How far back?.....

Alice Bradford · Post by **Alice Bradford** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 6:53 am

I've been wondering how far back most people are able to get their research. I'm in Lanark and Perth if that matters.
Thanks,
Alice

momat · Post by **momat** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 8:44 am

I'll start the ball rolling.

The earliest document that I have found using IGI is for 1744 in LANARK.
Hopefully I can go further back.
I am sure there are many who can go back further than this.

Cheers,

WilmaM · Post by **WilmaM** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 12:03 pm

I was highly chuffed to find an 1841 census entry for Charles & Jane GOODALE in Banffshire.
They were both down as aged 80 so, as the ages were rounded down, their births are between 1757 and 1761

Rab · Post by **Rab** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 12:49 pm

My earliest document is the marriage of my greatx4 grandparents in 1822. Try as I might I can't get back any further. I hate brickwalls.

Kathy · Post by **Kathy** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 1:12 pm

My earliest is 1715 my husbands GGGGG Grandfather, with my side I'm back to 1790 my GGG Grandfather.

Kathy

CatrionaL · Post by **CatrionaL** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 1:19 pm

I'm fortuanate in having enthusiastic and serious genealogists on my two paternal lines, so although I have been able to trace through and confirm the sources, the main work was done by others.

In Renfrewshire, thanks to the fact that they owned land and made wills, our ancestors have been traced back to 1560. In the Fife coalmines we also know of a 5th Great Grandfather, born in Fordel in 1702.

My own research, on the maternal side has taken me back to 1767 in Aberdeenshire, again thanks to wills and land owned.

However the Find of the Week for me was in Lewis. I had given up any hope of getting very far back without professional help. There are just too many Macleods/Macdonalds/McAskills out there. Suddenly though, I made a leap back to 1741. Living on the croft on the 1841 Census was my 4th Great Grandmother, aged 100 years old with her son, grandson and great grandson, aged 6 months.

Catriona

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 1:30 pm

Hi all
The earliest relative a have note of is a relative who I think was born in 1708:
- but I can't prove this absolutely - still working on that one! He married about 1736 - no record found in OPR but I have a record for their first child in the OPRs in 1737

The earliest actual document I have a copy of is a nine page marriage contract drawn up in 1771. At the archives I was actually allowed to touch the original document (no gloves!) which was pretty amazing as it has the signature of my 5th Great grandfather on it. It was a very strange feeling touching the same document as he had handled all those years ago.
Definately rates as one of the high points! $\:D/$

Best wishes
Lesley

Alice Bradford · Post by **Alice Bradford** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 3:30 pm

Thank you so much for all of your interesting and helpful responses. I wasn't much interested in getting out of bed even though it it a beautiful day out there, but knew I'd have mail from TalkingScots and so I got up. I wasn't disappointed. Your responses were so inspiring. I know that when I get a bit down on this work that someone out there can perk me up.
Alice

Post by **AnneM** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 3:40 pm

Alice

Ihn my view you are very lucky to be researching in Perth. The OPRS in Perth are very well kept and have plenty of info. Best of luck. My Perth people are back to the C17.

Anne

hudggy · Post by **hudggy** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 5:34 am

I have managed to get back Circa 1590 in Glasgow using the OPRS
Margaret Lyndsay and Jhone Philp married 1610 they are 10th
Great-Grandparents.They had eight children the spelling of my great-grandfathers first name is as shown in the OPRS so I dont know if it is correct.I have put Circa as I only know they were married in 1610 do not have when they were born so I have allowed 20 years back from their wedding.

TalkingScot.com

How far back?.....

How far back?.....

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