Longside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #218

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

History
LONGSIDE, a parish, in the district of Deer, county of Aberdeen, 6 miles (W. by N.) from Peterhead. This place was disjoined from Peterhead, and received a separate erection, in the year 1620, when a church was built on an estate called Longside, and from this the parish was named. The old church having been found insufficient for the accommodation of the parishioners, the present edifice, a plain and commodious building, situated in the village of Longside, was erected in 1836; it contains sittings for 1000 persons. There is also an episcopal chapel, containing 551 sittings, erected in 1800.

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 blank April 1634–January 1656. The record prior to 1692 is a copy. Mothers’ names are not recorded until 1782. Marriages: Marriage record is blank December 1717–January 1782. Deaths: These records are burials, and are blank January 1722–January 1782. There is a duplicate of the portion 1805–1820 and the original much wasted. 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 1620–1633, 1637–1649, 1662–1713, 1722–1723, 1733–1882 Penalties 1620–1642 Accounts 1673–1713, 1717–1732, 1837–1749 Discipline 1836–1842 Poor Relief 1785–1812 Statistics Anent Deaths 1782–1806 List of Inscriptions in Grave Yard. Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/699.

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.

The New Statistical Account of Scotland for Longside, 1842 states that there were 122 Seceders within the parish, who attended services in neighboring parishes at that time.

Longside West Free Church
History—  In July 1843 services were begun here in a disused inn. A church was erected in 1845. The charge was sanctioned in that year. The manse was built in 1849. Subsequently it was remodeled and renovated. The population of the district was seriously affected by emigration and the transference of young people to the towns. Membership: 1848, 168; 1900, 150. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #918572. More details are given in the source.

Records— Minutes 1845–1929 Deacon’s Court Minutes 1845–1928 Communion Roll 1852–1929 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/631.

Longside Episcopal Church
History— This congregation has existed since the Revolution. In 1790 membership was 723. The chapel was erected in 1800. In 1843, the communicants numbered from 400 to 440 and the general membership was 600 to 700, with about 90 from neighboring parishes. Source: History of the Scottish Episcopal Church, by John P. Lawson, pub. 1843. No copy is available in the FHL.

Records— Christenings 1727–1749, 1777–1854 Marriages 1743–1744, 1812–1830, 1851–1854 Burials 1817–1854 Note: Available from the minister at: Longside Episcopal Church c/o 12 Bain Terrace Mintlaw, Peterhead AB42 5HB 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
Longside 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.