1: Research
2: Archives and Libraries
3: Vital Records
4: Church and Cemetery Records
5: Emigration and Immigration
6: Military Records
7: Property, Probate, Wills, Court
8: Maps and Gazetteers
9: Newspapers
10: Geo/Culture/History
11: Get Help
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Partners and Sites: FamilySearch Ancestry MyHeritage | Websites: FS Wiki GenealogyLinks
Scotland CountiesGoal 1: Learn about Scotland research and records.Vault
(6:34)
Mini-Quiz for the Video |
Watch the Intro video above and then answer these questions:
- What year did Scotland join the Kingdom of England and Wales?
- Who made up the fifth largest group to go to the United States, and how many people were there?
- How did the Acts of 1706 and 1707 impact Scotland?
- What large scale event occured between 1783-1881 in Scotland? How might this impact your future searches for ancestors in Scotland?
- 1707 (see 1:30)
- Scotland, with around five million people (2:09)
- They were the unifying mark between Wales, England, and Scotland. (5:29)
- The Highland Clearance: Great Britian ejected 170,000+ Highlanders from their homeland. This is important to know for genealogical research, as it may help explain "disapearances" or moves that ancestors took. (5:44)
(Contributed by Kaylee Lynn)
Choices
AUse effective research methods for your Scottish ancestors.
- Getting Started: Use the Wiki article or watch the video to begin your Scotland research.
FS—Getting Started with Scotland Research
BYU—Beginning Scottish Research—66:47 - 2017
- Get an overview of Scottish family history on the Archives.com site.
AR—Scottish Family History - Resources: Learn about resources for Scottish research.
FHD: The 10 Best (Mostly Free) Scottish Genealogy Sites for Finding Your Ancestors - 2023 - Learn about researching Scotch-Irish ancestors.
FS—Scots Irish
AF—The Scotch-Irish and How to Research Them—8:57 - 2017
- Explore the
Forebears.io site for research records. - Record Finder: Use the Scotland Record Finder to understand record types for research.
FS—Wiki: Scotland Record Finder
Strategies
(8:13)
- Learn about Scotland research strategies.
FS—Scotland Research Strategies—25:20
AC—Researching Scottish Ancestry—7:29 - 2016
- Watch these videos to learn about strategies for researching records.
Finding your Scottish Ancestry—8:05 - 2012
Researching Your Scottish Ancestors - a Preview—15:01 - 2015
- Brick Walls: Learn how to break through brick walls in Scottish research.
RT—Brick Wall Busters for Scottish Genealogy Research - 2019
- * Good: Using the articles and videos in this Choice, write down key learnings for research resources. Then use the learnings for searches for an ancestor.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for two or more ancestors.
BLearn more about Scottish research on the ScotlandsPeople website.
- Learn more about the ScotlandsPeople site.
LT—ScotlandsPeople: Research Tips from a Scot Descendant
BYU—Exploring the ScotlandsPeople Website—35:07 - 2023
- This article discusses the types of records you can find on the ScotlandsPeople site.
PR: Scottish Research and the Records on the ScotlandsPeople Website - Here are some tips for using the ScotlandsPeople site.
Making the Most of ScotlandsPeople - 2018
Secrets of Scotland's People—13:33 - 2022
- Learn how to do effective searches on ScotlandsPeople.
PR: Scottish Research and the Records on the ScotlandsPeople Website - Explore the ScotlandsPeople website.
Exercises
- * Good: Using the articles and videos in this Choice, write down key learnings for the Scotland's People site. Then use the learnings for searches for an ancestor.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for two or more ancestors.
CExplore Scottish research by time period.
- 1855-1901: Explore records for Scottish ancestors from 1855 to 1901 in this PDF file that includes case studies. FS—Finding Records of Your Ancestors in Scotland - 2008
- Pre-1855: Explore records for Scottish ancestors before 1855 in this online syllabus page.
FS—Researching Scottish Ancestry - See a related article on finding ancestors here.
FS—Scotland Strategies, before 1855 - Handwriting: Explore the Scottish Handwriting website for tips on reading Scottish documents from 1500-1800.
- In "Scottish Handwriting" click the "Posers" link (under "Paleography Poser").
- Click "Go to previous posers arranged by type of record."
- Select "Wills and Testments."
- Select Poser 323, "17th century Orkney testaments."
- Complete the task of transcribing the documents. Be sure to use the "Help" underneath the record as needed.
- Learn about additional handwriting resources on the Scotland's People site.
Scottish Handwriting - Medieval: Explore the People of Medieval Scotland website to learn about ancestors and documents from 1093-1406.
Handwriting Practice |
Kathren Murchie lived in Scotland in 1663, the year that her belongings were appraised. Locate the appraisal record and transcribe it. Use the Scottish Handwriting link above to answer this question: Apart from Kathren's cow and ewes, what were the only other items of value in Kathren Murchie's house?
The record transcription, as listed on the website, states, "Item ane yeild kow – 10 – 13 – 4" "Item thrie yewes p[ri]ce – 3 – 13 – 9" "Item ane old kist p[ri]ce – 0 – 10 – 0" "Item ane old pot p[ri]ce – 0 – 10 – 0" "Swma of the Inventar 14 – 13 – 4" As the bottom of the record states, "The only items of value recorded in the testament (apart from livestock) were an old kist and an old pot."
- * Good: Using the articles and videos in this Choice, write down key learnings for time period resources. Then use the learnings for searches for an ancestor.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for two or more ancestors.
DLearn about Scottish surnames and clans.
- Surnames: Learn about researching Scottish surnames.
TH—Scottish Surnames - 2019
FS—Scottish Names—What Are They All About? - Learn more about Scottish clans, families, and surnames.
Locate Your Ancestors with Scottish Naming Patterns—5:58
- Search the Geneanet site for Scottish surnames.
- Search the Old Scottish site for Scottish surnames.
- Learn more about Scottish surnames on the MyHeritage Wiki.
MH Wiki—Scottish Surnames
Old Scottish Surnames Practice |
The Quin family lived in Scotland in one of the top 3 counties where their last name most often occured in the 1841 census. Use the Old Scottish site link above to find out the names of those top 3 counties.
- In the Old Scottish site, select "Surnames beginning with a Q."
- Scroll down until you see the last name Quin, and read the three county names that are listed.
The three county names with the top results (highest per-capita incidence) for "Quin" in the 1841 census are Glasgow (77.46), Lanarkshire (57.93), and Renfrewshire (48.71).
Clans
- Learn about the history of Scottish clans and naming patterns.
FS—Scotland Names Personal
MH Wiki—Clans of Scotland - Explore the Electric Scotland site for Scottish clan resources.
- Use this interactive Scottish clan map to locate and learn about Scottish clans.
- Learn about Scottish naming patterns.
Scottish Genealogy: The Scottish Naming Pattern—59:09 - 2014
FMP—Traditional Scottish Naming Patterns - 2020
