Making best use of my time

[Missing Link]

Amongst my late fathers papers I came across a family tree already researched going back to the late 1700's. As this was apparently drawn up by another member of the family I have absolutely no corroboration of the facts and being Stewart it is dificult to sort out (one comment from a Stewart in the USA who came over likened it to looking for "John Smith"). The main clues are going to be from the marriages (Duffus, Gellatly, Robertson)

Being a naturalised southerner (an Essex boy) it is a bit of an expedition to come up for some on site research but I am hoping to drag up my pikey wagon and spend a couple of weeks doing the rounds. Most of the family is listed in the Perthshire area south of Blairgowrie before they migrated to Dundee. I want the exercise to be a fruitful as possible so where is the best place to start. I presume most records are now centralised but where? Would I be able access anything more usefull at the parish level.

[Grendlsmother]

Hi

The best place to start your search is the Scotland's People website. This contains official registration documents, (BDMs), censuses, and some Old Parish Records (pre compulsory registration).

It is a pay to view site. £6 for 30 credits. A search is free, but costs one credit to view the results of the search, so try to put as much information as you believe to be accurate in your search. The use of wild cards is also useful as the soundex is not too good, for example for "Stewart" you might try "St*art" as it may be written "Stuart" on some old records. Once you have searched for and found a record that looks promising, you will need to use another 5 credits to view the actual original record. You are able to save this and also print it. Take some time to look at the instructions and tips as you can get through quite a bit of cash very quickly as I know to my cost.

There is a link to Scotlands people at the top of this page, see "TalkingScot Links" and select links - it is the first one on the list.

There is also, somewhere on the TalkingScot site, some useful information on getting the best out of your credits. I can't remember where this is, but I am sure someone else will soon point you in the right direction. I would certainly make good use of the online records before you make any trips.

Good luck!
GM

[Tracey]

Hello Missing Link and welcome to its always good to find another Essex person on this far flung part of Scotland
Good luck with your research and your travels.

[StewL]

Hello MissingLInk
Oraverybest in looking for Stewart
In my own experience I hope you don't find an Alexander Stewart in your line, that was a nightmare.
Looking for marriages linked to the names you have may give you a start too.
You could try IGI to see what comes up, it is free, but be aware that some of the enries are LDS members submissions, and may be a bit fanciful or without know sources. Although some are good too, look for extracts they are taken from the originals.

[LesleyB]

HI Missing Link

I presume most records are now centralised but where? Would I be able access anything more usefull at the parish level.

Scottish birth, marriages and deaths and census information is centralised at the ScotlandsPeople Centre in Edinburgh. This includes the surviving Old Parochial Registers. (Church of Scotland)
http://www.scotlandspeoplehub.gov.uk/

If your folks were not Church of Scotland, (Roman Catholic, Methodist, Episcopalian, Free Kirk etc) then it is more likley, broadly speaking, that you will find the surviving pre-1855 church records at the National Archives of Scotland, www.nas.gov.uk (next door to the ScotlandsPeople centre)

As suggested, best thing to do is start your search online with the www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk web site and the IGI http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/ ... _form=true and see how much you can establish first in that way.

Best wishes
Lesley