Derrick Johnstone
About the speaker:
Derrick Johnstone is a Research Affiliate in the Department of History at the University of Glasgow. He completed a research masters on Scots emigrants to East New Jersey in 2025 and has a website, East Jersey Bound, which contains a biographical database tracing the emigrants, their families and associates. He has published research on the Sweet Singers, an extreme Covenanter sect, and is developing a new online tool to facilitate use of Old Tolbooth records published over 100 years ago in the Book of the Old Edinburgh Club. He has given talks for the Scottish History Society, National Records of Scotland and several local history and family history societies. Derrick is secretary of the Old Edinburgh Club.
Base location:
Edinburgh
Speaking locations:
Flexible
Dates available :
Flexible
Talks:
Title of talk:
East Jersey Bound: Scots emigrants to America in the 1680s
Description of talk:
In the early 1680s, several hundred Scots emigrated from Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Montrose to establish colonial settlements in New Jersey. This was backed at the highest level and sought to ensure that Scotland had a stake in the development of the American colonies. It brought together Quakers, Episcopalians and Presbyterians, a tense mix of religious affiliations. Many of the Presbyterians were transported Covenanters and the Quakers too had had their share of persecution.
This talk by Derrick Johnstone will set out the background to this forgotten slice of Scottish history and consider the questions: Who were the emigrants, why did they leave and what became of them? The content can readily be tailored to local audiences.