Cabrach, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Genealogy

Scotland

Aberdeenshire

Cabrach

Parish #177

Guide to Cabrach history, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

Cabrach, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Type	Quoad Omnia Parish
Parish Number	177
Civil Jurisdictions
Historic County	Aberdeenshire and Banffshire
Council Area	Aberdeenshire
Registration District	Cabrach
Records begin
Parish registers: 1711
Kirk Sessions: 1731
Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions
Presbytery	Alford
Synod	Aberdeen
Judicial Jurisdictions
Sheriff Court	Aberdeen, Peterhead, and Banff
Commissary Court	Aberdeen

History

CABRACH, a parish, partly in the district of Alford, county of Aberdeen, but chiefly in the county of Banff, 12 miles (W.) from Clatt. The church is a plain edifice, erected about 1786.

For more information about Aberdour's geography, economy, history, education, and people, see the parish reports in The First and Second Statistical Accounts of Scotland, or the Third Statistical Account for Aberdeenshire 941 B4sa 3rd.

Census Records

Scottish Censuses were taken every 10 years beginning in 1801. Beginning with the 1841 Census, each individual in the nation was enumerated at the location they slept on a particular day. For more information, including which day each census was taken, read about Scottish Census Records.

Here is a list of the FS Library microfilm numbers for the census records of Cabrach as well as the library numbers for any surname indexes available:

Year	FS Library Film Number	Surname Index
1841	1042653	none
1851	1042113	none
1861	103779	none
1871	103929	none
1881	203453	6086502 (12 fiche)
1891	208673	none

Indexes and images for the 1901, 1911, and 1921 censuses of Scotland are found on ScotlandsPeople ($). Registration is required and there is a small access fee per image. All available censuses, 1841-1921, are indexed on this website.

Church Records

The Established Church in Scotland is the Church of Scotland, a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity. Church of Scotland records generally cover the period of time prior to 1855, when Civil Registration began. Unlike in England, Scottish law never mandated that vital events be registered with the established church. For more information, read about Scottish Church Records.

Here are the pre-1855 records that exist for this parish.

Established Church—Old Parochial Registers

Record Type	Years Covered	FS Library Film Number
Births:	1711-1854	0991260
Marriages:	1722-1854	0991260
Deaths:	1784-1794	0991260

Condition of Original Registers

Index: For an index to these records, see ScotlandsPeople, a pay-for-view website. The Scottish Church Records Index is also still available at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. Some records may also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland.
Births: With the exception of one entry for 1717, the record is blank for June 1714–September 1722. With the exception of one entry for 1730, it is also blank for October 1729–December 1738. There are only three entries for June 1741–November 1743 and three entries for December 1744–July 1746. Mothers’ names not recorded in the entries until 1747. After the record for 1819, there is a separate register of the children of Roman Catholics for 1767–1819, the dates in which are irregular.
Marriages: With the exception of one entry, the record is blank for October 1729–December 1738, and also for May 1740–November 1747.
Deaths: Burial records are contained on one page.
Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book 941 K23b.

Established Church—Kirk Session Records

The kirk session was the court of the parish. The session was made up of the minister and the land owners and businessmen of the parish, chosen to serve on the session. It dealt with moral issues, minor criminal cases, matters of the poor and education, matters of discipline, and the general concerns of the parish. Kirk session records may also mention births, marriages, and deaths.

Here is a list of the surviving Kirk session records for this parish:

Minutes 1731–1891
Cash Books 1740–1882
Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/45.

Nonconformist Church Records

A nonconformist church is any church that is not the established church (the Church of Scotland). For more information, read about Scottish Nonconformity.

Cabrach United Presbyterian Church

History—
A loose congregation was formed here in 1761 after visits from the Secession minister of Elgin. From that time until about 1769, there was occasional preaching in Cabrach. The first minister was ordained in 1771. There was no regular minister here from 1800.
Source: Annals and Statistics of the United Presbyterian Church, by Rev. William MacKelvie, D.D., pub. 1873. Film #477618. More details are given in the source.

Records—
There are no known pre-1855 records.

Cabrach Congregational Church

History—
This congregation was formed in 1804 and shared the Cabrach Anti-burgher chapel. There was also a place of worship in Rhynie parish and by 1808 that had become the principal place of worship for the area and Cabrach had been reduced to a preaching station.

Records—
See Rhynie parish.

Civil Registration Records

Government or civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths is called Statutory Registers in Scotland. The system began 1 January 1855, and each parish had a registrar's office, with large cities having several. Over time, districts merged and split due to changing populations and technological advancements. The system has largely stayed the same over time, with records being created by local registrars and copies sent to the General Register Office in Edinburgh. Initially annual indexes were published, but now these indexes are available online as soon as an event is registered. Many of these records are only available on ScotlandsPeople ($), however the years 1855-1875, 1881, and 1891 are available through FamilySearch(*). For more information, read about Scottish Statutory Registers.

Probate Records

Cabrach was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Aberdeen until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Aberdeen. Probate records for 1513- 1901 are indexed online at ScotlandsPeople ($). Registration is required, but use of the index to probate records, called 'Wills & Testaments,' is free. Copies of documents may be purchased, or if the document is before 1823, it will be on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library. To find the microfilm numbers, search in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Aberdeen and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Aberdeen. Ancestry.co.uk also has many probate records for Scotland and Scottish people indexed from 1861-1941($)

The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Aberdeen. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Aberdeen and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

References

Return to Aberdeenshire parish list.

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