Killin, Perthshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #361

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

History
KILLIN, a parish, in the county of Perth; containing part of the late quoad sacra district of Strathfillan, 8 miles (N. by W.) from Lochearnhead. This parish, which is situated within the Highland district of Breadalbane, extends from Loch Tay, on the east, to Loch Lomond, on the west. The church, erected in 1774, and repaired in 1832, is a neat structure conveniently situated, and containing 905 sittings. A church was erected towards the close of the last century, on the lands of Strathfillan; and at Ardeonaig is a mission under the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge. The members of the Free Church have a place of worship; and there are small congregations of Baptists and Independents.

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 onwww.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: There are no entries for May 1698–May 1709 and November 1717–October 1727. Marriages: There are no entries for April 1698–October 1709 and November 1717–November 1782. 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: 

Accounts and Minutes 1795–1843 Miscellanous Records 1771–1888 Note: Available at the Stirling Council Archives, Stirling, Scotland, record CH2/1246-7.

Roll of Male Heads of Families
An 1835 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.

Killin Free Church
History— The minister of the parish "came out" in 1843 along with many members of the congregation. Membership: 1848, 271; 1900, 180. 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— Minutes 1843–1931 Deacons’ Court Minutes 1845–1931 Note: Available at the Stirling Council Archives, Stirling, Scotland, record CH3/1242.

Ardeonaig Free Church
See Kenmore Parish.

Strathfillan Free Church
History— The minister of the “quoad sacra” parish "came out" at the Disruption. A church was built east of Tyndrom, and a second at Bridge of Orchy. The district ministered to extended from Glen Falloch and Crainlarich to Inveravon at the head of Glenorchy. The stoppage of the Clifton Lead Mines, depopulation, and the opening of a preaching station at Crainlarich, acted adversely on the prosperity of the congregation. Membership: 1870, 68; 1900, 71. 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— The extent of pre-1855 records is unknown. No records are deposited at the National Archives of Scotland.

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
Killin was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Dunkeld 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 Dunkeld. 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