Aberdeen and Grampians

The county ~ Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire occupies most of the North East shoulder of Scotland. Until the discovery of North Sea Oil, the main industries of the county were agriculture, forestry and fishing. The county town was Aberdeen, Scotland's third city.

Clan and Family Heartlands

You can get a feel for the lives your ancestors lived by visiting the area they came from. These are areas where, for centuries, families lived together in a tightly-knit community. In the Highlands they are linked to clan heartlands, whereas, in the rest of Scotland the names are often those of the local landed families. Although it is unlikely that family historians can link their ancestry to clan chiefs or family dynasties, it can still be a moving experience to tour the clan and family heartlands.

Here is a selection of the most common names in this area.

*Fraser: Hence Fraserburgh, founded by the Frasers of Lovat

*Gordon: Centred on Strathbogie; many neighbouring clans were absorbed by Clan Gordon.

Parishes

You can get a feel for the lives your ancestors lived by visiting the area they came from. These are areas where, for centuries, families lived together in a tightly-knit community. In the Highlands they are linked to clan heartlands, whereas, in the rest of Scotland the names are often those of the local landed families. Although it is unlikely that family historians can link their ancestry to clan chiefs or family dynasties, it can still be a moving experience to tour the clan and family heartlands.

Here is a selection of the most common names in this area.

Aberdeen,
Aberdour,
Aboyne, 
Alford,
Auchindoir,
Auchterless,
Belhelvie,
Birse,
Bourtie,
 Cairnie,
Chapel of Garioch,
Clatt, 
Cluny,
Coull, 
Crathie,
Crimond,
Cruden, 
Culsamond,
Daviot, 
Drumblade,
Drumoak,
Dyce,
Echt, 
Ellon,
Fintray,
Forgue,
Foveran,
Fraserburgh,
Fyvie, 
Glenbuchat,
Glenmuick,
Huntly,
Insch, 
Inverury,
Keig, 
Keithhall,
Kemnay, 
Kennethmont,
Kildrummy,
Kincardine O'Neil,
Kinellar,
King Edward,
Kintore,
Leochel,
Leslie, 
Logie-Buchan,
Logie-Coldstone,
Longside,
Lonmay, 
Lumphanan,
Meldrum,
Methlick,
Midmar, 
Monquhitter,
Monymusk,
New Deer,
Newmachar,
Newhills
Old Deer,
Oldmachar,
Oyne, 
Peterculter,
Peterhead,
Pitsligo,
Premnay,
Rathen,
Rayne, 
Rhynie,
Skene, 
Slains,
St Fergus,
Strathdon,
Towie, 
Tullynessle,
Turriff,
Tyrie,
Udny

* subsequently divided into seperate parishes, ( ) denotes alternative name or spelling

Detailed information on life and work within each of these parishes can be found in the Old (1791-9) and the New (1834-45) Statistical Account of Scotland. These are freely accessible on http://edina.ed.ac.uk/statacc. Part of their charm is the individual views of the minister, which can include some fascinating accounts of a parish's history, topography, employment, landowners, communications, agriculture and even the morality of the parishioners

Local Studies Libraries

Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.

The following is a list of the libraries in your chosen area: 

Library Information Reference and Local Studies Department
Central Library
Rosemount Viaduct
Aberdeen
AB25 1GW
Tel: +44 1224 652512
Fax: +44 1224 624118
E-mail: refloc@aberdeencity.gov.uk 

Open: Mon-Thur 09:00-20:00, Fri-Sat 09:00-17:00

The scope of this library is essentially the City of Aberdeen, although it also holds material covering the County as a whole and, to some extent, Banffshire and Kincardineshire. The newspaper collection includes Aberdeen's Journal/Aberdeen Journal/Press & Journal (1747 to date).

Local Studies Department
Aberdeenshire Library and Information Service
Meldrum Meg Way
Meadows Industrial Estate
Oldmeldrum
AB51 0GN
Tel: +44 1651 872707
Fax: +44 1651 872142
E-mail: ALIS@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk

Open: Mon-Fri 09:00-17:00, Sat 09:00-16:30

The collection includes Aberdeenshire (former counties of Aberdeenshire, parts of Banffshire and Kincardineshire), with limited Aberdeen City content. Newspaper collection include Stonehaven Journal, Kincardineshire Advertiser, Buchan Observer (Peterhead), Banffshire Journal, Fraserburgh Herald, Huntly Express.

Local Archives Centres

Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.

The following is a list of the archive offices in your chosen area:

Aberdeenshire Council Archives
Old Aberdeen House
Dunbar Street
Aberdeen AB24 3UJ
Tel: +44 1224 481775
Fax: +44 1224 495830
E-mail: archives@legal.aberdeen.net.uk
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk

Open: Mon-Wed 09:30-1300 & 14:00-16:30
By appointment only

Aberdeen City Archives
Town House
Broad Street
Aberdeen AB10 1AQ
Tel: +44 1224 522513
Fax: +44 1224 522491
E:mail: archives@aberdeencity.gov.uk

Open: Wed-Fri, 09:30-16:30
By appointment only

Material in the Town House includes burial records, Kirk Session records, burgh archives, tax lists, register of sasines, deeds and electoral rolls.

Museum and Heritage Centres

Scotland is a country with a remarkable history. So it should come as no surprise that Scotland is home to a remarkable collection of museums and heritage centres. These range from the major, internationally renowned collections in Edinburgh's Royal Museum of Scotland to hundreds of small centres that specialise in the history of local communities. The following museums are all in your chosen area. A visit to any one of them may well shed new light on the lives led by your ancestors.

Alford Heritage Centre
Mart Road
Alford
Aberdeenshire
AB33 8BZ
Tel: +44 1975 562906

Open: April-October, Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00 & Sun 13:00-17:00

The centre is housed in the former auction mart. It features an extensive collection of rural bygones depicting past life in rural Donside.

Aberdeen Maritime Museum
Shiprow
Aberdeen
AB11 5BY
Tel: +44 1224 337700
Fax: +44 1224 213066
Email: info@aagm.co.uk
www.aagm.co.uk
Open: Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00 & Sun 12:00-15:00

A major collection of artefacts relating to all aspects of Aberdeen's relationship with the sea. The Lloyds Register of Shipping library within the museum holds shipping records, photographs, passengers' diaries and business records.

Aberdeenshire Farming Museum
Aden Country Park
Mintlaw
Nr Peterhead
AB42 5FQ
Tel: +44 1771 622906
Fax: +44 1771 622884
Email: heritage@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/museums/farming.asp

Open: May-September, daily 11:00-16:30

Based on the restored unique semi-circular Home Farm steading, this museum helps visitors to relive the farming past of the North-East. Includes exhibits of farming equipment and a 1920's working farm.

Maud Railway Museum
Maud
Near Peterhead
AB42
Tel: +44 1771 622906

Open: Easter to end of September

Former Maud Railway Station, collection of photos of the railway heyday's including a browsing corner with books and photographs.

The Gordon Highlanders Museum
St Lukes
Viewfield Road
Aberdeen
AB15 7XH
Tel: +44 1224 311200
Fax: +44 1224 319323
E-mail: museum@gordonhighlanders.com
www.gordonhighlanders.com

Open: April-October, Tue-Sat 10:30 -16:30 & Sun 13:30 -16:30, Mon closed
November-March by appointment only

Tells the story of the North East's regiment - exhibitions of paintings, uniforms, weapons, colours and trophies.

Fraserburgh Heritage Centre
Quarry Road
Fraserburgh
AB43 9DT
Tel: +44 1346 512888
www.fraserburghheritage.com

Open: April-October Mon to Sat 11:00 - 17:00 & Sun 13:00 - 17:00

Tells 400 years of Fraserburgh's history including its industries and craftsmen.

Family History Society

Local societies are run by volunteers who meet together periodically. Most maintain an index of members' interests - and this could well lead to the discovery of a long lost cousin or two. If there are any such societies in your chosen area, they will be listed below.

Aberdeen & NE Family History Society
158-164 King Street
Aberdeen
AB24 5BD
Tel: +44 1224 646323
Fax: +44 1224 639096
E-mail: enquiries@anesfhs.org.uk
www.anesfhs.org.uk

Open: Monday - Friday 10.00 - 16.00 and Tuesday & Friday 19.00 - 22.00

The largest family history society in Scotland. Quarterly journal. Over 60,000 names in index of Monumental Inscriptions in about 50 cemeteries. Members e-mail discussion facility.

It may seem a little odd, but a visit to the burial ground of an ancestor can make you feel more closely connected to them. However, tracking down the specific plot, or lair as they were referred to in Scotland, depends on the period of time when the deaths occurred.

Up to the mid-19th century it was the normal practice for people to be interred in the Parish Kirk burial ground - although this was only rarely marked with anything as grand as a headstone. The Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS) is currently co-ordinating a major project to develop a National Burial Index, relating to pre-1855 records. This will eventually be available on CD ROM. Although this will help to confirm that burials took place in parish burial grounds, it will not, unfortunately, indicate the location of the lair.

If your ancestor was wealthy enough, their grave may have been marked by an inscribed headstone. Over the years, family history societies and other volunteer groups have painstakingly transcribed and indexed such inscriptions - and these are nearly always held in the relevant local history libraries or family history research centres.

By the mid-19th Century, many parish burial grounds had become seriously overcrowded, especially those in urban areas, and this led to the creation of both private and municipal cemeteries. If you know the place and date of death, you should be able to discover the location of a lair, although not all cemeteries and records have survived.

The concept of cremation started to gain popularity in the late 1940s and has increased ever since. Ashes may be taken away by the family, scattered in the garden of remembrance or buried either in the crematorium or in a family plot.

Aberdeen City
Registrar of Burial & Cremation
St Nicholas House
Broad Street
Aberdeen
AB10 1BX
Tel: +44 1224 523 155

Enquiries in writing preferred in respect of the 17 Aberdeen cemeteries. A precise date of death or burial is normally required. A fee of £8 per 15 minutes is charged. For deaths prior to about 1900, the city archivist should be contacted.

Aberdeenshire (except Aberdeen City)
Landscape Services Manager
Harlaw Way
Inverurie
AB51 4SG
Tel: +44 1467 627621
Fax: +44 1467 624827

About 200 burial grounds and cemeteries are administered by the Council. Personal visits are not actively encouraged and fees are charged for researching burial information. Precise details of death and location are required. Some requests, especially those relating to the North and South areas are delegated to local register offices.

The county ~ Banffshire

Lying to the East of the County of Moray, Banffshire, in North East Scotland supported agriculture, forestry and fishing, notably based on Buckie. In the 20th Century whisky production became of increasing importance, especially in the Speyside burghs of Aberlour and Dufftown. Banff was the county town.

Clan and Family Heartlands

You can get a feel for the lives your ancestors lived by visiting the area they came from. These are areas where, for centuries, families lived together in a tightly-knit community. In the Highlands they are linked to clan heartlands, whereas, in the rest of Scotland the names are often those of the local landed families. Although it is unlikely that family historians can link their ancestry to clan chiefs or family dynasties, it can still be a moving experience to tour the clan and family heartlands.

Here is a selection of the most common names in this area:

Grant

Keith

Barclay
    

Parishes

The Parish Church can unlock many secrets for ancestral researchers.
Not only was it the place where children were baptised, proclamations of marriage announced and the dead buried, it was also the centre of most social activity within the Parish. There is, however, no such thing as a definitive list of parishes. Over the decades they have merged, divided, been renamed and had changes made to their spelling. The following list is based largely on the situation at the time of publication of the New Statistical Account (1834-1845).

Aberlour,
Alvah,
Banff,
Boharm,
Boidie,
Botriphnie,
Cabrach,
Cullen,
Deskford,
Fordyce,
Forglen,
Gamrie,
Gartly,
Glass,
Grange,
Inveraven(Inveravon),
Inverkeithney,
Keith,
Kirkmichael,
Marnoch,
Mortlach,
Ordiquhill,
Rathven,
Rothiemay

* subsequently divided into seperate parishes, ( ) denotes alternative name or spelling

Detailed information on life and work within each of these parishes can be found in the Old (1791-9) and the New (1834-45) Statistical Account of Scotland. These are freely accessible on http://edina.ed.ac.uk/statacc. Part of their charm is the individual views of the minister, which can include some fascinating accounts of a parish's history, topography, employment, landowners, communications, agriculture and even the morality of the parishioners.

Local Studies Libraries

Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.

The following is a list of the libraries in your chosen area:

Local Studies Collection
Aberdeenshire Library and Information Service
Meldrum Meg Way
Meadows Industrial Way
Oldmeldrum
AB51 0GN
Tel: +44 1651 871219
Fax: +44 1651 872142
E-mail: ALIS@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk

Open: Mon-Fri, 09:00 - 17:00 & Sat 09:30 - 16:00
By appointment only.

Scope includes Banffshire as well as Aberdeenshire. The newspaper collection includes the Banffshire Journal (1856-to date).

Local Archives Centres

Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.

The following is a list of the archive offices in your chosen area:

Aberdeenshire Council Archives
Old Aberdeen House
Dunbar Street
Aberdeen
AB24 3UJ
Tel: +44 1224 481775
Fax: +44 1224 495830
E-mail: archives@legal.aberdeen.net.uk
www.aberdeencity.gov.uk

Open: Mon-Wed, 09:30 - 13:00 & 14:00 - 16:30
By appointment only

Additional material includes poor relief records

Museum and Heritage Centres

Scotland is a country with a remarkable history. So it should come as no surprise that Scotland is home to a remarkable collection of museums and heritage centres. These range from the major, internationally renowned collections in Edinburgh's Royal Museum of Scotland to hundreds of small centres that specialise in the history of local communities. The following museums are all in your chosen area. A visit to any one of them may well shed new light on the lives led by your ancestors.

Fordyce Joiner's Workshop Visitor Centre
Church Street
Fordyce
Tel: +44 1771 622906
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/museums/fordyce.asp

Open: Summer, Thur-Mon, 10:00 - 20:00, Winter, Fri-Mon, 13:00 - 18:00

Tradesman in residence. Carpentry tools and early workshop machinery.

Family History Society

Local societies are run by volunteers who meet together periodically. Most maintain an index of members' interests - and this could well lead to the discovery of a long lost cousin or two. If there are any such societies in your chosen area, they will be listed below.

Aberdeen & NE Family History Society
The Family History Shop
164 King Street
Aberdeen
AB24 5BD
Tel: +44 1224 646323
Fax: +44 1224 639096
E-mail: enquiries@anesfhs.org.uk
www.anesfhs.org.uk

Open: Mon-Fri, 10:00 - 16:00, Tue-Fri, 19:00 - 20:00 & Sat 09:00 - 13:00

The largest family history society in Scotland. Quarterly journal. Over 60,000 names in index of Monumental Inscriptions in about 50 cemeteries. Members e-mail discussion facility.

It may seem a little odd, but a visit to the burial ground of an ancestor can make you feel more closely connected to them. However, tracking down the specific plot, or lair as they were referred to in Scotland, depends on the period of time when the deaths occurred.

Up to the mid-19th century it was the normal practice for people to be interred in the Parish Kirk burial ground - although this was only rarely marked with anything as grand as a headstone. The Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS) is currently co-ordinating a major project to develop a National Burial Index, relating to pre-1855 records. This will eventually be available on CD ROM. Although this will help to confirm that burials took place in parish burial grounds, it will not, unfortunately, indicate the location of the lair.

If your ancestor was wealthy enough, their grave may have been marked by an inscribed headstone. Over the years, family history societies and other volunteer groups have painstakingly transcribed and indexed such inscriptions - and these are nearly always held in the relevant local history libraries or family history research centres.

By the mid-19th Century, many parish burial grounds had become seriously overcrowded, especially those in urban areas, and this led to the creation of both private and municipal cemeteries. If you know the place and date of death, you should be able to discover the location of a lair, although not all cemeteries and records have survived.

The concept of cremation started to gain popularity in the late 1940s and has increased ever since. Ashes may be taken away by the family, scattered in the garden of remembrance or buried either in the crematorium or in a family plot.

Grounds Maintenance Office
Aberdeenshire Council
1 Church Street
Macduff
AB44 1UR
Tel: +44 1261 813 390
Fax: +44 1261 833 646

Burial ground information is, for the most part, held by the Council Registers who undertake searches for a fee - generally £5 per hour. Precise details of the death are essential. The above office should be contacted to discover the contact details of the relevant Register.

The county ~ Kincardineshire

Kincardineshire was bounded by Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus to the south and the North Sea to the east. Parts of southern Aberdeen fell within the county, which was referred to, locally, as The Mearns. The main industries were agriculture and fishing. The county town was Stonehaven. It now forms part of Aberdeenshire Council.

Clan and Family Heartlands

You can get a feel for the lives your ancestors lived by visiting the area they came from. These are areas where, for centuries, families lived together in a tightly-knit community. In the Highlands they are linked to clan heartlands, whereas, in the rest of Scotland the names are often those of the local landed families. Although it is unlikely that family historians can link their ancestry to clan chiefs or family dynasties, it can still be a moving experience to tour the clan and family heartlands.

Here is a selection of the most common names in this area.

Fraser: Hence Fraserburgh, founded by the Frasers of Lovat

Gordon: Centred on Strathbogie; many neighbouring clans were absorbed by Clan Gordon.

Parishes

The Parish Church can unlock many secrets for ancestral researchers. Not only was it the place where children were baptised, proclamations of marriage announced and the dead buried, it was also the centre of most social activity within the Parish. There is, however, no such thing as a definitive list of parishes. Over the decades they have merged, divided, been renamed and had changes made to their spelling. The following list is based largely on the situation at the time of publication of the New Statistical Account (1834-1845).

Arbuthnott,   
Banchory-Devenick,  
Banchory-Ternan,   
Benholme (Benholm),
Bervie,         
Dunnottar,                
Durris,                   
Fettercairn,
Fetteresso,   
Fordoun,                  
Garvock,                
Glenbervie,
Kinneff (and Catterline),               
Laurencekirk,          
Maryculter,
Marykirk,      
Nigg,                       
St Cyrus,                
Strachan 

* subsequently divided into seperate parishes, ( ) denotes alternative name or spelling

Detailed information on life and work within each of these parishes can be found in the Old (1791-9) and the New (1834-45) Statistical Account of Scotland. These are freely accessible on http://edina.ed.ac.uk/statacc. Part of their charm is the individual views of the minister, which can include some fascinating accounts of a parish's history, topography, employment, landowners, communications, agriculture and even the morality of the parishioners.

Local Studies Libraries

Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.

The following is a list of the libraries in your chosen area:

Local Studies Collection
Aberdeenshire Library and Information Service
Meldrum Meg Way
Meadows Industrial Estate
Oldmeldrum
AB51 0GN
Tel: +44 1651 871219
Fax: +44 1651 872142
E-mail: ALIS@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk

Open: Mon-Fri, 09:00 - 17:00 & Sat 09:30 - 16:00
By appointment only.

Scope includes Kincardineshire as well as Aberdeenshire. The newspaper collection includes the Stonehaven Journal and Kincardineshire Advertiser (1848-to date).

Local Archives Centres

Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.

The following is a list of the archive offices in your chosen area:

Aberdeenshire Council Archives
Old Aberdeen House
Dunbar Street
Aberdeen AB24 3UJ
Tel: +44 1224 481775
Fax: +44 1224 495830
E-mail: archives@legal.aberdeen.net.uk
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk

Open: Mon-Wed 09:30-1300 & 14:00-16:30
By appointment only

Additional material includes some poor relief records.

Museum and Heritage Centres

Scotland is a country with a remarkable history. So it should come as no surprise that Scotland is home to a remarkable collection of museums and heritage centres. These range from the major, internationally renowned collections in Edinburgh's Royal Museum of Scotland to hundreds of small centres that specialise in the history of local communities. The following museums are all in your chosen area. A visit to any one of them may well shed new light on the lives led by your ancestors.

Banchory Museum
Bridge Street
Banchory
AB31 5SX
Tel: +44 1771 622906
Fax: +44 1771 622884
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/museums/banchory.asp

Open: May-September, Mon-Sat 1100-1300; 1400-1630; July & August Mon-Sun 1400-1630

Additional Opening: April, Sat only 11:00 - 13:00 & 14:00 - 16:30. Easter weekend (phone to confirm times)

Local history and a special feature on the composer and fiddler Scott Skinner. Includes 19th century tartans.

Tolbooth Museum
The Harbour
Stonehaven
Tel: +44 1771 622906
Fax: +44 1771 622884
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/museums/tolbooth.asp

Open: May-October, Wed-Mon 1330-1430.

Housed in Stonehaven's oldest building, which served as the County Tolbooth of Kincardineshire from 1600-1767, this museum illustrates local history and links with the sea.

Family History Society

Local societies are run by volunteers who meet together periodically. Most maintain an index of members' interests - and this could well lead to the discovery of a long lost cousin or two. If there are any such societies in your chosen area, they will be listed below.

Aberdeen & NE Family History Society
The Family History Shop
164 King Street
Aberdeen
AB24 5BD
Tel: +44 1224 646323
Fax: +44 1224 639096
E-mail: enquiries@anesfhs.org.uk
www.anesfhs.org.uk

Open: Mon-Fri 10:00 - 16:00, Tue-Fri 19:00 - 20:00 & Sat 09:00-13:00

The largest family history society in Scotland. Quarterly journal. Over 60,000 names in index of Monumental Inscriptions in about 50 cemeteries. Members e-mail discussion facility.

It may seem a little odd, but a visit to the burial ground of an ancestor can make you feel more closely connected to them. However, tracking down the specific plot, or lair as they were referred to in Scotland, depends on the period of time when the deaths occurred.

Up to the mid-19th century it was the normal practice for people to be interred in the Parish Kirk burial ground - although this was only rarely marked with anything as grand as a headstone. The Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS) is currently co-ordinating a major project to develop a National Burial Index, relating to pre-1855 records. This will eventually be available on CD ROM. Although this will help to confirm that burials took place in parish burial grounds, it will not, unfortunately, indicate the location of the lair.

If your ancestor was wealthy enough, their grave may have been marked by an inscribed headstone. Over the years, family history societies and other volunteer groups have painstakingly transcribed and indexed such inscriptions - and these are nearly always held in the relevant local history libraries or family history research centres.

By the mid-19th Century, many parish burial grounds had become seriously overcrowded, especially those in urban areas, and this led to the creation of both private and municipal cemeteries. If you know the place and date of death, you should be able to discover the location of a lair, although not all cemeteries and records have survived.

The concept of cremation started to gain popularity in the late 1940s and has increased ever since. Ashes may be taken away by the family, scattered in the garden of remembrance or buried either in the crematorium or in a family plot.

Grounds Maintenance Office
Aberdeenshire Council
1 Church Street
Macduff
AB44 1UR
Tel: +44 1261 813 390
Fax: +44 1261 833 646

Burial ground information is, for the most part, held by the Council Registers who undertake searches for a fee - generally £5 per hour. Precise details of the death are essential. The above office should be contacted to discover the contact details of the relevant Register.

The county ~ Moray

Moray, which at one time was called Elginshire, lies between Nairnshire to the west, and Banffshire to the east. In addition to farming and fishing, whisky distilling was an important activity within the lower Spey Valley falling within its borders. The county town was Elgin. Following local government reorganistation much of the old county was absorbed into the Grampian region.

Clan and Family Heartlands

You can get a feel for the lives your ancestors lived by visiting the area they came from. These are areas where, for centuries, families lived together in a tightly-knit community. In the Highlands they are linked to clan heartlands, whereas, in the rest of Scotland the names are often those of the local landed families. Although it is unlikely that family historians can link their ancestry to clan chiefs or family dynasties, it can still be a moving experience to tour the clan and family heartlands.

Here is a selection of the most common names in this area:

Cowie

Grant

Main

Stewart

Parishes

The Parish Church can unlock many secrets for ancestral researchers. Not only was it the place where children were baptised, proclamations of marriage announced and the dead buried, it was also the centre of most social activity within the Parish. There is, however, no such thing as a definitive list of parishes. Over the decades they have merged, divided, been renamed and had changes made to their spelling. The following list is based largely on the situation at the time of publication of the New Statistical Account (1834-1845).

Abernethy,                 
Alves,                      
Bellie,           
Birnie,
Dallas,                       
Drainie,                    
Duffus,         
Duthil (and Rothiemurchus),
Dyke and Moy (Dyke), 
Edenkillie (Edinkillie), 
Elgin,            
Forres,
Kinloss,                     
Knockando,               
New Spynie,  
Rafford,
Rothes,                     
Rothiemurchus,         
Speymouth,   
Urquhart

* subsequently divided into seperate parishes, ( ) denotes alternative name or spelling

Detailed information on life and work within each of these parishes can be found in the Old (1791-9) and the New (1834-45) Statistical Account of Scotland. These are freely accessible on http://edina.ed.ac.uk/statacc. Part of their charm is the individual views of the minister, which can include some fascinating accounts of a parish's history, topography, employment, landowners, communications, agriculture and even the morality of the parishioners.

Local Studies Libraries

Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.

The following is a list of the libraries in your chosen area:

Grant Lodge Heritage Centre
Grant Lodge
Cooper Park
Elgin
IV30 1HS
Tel: +44 1343 562644
Fax: +44 1343 549050
E-mail: libstock@moray.gov.uk
www.moray.gov.uk/LocalHeritage/Assets/html_pages/morayheritage.html 

Open: Mon & Wed-Fri, 10:00 - 17:00, Tue 10:00 - 20:00, Sat 10:00 - 12:00
(Closed Wed, October-April inclusive)

Additional material includes many non-established Church records and indexes of the death registers from the Old Parish Registers. Microfilm copies of all local newspapers are held and many of them have been indexed in respect of biographical information and entries from the "deaths" and "marriages" columns.

Grantown Museum
Burnfield Avenue
Grantown-on-Spey
PH26 3HH
Tel/Fax: +44 1479 872478
E-mail: molly.duckett@btinternet.com
www.grantownmuseum.co.uk 

Open: Mon-Fri, 10:00 - 16:00.

Census returns and Old Parochial Registers for Cromdale, Inverallan and Advie. Microfilm copies of the Grantown Supplement and its successor the Strathspey News.

Local Archives Centres

Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.

The following is a list of the archive offices in your chosen area:

Local Heritage Centre
Old East End School
Institution Road
Elgin
IV30 1HS
Tel: +44 1343 569011
E-mail:heritage@moray.gov.uk
www.moray.gov.uk/LocalHeritage/Assets/html_pages/eastend_school.html

Open: Mon & Wed-Fri, 10:00 - 17:00, Tue 10:00 - 20:00, Sat 10:00 - 12:00
(Closed Wed, October-April inclusive)

Records include poor law registers (1845-1930) and school admission and withdrawal registers.

Museum and Heritage Centres

Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.

The following is a list of the archive offices in your chosen area:

Grantown Museum
Burnfield Avenue
Grantown-on-Spey
PH26 3HH
Tel: +44 1479 872478
Fax: +44 1479 872478
E-mail: molly.duckett@btinternet.com
www.grantownmuseum.com

Open: March - December, Mon-Sat, 10:00 - 16:00.

Tells the story of "Sir James Grant's Town".

Baxters Highland Village
High Street
Fochabers
Moray
Tel: +44 1343 820393
www.baxters.com/pages/fochabers.html 

Open: Mon-Sat, 09:30 - 13:00 & 14:00 - 17:00.

Buckie Fishing Heritage Museum
Heritage Cottage
Cluny Place
Buckie
AB56 1HB
Tel: +44 1542 832826
E-mail: f.macleod@ntlworld.com
www.buckieheritage.org

Open: Mid May-September, Mon-Fri, 10:00 - 12:00 & 14:00 - 16:00, Sat 10:00 - 12:00.

A museum and archive centre situated in Buckie relating to the drifter and other fishing vessels, mainly BCK and BF registrations. It also holds over 7000 photographs and artefacts of past and present local interest.

Falconer Museum
Tolbooth Street
Forres
Tel: +44 1309 673701
E-mail: museums@moray.gov.uk
www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_624.html 

Open: April-Oct, Mon-Sat, 11:00 - 15:00, Jul-Aug, Mon-Sat, 11:00 - 16:00.

History and development of tartans and kilts - 700 on display. Trace your family tartan.

Family History Society

Local societies are run by volunteers who meet together periodically. Most maintain an index of members' interests - and this could well lead to the discovery of a long lost cousin or two. If there are any such societies in your chosen area, they will be listed below.

Aberdeen & NE Family History Society
The Family History Shop
164 King Street
Aberdeen
AB24 5BD
Tel: +44 1224 646323
Fax: +44 1224 639096
E-mail: enquiries@anesfhs.org.uk
www.anesfhs.org.uk

Open: Mon-Fri 10:00 - 16:00, Tue-Fri 19:00 - 20:00 & Sat 09:00-13:00

The largest family history society in Scotland. Quarterly journal. Over 60,000 names in index of Monumental Inscriptions in about 50 cemeteries. Members e-mail discussion facility.

It may seem a little odd, but a visit to the burial ground of an ancestor can make you feel more closely connected to them. However, tracking down the specific plot, or lair as they were referred to in Scotland, depends on the period of time when the deaths occurred.

Up to the mid-19th century it was the normal practice for people to be interred in the Parish Kirk burial ground - although this was only rarely marked with anything as grand as a headstone. The Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS) is currently co-ordinating a major project to develop a National Burial Index, relating to pre-1855 records. This will eventually be available on CD ROM. Although this will help to confirm that burials took place in parish burial grounds, it will not, unfortunately, indicate the location of the lair.

If your ancestor was wealthy enough, their grave may have been marked by an inscribed headstone. Over the years, family history societies and other volunteer groups have painstakingly transcribed and indexed such inscriptions - and these are nearly always held in the relevant local history libraries or family history research centres.

By the mid-19th Century, many parish burial grounds had become seriously overcrowded, especially those in urban areas, and this led to the creation of both private and municipal cemeteries. If you know the place and date of death, you should be able to discover the location of a lair, although not all cemeteries and records have survived.

The concept of cremation started to gain popularity in the late 1940s and has increased ever since. Ashes may be taken away by the family, scattered in the garden of remembrance or buried either in the crematorium or in a family plot.

Grounds Maintenance Office
Aberdeenshire Council
1 Church Street
Macduff
AB44 1UR
Tel: +44 1261 813 390
Fax: +44 1261 833 646

Burial ground information is, for the most part, held by the Council Registers who undertake searches for a fee - generally £5 per hour. Precise details of the death are essential. The above office should be contacted to discover the contact details of the relevant Register.