Strachan, Kincardineshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #268

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

History
STRACHAN, a parish, in the county of Kincardine, 15 miles (N. W.) from Stonehaven. This parish derives its name, properly Strath-Aen, from the river Aen, which flows through a valley in its western portion into the river Feugh. The church, erected in the year 1791, and enlarged in 1837, is a neat structure containing 500 sittings. 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 and 1911 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, 1841-1911, 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: Births are intermixed with matters until 1783 and just marriages until 1815. There are no entries July 1728–May 1730 and February 1737–June 1738. Separate record was kept after 1815. Mothers’ names are not recorded in births until about 1816. Marriages: Marriages are intermixed with births and other matters until 1783 and just births until 1815. The registers were kept separately after 1815. There are no entries July 1728–May 1730 and February 1737–June 1738. Deaths: The registers are burials. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book 941 K23b

Monumental Inscriptions
An online index to Stratchan, Kincardine, Scotland Monumental Inscriptions is located on Aberdeen and Northeast Scotland Family History Society

A copy of the booklet is also available at The Family HIstory Library, Salt Lake City online catalog

Established Church - Kirk Session Records
The Kirk session was the court of the parish. The session was made up of he 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 1783–1810 Minutes 1843–1948 Accounts 1810–24 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/1305.

Records of Strachan Kirk Session 1783-1948 National Archives of Scotland Online Catalog

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.

Strachan Free Church
History— The minister of the parish and many of his congregation “came out” in 1843. A Church and manse were erected that year. A hall was built in 1864 in the parish of Birse. The population declined through the absorption of crofts in larger farms, and other causes. Membership: 1848, 314; 1900, 110. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. FHL Film #918572

Records— Baptisms 1836–1949 Note: Available at the Scottish National Archives, Edinburgh, record CH3/1295. National Acrhives of Scotland online Catalog

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
Strachan was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Brechin until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Stonehaven. 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 Kincardine and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Brechin. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Kincardine. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Kincardine and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.