Scotland Genealogy

'Guide to Scotland ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

Country Information
Scotland is a one of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom (together with England, Wales and Northern Ireland). In 1707, the Kingdom of Scotland joined the Kingdom of England in union to become the Kingdom of Great Britain. The official language is English.

Pre and Post 1974 County list
Here is a list of the historic counties with the new (post-1974) county or counties they are primarily a part of. Click on an old county name to see a list of historic parishes with further links to information on parish records. (The codes are the standard 'Chapman Code' abbreviations for the historic counties.) For more information about Scotland Counties click here


 * County list pre and post 1974 - with abbreviation codes

More Scotland Research Strategies
Research strategies give guidance on how to research or what records to search for first. Below are additional research strategy Wiki articles for Scotland.
 * Finding Records of Your Ancestors - Scotland 1855 To 1901 - Beginners Guide (42 Mb pdf file)
 * Family History Library Research Guide for Scotland - contains out-of-date links

More Scotland Research Tools
Research tools can include resources that assist in locating correct records to search and determining the correct locality to search in. Below are links and Wiki articles to research tools in Scotland.
 * Personal names
 * Glossary of terms
 * Scotland Church Records Union List - introduction to this resource available in the Wiki.
 * Handfast tradition
 * County list pre and post 1974 - with abbreviation codes
 * Recording Angels Scottish Registrars since 1855

FamilySearch Resources
Below are FamilySearch resources that can assist you in resourcing your family.
 * Facebook Communities - Facebook groups discussing genealogy research
 * Learning Center - Online genealogy courses
 * Historical Records
 * Family History Center locator map