beginning of scanned pamphlet. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- T R A C I N G Y O U R F A M I L Y H I S T O R Y ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I N E D I N B U R G H ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ C E N T R A L L I B R A R Y ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Edinburgh Central Library, with its long opening hours and extensive genealogical collections is a useful place to visit in your search for your Scottish ancestors. This leaflet aims to tell you what is available in the library as well as helping you to make the best use of our collections. Since compiling a family tree can be a complicated procedure, it may be helpful first to consult one of the many books on how to go about it. The Scottish Department holds several of these, most of which can be borrowed for home reading. Once you are ready to begin, there are several sources in which you can find information about your family. CENSUS RETURNS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These are available in the library between 1841 and 1891 for the following areas of Scotland. LOTHIANS, DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY, BODRDERS, CLACKMANNANSHIRE, KINROSS-SHIRE, FIFE, AYRSHIRE The Edinburgh Room holds the census for the city itself: the rest are kept in the Scottish Department. The census is arranged according to parish and then by address. It will tell you who was present in the house on the day of the census, their relationship to the head of the family, their ages, occupations and in most cases, the parish in which they were born. The census can be particularly useful for discovering members of your family not in your direct line. OLD PAROCHIAL RECORDS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These are records which were kept by the Church of Scotland, and they form the main source of information on births and marriages before official registration began in 1855. They are commonly known as the Old Parish Registers or OPRs. The Library holds the OPRs for the same areas as the census. Within each parish the records are kept in date order, just as they were written down by the Session Clerk. We have microfilmed copies of the original registers and so some of the entries are very difficult to read. The registers only contain information about members of the Church of Scotland. INDEX TO THE OPRs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This covers the whole of Scotland and separately lists christenings and marriages for each county. It provides the same basic information as the OPRs, but it is easier to use and read. However, it does not give as much information: for example, names of witnesses are not given. INTERNATIONAL GENEALOGY INDEX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The I.G.I. was compiled by the Mormon Church (as was the index to the OPRs) and again covers all of Scotland. The main differences between the I.G.I. and the O.P.R. Index are that the I.G.I. lists christenings and marriages together, and it contains some information from after 1855. Several editions of the I.G.I. have been published, the first of which is arranged alphabetically by name. Subsequent editions are first divided into counties, and then arranged by name. Both the I.G.I. and Index to the OPRs are on microfiche and are kept in the Scottish Department. The Reference Department holds the I.G.I. for England, Wales and Ireland. FAMILY HISTORIES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Scottish Department holds more than 1300 books about particular families. Even if we do not have a book about your family, we may be able to tell you if a work exists in another Scottish library. MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In many areas of Scotland local and family history societies have recorded the information inscribed on pre-1855 gravestones in their area. Both the Scottish Department and Edinburgh Room collect these as they are published. However, not everyone would have had a gravestone, and many stones have by now been vandalised or been rendered illegible by the weather. Since these records have been compiled on a voluntary basis, they do not exist for every area of Scotland. DIRECTORIES ~~~~~~~~~~~ Both the Edinburgh Room and the Scottish Department have trade and post office directories going back to the nineteenth century. These can be useful for placing someone at a particular time or for finding addresses, but they will not give any further family information. Furthermore, in the case of many Scottish directories we do not hold complete runs. PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORIES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lists of members of various professions are kept in the Library. For example the Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae is a list of ministers of the Church of Scotland from the Reformation (1560) until 1975. The above is a list of just some of the sources which the library holds, and descriptions given are very brief. Should you have any further questions please do not hesitate to ask a member of staff. POINTS TO REMEMBER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Talk to older members of your family. They may be able to provide you with enough information to get you started. 2. It is useful to have a plan of action before coming to the library. It could save you a lot of time. 3. One problem with many genealogical sources is not finding the name you are looking for, but proving that the person is related to you. You will have to check that all the details correspond - parents, children, places, have to fit in with any information you may already have. 4. Take a careful note of everything you find, even if it does not appear to be immediately relevant. It could fall into place later. 5. Much of our information is on microfilm or microfiche. There are limited copying facilities for which you will need change. If we are very busy you may need to wait to use a microfilm reader. We do not operate a booking system. Be warned - tracing your family tree can be addictive and may end up taking years'! READING LIST ~~~~~~~~~~~~ BEDE, Tim MacRoots: how to trace your Scottish ancestors BLACK, George F The surnames of Scotland: their origin, meaning and history CORY, Kathleen B Tracing your Scottish ancestry FERGUSON, Joan P S Scottish family histories HAMILTON-EDWARDS, Gerald In search of Scottish ancestry JAMES, Allwyn Scottish Roots: a step-by-step guide for ancestor hunters in Scotland and overseas MOODY, David Scottish family history SINCLAIR, Cecil Tracing your Scottish ancestors: a guide to ancestry research in the Scottish Record Office WHYTE, Donald Scottish ancestry research: a brief guide WILLSHER, Betty Understanding Scottish graveyards: an interpretative approach ---------------------------------------------------------------------- end of scanned pamphlet.