Kemnay, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #207

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

History
KEMNAY, a parish, in the district of Garioch, county of Aberdeen, 4 miles (W. by S.) from Kintore. This place is situated on the banks of the river Don, which, by its circuitous course in this part, forms the boundary on two sides, separating Kemnay on the north from the parish of Inverury, and on the west from Chapel of Garioch and Monymusk. The present church is a handsome edifice, erected in 1844: the old building was very ancient, and last repaired in 1794.

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—
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: Records are defective 1695–99 inclusive. There are only two entries September 1747–September 1748 and a duplicate of 1780–1794 inclusive. Mothers’ names recorded 1700–1717, and after 1758. Marriages: Record prior to 1780 is mixed up with that of baptisms and there are no entries for 1781. There is only one entry November 1807–January 1811, and one for year 1817. Deaths: These records are of burials, and are blank January 1687–November 1688. 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 1599–1707, 1709–1752, 1758–1868 Discharge of Penalties 1668–1688 List of Male Heads of Families 1834–1837 Seat Rents 1761–1802 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/542

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.

Kemnay Free Church
History— Religious gatherings had been held for some time in Kemnay by members of the Free Church, when in 1864, it was recognized as a preaching station. The charge was sanctioned in 1866. For some years services were held in a hall for which a nominal rent was paid. A cottage was bought for a manse in 1871. Church and hall were erected in 1873. The granite quarries were opened about the sixties and as they developed, the population increased. The clock in the church tower was the gift of John Fyfe, owner of the quarries. Membership: 1848, 141; 1900, 160. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #. More details are given in the source.

Records— No known surviving records.

Kenmay Episcopal
See Monymusk parish.

Civil Registration Reords
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
Kemnay 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 catalog for the 'Place-names' of Aberdeen and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records.