Tannadice, Angus, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #321

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

History
TANNADICE, a parish, in the county of Forfar; 7 miles (N. by E.) from Forfar. The name of this place, of Gaelic origin, is descriptive of the position of its church and village in a deeply-sheltered plain on the banks of a river. The church is an ancient edifice, and being in an almost ruinous state, is about to be rebuilt; it is adapted for a congregation of 619 persons. 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 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: Early birth records are damaged by dampness. Mothers’ names are not recorded until 1750. Marriages: Marriages are mixed with births. They are blank October 1743–May 1756. The record terminates September 1768 and there is a duplicate of the portions 1738–1743 and 1756–1768. Deaths: Burials are Mortcloth Dues. 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: 

Seat Rent Accounts 1721–1741 Minutes and Accounts 1720–1746, 1750–1774, 1786–1877 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/1019

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.

Memus Free Church
History— Groups of adherents of the Free Church from the parishes of Cortachy, Kirriemuir, Oathlaw, and Fern met in a cart shed of West Memus Far, in the parish of Tannadice in July 1843. Thereafter regular services were provided. A church was erected and opened the following October. The manse was built in 1845. It was enlarged in 1891 and the church was renovated in 1900. Several populous villages in the district dwindled and almost disappeared. Later the members were drawn from eight different parishes, the population being thin and widely scattered. Membership: 1848, 157; 1900, 133. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #918572. More details may be given in the source.

Records— Minutes 1843–1865 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/497.

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