Applegarth and Sibbaldbie, Dumfriesshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #813a

This is a guide to the history and major genealogical records of Scotland as they pertain to the parish of Applegartha and Sibbaldbie. To learn more about how to use these records to search for your ancestors, go to the Scotland: Research Strategies.

= History =

The New Statistical Account of Scotland (pub. 1834-45) offers uniquely rich and detailed parish reports for the whole of Scotland, covering a vast range of topics including history, agriculture, education, trades, religion and social customs. The reports, written by the parish ministers, are available online at http://edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/. Click on ‘Browse scanned pages’ then search the parish reports for your parish of interest. Also available at the [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/Library/FHLC/frameset_fhlc.asp Family History Library. ]

= Census Records =

A census is a count and description of the population, taken by the government, arranged by locality and by household. Read more about Scotland Census Records.

Click here for a list of the Family History Library microfilm numbers for the census records of Applegarth and Sibbaldbie as well as the library numbers for any surname indexes available:

The 1901 census of Scotland is indexed on www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. To use it, you must register and pay a small access fee. All available censuses, 1841-1901, are indexed on this website. It may be easier for you to pay to use the website rather than access indexes through the library.

= Church Records =

The Established Church of Scotland was Presbyterian. Read more about Scotland Church Records.

Here are the pre-1855 records that exist for this parish.

Condition of Original Registers—
Index: For an index to these records, see the Scottish Church Records Index on computer at the Family History Library and family history centers. Some records may be indexed in the International Genealogical Index. Births: These are intermixed with marriages and deaths until 1775. The united record is blank for 1775–1777. Baptism and burials are intermixed from April 1777–November 1784. Mother's names are not recorded until April 1777. Marriages: These are intermixed with births and deaths until July 1775. The united record is blank for 1775–1777. There are no entries for marriages for July 1775–November 1777, after which date there is a separate record. Deaths: The record is Mortcloth Dues until July 1775. There are no entries July 1775–April 1777, from which date until 1784 no burials are recorded among the baptisms. There are no entries November 1784–August 1813, after which there are deaths recorded. There are no entries May 1814–January 1817. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book 941 K23b. Note: The Statistical Account of Scotland for Applegarth and Subbadlbie for 1834 states that there were earlier registers of baptisms and marriages for 1694–1715, but apparently they have been lost. They may be intermixed with the Kirk Session Minutes for the same years.

Established Church—Kirk Session Records
The Kirk session was the court of the parish. The session was made up of the minister and the land owners and business men of the parish, chosen to serve on the session. The Kirk session dealt with moral issues, minor criminal cases, matters of the poor and education, matters of discipline, and the general concerns of the parish. Kirk session records may also mention births, marriages, and deaths.

Here is a list of the surviving Kirk session records for this parish: 

Minutes 1694–1718, 1749–1851 Note: Available at the Scottish National Archives, Edinburgh, record CH2/1220.

Nonconformist Church Records
No known nonconformist groups. The Statistical Account of Scotland for 1834 states there were 23 seceding families totaling 107 persons, but no chapels within the parish.

Return to the Dumfries-shire parish list.