Forgandenny, Perthshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #353

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

History
FORGANDENNY, a parish, partly in the county of Kinross, but chiefly in that of Perth, 3½ miles (W.) from Bridge of Earn. The church, a plain edifice of considerable antiquity, was formerly one of the eleven prebendal churches of Dunkeld cathedral; it has undergone repair, and accommodates 410 persons. There are places of worship for members of the Free Church and the United Secession.

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

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, 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—
Indexed: 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 Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Some records may also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland. Births: Prefixed to the regular record which began in September 1695, are three pages containing entries of the name of Oliphant, dated 1654–1695. They are copied from an extract made by William Toshach, the Session-clerk, in December 1738. It was from an old register now lost. There are no entries August 1721–May 1723. Except for January 1743–September 1744, mothers' names are recorded after January 1739, and omitted again June 1791–December 1795. There is a separate list of Seceders' children for July 1749–January 1758 after the record for August 1746. Marriages: Prior to 1733, there are separate entries for the proclamations and the marriages. There are no entries August 1720–July 1723 and December 1799–January 1801. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book 941 K23b.

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 1709–1836 Cash Books 1794–1845, 1849–1928 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/161.

The Kirk Session Minutes also contain mortcloth payments that can be used to identify deaths, for example:"10 Oct 1759 By the Cloth on Robert Arnot in Ardargie £1/10", reference CH2/161/3/271

Roll of Male Heads of Families
An 1834 list of male heads of families in this parish can be found here.

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 Lists.

Pathstruie or Path of Condie Associate Church
History— Several parishioners of Forgandenny joined the Secession when it occurred in 1733. They joined with other seceders in neighboring parishes and sermon was supplied at Dunning until 1740 when it was withdrawn. In 1749 the Seceders in Forgandanny and Forteviot applied to the Synod to be again formed into a separate congregation, which was allowed. In 1758 they took possession of a place of worship which they had erected in the hamlet of Pathstruie, with seating for 380. 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— FHL Film Number Baptisms and other records, 1765–1860 559522 item 7 X Note: The X means records have been extracted.

Forgandenny Free Church
History— The minister of the parish and about two-thirds of his congregation "came out" in 1843. There was much opposition to the Free Church. The minister found a room to shelter him in the summer, but had to leave the parish for the winter. Church and manse were built on a feu terminable at the death of a life renter. A new church and manse were erected on another site in 1885. Membership: 1848, 220; 1900, 66. 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— Deacons Court Minutes 1845–1929 Treasurers Account Book 1843–1929 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/134.

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
Forgandenny was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Dunblane until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Dunblane. 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-names' of Perthshire and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Dunblane. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Perthshire. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Perthshire and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records.