elcome to our family history website. Ronald Dillon HACKETT is an Electrical Engineer, retired Military Officer, and a Musician. He was born in Sanford, Florida and graduated from Seminole High School. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree from the University of Central Florida and a Master of Science degree from the University of Dayton. He retired from the United States Air Force in 2002.

Read Ron's full biography

His wife, the former Deborah Marie WEST, is a seamstress. They have two children, Candace Marie and Michael Aaron. Both children have established families of their own.

Ron's interest in genealogy started when he inherited paper copies of records from several family genealogists. While the records were interesting, they weren't very useful. When assigned to his last duty station at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, he found plenty of spare time to enter those paper records into a database. This allowed him to combine several paper records and squeeze out some redundancy and errors.

In the years since, he has continued to collect information. He and his wife have a 5th wheel Recreational Vehicle and travel the country. On these trips, they have visited locations that are significant to our family, such as:

Dillon, South Carolina (named for Ron's 4 x Great Uncle James W. DILLON),

Emporium, Pennsylvania (significant to the HACKETT family line).

Information gathered on these stops is slowly being added to the database.

The surname HACKETT originated in the Normandy region of what is now France and came to England in 1066 with William the Conqueror. From there, it spread throughout the British islands. Our line came from Scotland where the spelling probably changed to HALKETT.

Ron's 10 x Great Grandfather was Andrew of Pitfirrane, Crossford, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland who was born about 1561. This correlates with the surname HALKETT, a known variation of HACKETT. His son, John became an important Bishop in the Anglican Church and likely changed the spelling of his surname to conform to English society. Andrew's father was probably named Patrick, and his father may have been Robert. If Ron can confirm this connection, then the family name can be traced to 1360.

The magnificent Pitfirrane House, historic home of the HALKETT family since the 15th century, became the clubhouse for the Dunfermline Golf Club in 1953. According to the club's website, "the building is also spectacular inside with its medieval woodwork, Flemish stained glass and ornate plaster ceiling in the dining room. The building has changed shape over the centuries. In 1583 the turret staircase was built and the top story added to replace the fortified walls. In the late 19th century a further extension was built but then demolished in the 1980s as it was beyond repair. The most modern extension was built to provide facilities for members and visitors. The pro-shop was built in the same style as the main building."

Pitfirrane House Photos and Information

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