Members of the Buchanan clan are spread through out the world and although it is considered to be a Scottish clan their ancestry is probably Irish. Emigration from Scotland and Ireland to the former British colonies has expanded hugely the number of clan members who now live from Alaska in the North to New Zealand in the South. Are there any Buchanans in Antarctica? If so we look forward to hearing from you. Most of the Scottish Buchanan clan will know someone in their immediate family who has emigrated and I myself have a nephew living, with his family, in Australia.
The Buchanan family name is mainly associated with the area to the South East of Loch Lomond. Here can be found the old hamlets of Milton of Buchanan and Buchanan Smithy. Nearby, in the village of Dryman can be found the Buchanan Castle, now a ruin, but with a fine golf course and the comfortable Buchanan Arms Hotel, which at one time was decorated throughout with Buchanan tartan; probably a bit of a strain on the eyes as our tartans are quite strongly coloured! In the village of Killearn, a few miles from Dryman, is the obelisk erected to George Buchanan, a scholar appointed to the court of King James V of Scotland.
During the 17th and 18th centuries the expansion of Glasgow brought many folk into the town from surrounding rural districts. The Buchanans were at the forefront of this expansion and our ancestors were merchants and scholars in the city. Indeed one of the main shopping areas in central Glasgow is Buchanan Street, now a traffic free walkway with a variety of shops; and the Buchanan Galleries, a recently developed shopping mall situated at the top end. One of the ways to see how the clan has spread throughout the world is to check the number of settlements named Buchanan. There are several in the U.S., four in Australia and even one in Liberia, West Africa.
It was in Glasgow that the Buchanan Society was formed in 1725, the first such clan society, which was a charity founded to assist impoverished family members. The Society remains strong today, staying true to its inaugural roots.
One of the clan’s most notable sons was the 15th President of the United States, James Buchanan (1791-1868) and over the years there have been many other Buchanans who have achieved high office whether in public service or private enterprise .My own great great aunt Florence Griffiths Buchanan went to Australia in the late 1800s where she became a noted missionary.