Rafford, Moray, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #140

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

= History =

Also available online at http://edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/. Browse the scanned pages under ‘For non-subscribers,’ then search for the parish report.

= 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 census records of Rafford, 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 [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Scotland_Church_Records 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 the Scottish Church Records Index available on computers at the Family History Library and family history centers. The records may be indexed in the International Genealogical Index. Births: No entries for Jul 1683–Feb 1687, May 1688–Feb 1691, and Mar 1695–Sep 1703 (except one for 1700). The greater part of the page after April 1715 is destroyed. No entries for Dec 1715–Sep 1716 (except a page of irregular entries for 1726–48. No entries for Feb 1730–Sep 1738. Marriages: No entries for Dec 1725–Dec 1738 (Except one for 1730). There is only one entry for 1773, none for 1781, one for 1793 and two for 1803. No entries for Nov 1805–Nov 1806. Subsequent to 1740, most of the pages of both the birth and marriage records are signed by the session clerk. Deaths: The record is of burials. 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: 

FHL Film Number Collections 1850–3 1482989 item 3 List of the heads of communicant families 1842 “ Note: Kirk session minutes from 1838 may still be in the possession of the minister.

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.

Rafford Free Church
History— The minister of the parish and a considerable number of the congregation “came out” and adhered to the Free Church in 1843. A church was built in 1843-4 and a new church was built in 1900. Membership: 1848, 422; 1900, 270. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843 1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. FHL Film #918572. More details are given in the source.

Records— Minutes 1843–4, 1855-1936 Deacons’ court minutes 1843–1935 List of members 1843 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/1132.

= Civil Registration =

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 =

Rafford was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Moray until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Elgin. 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' of Moray and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Moray.

The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Moray. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place' of Moray and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records. Return to Moray parish list.