Claire's cowboys

PhD student Claire Swan has found Texan cowboys with Scottish connections and has turned her investigations into her first publication.

As an undergraduate in the Department of History, Claire used previously unexplored archives to reveal how businessmen invested in companies in the United States. She has pieced together the evidence of how nineteenth century Dundee investors transferred their fortunes into the uncharted territory of the Texas Panhandle - a risky venture which no American would touch.

The idea of Dundee directors camping out on the Texan prairie was so intriguing, that Abertay Historical Society, with support from Fleming's Bank, decided to support Claire’s hard work and dogged investigation and suggested she publish her findings. Abertay Historical Society has close links with the University, with Museum Services' Matthew Jarron holding the post of Secretary and the department of History's Billy Kenefick acting as Book Editor.

The result of Claire's work is Scottish Cowboys and the Dundee Investors: A Case Study of the Matador Land and Cattle Company which not only looks at the success of the company, but highlights the lasting legacy of Dundee's transatlantic business relations which can still be found in Texas today. A launch event for the book was recently held at Verdant Works, with a number of speakers including Tony Parker and Billy Kenefick from the University.

Claire completed her MA in Modern History and MPhil in Urban and Cultural Histories, c.1650-1850 at the University. This year she won the prestigious Carnegie Scholarship to begin her PhD at the University, tracing the roots of investment and the Dundee business connections in the American South throughout the nineteenth century.