Fintray, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #193

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

History
FINTRAY, a parish, in the district and county of Aberdeen, 2½ miles (E.) from Kintore. This place is said to have derived its name from a Gaelic term signifying "the fair bank or boundary of the river." It was formerly celebrated for its abbey, nothing of which now remains but the foundations; it was called the Northern Abbey of Lindores, and is supposed to have been erected in 1386. The church, which is a commodious and substantial building, was erected in 1821, and has 500 sittings.

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 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—
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 FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. Some records may also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland. Births: These records appear to have been regularly kept, but mother’s names are not recorded in the entries until 1799. Marriages: Previous to August 1730, marriage records are recorded among the baptisms. There are no entries between the latter date and June 1731, when a separate register is commenced. The records are blank between 1735–November 1783. Deaths: Burials are blank October 1794–January 1816. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book. Monumental Inscriptions: for Hatton of Fintray churchyard Family Historyu Library 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 1662–1699, 1701–1897, with some Accounts Collections, etc., 1728–1745 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/155

CH2/155 Records of Fintray Kirk Session 1662-1908 Online Catalogue at National Archives of Scotland

Roll of Male Heads of Families
1834, 1835, 1836 and 1837 lists of male heads of families in this parish can be found here.

Monumental Inscriptions
The Kirkyard of Fintray in Aberdeen has been indexed by the North-East Scotland Family History Society.

FamilySearch Library has has booklets in Salt Lake City Online catalog with call number that can viewed.

A second booklet is available the MI"s of Fintray Online Catalogue

Online listing is available through the: Aberdeen and North-East Scotland Family History Society

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.

See Blackburn Free Church 1843-1900 CH3/563 Online Catalogue at 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
Fintray 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 FamilySearch 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.