Leslie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #215

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

History
LESLIE, a parish, in the district of Garioch, county of Aberdeen, 7 miles (W. S. W.) from Old Rain. This place is said to have derived its name from a family who held the lands so early as the eleventh century. It is very pleasantly situated on the banks of the Gady, a beautiful stream celebrated by Arthur Johnstone, the elegant Latin poet. The church, containing nearly 300 sittings, is situated on the southern bank of the Gady, not far from the eastern extremity of the parish; it was built in 1815. There is a place of worship for Independents.

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 February 1719–March 1745, except a few irregular entries December 1785–1795 inclusive. Mothers’ names are not recorded until 1811. Marriages: There is one entry August 1702–April 1704, and four entries September 1707–April 1711. There is one entry for 1712, and records are blank July 1719–December1782. There is only two entries December 1785–July 1788, and two November 1792–June 1795, one entry for 1808, and one for each of the years 1812–1816 inclusive. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book. Monumental Inscriptions: Family History Library Books V3s; also

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:

No known surviving Records.

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.

Leslie and Premnay
History— A congregation was formed soon after the Disruption of those who adhered to the Free Church in these two parishes. A missionary was appointed in April 1844. A day school was maintained from 1849 until 1872, when it was taken over by the School Board. A new church was built in 1876. Farming was the only industry in the district, the greater number of young people leaving home when they came to years of usefulness. Membership: 1848, 107; 1900, 142. 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— No known surviving Records.

Duncanstone Congregational Church
History— This church was formed in 1808 by members of the Huntly congregation. Their first chapel was constructed by them of earth and stone. They later moved to a better–built chapel. Some of the members formed a sister church at Culsalmond (see that parish) in 1824. The Duncanstone church closed in 1949. Source: A History of Scottish Congregationalism, by Harry Escott, pub. 1960. Family History Libraqry Book, pages 254–257. Source includes further details on each congregation plus a list of ministers. See also.

Records— The extent of Records is unknown. For information, write to: The United Reformed Church Synod of Scotland 340 Cathedral Street Glasgow G1 2BQ 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
Leslie 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.