Dont know...
Why dont you trace some of the families...
The Knights Templar were hated and hunted...
Fact.
Have you ever asked "hated by whom, and for what"?
Some of my ancestors claimed Scotch/Irish decent, but we have no evidence of why they made that claim. We can only go back to 1836 before we lose the trail. From that point forward, we have all the records.