Tealing, Angus, Scotland Genealogy

Scotland Angus  Tealing

Parish #322

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

= History =

TEALING, a parish, in the county of Forfar, 5½ miles (N.) from Dundee; containing the hamlets of Balgray, Balkillo, Kirkton, Newbegging, and Todhills. This place derives its name, signifying in the Gaelic language "a country of brooks or waters," from the small streams with which the district abounds. The church, erected in 1806, is a neat substantial structure, situated nearly in the centre of the parish, and contains 700 sittings. The members of the Free Church have a place of worship. ''

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 onwww.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—
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: There are very few entries before August 1613. The records are blank January 1615–September 1618 and March 1620–September 1634. There is only one entry October 1637–July 1642. Records are blank August 1644–March 1646, August 1650–August 1655, November 1677–May 1685, August 1686–April 1688, March 1690–February 1692, March 1696–February 1698, October 1699–July 1703, February 1717–June 1719, and except for a few entries 1725–1726, April 1720–April 1730. Records are blank also May 1732–May 1734. Mothers’ names are not recorded until 1730. Marriages: Marriages are blank November 1615–September 1618, March 1625–October 1642, May 1650–July 1685, and June 1690–December 1692. There are only four entries, 1703–1704, January 1699–April 1711, and one for May 1718–May 1724. Records are blank September 1725–May 1730, June 1732–June 1734, May 1735–July 1736, and May 1738–March 1741. Entries relating to proclamation fees and marriage pawns are among the Mortcloth Dues 1730–1757. Deaths: Records are burials until 1625. They are blank 1625–1704 and Mortcloth Dues after 1704. The records are blank 1725–1730; these records have suffered much from dampness, and have not been carefully kept. 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: 

Minutes and Accounts 1650–1699, 1704–1721, 1723–1726, 1740–1752, 1764–1786 Cash Books 1829–1926 Note: Available at the Dundee City Archive &amp; Record Centre. To inquire about these records you can e–mail archives@dundeecity.gov.uk. They are also on microfilm at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh; record CH2/352.

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 Lists.

General Statement: John Glas, minister of Tealing, was the founder of the Glasite religion in 1728; however, there was never a Glasite church in Tealing. The Glasites rejected all authority except that of Jesus Christ and his apostles. Due to fact that they were non–missionary, exclusive, and did not believe in an educated ministry, they died out in the late 19th century.

Tealing Free Church
History— The minister of the parish and almost the entire congregation came out in 1843. A church was erected and the manse soon afterwards. The church suffered through the extinction of handloom weaving and the absorption of crofts into large farms. Membership: 1848, 200; 1900, 134. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #918572. More details may be given in the source.

Records— Deacons’ Court Minutes 1844–1875 Other post–1855 records Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/1424.

= 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 =

Tealing was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Dunkeld until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Dundee. Probate records for 1513- 1901 are indexed online at [http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/?gclid=CLKJyYGQ4ZUCFQQCagod1gp0Ww 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 Angus and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Dunkeld. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Angus. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Angus and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

= References =

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