Old Meldrum, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Genealogy

Scotland

Aberdeenshire

Old Meldrum

Parish #229

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

Old Meldrum, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Type	Quoad Omnia Parish
Parish Number	229
Civil Jurisdictions
Historic County	Aberdeenshire
Council Area	Aberdeenshire
Registration District	Old Meldrum
Records begin
Parish registers: 1713
Kirk Sessions: 1698
Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions
Presbytery	Garioch
Synod	Aberdeen
Judicial Jurisdictions
Sheriff Court	Aberdeen and Peterhead
Commissary Court	Aberdeen

History

MELDRUM, a burgh of barony and a parish, in the district of Garioch, county of Aberdeen; 17 miles (S. S. E.) from Turriff, and 17¾ (N. N. W.) from Aberdeen. This place, anciently called Bethelnie, is supposed to have derived that appellation, signifying in the Hebrew language "the House of God," from the erection of a church at a very early period, and which at that time was the only religious edifice within a very extensive district. Its modern name, which is of Celtic origin, implying "the ridge of a hill," appears obviously to have been derived from the general acclivity of the surface, which towards its northern extremity attains a very considerable degree of elevation. The church, an ancient structure erected in 1684, and repaired and reseated in 1810, is centrically situated, and contains 700 sittings. There are places of worship for members of the Free Church and United Secession, and an episcopal chapel.

For more information about Old Meldrum'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 Old Meldrum as well as the library numbers for any surname indexes available:

Year	FS Library Film Number	Surname Indexes
1841	1042659	none
1851	1042121	none
1861	0103783	none
1871	0103935	none
1881	0203463	6086502 (12 fiche)
1891	0208684	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.

Established Church—Old Parochial Registers

Record Type	Years Covered	FS Library Film Number
Births:	1713-1854	0993351
Marriages:	1752-1854	0993351
Deaths:	1748-1754	0993351
	1801, 1831-1854	0993351

 

Condition of Original Registers—

Index: For an index to these records, see Scotland’s People website, 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: Record prior to 1775 appears to have been kept with care. Two families 1717–1738 are recorded on three pages at December 1738. A number of incomplete entries occur in the record, and after 1775, irregular entries are frequent. Mothers’ names are not recorded.
Marriages: This record has been carefully kept.
Deaths: Deaths and Burials, after August 1752, there are only 2 entries 1754, 1801, until 1831. Record is blank 1839–1843.
Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book 941 K23b.
Monumental Inscriptions: FS Library book 941.25/O2 V3s.

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:

Accounts 1747–1829, 1847–1876
Duguid Bequest, Charity School, Register 1799–1885
Minutes 1724–1752, Doctrine and Discipline, 1752–1772
Burnet’s Mortification Accounts 1847–1855
Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/1146.

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.

Old Meldrum United Secession Church

History—
This congregation originated with members of the congregation of Craigdam, resident in and about the town, who, partly for convenience and partly for the sake of securing evangelical preaching, applied for disjunction from Craigdam. In anticipation, they built a church in 1822 but they were not granted disjunction until 1825.
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—
Congregational Roll 1825–1863
Ledger, Treasurer’s Book 1853–1879
Other post-1855 records
Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/1168.

Old Meldrum Free Church

History—
The minister of the parish, and most of his congregation, “came out” in 1843. Church, manse, and school were forthwith erected. This was the largest purely rural congregation in Aberdeenshire. In a declining population, the congregation maintained its proportion of members.
Membership: 1848, 520; 1900, 394.
Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #918572. More details are given in the source.

Records—
No known surviving records.

Old Meldrum Episcopal Church

History—
This congregation may have existed since the Revolution. The chapel was built in 1813.
Source: History of the Scottish Episcopal Church, by John P. Lawson, pub. 1843. No copy is available in the FS Library.

Records—
The extent of Records is unknown. Write to:
The Rectory
Old Meldrum
Inverurie AB51 0AD
Scotland

Old Meldrum Society of Friends, Quakers

History—
This was associated with the very active 17th century meeting at Aberdeen. There existed at about 1789 “a fund for upholding the meeting house at Old Meldrum.” The meeting was discontinued in 1810.
Source: The Quaker Meeting Houses of Britain, vol. 2, by David M. Butler of the Friends Historical Society. FS Library Book 942 K24bd, vol. 2.

Records—
For Records, see Aberdeen parish, page 18.

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

Old Meldrum 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 www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. You must register on the website but use of the index to probate records, called 'Wills & Testaments,' is free. You may then purchase a copy of the document 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. 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 parishes list.