Decendents of Wyatt McHam
My father and I both grew up assuming we were Irish and that we (the McHams)
had come to America during the potato famine in Ireland during the 1840's. We also
both grew up, a generation apart, not feeling that we really had anything to do with this
"North-South" thing that so occupied many people with whom we came in contact. We
also, sadly, both noted that we had never really felt "connected" to the history of this
America that we both read voraciously about and loved so much.

Our research changed all that. "McHam" is not Irish and is not a surname - that has been the difficulty of so many who have tried to have the name researched by professionals. "McHam" may have
come from a Scottish title of the chief of the Clan Gunn. I recommend the reader to the
book The Highland Clans by Sir lain Moncreiffe of that Ilk who states the following:
"The Gunn chiefs in later times bore the Gaelic title of Mac Sheumais
(pronounced Mac Hamish). 'So devoted were his followers that their common saying
was Toill Dhea's McHam ish, "Let the will of God and that of McHamish be done."
Many who came to America kept the "ish" on the name and there were as many
spellings over two centuries of theirs as our "McHam" (Maccammish, Machammish,
McAmish, etc.). Our forefather dropped the "ish".

I have recently had discussions with Douglas McBheath (Clan McBheath - his
grandfather Sir. McBheath, sits on the Council of Clans in Scotland). Douglas suggests
McHam comes from MacThomas, a sept of Clan MacIntosh. We are exploring that
possibility also. The following is what I have documented on our branch to date.
Judy McHam Davis
April 27, 1997