In a quiet Dumfries and Galloway village, Linda Galloway isn’t quite sure if she shares blood with one of the most talked-about politicians in America—but she’s leaning toward hoping not.
The former Linda Vance has been fielding the same question since JD Vance took the vice-presidential oath: are they related? The Republican firebrand calls himself a “Scots-Irish hillbilly at heart,” and now that he’s vacationing in Scotland, the speculation has grown.
Two Possible Ancestral Trails
If the family tree lines up one way, Vance’s ancestors might have owned land where Donald Trump’s Menie golf course now sprawls along the Aberdeenshire coast.
If it runs another, they could have been tied to Barnbarroch House—a grand Georgian mansion built in 1771, five years before America declared independence. That estate, 60 miles from Trump’s property, was gutted by fire in 1941 and has been a ruin ever since.
Neither connection has been proven. But the theories—backed by decades of amateur and formal genealogy—are enough to stir interest in both Aberdeenshire and Dumfries and Galloway.
‘We Keep It Low-Key’
In her own kitchen, Mrs. Galloway jokes about family resemblance.
“We’ve been remarking about his eye colour when we see him on television,” she said. “There are quite a few Vances round here with that prominent blue colour in their eyes. It seems to have been passed down the generations, so sometimes I look at him and think maybe you are related to us—but I hope you’re not!”
Her smile suggests a mix of humour and hesitation. She’s not a fan of the vice president’s politics and prefers to sidestep the association.
“When people say, oh you’re a Vance, are you related to the vice president? I just say, not as far as I know.”
A Region Steeped in Vance History
The surname is far from rare in the area. Mrs. Galloway comes from a family of 10 siblings, many of whom still work farms nearby. Cousins and extended kin are dotted across the Dumfries and Galloway countryside, keeping alive a rural lineage stretching back centuries.
“In this area there are still a lot of Vance connections,” she said. “More than likely he’s from round here, because that’s where they came from.”
It’s that density of name and history that fuels the whispers. Whether or not JD Vance’s line intersects directly with hers, the odds of some distant link are higher here than in most parts of Scotland.
Genealogists Dig Into the Ulster Link
The Vance Family Association, a group that’s been tracing the name for more than 40 years, has tried to piece together the American politician’s ancestry. Their work supports his claim that his forebears were Protestant Ulster Scots—families who migrated from Scotland to Ireland before the 1800s, and later to the United States.
What’s less certain is where in Scotland those roots first took hold. Some evidence points toward Aberdeenshire; other threads weave through the south-west’s farming communities. Without complete records, both possibilities remain open.
The Barnbarroch Connection
Barnbarroch House, once a symbol of landed wealth, sits as a skeletal ruin today. Its stone walls still stand, weathered and ivy-clad, but the fire of 1941 stripped it of its grandeur.
Locals pass it with a mix of nostalgia and resignation, its history now the stuff of family stories and local lore. If JD Vance’s family line runs through Barnbarroch, it would place his heritage squarely in the cultural landscape of Dumfries and Galloway—a place of hard farming work, Presbyterian tradition, and deep community ties.
Trump’s Aberdeenshire Estate—A Coincidental Overlap?
The alternative ancestral trail—tying Vance to the land now occupied by Donald Trump’s Menie golf course—adds a twist. Trump’s property has been at the centre of controversy since its development, clashing with environmental groups and some local residents.
If that line proves correct, it would mean two of America’s most high-profile political figures have family histories rooted in the same corner of Scotland, on land that has seen both aristocratic leisure and modern-day dispute.
Why the Curiosity Persists
Family history is rarely straightforward, especially in regions where names and farms pass through generations without leaving complete paper trails. But for locals, the intrigue isn’t just about genealogical accuracy—it’s about how global political figures can unexpectedly link back to small Scottish communities.
There’s also a touch of humour in the air. The idea that a vice president known for his populist, often combative political style might share roots with quiet farming folk from Dumfries and Galloway makes for good pub conversation.
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That’s how the story sits for now: a mix of confirmed heritage, possible connections, and more than a few raised eyebrows.
