Jack Knox, Clan MacFarlane Vice President

We are thrilled to announce the installation of our new International Clan MacFarlane Society Vice President, Jack Knox.  Jack has shown immense dedication to Clan MacFarlane and our Society for over 20 years.

His passion and commitment to our cause has been truly inspiring, and we are honored to have him in our ranks. He has played a pivotal role in the growth and success of our organization, and we know that he will continue to make invaluable contributions in his new role as Vice President.

His knowledge and expertise will undoubtedly be an asset to our executive board, and we look forward to working closely with him to further our mission of preserving and promoting the proud history and heritage of Clan MacFarlane.

Please join us in congratulating Jack, and in thanking him for his many years of dedicated service – past, present and those years to come. We are truly blessed to have such an outstanding individual leading the way forward with us.

Meet Jack | In His Own Words

We asked Jack to tell you all a bit about himself, his connection to Clan MacFarlane and his thoughts on representing the Society. Here’s what he had to say:

Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself? What part of the world are you from? What do you do for work? What are your passions?

My name is Jack Knox and I was born along the Scottish borders in the Megget Valley, Selkirkshire.  After six years in the British Army having served in Wales, Germany, Northern Ireland and Scotland, I worked for a further six years in Scotland before moving to Germany.

I worked as a civil manager looking after all the training facilities for the British Army in Berlin until the Berlin Wall fell in 1989.  Later, I was the facility manager for a Golf Academy. Five years later, I moved to take over the greenkeeping on a golf course. Due to a complicated illness, I was forced to retire from full time employment.

Since then, I have kept myself busy with the Royal British Legion Veterans Club here in Berlin where I am currently the Bar Manager/Events Organizer. I am also a keen gardener and care for my mother-in-law’s colony garden.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about your ancestors/personal family history?

My great-great-grandfather was James Knox, married to Jessie Knox. Their son (also a James Knox) married Jessie Bennet (she died when I was 5 years old). They had a son George Walker Knox (my grandfather) who married Agnes Henderson Fairbairn. They had seven children, three daughters and four sons. The oldest son (also a James Knox) was my father.

On my mother’s side, my great-great-great-grandfather Andrew Hume married Jane Scott. Their son Thomas Hume married Agnes Temple. Their son Andrew Hume and his wife Alison Lothian had a son, George Lothian Hume (my grandfather). He died in 1946. I never knew him, but my gran Mary Davidson Weir (who died in 1965), I knew quite well. My mum Christian Agnes Hume was the youngest of five children. She married my father James Knox in 1952 and moved to Megget Valley, my birthplace.

Q: How did you discover or learn about your MacFarlane heritage?

Sometime around 1999-2000, I began to research my family history and started to make my family tree. During this research I discovered that the name Knox (also Weir) were septs of the Clan MacFarlane.

Around the same time, I also discovered that there were Scottish Highland Games taking place in Germany, to which my wife and I started to visit. At the Peine Highland Gathering (which we continue to visit until today) we saw that although several Scottish Clan Societies were represented, there were no MacFarlanes.

When we returned home, I began to research Clan MacFarlane, found the International Clan MacFarlane Society and sent our President Michael MacFarlane an email asking him who was the representative for Germany. He promptly replied that there was none but if I was interested…!!! Well, the rest is history.

Q: What area of Clan MacFarlane history or heritage interests you the most?

Although I was born a borderer, when I travel back to Scotland I never feel at home until I move up to the Clan Homelands. This is something that, for me, is unexplainable. My interest for our homelands is of great importance to me. Also, the genealogy within the Clan is very important to me.

Q: As Clan MacFarlane Vice President, what are you looking forward to the most? What would you most like to accomplish in your new position?

My main objective in the position of Vice President is to support the President to the best of my ability. Due to the structure of our Society and the fact that we are scattered worldwide, I really do not know at the present how this will develop, but I am very keen in helping to strengthen our Clan Society in whichever way I can.

Jack will be officially installed as Vice President at our upcoming 50th Annual World Gathering & General Meeting at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in Linville, North Carolina, USA in July.