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Putting Flesh on the Bones
Finding information on the births, marriages and deaths of your ancestors and linking them all together gives you the bones of your family tree. To get a picture of where and how they lived, their occupations and key events in their lives, you have to go to the next step and put some flesh on the bones. Here are some ideas on where you can find additional information. There are many others that, hopefully, you will use in your own research
Most of this information is held either in the National Archives of Scotland or in local archives. There are two books that we would recommend to give you information on these archives:-
An example of what you might expect is given below. This is taken from the Dysart Kirk Session Minutes for 1798. "….Betty Reid an unmarried woman having brought forth a child, being summaried and compeared, and being solemnly exhorted to declare the truth made the following declaration - That Mr Bruce ships carpenter in Dysart in whose house she served was the father of her child, that the child was begot in the kitchen at the term of Whitsunday last….." The records can also sometimes help in finding deaths, since some have mortcloth registers. The mortcloth was a cloth rented out for burials to cover the coffin. Other information they may contain include:-
The Church Records can also give general background information on the parish.
Many people, at some time in their lives, received poor relief. Prior to 1845, this was administered by the church and information can be found in the Church Records. After this date there were Parochial Boards which dealt with the poor. Some areas of Scotland, for example the Aberdeen and Glasgow areas, have a wonderful collection of records of Poor Relief Applications. Other areas, such as Edinburgh, have none - so it depends on where your family came from as to how helpful these can be. If you are lucky, the sort of information you can expect to find on an application is as follows (this is taken from a widow's application for relief in Glasgow in 1867):-
To find if Poor Relief applications survive for the area you are interested in - consult the local archives.
Although very few people left wills, it is still worth checking. Sometimes even the humblest of people left some small bequest. Even if they did not leave a will, there may still be an inventory of their possessions which is also worth checking for background information on how they lived. One important point is that, until 1964, the disposal of property was treated separately and would not be included in the will or inventory. All wills and inventories are held at the National Archives in Edinburgh. Whenever property changes hands or is used to secure a loan in Scotland, then it is recorded in the Register of Sasines. So if you think your ancestors ever owned property you should check these registers. The registers begin around 1600, but are easier to check if the transaction was after 1780. In this case, there are sets of Sasine Abridgements which are summaries of the actual Registers. These are usually indexed separately by both name and address and so are relatively easy to access. Often the abridgements will give enough information, but you can see the full register if required. The full set of these registers and abridgements are held in the National Archives. Some local archives will also have their appropriate sets. If you have found the parish where your ancestors lived, you probably want to know more about what it was like. A good starting point is to consult the Statistical Accounts of Scotland. There are three Accounts but the first two are the most important for research. The first Statistical Account was written around 1799 and the second around 1845. Dates vary since each parish was completed at a different time. These accounts were written by the local minister and give a wealth of information on the parish. You can find them in various libraries, but more importantly, they are also available online. We would definitely recommend that you check these out. There will also probably be a variety of other sources available at the appropriate local libraries that will give background information on the various parishes. Did your ancestor commit a crime or was he or she a witness to a crime? If so, then you should be able to find some record of it at the National Archives. Note that many of these records are subject to a 75 year closure rule. There will be information in the appropriate court records, as well as, possibly, prison registers. If your ancestor's crime led to transportation to Australia, you should be able to find a record of the trial in the Justiciary Court Records. The National Archives also hold copies of the Convict Transportation Registers 1787-1870 (the originals are at the Public Records Office). If he or she was a witness, then you need to consult the Precognitions in West Register House. These can give a wealth of information. For example, a precognition was taken in Kirkmichael in 1818. The crime was setting fire to the manse and the witnesses' statements gave a very clear description of the layout of Kirkmichael, describing various people and where they lived.
Other reasons for emigrating which were largely forced, were the Highland Clearances, famine and changing farming practices which meant there was no living to be made on the land. Of course many others emigrated, if not exactly to find their fortunes, at least to find better employment. The only passenger lists held in the National Archives are for the Highland and Island Emigration Scheme (1852-1857) and some state-aided schemes in the 1880's. The Colonial Office in London was responsible for emigration in the 19th century and its records are held in the Public Records Office in London. Local directories can be a good source to check for your ancestors, especially if they had their own business. Since they normally had to pay for an entry, however, many people are not included. There are directories going back to the late 18th century for Edinburgh and the other major cities also have their own directories. Some include surrounding towns and villages so it is always best to check those for the nearest big city just in case. You will find directories in the local library or archive. There are also Valuation and Electoral Rolls. Valuation rolls prior to 1855 are a bit sporadic but after that date, a complete set is kept in the National Archives. Local archives are also likely to have the appropriate ones for their area. These rolls list every property along with the name of the proprietor, tenant and occupier. Unfortunately they only cover property with a rental value of over £4 per year, so if your ancestor was poor, he will not be named. These are a good source for tracking down where your ancestors lived between census years. Electoral rolls list everyone entitled to vote. Since voting rights changed over the years, it will depend on the timeframe as to whether your ancestor is included or not. Prior to 1832 only a tiny minority of people could vote. Between 1833 and 1867 it depended on property values and typically only 1 man in 7 had the vote. Between 1867 and 1884 the threshhold property value dropped for the towns, giving the vote to about 1 man in 3. Between 1884 and 1918, this was extended to rural areas and allowed 2 men in 3 the vote.
If your ancestor owned or worked in a fairly large business, it is worthwhile looking to see if any business archives survive. These could well be in the form of wages books which list everyone who worked there and how much they earned. Business archives might be in the local archive, the National Archive, University Archives or the National Library of Scotland. |
Tracing your Scottish Ancestors by Cecil Sinclair - If you
plan to use the records at the National Archives of Scotland this is
the definitive reference on how to go about it. 
The
National Archives of Scotland, in Edinburgh, hold copies of the
various Church of Scotland records. There are also some records of the
secession churches, Catholic church and others. The most valuable of
the Church of Scotland records are the Kirk Session records. The
minutes of the Kirk Sessions often contain information on those who
were adulterers or fornicators and on irregular marriages. 
If
you know where your ancestors are buried, you might be lucky and find
their gravestone. There are some published books of Monumental
Inscriptions, but there are also many unpublished lists. The
There
have been many waves of emigration from Scotland over the past few
hundred years, some forced and some voluntary. Forced emigration began
with the transportation of convicts to the West Indies and America in
the mid 1650s. Many of these convicts were Covenanter or Jacobite
prisoners, but during the 18th century many were transported simply
for theft. Following America's War of Independence, the chosen
location for transportation was Australia and this continued up to
1868. See 
If
your ancestors worked on an estate it is well worth finding out if the
National or Local Archives have records of that estate. These would
give information on the tenants as well as on the owners. It is also
worth checking the local estate papers just for background information
on an area. For example the Duke of Buccleuch's papers give
information on the local town of Dalkeith.