Make good use of the NAS catalogue

The National Archives of Scotland, which has recently merged with the General Register Office for Scotland to form the National Records of Scotland (NRS), holds some wonderful material; most of which is not accessible online. What is accessible online is their catalogue. It is vital to serious genealogy that we make use of this catalogue and the interesting records it relates to.

Graham and I are publishing some of the most useful and interesting records that we have found. We are starting with parish records of births, marriages and deaths that are not in the OPR’s for various reasons, but this is the tip of the iceberg.

We are in Edinburgh regularly and are familiar with all sorts of different types of records found in the NRS. Deeds, wills, court records, sasines (land records), valuation rolls, prison registers, church records and company records to name but a few.

If you search the catalogue and find an interesting document that you would like searched for your ancestors (or a client’s ancestors) email me for a free no obligation quote. The NRS can supply copies but do not conduct lengthy research, we can and we have the expertise to carry it out.

If you want a job done quickly you may have to pay a little more but if you’re happy to wait until I have a full days work a typical search based on a reference found in the online catalogue costs just twenty five pounds including copies.

Email me at info@maxwellancestry.com for more information.

Census database updated - Kirkcowan 1851

We are continuing to transcribe the Wigtownshire census, and make it available both online and in book form. We have now added the parish of Kirkcowan for 1851 to our database - Search for free here!

Here's a list of the surnames found in the parish:

Adair; Agnew; Aillison; Aitken; Alexander; Alison; Allison; Anderson; Ball; Barr; Black; Blacky; Blain; Boyd; Bradley; Brodie; Brown; Burnie; Burns; Byron; Cameron; Campbell; Carson; Cavan; Charles; Christie; Clanachan; Clement; Clenachan; Clumphy; Colm; Colter; Connell; Cosbie; Cosby; Coskrie; Court; Cowper; Craford; Crawford; Croack; Croley; Cruthers; Cubbin; Cubison; Culloch; Culter; Cumby; Cummerford; Cumming; Dally; Dalrymple; Davelin; Davidson; Davison; Dickson; Digney; Dimon; Dixon; Doak; Doarns; Donnelly; Dougall; Dougan; Douglas; Dowall; Doyle; Duff; Dunlavey; Dunlavie; Dunlop; Dunlope; Eide; Elliot; Ewing; Faggot; Fegan; Feggans; Ferguson; Findlay; Finlay; Fleming; Flynn; Forsyth; Fularton; Fulton; Galloway; Gellispie; Gellyland; George; Gibson; Gifford; Gillespie; Givan; Glen; Gollacher; Gordon; Gown; Gray; Green; Grier; Hamilton; Hammond; Hanlon; Hannah; Hannay; Harries; Hart; Hartley; Harvie; Hathorn; Haugh; Hedger; Hemphill; Henry; Herron; Hill; Hinds; Horner; Houston; Hunter; Hutcheson; Hutchison; Irvine; Jamieson; Jervis; Johnson; Johnston; Johnstone; Jones; Karr; Keachnie; Kealry; Kelly; Kennedy; Kevan; Kid; Lagan; Leeas; Leitch; Lindsay; Linwood; Lockhart; Logan; Love; Mackie; Macpherson; Mark; Marr; Marshall; Martin; Matthews; Matthieson; Maxwell; McAvery; McAwen; McBratney; McBratnie; McBryde; McCaa; McCadden; McCafferty; McCaig; McCamlie; McCauley; McCaull; McCaw; McClellan; McClelland; McCloud; McClure; McClymont; McColm; McConchie; McCormick; McCornack; McCornick; McCornock; McCrackan; McCracken; McCrae; McCraith; McCready; McCredie; McCubbin; McCulloch; McCutcheon; McDill; McDonald; McDonnald; McDowall; McEwen; McFadden; McFadyean; McGaul; McGaw; McGee; McGeoch; McGill; McHallam; McHarg; McIlwraith; McIlwrick; McIntyre; McIvers; McJorrow; McKeachie; McKeand; McKechnie; McKee; McKenna; McKie; McKinna; McKinnon; McLachlan; McLauchlan; McLean; McMaster; McMeekan; McMeiking; McMillan; McNaight; McNalie; McNally; McNarin; McNaughton; McNeal; McNeil; McNiel; McNillie; McQuaker; McQueen; McReady; McTaggart; McTier; McWhirter; McWilliam; Mean; Michael; Millar; Milligan; Milroy; Milvie; Mitchell; Moan; Monaghan; Morrison; Morrow; Morton; Muir; Murphy; Murray; Murry; Neilson; Nichol; Nicholson; Nicolson; Nimmo; Nish; Niven; Nivison; O'Hair; O'Neil; Orr; Packer; Parker; Paterson; Pebbles; Peddley; Perry; Pickar; Pollan; Rae; Read; Redeltie; Reid; Riens; Ritchie; Robb; Robison; Ross; Ruddel; Saunders; Saunderson; Scott; Shaw; Sheradon; Shirer; Simpson; Skimming; Sloane; Smail; Smith; Southar; Spence; Stewart; Stitt; Stott; Strachan; Stroyan; Sweeten; Sword; Swords; Telfer; Telford; Tempelton; Templeton; Thompson; Thomson; Tilly; Toanner; Tonner; Tully; Turner; Tweedie; Walker; Wallace; Weir; Williamson; Wilson; Young

New book - Lauder Parish Burial Register

This book contains a transcription of burials that are to be found in the Kirk Session records of Lauder Parish, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. These records are held by the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh, and it is believed they have not been transcribed or indexed before.

The register is in the form of a little notebook, possibly kept by the gravedigger. The spelling is eccentric to say the least, but we have endeavoured to transcribe the entries exactly as they appear in the register. A detailed note has been kept of the Cavers family, of Lauder, recording deaths from 1785 to 1849, but apart from these entries, the main record runs from June 1827 to November 1838, running to 520 entries in total.

Buy the book

The surnames contained in the book are as follows:

Ainslie; Aitchison; Alison; Allan; Allardise; Allen; Anderson; Armestrong; Baillie; Bain; Baird; Ballengton; Ballengtyon; Ballington; Bathgate; Beatie; Bell; Bolton; Brodie; Broomfield; Brotherston; Brown; Bryson; Burnlee; Burrel; Burrrel; Cavers; Claperton; Clapperton; Clark; Clugh; Cockburn; Coldwells; Couper; Cousens; Cow; Craig; Cranston; Craw; Crease; Crightone; Cuningham; Currie; Cuthbertson; Dalglish; Darling; Davedison; Dawson; Deans; Dickson; Donald; Dorbie; Downie; Dudgeon; Eckfoord; Edemonston; Elliot; Fair; Fairbairn; Fairebayrn; Fletcher; Flitcher; Foord; Fortuen; Frame; Frier; Gergueson; Gill; Gillies; Given; Glass; Gordon; Gourlie; Graham; Gray; Greenlaw; Halladay; Hardie; Haswell; Hay; Henderson; Hileburton; Hislope; Hogg; Holand; Home; Hopp; Hughs; Hunter; Ingles; Irvain; Jamieson; Johnston; Karr; Laidlaw; Lauder; Laugh; Laurance; Laurense; Law; Leathhead; Liddel; Lidster; Lindsay; Little; Livingston; Lockie; Logan; Lothian; Lowrie; Man; Mann; McLeoad; McQueen; Mean; Mercel; Merton; Milen; Miller; Mills; Mollagan; Molloy; Moloy; Money; Moneylaws; More; Morrison; Murchieson; Murray; Ness; Nisbet; Ormston; Orr; Patterson; Pecoack; Pendrigh; Penman; Pringle; Purves; Ramage; Rammage; Ramsay; Ranken; Rattrie; Rea; Reed; Renton; Renwick; Richardson; Riddell; Ride; Ridpath; Robertson; Robson; Romaines; Runcieman; Russel; Scott; Shaw; Shiell; Shiels; Shillinglaw; Simpson; Simson; Sligh; Slight; Smeal; Smith; Sommervail; Spears; Spence; Stevingston; Stewart; Stirling; Stivengston; Stobie; Stodart; Stoddart; Swanston; Symington; Tait; Thomson; Torrie; Torries; Trotter; Turnbull; Turner; Tweedhope; Tyson; Unknown; Vallance; Vallence; Waddel; Waddle; Wait; Walker; Waters; Watherston; Watson; Wealsh; White; Whitelaw; Whiteson; Wight; Wilson; Wood; Wright; Yallowlies; Yellowlies; Young

Edinburgh Genealogy Fair

We have arrived and set up, it was an early start but the customers are flooding in now so I thought I would take the opportunity to post a photo before things get too busy. We're at the 22nd Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS) Conference in Edinburgh.

Our neighbors are "Recording Angels" who are working very hard in Midlothian and we're in the same room as FIBIS.

If you an make it along to Adam house in Edinburgh we're on the second floor, back left. We're giving away free genealogy research help all day so come along and say hello.

Sir John Pringle

One of the reasons I have been so slow to produce the first volume of the Kelso Dispensary records is that I keep getting distracted. The diseases are so interesting, not to mention the people in the registers and my constant amazement that so many ordinary people were given treatment.

Today I have been looking at Sir John Pringle who is one of the “Recommenders”, a quick Google search revealed that there is actually a monument to Sir John Pringle in Westminster Abbey!

By the time the dispensary opened its doors Sir John was about 70, but that doesn’t seem to have held him back.

So you never know perhaps you are alive today because the dispensary saved your GGGGgrandfather!

Roxburghshire is mapped

We have great news! We have now uploaded all the map links for the Roxburghshire census! This brings the total number of individuals linked to maps to 219,112. We have now completed three counties: Peeblesshire, Selkirkshire and Roxburghshire. We have also mapped parts of Lanarkshire, Midlothian, Berwickshire and Dumfriesshire.

If you haven't used it yet it’s very simple:

Search the census for free at www.maxwellancestry.com/census

Find the household: http://www.maxwellancestry.com/census/51transcript.aspx?houseid=63003027 and click ‘Display Map.’

It’s that easy!

If you’re looking for a house we haven't mapped yet please just email me and we can map it for you: info@maxwellancestry.com

Google has updated it's satellite imaging!

We have noticed there are now more detailed images from Google for a swathe of the southern Scottish Borders and northern Dumfriesshire, so we can make more accurate links to your ancestors’ homes. So far we have updated the mapping for previous parishes covered to take account of the more accurate imaging, and have also added new data for Cavers (including Denholm village). We will continue adding new mapped areas over the next few months.

This latest update to the database has also added various household links and notes. This is generally information we come across whilst searching, for example if we’ve untangled a complicated family we add notes and links to make it easier for anybody who follows in the future.

Search for free -  www.maxwellancestry.com/census