Genealogy links

Aberdeen & North-East Scotland Family History Society

This professional group has volunteers who may be willing to do research (at a price) for people who join it.  But before you approach them, try to pull together as much information about your forebears as possible, especially dates, addresses, known relatives/descendants, etc.  This organisation has a wide range of publications on all aspects of family history, and we recommend you make use of those relevant to your area of interest. Visit: www.anesfhs.org.uk

Scotland’s People

The next place to look is this official government site which again charges a small fee for online use, but gives you access to census, birth, death and marriage records and old parish records from the whole of Scotland, sorted by county and parish. You can also access wills, testaments and coats of arms. Visit: www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/

National Records of Scotland

For births, marriages and deaths before about 1850, you could try contacting the National Records of Scotland about Marnoch church records, which they should have (not available on-line). Visit: www.nrs.gov.uk

Find my past

This site provides data for family history research in Scotland, as well as an enhanced link to the LDS International Genealogical Index. This is particularly useful if you have only the surname of the person you are searching for.  Visit: www.findmypast.co.uk

Scottish Genealogy Society

This is an interesting site, particularly if your ancestors were landowners. Visit: www.scotsgenealogy.com

Aberdeenshire Archives

A useful source, which unfortunately is not available online, is the collection of valuation rolls – lists of every property with owners and occupiers – from around 1890.  These are currently kept in Aberdeen (a 100-mile round trip away from Aberchirder!) and the archivist has no resources for doing research on people’s behalf.  It may be that one day this material will appear online, but this is probably years away. Visit: http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/education_learning/local_history/archives/loc_archiveshomepage.asp

Aberdeenshire Library and Information Service

This service has a fine local history collection.  If you intend to visit in person, it is worth checking opening times and phoning in advance to the Library you will be using advising them of your area of interest. Visit: www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/libraries/

Northeast Scotland Roots

Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire Councils have set up a website to assist those seeking to trace their roots in North East Scotland.  The site acts as a directory to organisations and institutions holding original or secondary sources of information useful in the quest for ancestors. Visit: www.northeastscotlandroots.com

Genealogy Guide

We encourage suggestions from those who are researching their family history and have received an excellent link to a detailed guide from the US. It will certainly assist anyone no matter where they are in the world. – History at Home: A Guide to Genealogy.
Our thanks go to Ashley & Nancy forwarding this to us!

We hope these references will help you with your research and we would be interested to hear of any interesting information you have concerning Aberchirder and district – in particular photographs with a local connection – for inclusion in our Virtual Museum.