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Scotland Research Outline |
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Obtaining Copies Of Publications
Using This Outline
Scottish Search Strategies
Records At The Family History Library
The Family History Library Catalog
Records Selection Table: Scotland
Archives And Libraries
Biography
Cemeteries
Census
Church Directories
Church History
Church Records
Nonconformist Church Records
Civil Registration
General Historical Background
Information Recorded In Civil Registers
Finding Civil Registration Records
Indexes To Civil Registration Records
Court Records
Types Of Courts
Finding Court Records
For More Information
Directories
Emigration And Immigration
General Background
Emigration From Scotland
Records Of Scottish Emigrants In Their Destination Countries
Immigration Into Scotland
Gazetteers
Genealogy
Heraldry
Historical Geography
History
Land And Property
Language And Languages
Maps
Merchant Marine
Military Records
Army
Navy
Militia
Other Branches Of The Military
Handbooks On Military History And Military Records
Names, Personal
Newspapers
Nobility
Occupations
Periodicals
Probate Records
Determining The Court
Finding Probate Records
Indexes To Probate Records
Difficulties In Finding A Probate Record
Poorhouses, Poor Law, Etc.
Schools
Societies
Taxation
Other Records For Scotland
For Further Reading
Comments And Suggestions
NAMES, PERSONAL Understanding given names and surnames can help you trace your ancestors. This is particularly true once the origin of the name has been established.
The nobility and wealthy land owners first began using surnames. Merchants and townspeople adopted the custom, as eventually did the rural population. This process took several centuries. Surnames developed from several sources and include the following types:
Many books discuss the origin of Scottish surnames. One of the better books is:
Black, George Fraser. Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning, and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. (FHL book 941 D4b.)
After the Battle of Culloden in 1746 and the subsequent restrictive acts against the Highland clans, many people changed their surnames from clan names to less Gaelic names to avoid being punished by the British government for being associated with clans in disfavor with the crown. Sometimes several generations used a different surname before changing it back to the original clan name.
Patronymics is the custom of deriving a surname from the name of a father or male ancestor. In the Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands, and many parts of northern Scotland, many people use patronymic names.
The use of patronymics in Scotland was in part a result of early Scandinavian settlement into Scotland, which influenced naming patterns for centuries. While the common use of patronymics eventually died out, their influence is still apparent.
The Scottish, for the most part, had a naming pattern which can be seen in many families. The pattern generally went as follows:
Sometimes when a child died, the next child of that gender born into the family was given the same name as the deceased child. Occasionally two or more living children in the family were given the same given name. When they were christened, children were usually given one or two given names.
A book describing Scottish Christian or given names is:
Dunkling, Leslie Ann. Scottish Christian Names: An A-Z of First Names. London: Johnston and Bacon, 1978. (FHL book 941 D4du.)
Many names in pre-1700 records are in Latin. Volume three of the following work contains a select list of Latin given names with the English equivalent:
Gardner, David E., and Frank Smith. Genealogical Research in England and Wales. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft Publishers, 1956-1964. (FHL book 929.142 G172g .)
The first Scottish newspapers of any significance and continuance were the Edinburgh Evening Courant (1718) and the Caledonian Mercury (1720), which were national papers and gave little local news.
The first regional papers were the Glasgow Journal (1741) and the Aberdeen Journal (1748). The first paper that gave substantial coverage to local news was the Glasgow Mercury (1778).
Many more newspapers came into being after the French Revolution You can find copies of newspapers in the collections of the Newspaper Library section of the British Library Ferguson, J.P.S. Directory of Scottish Newspapers. Edinburgh: National Library of Scotland, 1984. (FHL book 941 B3f.)
Other lists of holdings of Scottish newspapers include:
Catalogue of the British Newspaper Library, Colindale. 8 vols. London: British Museum Publications, 1975. (FHL book Q 942 A5cn.)
Ferguson, Joan P. S. Scottish Newspapers Held in Scottish Libraries. Edinburgh: Scottish Central Library, 1956. (FHL book 941 B3f; film 924676 item 4.)
North, John S. The Waterloo Directory of Scottish Newspapers and Periodicals, 1800-1900. 2 vols. Waterloo, Ontario: North Waterloo Academic Press, 1989. (FHL book Ref. 941 B33n.)
Crane, R.S., and F. B. Kaye. A Census of British Newspapers and Periodicals, 1620-1800. 2nd ed. London: Holland Press, 1966. (FHL book 942 B3ce.) This lists holdings in major U.S. libraries.
The Family History Library has no Scottish newspapers, but it does have some indexes and other related materials. You can find them in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:
Benn’s Press Directory. Tunbridge Wells, Kent: United Newspapers Ltd, 1996. (FHL book Ref 942 B3n.)
The nobility is a class of people who had special political and social status. Nobility is inherited or granted by the crown as a reward to persons who perform a heroic deed, have a notable achievement, or hold a prominent government position.
British nobility has a well-defined order. The highest noblemen are peers The noble class forms less than five percent of Scotland’s population. Scotland limited the growth of the noble class. The eldest son inherits the father’s title, and younger sons may or may not have lesser titles. When a nobleman dies without sons, the title lapses unless the crown awards the title to a daughter’s husband.
Most family traditions of having a noble ancestor are not true since most noblemen did not emigrate. Contrary to popular belief, few nobles were disowned by family members for unacceptable behavior. Thus, most traditions of an ancestor being “erased” or “eliminated” from all records are unfounded.
Illegitimate children were not entitled to noble status and are often not shown in family pedigrees. They may, however, have been granted a title and variation of the father’s coat of arms.
Younger sons had the right to use the father’s coat of arms altered with cadency The records of peerage creations and related documents are kept at the Lyon Office (see the “Heraldry” section of this outline).
There are many original records for noble families. These documents often are not available to the public, but you can accomplish most nobility research in secondary sources.
Noblemen were anxious to preserve their identity. Therefore, many kept records of their ancestry, some of which have been published. A number of published family histories also contain information about Scottish nobility. Use the Surname Search of the Family History Library Catalog to find references to family histories at the Family History Library.
A good source for information on Scottish families is:
Paul, Sir James Balfour, ed. The Scots Peerage, 9 vols. Edinburgh: David Douglas 1904. (FHL book 941 D22p).
The Family History Library has many records of noble families other than family histories listed in the Locality Search of the catalog under:
See also the “Heraldry” and “Genealogy” sections of this outline.
Knowing an ancestor’s occupation can help you distinguish him from other individuals with the same name. The records associated with your ancestor’s occupation could provide information about his or her life and family.
In Scotland, the cities and towns, or burghs The Scottish Record Society has published lists of burgesses and guild brethren for Edinburgh, Canongate, Glasgow, and Dumbarton as well as the apprentices for Edinburgh (FHL book 941 B4sr). Burgh records are held by the Scottish Record Office and by local record offices, but most are not indexed.
In addition to burgess and guild records, the Scottish Record Office also has records of doctors, lawyers, architects, railway men, schoolmasters, coal miners, and other occupations. A guide to the holdings of the Scottish Record Office is found in:
Sinclair, Cecil. Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors: A Guide to Ancestry Research in the Scottish Record Office. Edinburgh: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1990. (FHL book 941 D27s.)
The Family History Library has no original occupational records but has many works and indexes relating to occupational records. Look in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under SCOTLAND - OCCUPATIONS.
Look also in Smith’s Inventory of Genealogical Sources Scotland. This is a subject index to items found in selected periodicals, books, films, and so forth in the Family History Library’s collection. See the section “Records at the Family History Library” in this outline for more information.
A useful source in helping to locate occupational records is:
Raymond, Stuart. Occupational Sources for Genealogists: A Bibliography. 2nd ed. Exeter, Devon: Federation of Family History Societies, 1996. (FHL book 942 U23rs 1996.)
A periodical is a magazine, newsletter, or journal published on a regular basis. Journals are published by family history, local history, one-name (organized to study a specific surname), and national societies. The articles often include:
For more information about societies, see the “Societies” section of this outline.
A few of the countrywide journals are:
The Scottish Association of Family History Societies Bulletin. Published by The Scottish Association of Family History Societies. This is published twice a year and contains news and updates from the various family history societies across Scotland.
The Scottish Genealogist: The Quarterly Journal of the Scottish Genealogy Society. 1954-. Published by the Scottish Genealogy Society. (FHL book 941 B2g.)
Scottish Local History. 1960-. Published by Scottish Local History Forum. This is published three times a year. (FHL book 941 H25sl.)
A good source for Scottish periodicals is:
Current Periodicals in the National Library of Scotland. Edinburgh: National Library of Scotland, 1987-. This is a bibliography of Scottish periodicals. It is available on microfiche at the Family History Library.
Many major libraries have the following directory:
Ulrich’s International Periodicals Directory. New York: Bowker, 1932-. (FHL book 016.05 Ul7p.) This directory gives the subscription, address, and name for many journals.
Another valuable source for finding pertinent periodical articles is Periodical Source Index on Microfiche (PERSI) Many English local and family history societies include sections about Scottish research in their publications. There are also genealogically oriented periodicals which are not associated with family history societies. These may also contain information on Scottish records and research.
Journals are available from the societies that publish them. Major archives with genealogical collections have copies of many journals, especially those for the area they serve.
The Family History Library subscribes to many journals published by family history societies and magazines published independently. If you know the title, search the Author/Title Search of the catalog on microfiche. To find journals in the Locality Search, look under SCOTLAND or SCOTLAND - [COUNTY] then under one of the following subjects:
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Surnames
Patronymics
Given Names
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NEWSPAPERS
. You may find information such as local events; births, marriages, and deaths; obituaries of local worthies; and advertisements. Information taken from newspapers may be indexed to varying extents.
, the National Library of Scotland, and local Scottish history libraries. For a comprehensive list of Scottish newspapers and their locations, see:
SCOTLAND - NEWSPAPERSSCOTLAND, [COUNTY] - NEWSPAPERS
Modern newspapers can be helpful for finding living relatives or obtaining the services of someone to make searches in the locality from where your ancestors came. To obtain addresses for current newspapers use:
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NOBILITY
, which include the titles (in descending rank) duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron. This is followed by the gentry, whose titles are baronet, knight, esquire, and gentleman. Both peers and gentry are entitled to bear coats of arms.
, a mark showing birth order.
SCOTLAND - NOBILITYSCOTLAND, [COUNTY] - NOBILITYSCOTLAND - GENEALOGYGREAT BRITAIN - NOBILITY
There are many other books which deal with noble families of Great Britain. Burke’s Peerage Limited has published many such books. To find Family History Library film numbers, look in the Author/Title Search of the catalog on microfiche under BURKE, SIR JOHN BERNARD.
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OCCUPATIONS
, were often established by royal charter, in which case they were called royal burghs. Craftsmen and tradesmen who lived and worked within the burghs were called burgesses. The burgesses would often band together into guilds to regulate trade and to protect their members’ interests. A person could become a member of a guild of burgesses by completing an apprenticeship, by being the son of a burgess, or by marrying the daughter of a burgess. The guilds could monopolize business in the burgh and they kept careful records of their members. Records of tradesmen and craftsmen living outside of the burghs generally were not kept.
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PERIODICALS
.
PERIODICALSSOCIETIES - PERIODICALSGENEALOGY - PERIODICALSHISTORY - PERIODICALS
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Version of Data: 6/9/2001]