Monzie, Perthshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #382

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

History
MONZIE, a parish, in the county of Perth; containing the villages of Chapelhill and Herriotfield, 3 miles (N. N. E.) from Crieff. The name Monzie is derived from the Gaelic Moighidh, signifying "a level tract." The church, a neat but unpretending edifice, was built in 1830-1, and contains sittings for 512 persons. 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 FS 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 FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. Some records may also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland. Births: Only three birth entries April 1721–February 1727 and only one for May 1730–December 1731. After 1819 are seven pages containing irregular entries dated 1770–1825. Mothers' names are not recorded until November 1727 and often omitted 1732–1746. Marriages: Marriages intermixed with other matters prior to 1705. No entries November 1705–January 1728. After November 1769 the record seems to be one of proclamations. 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 1691–1699, 1749–1835 Accounts 1691–1704, 1750–1864 Minutes and Accounts 1711–1749 Poors’ Money Accounts 1711–1731 Treasurers Account Book 1836–1843 Clerical Record 1839 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/654.

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

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.

Logiealmond United Presbyterian Church
History— Some agriculturists pastured goats on their farms and the milk of these animals, being considered beneficial to health, caused many invalids to be drawn from different and distant places to the district in the hope of benefitting thereby. Ministers were among the number attracted there. While there, they were induced to preach to the people on account of their distance from any place of worship. They obtained supply of sermon from the General Associate Antiburgher Presbytery of Perth about 1745. Moderation granted January 1745. First church built 1751; second in 1811. Source: Annals and Statistics of the United Presbyterian Church, by Rev. William MacKelvie, D.D. pub. 1873. Film. More details are given in the source.

Records—  The extent of pre-1855 Records is unknown. No records deposited at the National Archives of Scotland.

Logiealmond Free Church
History— The minister and practically all the congregation of the “quoad sacra” church at Chapelhill "came out" in 1843. With the consent of the proprietor they continued to use the church. The estate, however, changed hands and at Mr. Watson's translation in 1853, the new proprietor required them to leave the church. A new church and manse were erected at the village of Harrietfield in 1854. Membership: 1848, 180; 1900, 100. 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— Minutes 1843–1907 Deacons Court Minutes 1844–1858 - damaged by dampness Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/562.

Monzie Free Church
History— The minister of Monzie, with three-fourths of the entire population of the parish, and six of the eight elders, "came out" in 1843. The manse was built in 1861. A new church was erected in 1869 on the border of Monzie, Foulis Wester, and Crieff, serving all these parishes.

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.

The congregation of Monzie Free Church, which sat within the Presbytery of Auchterarder, was established in 1843 when the minister and the majority of the population of the parish of Monzie adhered to the Free Church. Monzie FC initially worshipped in the open air until a wooden church was built in August 1843, this meeting house was later replaced by a new church, erected and opened in 1869. Following the union of the United Presbyterian Church and the Free Church of Scotland in 1900, Monzie Free Church became Monzie United Free Church and upon the 1929 union between the United Free Church of Scotland and the Church of Scotland, Monzie United Free Church was renamed Monzie North Church of Scotland. In 1938 Monzie North established a union with the congregation of Monzie Old, under the name of Monzie Church of Scotland and after this local union both churches were used during alternate months for seven years, at which time the Old Church was chosen as the place of worship. The former South Church was sold in 1953. In 1961 Monzie established a link with the charge of Fowlis Wester and a further link followed in 1984 with the congregation of Madderty. The linked charge of Monzie Church of Scotland remains active today under the jurisdiction of the Presbytery of Perth.Membership: 1848, 371; 900, 210. Source: Adminstrative History from National Archives of Scotland www.nas.gov.uk

Records— FS Library Film Number Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths, 1836–1861 item 2 X Note: The X means records have been extracted. Other: Minutes 1843–1900 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/567.

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