Alvie, Inverness-shire, Scotland Genealogy

Alvie, Inverness-shire, Scotland (90b)

This parish derives its name from the small peninsula that constitutes the glebe, and on which the church and manse are built. The name is Gaelic pronounced Ealabhi, sounding bh like v in English; a word compounded of ealabh, swans, and i, an island, which, correctly translated, signifies the island of swans. The lake of Alvie from time immemorial, has been visited by a number of swans in the spring season. The parish, located in a remote Highland glen, consists of two divisions, separated by the river Spey.

The situation of the parish church is extremely inconvenient to the greater part of the population. It is situated in a corner of the parish, at the distance of eight miles from the one, and only two miles from the other extremity. It was built in the year 1798. There is a Government church at Inch, within four miles of the church of Alvie, and the district assigned to it includes a portion of this parish called Davoch of Invermarkie, containing a population of nearly 200. (Source: The New Statistical Account of Scotland, dated April 1835; FHL book 941 B4sa, series 2, vol. 14.)

Established Church—Old Parochial Registers
Years Covered     FHL Film Number  Births: 1713–1854            0990793 Marriages: 1713–1854     0990793 Deaths: No entries           0990793

Condition of Original Registers— Births: No birth entries August 1721–February 1736. There are irregular entries, 1748–1759, after the record for August 1759. There are only three entries December 1759–May 1763 and a few entries for July 1765–May 1781. Three families, 1802–1845, are on three pages prefixed to duplicate baptismal record, 1781–1787. Marriages: No marriage entries March 1721–June 1736; July 1760–June 1763; March 1767–December 1783; September 1789–January 1826 and except one entry for 1802 and one for 1834 in the baptismal register 1781, where there are also three entries of deaths 1837–1845. Source:Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. FHL British Book 941 K23b.

Established Church—Kirk Session Records
Minutes 1713–1721, 1729–1749, 1754–1760, 1763–1767, 1784–1787, 1807–1850 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/1172.

Nonconformist Church Records
Alvie and Rothiemurchus Free Church

History— The people who left the parish church in 1843 were formed into a congregation under the name of Alvie Free Church. Later they were joined by the people from Rothiemurchus, and took the name of Alvie and Rothiemurchus Free Church. Services were provided under the charge of the minister of Kingussie. For some years the services were held in barns, sheds, etc. The church was built at Milehead, Alvie in 1851. A few years later, a meeting-house was erected for the Rothiemurchus section of the congregation. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843-1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. FHL Film #918572

Records— No known pre-1855 records.