Claflin family

The Claflin family are a Scottish American family of 17th century New England origins. The descendants of Robert Maclachlan of Wenham, Massachusetts, a Scottish soldier and prisoner of war from the Battle of Dunbar (1650) assumed to have belonged to the Clan Maclachlan,[1] and his wife Joanna Warner, members of the family have distinguished themselves in various occupations and regions of the United States.

  1. ^ First recorded spelled Mackclothlan in Massachusetts, for which see Wight, p. 11. The Gaelic -ch- is historically difficult for native English speakers to phonologically process and then reproduce, concerning which see also Clan Maclachlan#Early history. Replacement with -th- was common in medieval times; see Gerrard et al for the most recent Dunbar-related research and discussion of the Claflin descent