Keig, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #205

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

History
KEIG, a parish, in the district of Alford, county of Aberdeen, 4½ miles (N.E. by E.) from Alford. This parish, which includes the north-eastern portion of the vale of Alford, is bounded on the north by the mountain range of Benachie, and on the east by the Menaway hills. The church, erected in 1835, is a handsome structure in the later English style, crowned with pinnacles, and containing 500 sittings.

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: Between November 1774 and June 1775, there occur nine pages of irregular entries dated 1763–1784. There are no entries June 1784–March 1785 and only three entries for 1803. Mothers’ names not recorded until 1775. Marriages: Prior to December 1802, Marriages are recorded among the baptisms for the same period. They are blank from the latter date to April 1808. There is one entry for 1813, two for 1819 and none September 1821–January 1823. Deaths: Mortcloth Dues, one entry of death in 1793. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book. Monumental Inscriptions: Keig old and new churchyards, Family History Library Book.

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 1740–1844 Accounts 1844–1853 (some earlier with the minutes) Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/199.

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.

Keig and Tough Free Church
History—  The congregation was formed here immediately after the Disruption. The charge was sanctioned in February 1844. No site convenient for both sections of the congregation could at first be obtained. The Keig portion worshiped in a donated wooden building and the Tough portion worshiped in a barn. At length, in 1846, a suitable site was granted and church and manse were erected. A large part of the original congregation went to Alford when that charge was erected in 1866. Depopulation seriously affected the prosperity of the congregation, while territorial influence was cast strongly against the Free Church. Membership: 1848, 227; 1900, 121. 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— Deacon’s Court Minutes 1845–1900 Accounts 1844–1906 Minutes 1846–1937 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/891.

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
Keig 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 librarycatalog 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 librarycatalog for the 'Place-names' of Aberdeen and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records.