In the Borders the Johnstones take their name from the 13th century Barony of Johnstone in Annandale, where they remained evident in the "cock-pit" of Border warfare as strong supporters of the Scottish Crown. In this line, Sir James Johnstone was created Lord Johnstone of Lochwood by Charles I in 1633 and Earl Hartfell in 1643. The subsequent earldom and marquisate of Annandale were lost on the failure of heir males around 1800, and the estates devolved upon the line now represented by the Hope-Johnstones of Annondale. From this stock descended the cadet house of Westerhall, of which a son of the 3rd Baronet was the ancestor of the Johnstones of Alva in Clackmannanshire. In Perthshire, some Johnstones of Annandale extraction assumed the alias "Soutar", which they used alternately with Johnstone, and many of thiese have been confused with the Johnstons of Caskieben, etc., who appear to be a different race, originating with Stephen, "the clerk", who married the heiress of Sir Andrew Gorioch in the 14th century, and obtained the lands of another "Johnston", (John's toun), from which descendents took their name. Many Johnstons whose ancestry does not accord with the spheres of influence of the above families may trace descent from ancestors whose residence was in, or near, sites named by association with Saint John - as in "St Johnstoun" (Now Perth), or those associated with the old ecclesiastical establishment of "Soltre" (Soutra) in the Lothians. Those who spell their name without the "e" are often called "blin Johnstones" ("blind" - lacking an "ee" - Scots for eye). The Northern chiefship, by decree of Lyon Court, rests with the Baronets of Johnston and Caskieben, who live in the USA, but such were not allowed the designation "of the Ilk". The dormant chiefship of the Border Johnstone remained in debate until 1983, when the Lord Lyon recognized Percy Hope Johnstone as "of the Ilk and of Annandale", and his son successfully reclaimed the dormant Earldom of Annandale and Hartfell upon his death in 1985.
The information above was taken from a certificate from the Scotland Clan Tartan Centre in Edinburgh. My grandfather, Frederick Ensign Johnstone Jr., requested this "Evidence of a Clan Heritage" in September 1990.
Although I do not know yet how my Johnstone line fits into the above clan heritage, my line of Johnstones are known to be Scots who came to America through Ireland. My 5th great grandfather, Job Johnstone was born in Ireland around 1770, and his parents brought him to America when he was a little child. Job Johnstone is the earliest Johnstone in my line that I currently have any information on.
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