Monday, April 22, 2013

Scotlands People


If you have Scottish ancestry, you must visit the Scotlands People website.

There is a charge for searching and obtaining most records on the website but personally I believe it is well worth it.

The website includes indexes and copies of documents showing, births, deaths, marriages, census records, valuation rolls, Wills and testaments. Unfortunately I cannot show you examples due to copyright laws.


My tips to obtain better results when you search:
  • Use "Wildcards allowed" when searching (use down arrow) or asterix
  • Start wide and then narrow your search
  • Many Scottish names were interchangeable (eg. Grizel & Grace, Donald & Daniel, Agnes & Nancy). Therefore searching by surname initially then narrowing your search result can be very beneficial.
  • You can search without inserting a surname
  • Don't include the sex in initial searches to broaden your results (it is not always recorded correctly)
  • You can search up to 5 parishes (or all) at one time.  If you know the general area where your family originated then also search the surrounding parishes as people did not typically travel very far in the past.  There are maps on the website to assist identify the neighbouring parishes.
  • Read the Help and Resources to obtain the most from the website.
  • The site records your prior searches but it is also possible to export your search results into an excel document.
  • Death records of females can be recorded under maiden name rather than married name

Unconfirmed Scott ancestors. You can read more about my research here.

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6 comments:

  1. Billy Blue EyesApril 22, 2013 at 9:59 PM

    Got a bit worried when I say Q and R come up this morning, thought you lost track. My wife comes from Scotland tough we have never looked in to backgrounds.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SharonApril 23, 2013 at 10:51 PM

      Good to see that you are following.

      I was away for the weekend and for some reason "Q" did not upload automatically.

      Think you should look into the Scottish ancestry. One day I will get there but in the meantime Scotlands People is my best way to research my Scottish ancestry.

      Delete
  2. Cassmob (Pauleen)April 22, 2013 at 11:53 PM

    SP is one of my "must use" resources. For the life of me I can't see why people baulk at the tiny amt it costs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SharonApril 23, 2013 at 10:52 PM

      Definitely Pauleen! It really is value for money. More sites should be like Scotlands People!

      Delete
  3. Jemima PettApril 23, 2013 at 8:33 PM

    I'm lucky enugh to have cousins researching both sides of our family. It seems we have lead miners in the Borders in our family - I must visit that lead mine signed off the Carlisle-Glasgow road some time!
    Happy A to Z-ing
    Jemima at Jemima's blog

    ReplyDelete

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