Boharm, Moray, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #128a

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

= History =

Also available online at http://edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/. Browse the scanned pages under ‘For non-subscribers,’ then search for the parish report.

= 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 census records of [Parish] 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 the Scottish Church Records Index available on computers at the Family History Library and family history centers. The record may be indexed in the International Genealogical Index. Births: There are two entries on page one of the register. There are no entries for May 1642–April 1647, June 1653–October 1654, and May 1663–July 1669. There is an index to births for 1686–1740. There are no entries for June 1690–July 1692 and July 1699–August 1700. The register was irregularly kept for 1738–1760 and 1777–1782. The portion beginning at 1793 contains many irregular entries of earlier dates and likewise entries extracted from an old tattered register belonging to the parish of Dundurcus, dated 1760–1783 on pages 35 and 21. The register is more regular after 1800. Marriages: There are no entries for July 1642–January 1647 and January 1663–November 1669; one for 1673; five for November 1685–February 1694; one for September 1698–June 1701; and ten for the years 1752–1756. There are no entries for July 1782–March 1784, August 1785–June 1791, except one for 1790, and April 1798–December 1800. Deaths: The register was regular for as long as it was kept. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. FHL 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 1634 1652, 1654 1685 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/1115.

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.

Boharm Free Church
History— After they left the Established Church, the Free Church adherents received services from January 1844 until January 1857 by the minister of Botriphnie. A probationer was then appointed and they built a church in 1857. The charge was sanctioned in 1859. A decline in the congregation reflected a decline in the rural population. Membership: 1861, 109; 1900, 100. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843 1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. FHL Film #918572. More details are given in the source.

Records—  Baptisms 1844–1856 Minutes 1844–1902 Deacons’ Court Minutes 1851–1916 Communion Roll 1834–1858 Accounts 1843–1909 There are other post-1855 records Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/1527.

= 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 =

Boharm was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Moray until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Elgin. 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' of Morya and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Moray.

The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Moray. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place' of Moray and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

Return to Moray parish list.