Gather together the more recent genealogy from your own family members and also whatever documents you can get (borrow or copy) from other members of the family. Such items should include birth, marriage and death certificates, memoirs, diaries, memorabilia relating to Scotland, photographs, etc. Don't forget audio-taped, filmed or videoed memories.

You'll need to draw up a basic family tree going back to about 1901 before you can make proper use of the available online sources. Most records are closed for 100 years for privacy of living persons.  Get Granny's old documents - photocopy them if possible. Get her to tell you all the old family tales about the ancestors - some might even be true! If possible, record her musings on audio or video tape, as that way you also record the way she speaks about people, and her accent too. The way a person speaks about relatives often tells you what they REALLY think, as opposed to what she actually says!

Now the books - prices might be out of date. If out of print, try for a secondhand copy, or ask your public library -

GENERAL:

• James, Alwyn : Scottish Roots. Revised edition GBP 6.99. A good basic introduction to the subject.
• Bigwood, Rosemary : Scottish Family Tree Detective. GBP 9.99. Authoritative advice from a noted researcher.

SURNAMES :

• Black, G.F.: The Surnames of Scotland. Originally published by New York Public Library in 1946, remains a top-notch book with very few omissions. Reprinted by Birlinn Ltd., Edinburgh. GBP25.00.

FAMILIES:

• Ferguson, Joan: Scottish Family Histories. National Library of Scotland, 1986, [GBP14.95 but may now be out of print]. Despite its age, not yet superseded. Lists most published works on Scottish families. Check for your own surnames! Can save you a lot of basic research, but remember that someone else's work may not be totally reliable..... much depends on what standards they used - there's a lot of rubbish out there!

BIRTH, DEATH & MARRIAGE:

The Parishes, Registers, and Registrars of Scotland. Scottish Association of Family History Societies. GBP4.00. Includes maps and lists of parishes and registration districts, very helpful if you don't know Scotland well. Sold by all the Scottish FHSs.

CENSUS:

• Johnson, Gordon: Census Records for Scottish Families at home and abroad. 3rd Edn., 1997. Aberdeen & N.E.Scotland Family History Society, GBP6.00. Standard work on the use of Scottish census records, but includes details of census records in other countries as a bonus. A brief survey of pre-census material is included.
  

All the above are available by post world-wide from the bookshop section at:: Aberdeen Family History Centre 158-164 King Street Aberdeen, AB24 5BD Scotland. You are charged for post and packing based on the weight of the books, in general between GBP1 and GBP5 each book, by air mail. Reputation for a quick and efficient service. Large range of titles. You can view their publications list and calculate your postage charges by accessing the Aberdeen FHS's website at: <http://www.anesfhs.org.uk>

SCOTTISH RESEARCH: a synopsis.

Much can be done by yourself, using the facilities of the large network of family history centres run by the Mormon church primarily for their own members but generously open to everyone free of charge though you will have to book a place. Find the local one in your phone book. They can borrow microfilm of the books, parish registers and census records you need, but not much of the statutory registers are available this way. Their is a good online service through <www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk> If you live in the UK, most large libraries and some family history societies have lots of family history material for their area on microfilm. You don't have to go to Edinburgh to see the originals.

ONLINE: For some years now there has been an index and document ordering service on the Internet. It offers a commercially-run on-line access to the indexes to Church of Scotland baptisms and marriages pre-1855, and to the Civil Registration indexes 1855-1909 (the cut-off date is 100 years back, but later indexes are about to come online, without access to the images). The 1841 to 1901 census indexes are also available, as well as a free index to testaments (wills). The current website is <www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk>

You see only INDEXES to the registers, with less detail than on the indexes at the Mormon centres, and still have to order certificate copies at around GBP10.00 each, so it is cheap for a few but expensive if you need a lot. Online ordering of images of BDMs and census pages are much cheaper, as are photocopy certificates ordered in person at Edinburgh, for certain date periods: see the website for charges.

If you need a fair bit, it can then be much cheaper to use a local researcher who can check all the indexes, and can also get photocopies of many of the certificates at a much cheaper price than official copies(which are only valuable for legal cases). Researchers can also make sure it is the right certificate if you want specific parents.

MORE ON CERTIFICATES:

The cheapest solution is to find copies held by family members, and photocopy them! Scottish Marriage certificates gave the parents of both parties, including the maiden surnames of both mothers. Best year for detail in certificates is 1855, worst are 1856-l860. Prior to 1855, your main source is the registers of the Church of Scotland (OPR's, or Old Parochial Registers), all on microfilm, but with much less detail than civil registration. Census official records with people's names included begin in l841, and the most recent open to the public is 1901(there is a 100 year embargo applied by government, but the recent Freedom of Information Act allows for some exceptions). English Census records are open for 1911, due to different legal jurisdictions. All open ones are available on microfilm, and you can download images from scotlandspeople for a fee.

Wills (or Testaments and Inventories):

An online index to centrally recorded Scottish testaments and inventories is now available at "http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/" and is very detailed, allowing you to pick out the one you want to order. NOTE though, that the vast majority of the population in the past never legally recorded their wills centrally (due to the high cost) and so most of the records are for better-off members of the community, but as the years went on, more and more of the population appear as costs declined and it became more usual for almost everyone to make a will through the legal system. Poorer members of the community often wrote out their own wills and a member of the family would ensure that the wishes were carried out, without involving a lawyer and the subsequent expense. Scottish law stipulates what proportion of the estate goes to the widow(er) and children, so most wills were fairly simple in character - though not in detail! Most never went through the legal system so are not in this index.

There are also a variety of other sites of genealogical interest covering family history societies, war graves, libraries and archives, and so on, so hunt around. Just remember that not all websites are accurate or authoritative!

If after reading the above information you decide you need some assistance with the task of tracing your family history then we can help. Contact KinHelp by e-mail, and tell us your needs. We are happy to advise on the best solution.