Scottish blood running through your veins? If so, Scottish Ancestry: Research Methods for Family History is one of the more pleasurable reads you will find on the topic. Sherry Irvine writes as though the topic were a person. She adds life and interest to the descriptions and techniques provided for each topic. Irvine recognizes it is impossible to be everything to everyone. While some books take the subject on as a step by step guide, some focus on specific time periods, while others try to identify every possible source out there. Each book type has its pros and cons. However, Irvine kept her goal simple, yet unique: she hoped to provide a “readable tour of the records with enough background and enough about technique to eradicate the feelings of frustration and of being overwhelmed that we all know so well. I also steer you to more detailed information when you need it or when your curiosity is aroused.”
This volume covers everything one would expect in a research guide. Identification of resources. Explanation of how to access and interpret records. What can be found online and what requires an onsite visit? Add a little history and background and the result is a thorough guide to standard research topic with an emphasis on Scotland. However, this book adds a bit more.
The author has a unique writing style. Indeed, her writing style combined with structure make the book read more like a narrative than a guide or textbook. Her prose are descriptive and full of opinion, while lighthearted enough to encourage continued reading. In one instance, Irvine likens newspapers to trunks:
“Dipping into old newspapers is akin to lifting the lid of an ancient trunk in the attic. There is a fascinating mix of fact, opinion, and odd detail which throws considerable light on the loves and viewpoints of our ancestors and their communities. Context and opinion, dictated as they were by a desire to sell newspapers, can become an object of study in themselves.”
In other words, despite the fact that newspapers suffered from the need to write on subjects and in a way as to best sell papers, they are a fascinating tool anyway, full of excitement and mystery. See why the way she writes is so fun?
Every topic is covered in the book this way—paragraph form, even when introducing records sources and means to find and interpret these records. The book does have enough tables, charts, and examples to satisfy the avid text book junkie. For both an educational as well as entertaining review of Scottish ancestral records consider picking up a copy of Scottish Ancestry: Research Methods for Family Historians.
The book is available from Family Root Publishing; Item #: TP277, Price: $19.55.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1 • Prudent Preliminaries
- About Scotland
- Scottish Emigration
- Pitfalls
- The Internet
- Conclusion
2 • Well Begun is Half Done
- Develop Skills
- Objectives and Strategy
- Organization
- Seeking Assistance
- Build Knowledge and Experience
- The Records
- Historical Context
- Geographical Context
- Building a Reference Library
3 • Civil Registration
- Details
- Searching in Edinburgh
- Searching at Home with Scotland’s People
- Resources at FamilySearch
- Manual Searches
- Selecting a Search Method
- Thinking it Through
- Conclusion
4 • Bridging Decades and Centuries
- When, What, and Where
- Using the GROS Census Records
- Using Other Census Records
- The 1881 Census
- Strategy, Tips, and Pitfalls
- Directories and Electoral Rolls
- Newspapers
- Conclusion
5 • Records of the Church of Scotland
- Historical Background
- Major Indexes — On Computer
- Major Indexes — Other Formats
- Other Finding Aids
- Thinking About Indexes
- The Registers
- Monumental Inscriptions
- Kirk Sessions
- Irregular Marriages
- Conclusion
6 • Records of Secessionists and Other Denominations
- Finding the Records
- The Records
7 • Disposition of Goods and Property
- Testamentary Records
- The Online Index to Testaments
- Service of Heirs
- Register of Sasines
- Conclusion
8 • Trades and Occupations
- Government Employees and the Professions
- Merchants and Manufacturers
- Craftsmen and Tradesmen
- Ships and Railways
- Farmers and Laborers
- Conclusion
9 • Taxes and Contracts
- A Word on Local Administration
- Tax Records
- The Registry of Deeds
- Conclusion
10 • Special People
- The Poor
- The Records of the Poor
- Lawbreakers and Litigants
- Migrants
- Conclusion
11 • Problem Solving
Appendix A • Church of Scotland Baptisms and Marriages
Appendix B • The Family History Library Catalog
Appendix C • Parlimentary Papers
Appendix D • List of Useful Addresses and Websites
Bibliography
Index