Luss, Dunbartonshire, Scotland Genealogy

Luss (#499)

This is a guide to the history and major genealogical records of Scotland as they pertain to the parish of Luss.

To learn more about how to use these records to search for your ancestors, go to the Scotland: Research Strategies.

History
LUSS, a parish, in the county of Dumbarton, 9 miles (N. N. E.) from Helensburgh. The name of this parish is derived from a Gaelic word signifying a "plant" or "herb," and probably applied from the circumstance of the river of Luss, or rather the valley through which it flows, being once overspread with shrubs. The church, built in 1771, is a plain building in good repair. 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 Luss. 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 Scotland Census Records.

Click here for a list of the FS Library microfilm numbers for the

Below is information for any known surname indexes:

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 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 FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. Some records may also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland. Births: Irregular entries 1802–1817 are on four pages after June 1818. Marriages: Records are blank June 1723–November 1725, and December 1778–July 1779 and the lower portion of the leaf at 1781 is cut off. There is only one entry for 1810. The fact of marriage is seldom added to the entry of proclamation. 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 Kirk session was made up of he 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 1711–1752, 1789–1799, 1822–1885 Communion Rolls 1849–1898 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/481.

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.

Luss Free Church, later United Free, and then Baudry Church of Scotland
History— In 1843, a congregation was formed and services carried on at Arnburn. The charge was sanctioned in 1844, in which year the church at Baudry was erected. The manse was built in 1846. Church and manse were renovated in 1883. Membership: 1848, 113; 1900, 51. 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 including a list of ministers.

Records— Minutes 1844–1915 Deacon's Court Minutes 1845–1910 Baptismal Register 1844–1940 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/942.

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
Luss was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Dunbarton until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Dunbarton. 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 FamilySearch Library. To find the microfilm numbers, search in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Dunbarton and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Dunbarton. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Dunbarton. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Dunbarton and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.