New Machar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #227

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

History
MACHAR, NEW, a parish, in the district and county of Aberdeen, 10 miles (N. W. by N.) from Aberdeen. This parish, which derives its appellation from its having been disjoined from Old Machar, comprehends certain lands named Straloch, in the county of Banff, though entirely surrounded by the county of Aberdeen. These lands are separated from the main portion of the parish by a branch of the parish of Udny, uniting itself to that of Fintray; this division of Udny has for several years been annexed quoad sacra to New Machar, and the lands of Straloch are now rated and politically attached to the county of Aberdeen. The church was built in 1791, and contains between 600 and 700 sittings. The members of the Free Church have a place of worship.

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 FS 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—
Index: 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: There are no entries April 1693–August 1694, April 1699–May 1713, and March 1716–March 1717. There are irregular entries of frequent occurrence throughout. Mothers’ names are not recorded until 1789. Marriages: There are no entries June 1694–February 1696, August 1698–May 1717, and November 1793–August 1798. Deaths: Mortcloth Dues until 1783; then burials. There is only one entry March 1795– January 1817. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book 941 K23b. Monumental Inscriptions: FS Library Book 941.25/N3 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 1665–1666, 1670–1676, with blanks, 1676–1683, 1692–1706, 1717–1778, 1782–1811 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/281.

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.

New Machar Free Church
History— The minister of the parish, and many of his people, “came out” in 1843. Church and manse were erected that year on sites granted in the village of Sommerhill. The congregation suffered considerably when Messrs. Crombie removed their works from Cothal Mill. The opening of Dyce Free Church also took some members away. In 1845 New Machar was transferred from the Presbytery of Aberdeen to that of Ellon. Membership: 1848, 450; 1900, 225. 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— There are no known pre-1855 Records.

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
New Machar 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-names' 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 catalogfor the 'Place-names' of Aberdeen and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records.