Scotland Biographies

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Scotland

Biography

A biography is a history of a person’s life. In a biography, you may find the individual’s:

• Birth, Marriage, and Death Information

• Information and the names of:
• Parents
• Spouse
• Children
• Family members.

Use the information carefully because there may be inaccuracies.

Online Databases

• The Scottish nation, or, The surnames, families, literature, honours, and biographical history of the people of Scotland, e-book.
• A Biographical dictionary of eminent Scotsmen : in four volumes, e-books.
• Lives of illustrious and distinguished Scotsmen : from the earliest period to the present time, arranged in alphabetical order, and forming a complete Scottish biographical dictionary, e-book.
• Virginia Genealogies: A Genealogy of Scotland and Virginia... 1347 - 1890 ($)
• Jacobities of North-East Scotland, 1715 - 1745 ($)
• The popular Scotish biography: being lives of eminent natives of Scotland. Brought down to the present time, from the most authentic sources. By William Anderson., e-book
• The ladies of the Covenant : memoirs of distinguished Scottish female characters, embracing the period of the Covenant and the persecution, e-book
• The Scots worthies : containing a brief historical account of the most eminent noblemen, gentlemen, ministers, and others, who testified or suffered for the cause of reformation in Scotland from the beginning of the sixteenth century to the year 1688, e-book, Vol. 2
• Biographia Scoticana : or, A brief historical account of the lives, characters, & memorable transactions of the most eminent Scots worthies, noblemen, gentlemen, ministers, and others, who testified or suffered for the Reformation in Scotland, during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. With an appendix containing a short historical account of the wicked lives and miserable deaths of some of the most bloody persecutors in Scotland. By John Howie, of Lochgoin., e-book.
• Lives of Scottish worthies / by Patrick Fraser Tytler. v. 1, e-book
• The great historic families of Scotland. v.2, e-book, Vol. 1
• The book of Scotsmen eminent for achievements in arms and arts, church and state, law, legislation, and literature, commerce, science, travel, and philanthropy. Compiled and arranged by Joseph Irving, e-book
• The Scottish nation : or, The surnames, families, literature, honours, and biographical history of the people of Scotland / by William Anderson. v.3,pt.2, e-book. Vol. 2, Pt. 4, Pt. 5, Vol. 1, Vol. 3, pt. 3, pt. 6
• Iconographia scotica: or, Portraits of illustrious persons of Scotland : engraved from the most authentic paintings, &c. With their lives, compiled from the works of the best informed and modern writers extant, manuscript as well as printed, containing many curious biographical anecdotes and particulars, never before published / the whole authenticated with notes, references, and observations, by John Smith, of the Inner Temple., e-book

You can find biographies of individuals through the Surname Search of the FamilySearch Catalog, or do a Place Search for SCOTLAND and click on the link for BIOGRAPHY.

For biographies of royalty, nobility, and those with coats of arms, see the article on Scotland Nobility.

Collections of Biographies

Thousands of biographies have been gathered and published in collections of biographies, sometimes called biographical encyclopedias or dictionaries. Usually these only include biographies of prominent or well-known British subjects. Others contain biographies of specific groups such as painters, ministers, radicals, or architects.

Search the BIOGRAPHY headings in the Locality Search of the FamilySearch Catalog if your ancestor played an important part in a group or occupation. For prominent businessmen, leaders, religious, or historical figures, the following are important sources:

• British and Irish Biographies.'London, England: Chadwick-Healey, 1986-. (On more than 1,500 Family History Library microfiche.)

This is a major, growing collection of various biographies and directories. A major portion of the collection is indexed (Family History Library fiche 6342001, 325 fiche). To find fiche numbers and index references, see Register to Family History Library Microfiche Numbers for British and Irish Biographies, 1840-1940 (Salt Lake City, Utah: Family History Library, 1989; Family History Library book Ref 942 A3cj).

You can find this collection in the Author/Title Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under BRITISH AND IRISH BIOGRAPHIES.

• British Biographical Archives. New York: K. G. Sauer, Inc, 1986. Family History Library fiche 6029709-732, 1160 fiche.) This collection of biographies is taken from 324 printed sources and covers 1600 to 1900.
• Chalmers, Alexander. The General Biographical Dictionary. Rev. ed. 32 vols. London, England: J. Nichols, 1812. (Family History Library book Ref 920.042 C353g.) This is a historical and critical account of the lives and writings of most eminent British persons from 1060 to 1812. It is arranged alphabetically and has an index in each volume.
• Dictionary of National Biography. London, England: Smith, Elder, & Co., 1885. (Family History Library book Ref 920.042 D561n; also on fiche 6051261, 278 fiche.) This series includes biographies of British subjects whose careers would be of interest to many people. It includes people who lived from 1500 to 1980.
• 'Biographical dictionary of eminent Scotsmen': Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland:
  
• Volume I. Contains names alphabetically from Abercromby to Erskine
  
• Volume II. Contains names alphabetically from Falconer to Lynedoch
  
• Volume III. Contains names alphabetically from Macadam to Young
  

You will usually find collective biographies listed in the Locality Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:

• GREAT BRITAIN - BIOGRAPHY
• SCOTLAND - BIOGRAPHY
• SCOTLAND, [COUNTY] - BIOGRAPHY
• SCOTLAND, [COUNTY], [PARISH or CITY] - BIOGRAPHY

You may find some collections under the topic GENEALOGY.

Online Biographies 

• To see a list of online biographies for Scotland, go to www.archive.org.
• To see volumes of the Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae, go to www.archive.org.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.