Scotland Record Finder

The table below can help you decide which type of Scottish records to search.

Step 1. In column 1 select a research goal. Choose an ancestor you would like to know more about. What new information would you like to learn about that person?

Step 2. In column 2 find the types of records most likely to have the information you need.

> Read the FamilySearch Wiki articles about those types of records. They explain what the records might tell you, how to search them, and how to find them in the Family History Library Catalog. Some records are not at the library.

Step 3. In column 3 find additional record types that may be useful.

> Records of previous research (such as Genealogy, Biography, History, Periodicals, and Societies) are useful for most goals but are not listed unless they are especially helpful.

1. If You Need	2. Look First In	3. Then Search
Age	Census, Civil Registration, Church Records	Cemeteries, Military Records, Biography
Birth date	Civil Registration, Church Records	Cemeteries, Genealogy, Military Records, Newspapers, Occupations, Biography
Birthplace	Census, Church Records, Civil Registration,	Cemeteries, Genealogy, Newspapers, Military Records, Occupations, Biography
Boundaries of parishes, districts, and counties	Gazetteers	History, Maps
Death	Cemeteries, Church Records, Civil Registration, Newspapers	Court Records, Probate Records, Land and Property, Biography
Historical background	Genealogy, History	Church History
Emigration date	Emigration and Immigration,	Church Records
Language helps	Language and Languages
Living relatives	Civil Registration, Directories, Census	Newspapers, Periodicals, Societies, Biography
Maiden name	Civil Registration, Church Records	Cemeteries, Census, Land and Property, Probate Records, Biography
Marriage	Church Records, Civil Registration,	Biography, Genealogy, Newspapers, Nobility
Occupation	Church Records, Census, Directories, Civil Registration, Occupations, Probate Records	Court Records; Poorhouses, Poor Law, Etc.; Land and Property, Biography
Parents, children, and other family members	Census, Church Records, Civil Registration, Probate Records	Cemeteries, Land and Property, Schools, Biography
Physical description	Military Records, Court Records	Biography, Newspapers, Occupations
Place-finding aids	Gazetteers, Maps	Directories, History, Historical Geography, Land and Property, Periodicals
Places of residence	Census, Church Records, Civil Registration, Directories	Land and Property, Probate Records, Biography
Place of residence when you know only the county	Civil Registration, Church Records, Land and Property, Probate Records, Taxation, Census,	Cemeteries
Previous research (compiled genealogy)	Biography, Genealogy, Societies	Nobility, Periodicals
Record-finding aids	Archives and Libraries, Genealogy	Periodicals, Societies
Religion	Biography, Church Records, Civil Registration	Census, Cemeteries, Genealogy, History
Understanding names	Names (Personal)