Birth Certs help a newbie get started.....

catisfaction · Post by **catisfaction** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 8:51 am

I was looking around for places to find birth records in scotland and order certs. The only thing I found was on scotlands people but it won't let you search before 1855 and I need an 1855.

I've been doing mainly English rellies so far but I'm new to searching for scottish rellies and need help lol.

Also is there anywhere to veiw census info other than Scotlands people? Where do you get best value for money on all this stuff?

Go on... throw some beginner advice at me

CatrionaL · Post by **CatrionaL** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 9:14 am

Hi Helen

ScotlandsPeople does have records before 1855, but you need to look for them under OPRs (Old Parish Registers).

You can also search pre 1855 records on the IGI (International Genealogical Index at no cost.

http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/default.asp

Best wishes

Catriona

catisfaction · Post by **catisfaction** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 9:21 am

Thanks, the IGI I am familiar with but I don't know that it helps get a copy of the cert which is what i need for parents names.

Do you use Scotlands People a lot? i'm still trying to figure out what I get once I pay for credits and start looking at stuff.

catisfaction · Post by **catisfaction** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 9:24 am

See i just did my search in OPR's (thanks for the tip) But what will I see if I pay to view the result?

There is only one result so it must be the right one.

CatrionaL · Post by **CatrionaL** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 9:47 am

Hullo again, Helen

The Information on the OPRs varies greatly. Sometimes only the father's name on a birth, sometimes mention of both the parishes of the couple on a mariage..................

For a discussion on OPRs, have a look at the following post, especially page 2

http://talkingscot.com/forum/viewtopic. ... es&start=0

On ScotlandsPeople, once you have put in your search information and clicked on Search, you are given the option to view the list of names that correspond with your search criteria. To view this will cost you one credit.
If you subsequently want to view an image (which you can then download), this will cost you 5 credits.

Once paid for, these will remain available to you under "Previous Searches" and "Viewed Images".

Hope this helps.

Best wishes

Catriona

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 9:52 am

Hi Helen

scotlandspeople is great post-1855(wonderful if you have an actual 1855 record since they carried most detail). However spelling and the recoding of names is a problem throughout all 19th century Scottish records so read up about using wildcards before you search. That could save you a fortune. Be inventive with possible spellings and keep in mind that Scottish and Irish regional accents were quite strong and could lead to some quite bizarre names being entered, after all the Registrar could only record what he heard since many could not actually spell their name.
Use the census returns to find family groups and add to the names you can pick up from IGI then work back from death records and marriage records to the previous generation. Don't trust the names of parents on death records totally since many people registering a death might not know their grandparents full names. The more distant the relationship of the person registering a death the less you can trust it usually.
The OPR is a different matter. Each parish maintained its own records and recorded Births and the Calling of Banns - not the actual Marriage. Deaths were not often recorded at all. The detail varies from parish to parish and a few actually gave the names of parents. Images are available on film through the LDS centres for a small fee. They are supposed to come on-line on scotlandspeople soon but in the meantime a visit to your local LDS would let you keep searching.
Look through some of the other previous entries on here for more advice on getting the most from all the usual sites. Put in some key words in the search facility. Its good practice for later.
Sorry I can't give you some of the links but I'm not at my own computer.

Russell

Post by **Tracey** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:16 am

As well as our search facility (tab at top of this page) as Russell mentions http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/conte ... ?r=554&405 has explanations of what can be found on the site and on certificates and shows examples.

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 11:51 am

Hi Helen

Also is there anywhere to veiw census info other than Scotlands people?

Try our list of links here:
http://talkingscot.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 5917#25917
Always a chance you might find what you are looking for.

(If the birth you are looking for was registered in 1855, it should be on Scotlands people.)

Where do you get best value for money on all this stuff?

You can get really good value for money if you use Scotlands People wisely & have a clear idea of what you are searching for.

Best wishes
Lesley