Oxnam, Roxburghshire, Scotland Genealogy

Oxnam (#802)

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

History
OXNAM, a parish, in the district of Jedburgh, county of Roxburgh, 4 miles (E. S. E.) from Jedburgh. This place, of which the name, anciently Oxenham, is supposed to be derived from the number of oxen in the immediate vicinity. The church, erected in 1738, is a neat and substantial edifice in good repair, and is adapted for a congregation of 260 persons.

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 Oxnam. 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 Scotland Census Records.

Click here for a list of the Family History Library microfilm numbers for the

Below is information for any known surname indexes:

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 indexes through the library

Church Records
The Established Church of Scotland was Presbyterian. Read more about Scotland 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 be indexed in the [https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list#page=1&region=EUROPE International Genealogical Index. ] Births: There are no entries August 1715–January 1716. Record is irregular about 1770–1780. One page contains entries of Seceders' children, 1744–1758 and they are irregular after 1794. Mothers' names are not recorded until 1789. Marriages: There are no entries April 1760–May 1764, February 1772–April 1783. Nine entries for 1828–1832 are record after April 1784. There is a few entries of consignation money, 1784–1794. Deaths: Mortcloth Dues; no entries September 1759–April 1769, May 1771–June 1782, and April 1789–August 1810. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book.

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 1700–1756 - with gaps, 1757–1759, 1768–1797, 1807, 1812, 1822–1825 Lady Yester's Fund Accounts 1781–1825 Accounts 1758–1830 Minutes and Accounts 1721–1722 - incomplete, pp. 83–109 only Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/1232.

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.

No known nonconformist groups.

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

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.