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Tracing your roots is a very personal journey. However, there are a number of questions that are common to any search. In this section, we've answered as many as we can. For more specific queries, go to useful sources of information or recommended reading. They may be able to point you in the right direction.
This is very difficult and, in some cases, impossible. Initially, there was no legal requirement to record emigrants; the paperwork was all done at the port of arrival. The only comprehensive listing relates to the emigrants who were supported by the Highland and Island Emigration Society - but this was only in the years 1852 to 1857. For further information on tracing emigration records, try visiting the Knoweldge Base section of the Scan website.
Official passenger lists were made compulsory in 1889 - and these were all kept in the National Archives in London. For those migrating to America, the Ellis Island website - www.ellisislandrecords.org - has over 20 million entries.
Up to the mid 19th century, nearly everybody was interred in their local parish church burial ground. If the family had money, there is a fair chance that the site would have an inscribed headstone. Many churchyards have been indexed by volunteers; if they have, the records will be indexed in the local library.
In modern times, burial registrations have become the responsibility of local authorities, many of whom will undertake a search of their records - for a fee. An exact date of death is essential for this purpose. Visit the Regions and Counties section of this site to find out where you can trace burial records for each of Scotland's ancient counties.
www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk is now the official website providing a pay-per-search facility for anyone researching their Scottish family tree.
www.scotsorigins.com formerly provided this facility. It now provides, among other things a 'sightings' service for those who want to find out the details given on certificates (up to 1990), parish registers and census returns, without buying the official extracts.
www.scan.org.uk is made available by the Scottish Archive Network and provides information on more than 50 archive collections throughout Scotland.
The Association of Scottish Genealogists & Record Agents (ASGRA) is an independent body of professional individual searchers in Scotland and operates under a strict Code of Practice. A list of its members can be found on its website.
The General Register Office for Scotland produces
an annual list of researchers, with details of their range of
expertise.
Although most researchers ask for a deposit in advance, you should always
be wary of a request to pay the full proposed fee up front. When selecting
and paying via the internet, you are advised to look for organisations with
an established web trader status.
No, not in the eyes of the law. Such marriages took place when no banns (listing of names and addresses) were published in the couple's parish church. They were, nevertheless, legal and usually fell under one or more of the following categories:
- Marriage of habit and repute
- Pregnancy following a promise of marriage from the father
- A statement before witnesses that the couple were man and wife
These forms of irregular marriage were particularly common in the South West of Scotland - and they have helped to make the village of Gretna Green famous.
In the late 17th and early 18th century, rising rents imposed on Argyll residents and on those living in South West Scotland led to mass migration to Ulster, the North Eastern area of Ireland. In part, these people were encouraged by the British government to invest in cheap Ulster land to counteract the strong Roman Catholic movement in Ireland.
Many of these emigrants, who were referred to as Ulster Scots, subsequently emigrated to America and in particular the 'Appalachian States', where they were referred to initially as Scotch-Irish and even more recently Scots Irish. Most have typically Scottish names. Unless they were prominent land owners the chances of tracing their direct ancestry back to Scotland are slight.
You're right, they give a virtual snapshot of every household on census night. Censuses are held every ten years - the first was in 1841 - and are opened for public scrutiny when they are 100 years old. Those for 1891 and 1901 are fully indexed and digitised and may be viewed at the GROS (General Registers Office Scotland) in Edinburgh or the ScotlandsPeople pay-per-view website. The 1881 census for the whole of the UK has been indexed and transcribed by the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints (Mormon) and is available widely on CD ROM.
Many of the 1841 - 1871 Census returns have been indexed by Local History Societies and there are street indexes for most towns and cities. They can be viewed in microfilm in most Scottish local and family history libraries. For more details of these facilities sorted by the Region and the ancient Scottish Counties, visit the Regions and Counties section of this site.
Put simply, almost any couple may marry in Scotland, irrespective of where they live. There are two types of marriage - religious or civil. The former may be solemnised by a minister, clergyman or priest and may be conducted anywhere. The latter must be conducted by the registrar or assistant registrar. Recent legislation in Scotland permits civil ceremonies to be conducted at any place nominated by the relevant authority.
You are advised to make contact, at an early stage, with the relevant local registrar for the place you have chosen for your marriage.
E-mail: marriage@gro-scotland.gsi.gov.uk.
For more information, visit the Getting Married in Scotland section of
GROS’s website.
