Genealogical resources & hints

Some useful resources, hints and help

It's a cert! — by faye — last modified 05-07-2007 17:38

If there's one bit of family history information that almost everyone has, it is birth, marriage & death certificates. Yet most people have little understanding of the meaning of the various pieces of information recorded there, particularly on older certificates.

A case study in problem solving in Scottish genealogy. — by faye — last modified 05-07-2007 17:52

THERE'S ALWAYS ONE LINE THAT IS TROUBLE....

Library & Archive Sources in Scotland — by faye — last modified 12-12-2007 19:05

 

Do It Yourself - Where to start and other general information. — by faye — last modified 05-07-2007 18:07

We have received a large number of enquiries of a specific nature, so Gordon has pulled together a basic reading list and some sources that could help you do some investigative work for yourself. Most enquiries naturally related to Scottish families, so we have concentrated on that. Basic advice first.

Hints & Tips - Home Sources. — by faye — last modified 05-07-2007 18:12

There is more historical information in the hands of your living relatives than you might think. Here is a selected list of documents, etc. that you could try to get hold of or get copies of:

Hints & Tips - Addresses. — by faye — last modified 01-07-2007 22:42

Collect family addresses, with dates.

Hints & Tips - Photographs. — by faye — last modified 01-07-2007 22:42

Identify people in the family photo albums.

Hints & Tips - Clans — by faye — last modified 01-07-2007 22:42

People all over the world assume that all Scots have clans and tartans. This is not so. Many Scottish family names have no clear association with a clan or even a sept (branch of a larger clan).

Hints & Tips - Spellings — by faye — last modified 01-07-2007 22:42

Surnames can be a source of worry when you go back in time, and cannot find your relative with the correct surname. You have to realise that even as late as the latter part of last century, many people could not write, even sign their own name. As a result, when their name had to be written down in documents, the person writing the name used a spelling that they assumed would be acceptable, often based on how the name sounded. People with the same surname, but from different localities with varying dialects and intonations, could have completely different spellings of the same name in official records!

Hints & Tips - Archives & Libraries — by faye — last modified 01-07-2007 22:42

In the course of writing to sources for genealogical information, or even for local history material to act as family background, there are certain ways you can increase your chances of getting a good reply quickly.

Hints & Tips - Newspapers — by faye — last modified 01-07-2007 22:42

Newspapers have been around for much longer than most people realise, even in what you may think of as "the rural areas".

Hints & Tips - Books to help — by faye — last modified 01-07-2007 22:42

You are bound to have said to yourself at some time or other - surely there is a book that will give me most of the answers I need for my own family? Something that will be a shortcut to the long slog of searching for all the ancestors?

Specialist Searchers - P.R.O., Kew: military, royal and merchant navy, etc. — by faye — last modified 01-07-2007 22:42

 

Census Records in the U.K. - an overview — by faye — last modified 01-07-2007 22:42

copyright by Gordon Johnson <gordon@kinhelp.co.uk>. UK Census enumeration did not start on an official government basis until the year 1801, the year of the first census of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Prior to that, there are many instances of local censuses of various kinds – lists of local inhabitants, church communion rolls and catechism lists, taxation lists, and so on. Many listings did not include children, and some were head of households only, so the comprehensive coverage of the UK censuses is a great boon.

Your ancestor was a Scottish clergyman — by faye — last modified 01-07-2007 22:42

Published sources for Scottish clergymen described and assessed

The Church and the Truth? — by faye — last modified 01-07-2007 22:42

An example of the difference between what is perceived as the truth, and what it actually turns out to be!