Mains and Strathmartine, Angus, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #307

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

History
MAINS and STRATHMARTINE, a parish, in the county of Forfar; containing the villages of Baldovan and Kirkton, 2 miles (N. N. W.) from Dundee. The original name of the old parish of Mains was Strathdighty, descriptive of it as a valley watered by the river Dighty; and the name of the other parish, which is a continuation of the same valley, is said to have been derived from a stone erected on the north side of it, in commemoration of some valorous exploit performed by a hero of the name of Martine in the ancient days of chivalry. The church, erected in 1800, is conveniently situated, and is adapted for a congregation of 900 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 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: Mains births are intermixed with marriages and other matters up to 1648. They are blank November 1637–September 1640, May 1707–December 1710, August 1717–February 1719, and April 1730–April 1732. Mothers' names are not recorded before 1657, or between 1710 and 1729. Strathmartine birth record prior to September 1784 is a copy which is continued to January 1806. Original records exist from 1784. There is one family, 1832–1849, recorded on a page after January 1806. Marriages: Mains marriages are intermixed with births and other matters up to 1648. They are blank November 1637–September 1640, June 1701–October 1722, November 1728–May 1731, and December 1805–1826. Strathmartine marriages were regularly kept. Burials: Mains burials are blank July 1759–1826. Strathmartines burials after September 1789 have only three entries, dated 1811, 1831, and 1847. 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:

Minutes and Accounts 1711–1800, 1826–1915 Note: On microfilm at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/256; the originals are at the Dundee City archives.

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.

Mains and Strathmartine Free Church
History— The congregation here was formed at the Disruption in 1843, and evening service provided. Steps were taken for the building of a church forthwith. The charge was sanctioned in 1844. Membership: 1848, 160; 1900, 183. 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— The extent of records is unknown.

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
Mains and Strathmartine was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of St.Andrews 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 St.Andrews. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Angus. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place' of Angus and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records.