| The 'Scottish Family Tree Detective' is a user-friendly guide to discovering
your Scottish ancestors - who they were, what they did and where they lived.
Whether you are a beginner or a more experienced enthusiast, living in Scotland
or far away, this book will provide key information on new opportunities for
research on the internet as well as in archive and libraries around the world.
In the ever-changing world of genealogy, a good up-to-date guide is required,
and fills this need. Its aim is to provide sign-posts to the past and to solve
problems faced by those seeking to discover their ancestors and explore their
lives. It shows how to make the most of research resources and catalogues of
collections held in archives and libraries, both online and on paper. Emphasis
is laid on locating, selecting, evaluating and using sources, as well as finding
out what is locally available and what is kept in Scottish central archives.
Guidance is given on how to keep records and make a research plan. Other
sections look at topics such as birth, marriage and death – how to use the core
sources of statutory registers, census returns and parish registers.
Contents:
Lists of maps and figures
Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction
Using the book
2. Starting research
Discovering the past
Planning a genealogical journey
The internet
Scottish resources overseas
Research in Scotland - where to go
Getting professional help
Scottish names
Places names
Scottish language
Scottish handwriting
3. From birth to death
Birth
- Statutory registration
- Birth certificates
- Census returns
- Valuation rolls
- The old parish registers
Marriage
- Regular marriage
- Irregular marriage
- Statutory registers of marriage
- OPR proclamations and marriages
- Dissolution of marriage
Death
- Statutory registers of death
- War deaths
- Pre-1855 deaths and burials
- Graveyard records
- Obituaries
- Testamentary sources
- Inheritance
- Court action
4. Profiling the ancestors
Finding sources
Where did they live?
- The locality
- The administrative 'map'
- National administration
When did they live?
- Events
- Economic trends
- Timelines 1560-1900
What did they do?
- Labourers
- The poor
- Tenants
- Landowners
- Merchants
- Crafts and trades
- Customs and Excise officers
- Lawyers
- The medical profession
- Education
- Members of Parliament and electors
- The Church
- Military service
- Seamen
- Rebels
- Criminals
- Emigrants
- Debtors
Understanding legal documents
- Scots law
- Registers of deeds
- Form and content of deeds
- Land ownership
- The courts
Appendix 1: Parishes, with related sheriff courts, commissary courts and
burghs
Appendix 2: Scottish archives
Appendix 3: Scottish family history societies
Appendix 4: Sources for Scottish family history
Appendix 5: Scottish money, numbers and dates
Bibliography
Index |
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