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Topic: Where to start with Scottish Research? (Read 8048 times)
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Boongie Pam
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Posts: 2457
Lilian Palmer 1923 to 1987
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So you are just starting out with your family history or you've just found one of your sassenach great grandfathers was actually a tartan-wearing, whisky-drinking, haggis farmer?
Where do you start trying to find records?
Registered Births, Marriages and Deaths
In England and Wales statutory registration of BMD started in 1837 but in Scotland it did not become law until 1855. The General Register Office of Scotland holds all registrations it can be visited if you can get to Edinburgh.
All the information you could need is here:
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/famrec/index.html
To visit it costs £17 for the day and you get access to all the certs (i.e. ALL the information not just the indexing). They do, however, offer a research service, details at the above website.
Earlier certs are available online from Scotlandspeople website. You'll hear a lot about this site. http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/
This is a pay-per-view site it is reasonably priced until you realise how addictive it is!
You need to register to use the site and to start a session it costs £6 which equals 30 credits, these last 7 days. You don't lose the credits you've bought but you have to buy another batch to revive them.
To view your search results it costs 1 credit (20p) if you get lucky and find the cert you want it will cost 5 credits to view (£1). The information will be much the same as the Engish/Welsh certificates with the a couple of additions.
The next post lists what is on a cert
The coverage online is Births 1855-1906 Marriages 1855-1931 & Deaths 1855-1956
(indexes up to 2006)
Old Parish Records
Scotlands people has indexed all the parish records available and they are searchable from their site http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/
The price for the search is the same as above the images are now available to view though the extra cost may not give you much more information.
The keeping of the records was down to the local parish there was no pre-printed formats or prescribed methods. This means the information over time and parishes is variable, and that's when it exists! In general you will get a father's name, often a mother's name including maiden name (notably Dumfries only lists father) occasionaly a residence and or occupation.
This link will show you what year coverage there is for different parishes, they are lumped by county and each county will give you the parish file numbers: http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/famrec/hlpsrch/opr_cov.html
I've noticed in the parishes I'm interested in, the IGI has only a patchy coverage of what is available. So definitely try to get a film through a local LDS centre. There are many Family and Local History Centres (FHS & LHS) around Scotland who are tremendously helpful and may have indexed - it is worth googling to find them or some will be in the county boards here.
Memorial Inscriptions
I'm not aware of any combined databases for scottish graves, please post here if I'm wrong. This is definitely an area where the FHS are active as is The Scottish Genealogy Society. http://www.scotsgenealogy.com/ More and more transcriptions come on the market each year.
Wills
Scotlandspeople (link above) now has the front end access to Scottish Wills. Probate in Scotland is based on Scottish Law, which I am definitely not an expert on. But it does mean there are less wills in Scotland. Searching is free and you get enough info to be sure it's your's if you know what you are looking for. It costs £5 to download images of the will.
The NAS (which is free to visit in Edinburgh) have digitised the wills and they can be viewed free online.
Census
The census in Scotland is exactly the same as in England and Wales - same dates. So where can it be found? Well it is kept centrally in Edinburgh at the GROS, regional libraries have it to, on film. And you guessed it, Scotlandspeople has a pay per view access to 1841 to 1901. The LDS have transcribed the 1881 census but they do not have it available free, it is however on CD. Try your library.
It is worth seeing if the Family History Society has indexed the 1841 or 1851 which seem to be the most popular years indexed. 1841 is being focused on by Freecen. In recent weeks (May 2006) Ancestry has published an index for 1841 - watch that space!
These are all good starting points but not the only sources of information.
Best of luck in your searches,
Pam
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« Last Edit: Wednesday 30 January 08 17:21 GMT (UK) by Boongie Pam »
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All census look up transcriptions are Crown Copyright~~~~~~~~~~~ Dumfrieshire: Fallen, Fallon, Carruthers, Scott, Farish, Aitchison, Green, Ryecroft, Thomson, Stewart Midlothian: Linn/d, Aitken, Martin North Wales: Robins(on), Hughes, Parry, Jones Cumberland: Lowther, Young, Steward, Miller Somerset: Palmer, Cork, Greedy, Clothier http://fallon.rootschat.net
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Boongie Pam
Moderator
RootsChat Aristocrat
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Posts: 2457
Lilian Palmer 1923 to 1987
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Birth
Child's forenames
Sex
Date, Place, Time of birth
Mother's full and maiden name
Father's full nameand occupation if married to the mother
Date and place of parents' marriage
Name, address and relationship to child of the person who registered the birth.
Marriage
Date & Place of Marriage
Whether by banns, licence or certificate
Name and age of bride and groom
Occupations of bride and groom
Marital status of bride and groom
Current address of bride and groom
Names and occupations of the fathers of the bride and groom
Mother's maiden name of the bride and groom
For regular marriage - name of officiating minister (or registrar from 1940)
For irregular marriages - date of conviction (to 1939), decree of declarator or sherriff's warrant
Names of witnesses
Death
Full name of deceased
Marital status
Spouse's name
Sex
Date & Place of death
Given age
Cause of death
Occupation (or name and occupation of husband if the deceased was a married or widowed woman)
Father's name and rank or profession
Mother's name and maiden name
Name, address and family relationship (if any) of the person who reported the death.
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All census look up transcriptions are Crown Copyright~~~~~~~~~~~ Dumfrieshire: Fallen, Fallon, Carruthers, Scott, Farish, Aitchison, Green, Ryecroft, Thomson, Stewart Midlothian: Linn/d, Aitken, Martin North Wales: Robins(on), Hughes, Parry, Jones Cumberland: Lowther, Young, Steward, Miller Somerset: Palmer, Cork, Greedy, Clothier http://fallon.rootschat.net
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Boongie Pam
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RootsChat Aristocrat
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Posts: 2457
Lilian Palmer 1923 to 1987
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I thought I'd post a note specifically on Scottish OPR.
As per the 1st post on this thread, the parish records are variable as there was no prescribed format given to the clerics or writers. The records were kept on a voluntary basis. I'm sure many users of Rootschat have their own experience of records they have used through libraries, family history societies or the LDS.
I can recount some of my experiences here to illustrate some expectations.
NOTE: These are all pre-1855 when statutory registration was brought into law.
Baptisms
The fullest baptismal records I have experienced will include...
Father's name
Mother's maiden name
Occupation of father
Residence
Witnesses
I have transcribed Annan records here... http://fallon.rootschat.net/annanbap.html
Examples would be...
3rd June 1792
Mary Atchison lawful daughter of Andrew Achison mariner and Margaret Hill in Newbie
3rd Febry 1847
Tabitha lawful daughter of James Carruthers mariner and Isabella Taylor born 3rd February baptised 21st March 1847
These records will be listed in ink script in large books in various states of disrepair.
There is an image here...
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/famrec/hlpsrch/opr.html
To give you an idea of the variation in styles, the above entries are transcribed as found the date will be in a margin then one sentence as a bove. But a few parishes away in Applegarth & Sibbaldie we have an early spreadsheet man...
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,11916.msg60812.html#msg60812
Another "gem" worth considering if your family moved to another parish baptisms may of been noted in their origin parish if they were well known or respected.
An example from my family, from the Annan parish records...
Francis Carruthers lawful son of Francis Carruthers master of the Miss Douglas sailing vessel of Carlisle and Elizabeth Harrison in Bowness was born 3rd and baptised 18th August 1819 by Revd William H Moncreiff minsr of Annan.
[Francis Carruthers lived and worked in Bowness, Cumberland later retiring to Liscard, Cheshire - yet the minister from Annan baptised his children]
Bearing in mind that these are the fuller entries so you may be further disappointed if you happen to caught in the parish of a less than rigorous recorder...
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,159564.0.html
The link above illustrates that when a date range is given as "coverage" of the extant records it does not mean they are complete within that range.
I would definitely recommend tracking down the films from libraries or LDS Family History Centres and viewing the records for yourself.
Before you order anything check what information you are likely to get - ask us. Post to a specific county board and there will be an expert somewhere!
Marriages
Very similar to English entires in the Scottish records. But again, no prescribed format.
The fuller records will contain in descending order of likelihood...
Bride's name
Groom's name
Residence
Occupation
Father of the bride &/or groom
Most commonly it is the bare minimum (in my experience)
Again, some examples here...
http://fallon.rootschat.net/annanmar.html
10th June 1806
George Ferguson mariner and Jean Caruthers daughter of Frances Caruthers in lawfully married.
And at the other end of the scale...
10th Sept 1816
William Matthews and Mary Farish
On Scotlandspeople you can now view the images.
Burials
Death or burial records are rare in Scotland. That's not to say non-existant. You will occasionally find a list of MORTCLOTH DUES these were dues payable for the use of the public pall (death cloth) at a funeral.
In Kirknewton parish for example there is a financial records of mortcloth and coffin payments. This list includes who made the payment and what for - this is often a clue to when a spouse or relative died. It is worth trying to see the Kirk Sessions records as these payments can be listed there rather than in the baptismal or marriage books.
As you will be aware statutory registration became law in Scotland 1 January 1855 under the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Scotland) Act 1854. Under this act all parishes were required to deposit their records with the General Register of Scotland c3500 books were deposited.
You will find that just prior to 1855 for a few years before the baptismal records become a lot fuller (by volume - not information) people believed that statutory registration would mean cost. You are more likely to find groups of children listed from the same family at about this time as families either came in for a job lot baptism or to ensure the names were "in the book".
The birth, marriage and burial records are not the only records available. Kirk Sessions (which are mostly kept at the NAS) often contain the naughties! Illegitimacies, fornication, irregular marriages etc - a fascinating read and the topic of another post!
Are OPR available in my county (see below)
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« Last Edit: Monday 10 December 07 18:22 GMT (UK) by Boongie Pam »
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All census look up transcriptions are Crown Copyright~~~~~~~~~~~ Dumfrieshire: Fallen, Fallon, Carruthers, Scott, Farish, Aitchison, Green, Ryecroft, Thomson, Stewart Midlothian: Linn/d, Aitken, Martin North Wales: Robins(on), Hughes, Parry, Jones Cumberland: Lowther, Young, Steward, Miller Somerset: Palmer, Cork, Greedy, Clothier http://fallon.rootschat.net
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Boongie Pam
Moderator
RootsChat Aristocrat
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Posts: 2457
Lilian Palmer 1923 to 1987
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If you scroll down the page linked here...
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/famrec/hlpsrch/opr-cov.html
And go to the list of counties it will tell you if there are burial lists included in the films.
For example...
Go to Fife...
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files/list-of-oprs-399to459.pdf
And the first parish Abbotshall has the following info:-
399/5 B - M - D 1750-1806
399/6 B - M - D 1806-1843
399/7 B - M - D 1818-1850
399/8 B - M - D 1851-1860
This shows that sub films 399 (for Abbotshall) parts 5-8 have burials listed.
But Baptism and Marriage records started earlier.
As described above burials have the least coverage so definitely check out the coverage to avoid disappointment.
It's a good way of checking if you are on a non starter before you order the film. Films are often held in Local or Family History Centres, LDS centres, local libraries etc. The LDS is probably the most useful if you don't live in Scotland.
See here for finding centres...
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/FHC/frameset_fhc.asp?PAGE=library_fhc_find.asp
Hope this helps,
Pam
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All census look up transcriptions are Crown Copyright~~~~~~~~~~~ Dumfrieshire: Fallen, Fallon, Carruthers, Scott, Farish, Aitchison, Green, Ryecroft, Thomson, Stewart Midlothian: Linn/d, Aitken, Martin North Wales: Robins(on), Hughes, Parry, Jones Cumberland: Lowther, Young, Steward, Miller Somerset: Palmer, Cork, Greedy, Clothier http://fallon.rootschat.net
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ibi
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Posts: 230
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Hi Pam
There is a Scottish NBI (National Burial Index) project, similar to that in England, organised by the Scottish Association of FHSs (SAFHS), based on extracting and indexing all the death/burial info from the OPRs (and kirk session records?) but it is taking some time, and the progress is very patchy, as the FHSs involved are allocating the project very different priorities, - see the SAFHS website at http://www.safhs.org.uk/ for news on progress on this and other SAFHS sponsored/led projects.
Fife FHS has already published a CD, - the death records are particularly good for the parishes in the "Kingdom", - and I seem to recall seeing mention in the Glasgow & West of Scotland FHS journal that some material for Argyll has been published. (Added later: and I seem to recall hearing a few weeks ago that Lanarkshire FHS had just or were just about to publish some material.)
There's also an SAFHS led project to list all the burial places in Scotland (but not the "residents"), - check for progress on the SAFHS website at http://www.safhs.org.uk/ .....
A parallel National Archives of Scotland project in conjunction with SCAN and the Genealogical Society of Utah has resulted recently in the completion of the project to digitise the the kirk session records in NAS's series CH2 and CH3, - basically the records of the Established Church of Scotland and all the secession churches who eventually came back into the "Auld Kirk" in 1929, and including presbytery and synods.
These digitised images can already be viewed at Register House, the home of National Archives of Scotland, at the east end of Princes Street in Embra, just behind the statue of "the man on the horse" (Wellington!).
Eventually these images will come on line, but there are major problems regarding the indexing, - and this after a pilot indexing project, - that are going to take some time to sort out.
ibi
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« Last Edit: Thursday 11 January 07 07:36 GMT (UK) by ibi »
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bcowan
RootsChat Extra
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Posts: 10
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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All the resources noted earlier in this thread are all excellent starting points. I've outlined a few 'alternative' techniques that help uncover some of the many thousands of personal sites that may be of interest. Have a look at the link below:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,164730.msg772714.html#msg772714
regards,
Bill
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« Last Edit: Tuesday 03 April 07 19:53 BST (UK) by sarah »
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janglaschu
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Posts: 209
Cuimhnichibh air na daoine o'n dh'thainic
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N.B. images of Old Parochial Records are now available to view on Scotland's People; also the Register of Corrected entries.
Credits purchased now last for 90 days.
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Suffolk, England – Benstead, Boldero, Boldy, Boyns, Boynes, Collins, Cooper, Elliott, Fletcher, Laflin, Laws, Lankester, Markham, Marshall, Orriss, Steward, Taylor, Thimblethorpe
Scotland – Barclay, Campbell, Finlay, Freeland, Grove, Hay, Horn, Laird, McDonald, McKay, Milne, Mills, Peebles, Robertson, Shearer, Stewart, Strang, Thomson
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ibi
RootsChat Member
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Posts: 230
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I'm sure that it's been referred to on another thread but I can't find it.
IGI, in its various forms, fiche (they still have a use!), CDs (at LDS Family History Centres) and on line at www.familysearch.org has the advantage for Scotland that it overlaps with the Scottish civil registration records.
These started in 1855, but IGI also includes indexes of births and marriages from 1855 to 1875 plus the two census years of 1881 and 1891. The IGI index for these years is superior to the on-line index at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk in that FamilySearch shows the names of the parents and the date of birth.
ibi
PS Note that the "Scottish Churches" OPR CD does not include records beyond 1855.
ibi
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platinum
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Posts: 5
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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There is a new Scottish genealogy portal at Scotlands Family:
http://www.scotlandsfamily.com
It's got lots of links to free online Scottish data , including a compilation of Scottish ships passenger lists . The reproductions of Parish maps are really useful too for comparing Parish Register locations. .
P.
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