Vol: 2
Issue; 1
Date; Jan.2009
THE ARM AND CROWN
Clan MacQuarrie
Hello Everyone. I said this in the last issue but it bears repeating I think.
Just a quick word on membership and dues, please keep in mind that annual dues
are due during the month that you joined. You will see that date on the card so
please let’s keep the society going and the dues coming in so we can do the
things that need to be done in order to get international recognition, from the
Lord Lyon in Scotland, that we are the official representatives of the Clan
MacQuarrie. One thing that we should set our sights on this coming year is to
have as many tents at as many Highland Games as possible. If someone wants to
set up a tent at the games near them and everyone has their dues paid up it may
be possible for the Clan to help defray the cost in registration at least. State
Coordinators please think about setting up a chapter in your state.
We have been going for one year, let’s take a look back and see what has
occurred:
· The clan society was established
· Membership has grown to 32 dues-paying members
· The clan was represented at two Highland Game sites in New England: one in
Maine in August and the other in New Hampshire in September
· We became a Charitable Trust
· The clan database has grown from 250 that was on the tree created by John R.
MacQuarrie in 1964 to over 4600
· Groundwork has been laid to have our database integrated with the Mull
Genealogy site (thanks for the contact Tom).
· A DNA project (again thanks to Tom) is being set up
· An official Clan website (clanmacquarrie.org) has been established (thanks
Matt)
· A clan archive has been established and thanks to all of you who have sent
material
MacQuarrie Stories
About Christopher McQuarrie
As the man once voted onto Premiere Magazine's "Top 25 Future Powers Under 35"
list, one might suspect that the weight on writer/director Christopher
McQuarrie's shoulders could become too heavy to bear with less than a handful of
feature films to his credit. Though McQuarrie's talent as an emerging director
may have been difficult to gauge given the mixed reaction to his directorial
debut, The Way of the Gun (2000), his talent for creating off-beat and
believable characters could well be the saving grace that keeps his career in
the fast lane. Born in Princeton Junction, NJ, in 1968, McQuarrie attended high
school with future collaborator Bryan Singer before relocating to Australia
following graduation to work at a boarding school. McQuarrie returned stateside
shortly thereafter, finding employment at a New Jersey detective agency in the
following few years. His knowledge of the criminal mind paid off when Singer
approached him to co-write the screenplay to Singer's debut feature Public
Access, and the film went on to win the Grand Jury prize at the 1993 Sundance
Film Festival. McQuarrie spent the following year refining his script for
Singer's sophomore feature, The Usual Suspects. Following the film's successful
premier at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival, The Usual Suspects earned McQuarrie
an Oscar for Best Screenplay. The film's smart mix of sharp dialogue and quirky
characters, combined with a killer twist few saw coming earned the writer a
notable reputation as a talent to watch for. After that success, McQuarrie made
a series of attempts to deviate from the familiar criminal element in his
writing, but all met with rejection from studios. Actor and friend Benicio Del
Toro convinced him that he may have a few more lawless yarns to spin, and after
scripting television's The Underworld, McQuarrie began work on the film that
would ultimately become his directorial debut, The Way of the Gun. Immediately
lambasted by critics as a cheap Quentin Tarantino rip-off, audiences seemed a
bit more forgiving in response to the film concerning a kidnapping gone awry;
and while everyone agreed that the film was by no means a classic, many cited it
as a solid start to McQuarrie's career as a director. ~ Jason Buchanan, All
Movie Guide
Family
Name:Relation:Notes:
Heather McNeely McQuarrie wife
Milestones
Born and raised in New Jersey
Moved to Western Australia after high school graduation
Returned to USA; found work at a detective agency
1993 First produced screenplay, "Public Access"; directed by Bryan Singer
1995 Reteamed with Singer on the labyrinthine crime thriller "The Usual
Suspects"; won Oscar for screenplay; first collaboration with actor Benicio Del
Toro
1997 Collaborated with Kevin Pollak as excutive producer and writer of "The
Underworld", an unsold pilot
2000 Directorial debut "The Way of the Gun", a thriller starring Del Toro and
James Caan; also scripted
2000 Reteamed with Singer again doing uncredited work on the big-budget flick
"X-Men", based on the Marvel Comic
Notes
"Chris doesn't feel the need to govern himself and the result is writing that's
electrifying and truthful." --Bryan Singer as quoted in production notes for
"The Usual Suspects".
"I think Chris would have been at home writing his machine-gun dialogue in the
Hollywood of the 40s and 50s." --Producer Robert Jones as quoted in the
production notes of "The Usual Suspects".
"The best way I can describe the process with Bryan [Singer] is that he is
directing the film from the time it is being written, I do a draft, run it by
Bryan, do another draft, run it by Bryan. WE FIGHT LIKE ANIMALS. Each of us is
intense in our convictions. However, we also have honed the skill any filmmaker
needs: 'The Power to be Reasonable'. Concession is the key to any collaboration.
If you need it done your way do it yourself." --McQuarrie to Wosep.
"You do not need schooling to learn how to write. Watch great films. Figure out
how they work, what they did. Then spend your whole life trying NOT to make the
same films over again." --McQuarrie to DiAnne Olson Wosep in a cyberspace
interview.
Research Notes;
When doing your research keep in mind that a lot of folks went by nicknames or
shortened first names. Some even switched and used a middle name and put their
given name in the middle. It all can be confusing at best. Here are a few to
help sort it out there will be more next time;
Nickname
Given Name
Bell, Bella, Belle Arabelle,
Anabelle, Elizabeth, Isabel
Belle Mabel,
Sybil
Bess, Bessie, Bessy, Beth
Elizabeth, Elisabeth
Bob, Bobby
Robert
Bobbi, Bobbie
Roberta
Boots
Bertha
Bridey, Brie
Bridget
Carrie, Carry
Caroline, Charlotte
Cindy Cynthia, Cinthia
, Lucinda
Daisy
Margaret
Delia Adelia, Adele,
Cordelia
Ok that should get you started more next time.
In the book ”Discovering Your Scottish Ancestors,” Jonas & Milner, page 69, they
talk about marriage in Scotland; “Under Scots law, a marriage could have been
constituted by mutual consent by a male over age fourteen and a female over the
age twelve. However, marriages between couples this young were rare. In 1929 the
minimum age was raised to sixteen. Scots law has no requirement for parental
consent.” There were two types of marriages, regular and of course irregular;
Regular–is one solemnized by a minister of religion in the presence of two
witnesses after the Proclamation of Banns (or Publication of Notice, since 1879)
between 1854 and 1879, a regular marriage required the Proclamation of Banns on
two consecutive Sundays. This means two Sundays in the church of the bride and
two Sundays in the church of the groom if different. After the minister
completed the ceremony the registrar recorded the marriage in the marriage
register. The register was present at all marriages in his district. On July 1,
1939 the Marriage (Scotland) Act of 1938 made it possible for a couple to have a
civil wedding performed by an authorized registrar, instead of a wedding
performed by a minister of religion.
Irregular- any marriage of consent between a couple that was not performed by a
minister. Any couple could be married with no notice to anyone and no waiting
period. The only legal requirement was that both parties had to consent. Nobody
had to perform a ceremony, no witness was necessary, and as such these marriages
are hard to prove.
The British Parliament outlawed irregular marriage in 1754 with Lord Hardwicke’s
Marriage Act., but this law did not apply to Scotland. In order for a Scottish
couple to prove that they were married they had to give evidence that the
consent was mutual. This could be done in writing or oral. If oral two witnesses
were required, then the couple makes a joint application to the sheriff and if
the marriage was recognized a warrant was issued and the registrar recorded the
marriage after receipt of fees. After the Marriage (Scotland) Act of 1938 no
irregular marriages were valid.
Births and Deaths will be covered next.
Loss
The clan lost one of its members in September with the passing of Charlie
McQuarrie from British Columbia. We have Charlie to thank for taking the time to
put the Prince Fergus Tree (John R. MacQuarrie) into Family Tree Maker and
sending me the file so I could get the database going. We may have not known
Charlie personally but we knew him from the group list and his input on the
issues are surely missed.
GOOD NEWS
Marilyn Becker reports that at her last checkup she was free of Cancer, and is
doing well and growing her hair back and planning her trip to the big homecoming
next year in Scotland.
That’s Great Marilyn.
Until next time
An T’ Arm Breac Dearg