Inclusion in OPRs

[andrewalston]

I'm not wonderfully familiar with research in Scotland, but trying to improve.

I have a family in Paisley who don't seem to get mentioned in the OPRs for the district, which seem to be pretty complete as far as I can tell.

Of 8 (possibly 9) children born 1821-1840, only one is definitely mentioned in the OPR Church of Scotland births, and two are possibly in the Reformed Presbyterian (no mother mentioned, so not certain).

Is this sort of coverage normal, or is this particular family avoiding churches?

The family is headed by Agness Caldwell, 28 years old in 1841 at 6 West St, Paisley. Agnes had married Thomas Caldwell the previous year; only Robert is her child. I reckon that Thomas's first? wife, Christina, died in 1835 with the death recorded as Mrs. Caldwell. The couple had married in 1821.

Most of the family disappear by 1851. John and Alexander went to Glasgow and married there. John registered Alexander's death in 1860, and it was John's census entries which pointed me at Paisley.

[MonicaL]

Some good notes to consider here https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/old-parish-registers/list-of-old-parish-registers

See also www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/guides/church-registers

Monica

[andrewalston]

Yes, I've seen the lists of parishes, and I know there are coverage gaps in most parishes. It's through these lists that I know Paisley is divided into four.

I was wondering whether this sort of record availability is normal. Two marriages, one birth and one death from a man with two wives and at least eight children seems a very low survival rate for the records when I compare it with things south of the border.

[GR2]

Apart from problems with the actual survival of registers, registering baptisms was not compulsory and the session clerk did not automatically enter baptisms in the register. The parents had to have it done. You will find some families in a parish have every baptism recorded and others don't bother at all, or do it for some baptisms, but not for others.

[Little Nell]

I would actually consider myself lucky to even get that number of records in some Scottish parishes.  I cannot officially 'kill off' several people pre-1855, it is only their absence from the census that indicates that they may no longer be around.  I recently found an MI which alerted me to the date of death and some missing children that I was not aware of.  Funnily enough, that last one was in Paisley 

Nell