ABERDEEN-L Archives

From: "Gordon Troup" <>
Subject: Fw: RESEARCH ADVICE TO NEWBIES - PART 1 NRH RECORDS
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 12:50:05 -0700

-----Original Message-----
From: Gordon Troup <>
To: Moray Nairn Banff <>
Date: Friday, December 03, 1999 12:47 PM
Subject: RESEARCH ADVICE TO NEWBIES - PART 1 NRH RECORDS


>Hello Everyone
>I would like to take a little time to explain some of the basics regarding
>the records available in Scotland that will be of use to people conducting
>genealogical research. This is written from a North American perspective
>and is primarily intended for the benefit of those of you who cannot do
>your own research in Scotland. This message was originally posted on the
>Moray list but has since been revised and released on both Aberdeen and
>Moray lists. I will continue with several more messages, the next one will
>explain a little about the OPR's.
>
>BMD's
>These are birth, marriage and death records and they are held in various
>locations. All records before 1855 are called OPR's (Old Parish Registers)
>and all records after 1854 will be referred to by me as NRH (New Register
>House) records. Records after 1854 were kept by the government (as opposed
>to the churches prior to then) and are of a standardized form (the basic
>format has been revised on occasion). The pre-1855 records will vary in
>detail depending on the parish and often contain much less information than
>the post-1854 records.
>NRH
>The NRH houses all BM's 1557-1897 and D's 1855-97 (according to their web
>page). The LDS have microfilmed all OPR's and these are available through
>their FHC's, and depending on the size of the facility some of the films
>will be there on permanent loan (larger facilities). The NRH's greatest
>value is for post 1854 records as the LDS facilities can provide all pre
>1855 microfilms at lower cost.
>GRO
>GRO (General Register Office) is the on-line version of the NRH and houses
>virtually all the records you may want to locate but the cost of their
>services is extremely high when compared to other agencies. They offer a
>relatively low cost on-line service which may help significantly if you use
>it systematically. You can start checking them out at:
>http://www.open.gov.uk/gros/faq.htm
>Their on-line service has an index of the above-mentioned items and also
>includes the 1891 census. This site will offer much more detail on the
>rates and services they offer.
>CENSUS
>There has been a census taken every ten years in the UK ever since about
>1801. In 1841, all people were identified by name, residence, approximate
>age (exact ages to 20, thereafter 20-24 is recorded as 20, 25-29 is
recorded
>as 25, etc.), whether or not that person was born in the parish, and
>occupation. In 1851 the age grouping was dropped in favour of exact ages,
>and parish and county of birth was recorded. All census data 1841-91 is
>available through GRO or LDS (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,
>or Mormons) FHC's (Family History Centres) in Canada or the USA. The 1881
>census is now available on CD and you can get most of your data easily by
>requesting it through the message boards. Some 1841, 51 and 61 census
>records have been transcribed and indexed and are readily available.
>IGI
>The International Genealogical Index was made up from the OPR index, NRH
>records from 1855-75 and 1881, and from PAF (Personal Ancestral Files)
>submitted to LDS. As such it is an incomplete index of BMD's in Scotland
>but does provide the best initial source for your searches.
>RESEARCH ADVICE AND STRATEGIES
>Most of my initial research was completed before the IGI came on-line and
>was done through the OPR index, however, the strategies of searching should
>be similar. GRO records under 100 years old are not available to the
>general public on-line so if you cannot start with an individual BMD event
>before 1899 I wish you luck.
>The IGI index is FREE and you can use it to identify many of the records
you
>will subsequently need from the NRH. It will provide you with many
>names, events and dates to search in the GRO on-line service. I would
>recommend that you use the GRO on-line service to get the index listings of
>any BMD events 1855-99, and rather than ordering the record from them
locate
>someone willing to do searches for you. They may charge anywhere from
L2-L4
>to look up the record and record the full information for you, or about L8
>plus postage to get an extract from GRO. If you order the record from GRO
>it will cost you L16 so this is one way of reducing costs.
>For all records pre-1855 DO NOT use GRO to get copies of the records if you
>can find another source. All OPR's were microfilmed and are available
>through LDS (in Canada at $5, USA at $3.50) which allows you to see the
>entire film for 3-4 weeks and glean all the information you want off there.
>Some of the most important records you can locate are death records of
>elderly ancestors who died 1855-70 as they will lead you much further back
>in your search. The easiest records to locate are those of married women
as
>they are filed both under their maiden and married names.
>It is extremely important that you understand that the index records
located
>through the OPR, IGI or GRO are not sufficient proof and you will need the
>actual records eventually.
>Here are some samples of the types of records you will find:
>NRH RECORDS
>BIRTH 1855
>?/69
>Elizabeth Hadden
>October 29 1855
>10h 0m pm
>Bridgeton, St. Vigeans
>John Hadden, Blacksmith, age 32, born Kinnell; Mary Hadden maiden surname
>Ruxton her first child, age 30 born Inverkeillor, married 12 Jan 1855 St.
>Vigeans
>John Hadden (present at birth)
>13th Nov 1855 at St. Vigeans
>Registrar John Naysmith
>(All 1855 records have more detail than subsequent years)
>
>BIRTH 1884
>247/65
>Robert Troup
>July 6 1884
>0h 30m am
>Mains of Idoch
>Robert Troup, farmer and Mary Wilson 1880 January 15 Auchterless
>Robert Troup
>July 26 1884 Turriff
>
>
>MARRIAGE 1859
>272/1
>James Anderson and Agnes Paterson
>19 October 1859
>2 Bank Street, Arbroath Est C of S
>his age 26
>First Mate Merchant Service
>No.2 Ann Street, Ladyloan, Arbroath
>her age 23
>no occupation given
>No. 2 Bank Street, Arbroath
>his parents George Anderson, Shipowner (dec) and Mary Ferrier
>her parents John Paterson, late Railway Guard and Elisabeth Gibson
>Witnesses AE Macdougall, Minister of Ladyloan: Jane Pigott and W.C.
>Paterson, Farmer
>20 October 1859 Arbroath
>
>DEATH 1858
>146/24
>James Troup
>Farmer
>Married
>December 9 1858
>4h pm
>Breadthless, Alvah
>age 65
>parents Alexander Troup, farmer (dec) and Anne Cruickshank (dec)
>Sciatica & Dropsy 4 weeks buried churchyard Turriff
>Alexander Troup, son Luncarty, King Edward
>December 13 1858 Alvah
>(The above are transcriptions of the NRH records that are supplied by GRO
at
>L16 per item. The number code ie. 247/65 is the reg. dist. and number of
>record for that year.)
>
>CENSUS - (From LDS microfilms or transcriptions, except for 1881 which came
>from the CD)
>(1841 Census)
>Parish of Monymusk
>Knockoch Charles WATT 25 Farmer Yes
>Margaret do 20 Yes
>Alexander WILSON 25 Ag. Lab. Yes
>Charles WILSON 2 mos Yes
>Peter
>(1851 Census)
>Parish of Monymusk 1851
>45. Haddoch Charles WATT Head 36 Farmer of 87 acres employing 4 labourers
>Knockollochie, Chapel of Garioch
>Margaret do Wife 27 Farmer’s wife do do
>Catharine do Daur 7 Scholar do Monymusk
>David ADAM Serv 24 Ag. Lab. Do do
>John LOW Serv 20 do do do do
>Patr. ADAM Serv 14 do do do do
>Margaret MAITLAND Serv 27 House Serv do, Alford
>(1881 Census)
>Dwelling: Mains Of Idioch
>Census Place: Turriff, Aberdeen, Scotland
>Source: FHL Film 0203467 GRO Ref Volume 247 EnumDist 6 Page 7
>Marr Age Sex Birthplace
>Robert TROUP M 36 M Alvah, Banff, Scotland
>Rel: Head
>Occ: Farmer Of 170 Acres 164 Arable Employing 3 Men 1 Girl
>Mary TROUP M 24 F Kintore, Aberdeen, Scotland
>Rel: Wife
>Occ: Farmers Wife
>Margaret FORDYCE U 22 F Aberdour, Aberdeen, Scotland
>Rel: Serv
>Occ: Gen Serv (Domestic)
>David GRIEVE U 18 M Fyvie, Aberdeen, Scotland
>Rel: Serv
>Occ: Farm Serv
>James DONALD U 21 M Boyndie, Banff, Scotland
>Rel: Serv
>Occ: Farm Serv
>
>
>Another important source for records is the various MI (Monument
>Inscription) Booklets available for the various parishes. Not all parishes
>have been recorded, but most have, and although not all have been
reproduced
>in booklet form they are still available with a little searching.
>
>This is not meant to be a comprehensive set of instructions on how to go
>about researching your family, it is merely a summary of some of the
methods
>and sources for genealogical research. Samples of the types of record
>transcriptions have been included to give you an idea of the range of
>information each record you are searching for is likely to contain.
>Information on the records themselves can also be incorrect as the
>individual reporting the event may not know all the details at the time.
>My time for research has been reduced considerably lately, due to other
>demands and commitments so I request that any messages to me be sent
through
>the board as I cannot seem to keep up with my e-mail.
>I hope this will assist you in your research, don't forget we all have to
>start somewhere (usually with very little knowledge to begin with) and with
>a little persistence you may find that the information you seek is not all
>that hard to find even if you don't live anywhere near Scotland.
>Good luck in your research.
>Gordon Troup
>Peace River, Alberta
>
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