Family Ties

It all started with a tie. On a vacation in 1980, my wife and I motored up the beautiful California coast to the Monterey Peninsula. We spent a day in the lovely little town of Carmel. We were typical tourists, looking in all the windows but buying only a few postcards and a couple of T-shirts so people would know where we had been.

On this trip, however, we came across a unique Scottish shop on the main street of Carmel. Since my father’s ancestors came from Scotland, I was immediately intrigued. We went inside and were greeted by a pleasant man who introduced himself as Mr. Robertson, the proprietor. What a coincidence! The two of us shared the same surname. As we looked at all the interesting items from the land of my ancestors, my heart began to beat faster.

These are clan plaids—tartans, I thought. There must be a Robertson tartan here somewhere.

When I asked, the proprietor graciously showed us the tie rack in the back of the store. “Wow!” was all I could say as he showed me not one, but five of the most beautiful plaid ties I had ever seen, and all of them from the Robertson clan.

I had no idea that a clan tartan could vary in color combination. Mr. Robertson explained that two were ancient plaids, with colors just as they appeared when they were made from the berries of the field—one in soft red and another in soft blue. The modern tartans were darker and more vibrant; again I marveled at the exquisite colors. The fifth tie was called a “weathered” tartan; it had gray and red tones, faded somewhat, but was as attractive as the others.

My thoughts went back to stories my father had told me about the kilt my grandpa wore. Although I had never seen the kilt, I could now visualize it clearly. Naturally, I bought five ties—one each of the color combinations. I was thrilled with the treasures I had found.

Then we looked around at the other ties representing tartans from numerous Scottish families. There must have been hundreds of them. I realized what a blessing it was that this bit of ancestral culture had been preserved over the years to be handed down from generation to generation.

When we returned to the motel, I took the ties from the package to examine them more closely. I noticed that each tie had a paper band around it. I opened one band and found on the back a brief history of the Robertson family.

I was thrilled as I read the history of some of the Robertson clan. As I read, I realized that not only was the information about the family priceless to me, but it would also be of great interest to others with my surname.

I have included the information from those little papers in a package containing my four-generation sheet, a letter introducing myself and explaining my interest in family history, and a copy of the Book of Mormon containing my testimony. I have sent that package to Robertsons all over the country. (I get the mailing lists from phone books.)

The response has been rewarding. Most recipients send thanks, and many even include their own family histories. Often they ask questions. Best of all, in each of those homes is a copy of the Book of Mormon.