Keithhall and Kinkell, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #206

This is a guide to the history and major genealogical records of Scotland as they pertain to the parish of Keithall and Kinkell. To learn more about how to use these records to search for your ancestors, go to the Scotland: Research Strategies.

= History =

The New Statistical Account of Scotland (pub. 1834-45) offers uniquely rich and detailed parish reports for the whole of Scotland, covering a vast range of topics including history, agriculture, education, trades, religion and social customs. The reports, written by the parish ministers, are available online at http://edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/. Click on ‘Browse scanned pages’ then search the parish reports for your parish of interest. Also available at the Family History Library.

= Census Records =

A census is a count and description of the population, taken by the government, arranged by locality and by household. Read more about census records.

Here is a list of the Family History Library microfilm numbers for the census records of Keithall and Kinkell as well as the library numbers for any surname indexes available:

The 1901 census of Scotland is indexed on www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. To use it, you must register and pay a small access fee. All available censuses, 1841-1901, are indexed on this website. It may be easier for you to pay to use the website rather than access the separate indexes through the library.

= Church Records =

The Established Church of Scotland was Presbyterian. Read more about church records. Here are the pre-1855 records that exist for this parish.

Condition of Original Registers—
Index: For an index to these records, see the Scottish Church Records Index available on computers at the Family History Library and family history centers. The records may be indexed in the International Genealogical Index. Births: Kinkell: Records are blank except a few irregular entries, August 1723–April 1778. Mothers’ names not recorded until 1778. Keithhall: The portion to 1708 is very much wasted by dampness and want of care. Many of the leaves were partially destroyed. Mothers’ names are not recorded until 1739. Marriages: Kinkell: Records are blank December 1706–June 1708 however they are mixed up with other matters. Keithhall: marriages are recorded among the births. Record is blank August 1781–1852. Deaths: Kinkell: Records are of burials. Keithhall: Records are Mortcloth Dues and are blank November 1775–1852. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book 941 K23b. Monumental Inscriptions: Keithall and Kinkell churchyards FHL Book 941.25/K2 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 business men of the parish, chosen to serve on the session. The Kirk session 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: 

Minutes and Accounts 1684–1708 Minutes 1709–1778 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/201.

Nonconformist Church Records
A nonconformist church is any church that is not the Established church. Read more about nonconformity in Scotland in the article on the Scotland Church Records Union List.

Kinmuck Society of Friends, Quakers
History— The Kinmuck meeting house appears to have been built and the burial ground acquired by 1680 against considerable opposition. A Quaker family used it as a home in order to prevent the house from being destroyed by those in opposition. It was purchased by the Society about 1710. A school was held in the meeting house until about 1781. The building was totally reconstructed in 1832. The meeting was discontinued in 1940 and the building sold soon after. Source: The Quaker Meeting Houses of Britain, vol. 2, by David M. Butler of the Friends Historical Society. FHL Book 942 K24bd, vol. 2.

Records— For records, see Aberdeen parish.

= Civil Registration Records =

Government or civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths (also called statutory records) began on January 1, 1855 in Scotland. Each parish has a registrar's office and large cities have several. The records are created by the registrars and copies are sent to the General Register Office in Edinburgh. Annual indexes are then created for the records for the whole country. See the article on Scotland Civil Registration for more information and to access the records.

= Probate Records =

Keithall and Kinkell 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 &amp; 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 Family History Library. To find the microfilm numbers, search in the library catalog for the 'Place' 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' of Aberdeen and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

Return to Aberdeenshire parish list.