(a note from Past President Rodney Village)

am Rodney (Hay) Village the president of Clan Hay Society American Branch and would like to welcome you to our new website. We have a wonderful publication in color called the Hay Happenings “Journal of the Clan Hay Society – American Branch edited by William (Bill) Wolf. In the HH there are many articles from our conveners (a convener is a representative in the state they are responsible for and help organize clan activities) across the country about their activities with many photos so you can see the faces behind the names plus historical articles from guest authors. So I hope you will join the Clan Hay Society so you can have your own personal copies of this excellent publication. You can also join the Scottish or International Clan Hay Society and receive their journal from Scotland. This publication is very well done with historical article and colour(that is correctly spelled in the UK) photos.

We are a recognized Scottish society for the family of Hay which has more than 41 names and septs. As a society we try to build upon fellowship and clansman-ship and sense of family in order to preserve and promote our Scottish heritage and the traditions of the Clan Hay. We have a constitution that governs our work and actions. We are an open society and welcome all to become members to learn the history of the family of Hay.

Let me give you a little background on my connection to the Hay’s. I am first generation American on my mother’s side( Charlotte Carr Hay) and also first generation from Wales/England on my father’s side ( Leslie Charles Village) and that is why my sir name is  Village  ( translated from Welsh meaning a small town). My mother was born in Arbroath Scotland and I can trace our ancestry back to the 1390’s. My late grandfather was James Carr Hay that left Scotland and brought his family to California in 1923, where he taught Gaelic at the University of San Francisco and he was a class 5 piper and judge of piping contests, he was also a member of several Scottish societies. I have been a member of CHS-AB for over 20 years starting as a member then a convener for Colorado and Wyoming and now president of this wonderful society. I am also a member in good standing of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland thus the FSA Scot after my name. Also a trustee for the Clan Hay centre Delgatie castle in Turriff Scotland and travel to Scotland once a year for the trustee meeting and stay in the castle. My daughter Gwynne Johnson got married in the castle on 21th of July in 2005.  I am a retired electronic engineer with more than 37 years from Hewlett Packard / Agilent Technologies.

So please join us with our war cry AHAY, AHAY, AHAY at your next Scottish games and become a member of our society.

Yours Aye Rod (Hay) Village president