalty of
non-compliance or inability to comply with these commands was forfeiture of
property, whether real or pretended. Over a great part of the Highlands
feudal charters had almost necessarily been obtained, at all events by the
greater vassals, but as regards the smaller estates, many were still held by
tenures which had not been committed to writing, and had only been, after
the old manner, made record of by being "done in open court," i.e. by "real
investiture" in Clan or Provincial Council. In other cases the Crown
superior, such as the Lord of the Isles or other magnate who held only
charter title, had been forfeited, and in consequence of this, or of the
destruction of parchments in local wars, numbers of the chiefs and
chieftains were, as the Government shrewdly expected, unable to implement
the provision of a statute which, howeverreasonable it might seem to the
lairds in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, had a sinister and ulterior motive
when applied to the Highlands.....in the majority of cases, the matter of
compliance with the first command contained in the Act (the production of
title-deeds) was an utter imposibility...In many cases, no doubt, the Act
was enforced by conferring a new Crown charter on payment of a substantial
composition; in other words the unfortunate Highlanders were made to buy
back their own lands, or agree to pay the Crown a handsome feu-duty.....one
of the consequences of this Act was the hurried composition of histories of
the clans and ficticious charters, nearly all tracing their descent not from
Pict or Scot, but from Irish, Danish, Norse or Norman adventurers.....That
some of the chiefs may have concocted ficticious charters is possible. The
more general practice appears to have been to adduce evidence, accurate or
inaccurate, that the ancient writs had been destroyed in fires or wars; and
a number of Crown confirmations of land in the west proceed upon such
narrative."
While the above mentioned Act of 1597 was concerned with the production
of title-deeds to property, the Act of 1672 requiring all armigers in
Scotland to register their heraldic blazons in the then newly established
Lyon Register would have had basically the same effect as coats of arms are
heiritable property. Learney admits "How many clan communities were
officially recognised through their representatives, the loss of the ancient
Liber Insigniorum prevents our knowing"
So, it would appear, that there is nothing particularly unsual or
eggregious about the Akins case, as I'm quite sure that if a through
examination of all the other various clans' histories, pedigrees and
documentation were made a fair amount of myth, fabrication and forgery would
be found, however a scapegoat is only effective if it is villified to the
exclusion of others culpable of their own misdeeds, whereby it becomes
impossible to produce one without sin to cast the first stone in the best
Pharisee tradition.
Harold S. Clootie
Sean J Murphy
>
> "Sean J Murphy" <seanj...@eircom.net> wrote in message
> news:3jLic.5552$qP2....@news.indigo.ie...
>
> > Yes indeed, 'clootie' is the devil of a dumpling. And as to the little
> > matter of the forged will?
>
> A forged will is a forged will, like any other fabrication, no telling how
> many have forgeries have been accepted at face value as genuine over the
> course of the last few centuries, I'm rather confident that if a through
> investigation were conducted that the Akins and the McCarthy cases would
be
> a mere drop in a bucket that would no doubt be filled to over-flowing with
> forgerires, fabrications, fakes, myths, and outright lies, as such things
snip)
Progress of a sort, as it is now effectively admitted that the Akins claim
is based on forgery. The justification of wrongdoing on the grounds that 'a
lot of people do it', or in this case 'did it', evidences a want of
principle to say the least. While genealogical myth-making and fabrication
were not uncommon in medieval times, I doubt if there is any established
Scottish clan or Irish sept whose pedigree is based on such wholesale and
brazen fabrication and distortion of documents as that of the recent
concoction known as the Akins Clan, headed by a hitherto unrecorded Chief,
Akins of That Ilk. Terence MacCarthy and Michel Lafosse are also hoaxers,
but they have proceeded by falsifying pedigrees to intrude themselves into
real aristocratic families, respectively the MacCarthys of Munster and the
Stewarts of Scotland. What next, a Clootie Clan headed by a Clootie of That
Ilk, supported by a slew of forged wills, memoirs and tombstone
inscriptions?
Sean Murphy
Irish Chiefs http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/chiefs/
Andy.III
I think I'll change my name
Given Name: The
Surname: Ilk
Then I could be
The Ilk of that ilk
Harold Clootie
> Progress of a sort, as it is now effectively admitted that the Akins claim
> is based on forgery. The justification of wrongdoing on the grounds that
'a
> lot of people do it', or in this case 'did it', evidences a want of
> principle to say the least. While genealogical myth-making and fabrication
> were not uncommon in medieval times, I doubt if there is any established
> Scottish clan or Irish sept whose pedigree is based on such wholesale and
> brazen fabrication and distortion of documents
The point is that you are presuming that the case is based entirely upon
forgery, this is a bit of an overstatement I think. The case seems to be
based on a long-standing family tradition dating back at least to the 19th
century where evidence of the Akins claim first begins to surface, or even
to the 18th century, if you consider the coat of arms displayed on the
family monuments. Most likely had any of Akins' predecessors had been
inclined to go to the trouble of petitioning Lyon for recognition of their
arms, they may well have been granted recognition as such, but Akins'
petition came on the heels of the McCarthy scandal which proved so
embarrassing to the Chief Herald of Ireland that Lyon's office was nervous
about any of its proceedings coming under the same scrutiny. The Akins case
came up immediately before Sir Malcom Innes of Edingight decided to take
early retirement and forego having to make a decision on the case, which was
dropped in the lap of the newly appointed Lord Lyon Robin Blair, who decided
to drop the whole thing like a hot potato by refusing to rule on the
petition, understandable in his newly assumed role of Pontius Pilot faced
with a small mob of angry Pharisees and their villan preaching his gospel to
his apostles.
>What next, a Clootie Clan headed by a Clootie of That
> Ilk, supported by a slew of forged wills, memoirs and tombstone
> inscriptions?
No Clan, but I did find you a recipe for the dumpling you mention, I'll have
to have the missus make some, I've never tried it before myself.
Clootie Dumpling
A very popular Scottish dish which can be a conventional pudding - served
with custard or cream, or as a delightful snack when cold. This dumpling is
rich and filling, and, if eaten on an unrestrained basis, is almost a meal
in itself! The pudding takes its name from the cloth , or "cloot" in which
it is boiled.
6 ozIl 15 g butter
1 Ib/450 gIl ½ cups sultanas
12 oz/350 g/3 cups flour 8 oz/225 g/¾ cup currants
4 oz/I 00 gIl cup sugar 1 tbsp treacle
1 tsp baking soda 1 tbsp syrup
1 tsp cinnamon 2 eggs (beaten)
1 tsp ginger milk to mix
Rub butter into the dry ingredients. Make a well and add the syrup, treacle,
beaten egg and enough milk to make a stiff mix. Prepare the pudding cloth by
dipping it into boiling water and then dusting it generously with flour. Put
the mix on the cloth and tie well with string, allowing a large enough
pocket for the pudding to expand. Boil for 3 hours.
Sean J Murphy
"Harold Clootie" wrote:
> Most likely had any of Akins' predecessors had been
> inclined to go to the trouble of petitioning Lyon for recognition of their
> arms, they may well have been granted recognition as such, but Akins'
> petition came on the heels of the McCarthy scandal which proved so
> embarrassing to the Chief Herald of Ireland that Lyon's office was nervous
> about any of its proceedings coming under the same scrutiny. The Akins
case
> came up immediately before Sir Malcom Innes of Edingight decided to take
> early retirement and forego having to make a decision on the case, which
was
> dropped in the lap of the newly appointed Lord Lyon Robin Blair, who
decided
> to drop the whole thing like a hot potato by refusing to rule on the
> petition, understandable in his newly assumed role of Pontius Pilot faced
> with a small mob of angry Pharisees and their villan preaching his gospel
to
> his apostles.
>
There never was a snowball's chance that Lord Lyon would swallow the Akins
hoax. The Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland of course is a different
matter, but as you indicate, Terence MacCarthy got there before you.
Recipe for Akins Pie
Gather genuine wills, tombstone inscriptions
Adjust contents to accord with personal genealogical fantasies
Place copies on assorted websites where no checking is conducted
Create own website claiming Chiefship of Clan
When specific forgeries can no longer be denied, fall back on assertions
that other elements of the claim are in order
In any case, what is truth but a figment of the imagination?
Sean Murphy
Akins Part 2: Wills
http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/chiefs/akins2.htm
Viscount Bulge
>based on a long-standing family tradition dating back at least to the 19th
>century where evidence of the Akins claim first begins to surface
God's codpiece, sir.
This "evidence" surfaced several years ago in an alleged memoir written by a
reputed ancestor of the wretched Akins. A supposed facsimile of the text, as
posted on one of the dreadful feller's websites, is written in a hand similar
to that of the various forged wils, a hand bearing no resemblance to any
American hand of the late C. XIX, and having all the labored formations typical
of untalented and inexperienced forgers.
Akins himself is the sort of unfortunate creature who can find nothing in his
own pitiful record of which to be proud. (In a number of obiter dicta
inflicted in these pages, he made clear that he had fallen back on the
humiliating tactic of puffing himself up on account of his complexion.)
Presumably after one too many social snubs in the undemanding kleptocracy of
Jasper, Alabama--could he have been refused membership in the KKK?--he decided
to invent a noble lineage for himself, with what success we all know.
Egad, sirrah, defence of the ignorant fraud does you no credit.
Bulge, MVO
Glen Cook
>but Akins' petition came on the heels of the McCarthy scandal
Nope.
Glen Cook
What is your real name?
Harold Clootie
"Glen Cook" <coo...@aol.comxa> wrote in message
news:20040426004506...@mb-m01.aol.com...
> Mr. Clootie:
>
> What is your real name?
Pete Black
Sam McCacken
"Andy.III" <agh...@aol.commander> wrote in message >
>
> Given Name: The
> Surname: Ilk
>
> Then I could be
>
> The Ilk of that ilk
>
>
> Andy.III
>
Bryan J. Maloney
> Yet again paranoia runs rampant through the posts of rec heraldry and
> the devil himself is conjured up as a bugaboo in witch-trial like
> fashion. I had never in my wildest dreams suspected "witch-pricker"
> and demonologist to be among your talents, Mr. Murphy. Not since the
> days of good King James has any mortal displayed such an apptitude for
> ferreting out Beezebub's minions among plain common folk. How
> reassuring it is to know that an all-wise, all-seeing gentleman such
> as yourself stands in vigil over the unredoubtable purity of the
> Chivalric institution of heraldry and honors. Mankind is forever in
> your debt, good sir.
Your complete and abject surrender in the matter of the false claims of
Akins of the lying Ilk has been noted.
Bryan J. Maloney
news:20040424223138...@mb-m07.aol.com:
Hear! Hear! A veritable swogglepollop, indeed and zooks!
Bryan J. Maloney
>
> "Sean J Murphy" <seanj...@eircom.net> wrote in message
> news:3jLic.5552$qP2....@news.indigo.ie...
>
>> Yes indeed, 'clootie' is the devil of a dumpling. And as to the
>> little matter of the forged will?
>
> A forged will is a forged will, like any other fabrication, no telling
> how many have forgeries have been accepted at face value as genuine
> over the course of the last few centuries, I'm rather confident that
> if a through investigation were conducted that the Akins and the
> McCarthy cases would be a mere drop in a bucket that would no doubt be
That ten million men have lied makes no lie any more true. That you have
changed your tactic to this shall be accepted as your admission that Akins
of the Ilk was, is, and always shall be a fraud.
Harold Clootie
"Bryan J. Maloney" <cavag...@sbcglobal.not> wrote in message
> Your complete and abject surrender in the matter of the false claims of
> Akins of the lying Ilk has been noted.
Au contrare, Mr. Maloney, as I said in the very first of my posts, much
of what Akins gives as an account of his familial origins seems to be quite
verifiable as far as what can be deduced from historical documents which I
have checked from various sources, most of which can be found in the
National Archives collections. I'm not saying that Akins did not fabricate
some of what he may have sent to the Lord Lyon in order to fulfill the
required criteria demanded in his application to have his family's arms
recognized as "ancient" arms (a very tedious list of proofs documenting
births, marriages and deaths for each generation of ancestors back to the
period before the present Lyon Register was established in 1672) - he may
very well had to rely upon some degree of fabrication, just as the Highland
Chiefs who were required by the Crown to produce proof of the ownership of
the property their clans had lived upon for countless generations by the
notorious 1597 Act of Parliament, as Lord Lyon Innes of Learney himself
admits was a necessary tactic employed at that time and led to "the hurried
composition of histories of the clans and ficticious charters." Yet apart
from whatever fabrications there may be, the genealogy, so far as I can
ascertain, appears to be quite sound and consistant with what genuine
historical documents that are available, and the arms in question do date
back to the time when the Akins family were subjects of the British Crown,
and were evidently borne as such.
Harold S. Clootie
Sean J Murphy
>
> "Bryan J. Maloney" <cavag...@sbcglobal.not> wrote in message
> news:Xns94D7BBAE0C...@207.115.63.158...
>
> > Your complete and abject surrender in the matter of the false claims of
> > Akins of the lying Ilk has been noted.
>
> Au contrare, Mr. Maloney, as I said in the very first of my posts,
much
> of what Akins gives as an account of his familial origins seems to be
quite
> verifiable as far as what can be deduced from historical documents which I
> have checked from various sources, most of which can be found in the
> National Archives collections. I'm not saying that Akins did not fabricate
> some of what he may have sent to the Lord Lyon in order to fulfill the
> required criteria demanded in his application to have his family's arms
Now that we have disposed of most of the 17th- and 18th-century 'evidence'
for the Akins chiefship claim, let us consider documents of the 19th
century, in particular the 'History of the Akins Family' by William Akins Jr
dated 1872. In particular, I draw attention to the following excerpt from a
'Family Ballad' recorded therein:
Did you fire the cannon gun, Akins lad, Akins lad?
Did you fire the cannon gun, Akins lad?
I did fire the cannon gun
And the English they did run
And we had ourselves some fun
Akins lad, Akins lad
http://www.genealogy.com/users/a/k/i/Steven-L-Akins-of-that-ilk/PHOTO/0021ph
oto.html
Did you yourself compose this awful verse, Akins lad, Akins lad?
(To be fair, to be fair, it is not much worse than what passes for poetry
these days.)
Sean Murphy
Jan B?hme
> There never was a snowball's chance that Lord Lyon would swallow the Akins
> hoax. The Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland of course is a different
> matter, but as you indicate, Terence MacCarthy got there before you.
>
> Recipe for Akins Pie
> Gather genuine wills, tombstone inscriptions
> Adjust contents to accord with personal genealogical fantasies
> Place copies on assorted websites where no checking is conducted
> Create own website claiming Chiefship of Clan
> When specific forgeries can no longer be denied, fall back on assertions
> that other elements of the claim are in order
> In any case, what is truth but a figment of the imagination?
" - There is no clan MacHolster.
- What do you mean, there is no clan MacHolster? I mean, there
could have been a clan MacHolster, couldn't it?
- There could have been a clan MacHitler. But there isna."
John Dickson Carr, The Case of the Constant Suicides.
(Quoted from a thirty year old memory. Trying to nail me on the
phrasing is unfair.)
Jan Böhme
Sam McCacken
>>
> Now that we have disposed of most of the 17th- and 18th-century 'evidence'
> for the Akins chiefship claim, let us consider documents of the 19th
> century, in particular the 'History of the Akins Family' by William Akins
Jr
> dated 1872. In particular, I draw attention to the following excerpt from
a
> 'Family Ballad' recorded therein:
>
> Did you fire the cannon gun, Akins lad, Akins lad?
> Did you fire the cannon gun, Akins lad?
> I did fire the cannon gun
> And the English they did run
> And we had ourselves some fun
> Akins lad, Akins lad
>
http://www.genealogy.com/users/a/k/i/Steven-L-Akins-of-that-ilk/PHOTO/0021ph
> oto.html
>
> Did you yourself compose this awful verse, Akins lad, Akins lad?
> (To be fair, to be fair, it is not much worse than what passes for poetry
> these days.)
>
> Sean Murphy
This immortal song, said to have been found somewhere in the Maritimes,
appears in Google results from AOTI-administered sites and nowhere else.
This makes for a strong presumption that whoever wrote it, it was produced
for AOTI in no very distant time.
Perhaps besides a piper His Fraudulency has a Bard.
But wait--he has posted an effusion under his own name on his new Clan site:
Thistle-down
Whether in band, by Bruce led,
Or with Wallace among the dead;
Or, by chance, with Charlie flown,
Glory we've seen and victory known.
From a kingdom ancient in a land
Where stormy sea meets rocky strand,
To distant shores by hope borne
Where new lives are forged and loyalties sworn.
Like thistle-down blown by wind
On a journey restless without end,
Our fate and fortunes, never certain,
Lie shrouded behind Future's curtain.
Yet, though we've wandered far from home,
Our hearts from Scotland will never roam;
For there, in some misty highland glen,
Lie still the dreams of Jacobite men.
- Steven Akins of that Ilk
>
James Dempster
>" - There is no clan MacHolster.
> - What do you mean, there is no clan MacHolster? I mean, there
>could have been a clan MacHolster, couldn't it?
> - There could have been a clan MacHitler. But there isna."
>
>John Dickson Carr, The Case of the Constant Suicides.
>
>(Quoted from a thirty year old memory. Trying to nail me on the
>phrasing is unfair.)
>
>Jan Böhme
You obviously have never been to a tartan shop on the Royal Mile where
they will sagely peer into some old book or something and come up with
the advice "MacHolster is a sept of Clan Campbell" (or whatever tartan
they have overstock of). No salesman worth his commission is going to
turn down the chance of a full highland regalia sale :-)
James
James Dempster (remove nospam to reply by email)
You know you've had a good night
when you wake up
and someone's outlining you in chalk.
Sean J Murphy
> Now that we have disposed of most of the 17th- and 18th-century 'evidence'
> for the Akins chiefship claim, let us consider documents of the 19th
> century, in particular the 'History of the Akins Family' by William Akins
Jr
> dated 1872. In particular, I draw attention to the following excerpt from
a
> 'Family Ballad' recorded therein:
>
> Did you fire the cannon gun, Akins lad, Akins lad?
> Did you fire the cannon gun, Akins lad?
> I did fire the cannon gun
> And the English they did run
> And we had ourselves some fun
> Akins lad, Akins lad
>
http://www.genealogy.com/users/a/k/i/Steven-L-Akins-of-that-ilk/PHOTO/0021ph
> oto.html
>
> Did you yourself compose this awful verse, Akins lad, Akins lad?
> (To be fair, to be fair, it is not much worse than what passes for poetry
> these days.)
Oh no, here we go again! The following utterly preposterous account of the
provenance of 'Akins Lad' appears on the new website at
http://www.geocities.com/the_clan_akins/music.html:
'Each of the Scottish Clans has its own traditional pipe-music to which they
march at clan rallies and gatherings. The following words, dating to the
Cromwellian War and attributed to James Graham, were discovered in the
Scottish settlement of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. They are sung to an old
Scottish folk-tune sometimes played to Robert Burns "Ye Jacobites By Name."
This version, having older lyrics, has long been used as the pipe music of
the Clan Akins.'
Sean Murphy
Harold Clootie
"Sam McCacken" <sm...@bu.edu> wrote in message
news:c6lvs0$e5b$1...@news3.bu.edu...
> This immortal song, said to have been found somewhere in the Maritimes,
> appears in Google results from AOTI-administered sites and nowhere else.
> This makes for a strong presumption that whoever wrote it, it was produced
> for AOTI in no very distant time.
>
> Perhaps besides a piper His Fraudulency has a Bard.
>
> But wait--he has posted an effusion under his own name on his new Clan
site:
And Shakespeare wrote both histories and verse, perhaps he authored the
Bible??? Or, perhaps Shakespeare didn't exist at all (as some have argued
with persuasive conviction, after all there are almost no historical records
to document his existence).....As far as Akins goes, he possesses some skill
with verse, as can be seen on a different web-page I encountered doing a
web-search http://www.geocities.com/lewdsatyr however his style of writing
seems quite different from the "Akins Lad" ballad which has more of the
flavor of other Scottish martial ballads which make a similar use of
repetition in their metre. In his "Jacobite Relics" published in 1874 James
Hogg included the following verse which appears to have more than a
coincidental resemblence to the Akins song:
Ken ye how a Whig can fight, Aikendrum, Aikendrum
Ken ye how a Whig can fight, Aikendrum
He can fight the hero bright, with his heels and armour tight
And the wind of heavenly night, Aikendrum, Aikendrum
Is not Rowley in the right, Aikendrum!
Did ye hear of Sunderland, Aikendrum, Aikendrum
Did ye hear of Sunderland, Aikendrum
That man of high command, who has sworn to clear the land
He has vanished from our strand, Aikendrum, Aikendrum,
Or the eel has ta'en the sand, Aikendrum.
Donald's running 'round and 'round, Aikendrum, Aikendrum,
Donald's running 'round and 'round, Aikendrum
But the Chief cannot be found, and the Dutchmen they are drowned
And King Jaime he is crowned, Aikendrum, Aikendrum
But the dogs will get a stound, Aikendrum.
We have heard of Whigs galore, Aikendrum, Aikendrum
We have heard of Whigs galore, Aikendrum
But we've sought the country o'er, with cannon and claymore,
And still they are before, Aikendrum, Aikendrum
We may seek forevermore, Aikendrum!
Ken ye how to gain a Whig, Aikendrum, Aikendrum
Ken ye how to gain a Whig, Aikendrum
Look Jolly, blythe and big, take his ain blest side and prig,
And the poor, worm-eaten Whig, Aikendrum, Aikendrum
For opposition's sake you will win!
Sam McCacken
>
In his "Jacobite Relics" published in 1874 James
> Hogg included the following verse which appears to have more than a
> coincidental resemblence to the Akins song:
>
> Ken ye how a Whig can fight, Aikendrum, Aikendrum
> Ken ye how a Whig can fight, Aikendrum
> He can fight the hero bright, with his heels and armour tight
> And the wind of heavenly night, Aikendrum, Aikendrum
> Is not Rowley in the right, Aikendrum!
>
I dare say you have found the source from which AOTI cribbed his "song."
Do you have, like, inside sources in the Clan?
Harold Clootie
> I dare say you have found the source from which AOTI cribbed his "song."
> Do you have, like, inside sources in the Clan?
Actually I came across that doing a web-search to see if i could locate
references to Akins' ballad in Scottish songs and music on the internet, I'm
not certain however that Akins himself "cribbed" the lyrics as you suggest
since these appear to date back at least to the 1872 journal of William
Akins, aforementioned, which predates the publication of Hogg's "Jacobite
Relics" by two years.
Harold S. Clootie
Harold Clootie
I inadvertedly neglected to include the url referencing the Aikendrum song
which I found at: http://www.glasgowguide.co.uk/wjmc/aikndrum.shtml in case
it is of interest
Sean J Murphy
Such effrontery! The hand that produced 'the1872 journal of William Akins'
is most likely the same as that which produced the fake tombstone
inscriptions and wills. See handwriting samples at
http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/chiefs/akins2.htm And Mr 'Clootie',
do you deny that you are in fact Mr Akins?
Sean Murphy
Harold Clootie
> Such effrontery! The hand that produced 'the1872 journal of William Akins'
> is most likely the same as that which produced the fake tombstone
> inscriptions and wills. See handwriting samples at
> http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/chiefs/akins2.htm And Mr
'Clootie',
> do you deny that you are in fact Mr Akins?
>
> Sean Murphy
Mr. Murphy, I have no relation to Mr. Akins whatsoever as far as I
know, my interest in the case is purely from the standpoint of being a
genealogist who is interested in family history, heraldry, and such things.
The Akins case is a very interesting one in terms of American geneology, as
it revolves around one of the earlier colonial families who came to America
during the Cavalier period who seem to have maintained a strong tradition
whereas their arms and heritage are concerned. In regard to your comments on
the handwriting samples shown on your webpage, to my eye they do not appear
visibly similar, I am not a handwriting expert, but having seen many
hundreds of handwritten records from the 18th and 19th centuries, i can see
nothing inconsistant with the styles of hand used during those periods in
the Akins documents, nor any particular similarity between the various
records to suggest that they were composed by a single hand.
Harold S. Clootie
James Hyder
"Harold Clootie" <hclo...@hotmail.com> wrote
I'm bored, so I thought I would enter the fray after many, many months of
absence. (Yes, I still think assumed arms are silly ;-)
There is no "Harold S Clootie". Don't ask how I know. I won't tell you.
But I am right.
Clootie is, of course, a Scots slang word for the Devil.
Yes, obviously, "Clottie" (as I prefer) is none other than Steven Lewis
Akins of 680 Alma Rd, Japser AL USA. I'd bet good money on it.
JH
Bryan J. Maloney
> repetition in their metre. In his "Jacobite Relics" published in 1874
> James Hogg included the following verse which appears to have more
> than a coincidental resemblence to the Akins song:
Ah, so now you're admitting that Akins of that Filk's bad doggerel isn't
even original bad doggerel--it's a ripoff.
Merkins can be such funny people.
Bryan J. Maloney
news:ZMKdnYAzwvY...@comcast.com:
So, you're saying that you're ferdamsher that Clootie's a merkin.
Sam McCacken
You defense of the Akins fraud continues to be inexplicable.
Let us review the salient points showing fraudulency of the Akins
claim.
The Wills: Sean Murphy's researches show that the wills posted by Akins on
his website are not only non-existent in the Maryland repository where they
should be, but also adapted from other wills that can be found there. As
to the handwriting, while I am not a professional handwriting expert, I have
had considerable training in paleography, have worked with manuscripts
throughout my adult life, and have given considerable study to the
identification of forgeries. The Akins texts are crude forgeries and the
commonality of hands is apparent. Since it is clear that Akins has the
requisite moral character to be a forger, there is no reason to place any
credit in the alleged memoir of 1872, which in itself presents serious
evidences of forgery and fabrication, e.g., anachronistic or implausible
language. Without this document, there is no support for a family
tradition of either clan or chiefship earlier than Akins's surfacing.
This leaves the issue of the tombstones. You are correct in saying that to
show the possibility of a photographic forgery does not prove its existence.
But the refusal by Akins to reveal the location of the crucial stones would
give rise to justified suspicion even were his character otherwise above
suspicion. The strongest case for Akins would be a visit by one of his
critics to a graveyard where he would find the alleged stone.
You will bear in mind the nature of Akins's claim, namely that he is the
true inheritor of the undifferenced arms and that the right to these arms
defines the chiefship. Although the Lyon Court has nothing to do with
claims of chiefship, it does rule on arms, and so Akins applied to Lyon for
the right to bear the undifferenced arms that he claims were borne by his
ancestors. As you know, Lyon, both the supreme expert in Scottish heraldry
and the legal authority, rejected Akins's claim.
No wonder, of course, given the fact that it is shot through with
forgery and fabrication.
The question remains as to what you are up to or indeed who you are.
Akins maintained a fairly constant presence in this forum until the
publication of the Glasgow Sunday Herald story. He reported giving the
interview to us with apparent anticipation, and then when it came out, hey
presto! that was an end of him here. His departure was inglorious, and he
would have every reason to expect a rough passage were he to return. A
suspicious person might wonder whether you are Akins's surrogate or merely
his pseudonym.
"Harold Clootie" <hclo...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:5OSic.6279$7a5....@bignews6.bellsouth.net...
James Hyder
"Sam McCacken" <sm...@bu.edu> wrote
SNIPPAGE
> The question remains as to what you are up to or indeed who you are.
> Akins maintained a fairly constant presence in this forum until the
> publication of the Glasgow Sunday Herald story. He reported giving the
> interview to us with apparent anticipation, and then when it came out, hey
> presto! that was an end of him here. His departure was inglorious, and
he
> would have every reason to expect a rough passage were he to return. A
> suspicious person might wonder whether you are Akins's surrogate or merely
> his pseudonym.
As I revealed below, there is no Harold S Clootie. Clootie means Devil in
Scots vernacular.
Clootie is Akins of Alma Road, Jasper AL. You can take that to the bank.
JH
Sean J Murphy
"Harold Clootie" wrote:
. . . . .
> As far as Akins goes, he possesses some skill
> with verse, as can be seen on a different web-page I encountered doing a
> web-search http://www.geocities.com/lewdsatyr however his style of writing
> seems quite different from the "Akins Lad" ballad which has more of the
> flavor of other Scottish martial ballads which make a similar use of
> repetition in their metre.
. . . . .
Holy Hellfire, Batman! I didn't fully appreciate the diabolical connotations
of 'clootie' until I visited the kilted klansman's site above - and got the
hell out of there as fast as I could!
Sean Murphy
Harold Clootie
A
> suspicious person might wonder whether you are Akins's surrogate or merely
> his pseudonym.
A suspicious person might, but then suspicious people do believe the
oddest things....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/netnotes/article/0,6729,1067809,00.html
Harold S. Clootie
Bryan J. Maloney
news:c6tvlg$j1k$1...@news3.bu.edu:
> were he to return. A suspicious person might wonder whether you are
> Akins's surrogate or merely his pseudonym.
He's Akins's merkin.
Sharon L. Krossa No Nonsense
No, the first verifiable evidence we have for the claimed arms existing
dates to 1785 -- some years after North Carolinans ceased to be subjects
of the British Crown. Further, as indicated on Sean Murphy's website
<http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/chiefs/akins1.htm>:
"While it appears reasonably certain that the 1785 memorial is located
at Steele Creek, North Carolina, analysis of other armorial gravestones
in this cemetery on the newsgroup rec.heraldry indicates that the arms
are either assumed or the imaginative work of the Bigham family of
headstone carvers."
If you want details, I suggest you read the Google archives of the
rec.heraldry discussion. (I believe other gravestones in the cemetery
displayed the arms of the Duke of Argyll and the like...)
It would be unsurprising if Akins could show he was descended from some
random person named A[i][t]k(e/i)n[s] in Scotland -- it is, after all, a
common enough name in the Lowlands (albeit also found in England).
However, that is a very far cry from establishing that his Scottish
ancestors ever bore arms, let alone that any of them were chiefs of a
clan -- especially since there is no evidence that there ever was a
historical "Clan Akins", or even that any "Akins" family was one of the
great noble families of the Lowlands. (A clan, in the context of a
historical Scottish clan, is a ruling noble kindred -- not just any
random family.) And even if he could prove that some Scottish ancestor
really did bear arms or was a clan chief, an examination of even his
claimed genealogy indicated that his is not the senior line and so he
would not be the heir to either the supposed arms or supposed chiefship.
Again, I suggest you read the relevant archives of both rec.heraldry and
soc.culture.scottish if you're curious as to why no one gives any
credence to Akins' claims regarding arms, clans, or clan chiefs.
Sharon
--
Sharon L. Krossa "No Nonsense" skros...@nonsense.MedievalScotland.org
Medieval Scotland: http://www.MedievalScotland.org/
The most complete index of reliable web articles about pre-1600 names is
The Medieval Names Archive - http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/