I went to Scotland three summers in a row in the early 2000's. Besides the vacation highlights, I was searching for my Wallace roots. The trail was getting warmer with each visit and I had narrowed the search to the small village of Tarbolton (the closest town to Craigie), in Ayrshire, Scotland. The evidence was weak and for many years I had to live with uncertainty; I never could find hard evidence that David Wallace, born in Tarbolton about 1831 was the pioneer who came with his wife Catharine to the Scottish Settlement in Michigan in 1852. Although I still have not found definitive evidence, it has become clear that East Ayrshire is the correct county, and Tarbolton and Craigie are key villages that link My Wallace clan with all the other Scottish Settlement families.

This page contains links to the key Scottish towns, villages, and Parishes from which the Michigan pioneers originated. The families that were concentrated in these locations will be highlighted. I used the following research strategy to compile information about the town and its inhabitants:

1. I consulted "The Statistical Accounts of Scotland". These are records that were written by parish ministers, with detailed information about the land, the church, and the people. The first statistical account was started in 1790 and completed in 1799. there are 21 volumes in the first account. The second account was started in 1832 and finished in 1845. There are 15 volumes in the second account.

2. When available, I consulted the Scottish Post Office Directories for 1851-1852. These provide an accurate list of land owners and their addresses.

3. I consulted cemetery records, monument inscriptions, for dates and places of residence for the surnames that were related to the Scottish Settlement pioneers.