Scotland Genealogy

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United Kingdom Scotland

Scotland Wiki Topics
Beginning Research
Guided Research Research Strategies Record Finder Finding Town of Origin Online Learning
Record Types
Cemeteries Census Records Church Directories Church Records Civil Registration Court Records Crime & Punishment Directories Emigration & Immigration Genealogies Heraldry Land & Property Merchant Marine	Military Records Newspapers Nobility Occupations Online Records Periodicals Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc. Probate Records Religious Records Schools and Education Records Taxation
Scotland Background
Biography Church History Gazetteers Handwriting Historical Geography History	Jurisdictions Languages Maps Naming Customs Social Life & Customs For Further Reading
Cultural Groups
Scots Irish
Local Research Resources
Archives & Libraries Societies FamilySearch Centers

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

Flag of Scotland.jpg

Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Alba) is a one of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom (together with England, Wales and Northern Ireland).

The city of Edinburgh, on the east coast, is the country's capital, seat of government and chief commercial centre. The country's largest city is Glasgow. Other major cities include Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth, Stirling and Inverness.

Beginners' Corner

Reading these articles first may help you get started with your Scottish research.

• Getting Started - how to get started with your Scottish research
• Strategies for locating births, marriages, and deaths in Scotland
• Beginners Guide: Finding Records of Your Ancestors - Scotland 1855 To 1901 (42 Mb pdf file)
• Finding Your Ancestors in Scotland before 1855 - the handout from a presentation given at a genealogical conference in 2010
• Researching Your Scottish Ancestry Before 1855 - more tips for finding your ancestors
• Record selection table - a list of the best records to search to find specific information

Featured content

• Browse: Pages for Scotland
• Article: Scotland Church Records Union List - introduction to this resource available in the Wiki.
• Article: ScotlandsPeople - information about this premier website for online access to Scotland's genealogical records.

Research tools

Click on a county to go to that county's page:

• County list (with abbreviation codes)
• Maps of old and new counties
• Personal names
• Glossary of terms
• Handfast tradition
• Bartholomew's map of Scotland counties
• BYU Research Guide for Scotland 

Wiki articles describing online collections are found at:

• Scotland Births and Baptisms (FamilySearch Historical Records)
• Scotland Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Useful Websites

• Scottish Resources and help pages on RootsChat Scottish Resources and help pages. (Free).
• Catholic Church births and baptisms for 1703-1955 are now indexed on ScotlandsPeople.
• NEW! Join a Genealogy Research Community for Scotland [Facebook]
• An index of 21,000 passengers who left Scottish ports 1890-1960 is on Scottish Emigration Database
• Hebridean Connection is a useful site for those searching in the Western Isles.
• Read about the K13 submarine disaster, which took place during World War I.

Click here for information about on-line resources for Scotland