Finding Sources for Scotland Births and Baptisms Using Microfilm 6,035,516

Scotland

Record Source
Some records in the Historical Records collection specify film 6,035,516 as the source. However, 6,035,516 is a microfiche and not the original source. Additional steps must be undertaken to find the source of the entry.

The microfiche is a copy of Register of births, marriages and deaths of Scotland, compiled by the British Reference Unit at the Family History Library. It is a guide to Family History Library film numbers for the civil registration certificates of Scotland. A PDF copy is available from the FamilySearch Family History Books site.

Finding the Source
Follow these steps to identify the source of the record.
 * 1) View the FamilySearch catalog for film/fiche 6,035,516. This is a book that contains the actual film numbers.
 * 2) Select the link to view the book
 * 3) Turn to the chapter titled “Index of Scottish Parishes.” It begins on page 1 (image 4).
 * 4) Search for the name of the parish using either text search or manually scanning for the parish name
 * 5) Once you find it, make a note of the parish number. If multiple parishes bear the same name, pick the one in the proper county.
 * 6) Return to the table of contents and note the page number for the section of the desired event type: birth, marriage, or death. Turn to that page number.
 * 7) Search for the name of the county using either text search or manually scanning.
 * 8) Once you find it, scan for the event year.
 * 9) Once you find the event year, use the parish number to determine the film number.
 * 10) Access that film to locate the original source.

Sections Of the Register
The Register is divided into the following sections:
 * Introduction & List of Sections (page i, image 2)
 * Scotland's Parishes Listed by Parish Name [Alphabetical Index] (page 1, image 4)
 * Scotland's Parishes Listed by Parish Number [Numerical Index] (page 73, image 76)
 * General Index of Births (page 109, image 112)
 * Births (page 112, image 115)
 * General Index of Marriages (page 152, image 156)
 * Marriages (page 154, image 158)
 * General Index of Deaths (188, image 190)
 * Deaths (page 190, image 192)

Practical How-To
Using the Sample Record below these instructions will demonstrate the steps to identify the original source.

Step-by-Step Instructions

 * 1) Download a copy of the book and open it in your PDF viewer
 * The Table of Contents begins on page i (image 2)
 * The list of parish names begins on to page 1 (image 4)
 * 1) Search the Alphabetical index for Edinburgh
 * Edinburgh parish is found on page 13 (image 16)
 * The parish number is 685 and it is in Midlothian County.
 * Scotland's Parishes Listed by Parish Name.png
 * 1) Search the Births for Midlothian County
 * The table is arranged by year, parish number, and microfilm number
 * Midlothian County starts on page 137 (image 140)
 * 1) Find the microfilm number for births in parish number 685 in 1858
 * Note that Edinburgh Parish is divided into several districts. The index to births in 1858 for districts 685/1 to 685/3 are on film 280,528 and births for districts 685/4 and above are found on film 280,529. Both films must be searched.
 * Edinburgh birth example.png
 * 1) Search the index of each volume.
 * The microfilm for the index to Midlothian county births, parish nos. 685/4-689 1858 is 280529; the images are on DGS 8138221
 * Charlotte Henderson is found in the index for district 685/5 (image 178) indicating the entry number is 518.
 * District 685/5 is Holyrood and Cannongate
 * Birth Index, 1858, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland.jpg
 * 1) Search the Registers of births, marriages, and deaths, 1855-1875, 1881, 1891; and general index, 1855-1956 to find the microfilm/digital images
 * Search the film notes for "Midlothian county births" to find births in district 685/5 for 1858
 * You can use your browser's Search function (Ctrl+F) to find specific text on a page
 * The film number is 208529 and the DGS number is 8138221
 * Entry 518 is found on page 173 (image 271)
 * Entry 518 Scotland record.JPG