Blackford, Perthshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #333

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

History
BLACKFORD, a parish, in the county of Perth, 4 miles (S. W.) from Auchterarder; containing part of the quoad sacra parish of Ardoch. This place probably derives its name from the ancient word fiord, a way; being equidistant from the towns of Perth and Stirling, between which it formed the principal line of communication. The parish is bounded on the north by the river Earn, and on the south by the river Devon. The church, built in 1738, and recently repaired, is adapted for a congregation of 500 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 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: After 1769, there are many irregular birth entries occurring out of order. Two entries dated 1721 and 1727 are recorded on page 171, about 1784, and one for 1722 in the year 1817. One page of irregular entries 1724–1798 are recorded after marriages for December 1796. Marriages: There are no entries December 1751–March 1753, August 1783–September 1787, and December 1800–January 1802. 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 1697–1846 Accounts 1709–1714 Distributions 1765–1822 Collections 1738–1822 Baptisms 1855–1865 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/500.

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.

Blackford Free Church
History— This congregation was formed in 1842. The church was built in 1844, the charge was sanctioned in 1845, and a school erected in 1847. Membership: 1848, 193; 1900, 189. 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— FS Library Film Number Baptismal Register 1844–1875 0889483 item 2 X Marriage Register 1846–1875 0889483 item 2 X Note: The X means records have been extracted.

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
Blackford was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Dunblane until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Dunbland. 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.