Moneydie, Perthshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #381

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

History
MONEYDIE, a parish, in the county of Perth, 6 miles (N. W. by. N.) from Perth. This parish consists of two portions, viz. the old parish of Moneydie and the district of Logiealmond, which latter was separated from the neighbouring parish of Monzie, and annexed quoad sacra to Moneydie. The church is a plain substantial structure, with a square tower, and accommodates 460 persons with sittings: it was built about the year 1817; but its situation is inconvenient for the population, being seven miles from the western extremity of the parish, where most of the inhabitants reside. At Chapelhill, in Logiealmond, four miles distant, an ancient chapel was fitted up and opened by subscription, in connexion with the Establishment, in 1834. There is also a chapel in the parish belonging to the United Secession; and 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 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 Records—
Indexed: 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: Births intermixed with marriages and other matters until March 1680. No entries February 1662–July 1663 and August 1666–August 1670. From 1680–November 1706 again intermixed with marriages. No entries September 1699–July 1701; December 1701–the beginning of 1703; and November 1706–September 1717, after which the records are kept separately. Mothers' names are recorded in the entries after January 1703. Marriages: Marriages intermixed with births and other matters until March 1680. No entries December 1661–July 1663, August 1666–August 1670. From 1680–November 1706 again intermixed with births. No entries January 1683–August 1684 and only five entries1696–1698, April 1687–August 1701. There is a record of proclamations in vol. 2 complete from May 1680–August 1698, which partly supplies these defects. No entries December 1701–the beginning of 1703 and November 1706–September 1717 after which the records are separately kept. Deaths: Mortcloth Dues 1718–1784 and fifteen entries of burials for October 1783–January 1785. 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 1717–1744, 1747–1784, 1787–1790, 1804–1810, 1822–1859 Accounts 1785–1808 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/453.

Roll of Male Heads of Families
1834 and 1835 lists of male heads of families in this parish can be found here.

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.

Pitcairngreen Free Church
History— The parish minister of Moneydie, and most of his congregation, "came out" in 1843 joined by Free Church adherents from the parishes of Redgorton, Tibbermore, and Methven. A church was built in the hamlet of Pitcairngreen in 1844. A new church was later erected in 1893. The congregation was largely influenced by the revivals of 1859–61, 1874, and 1886–87. Membership: 1848, 474; 1900, 275. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #918572. More details are given in the source.

Records— The extent of pre-1855 records is unknown. No records deposited at the National Archives of Scotland.

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
Moneydie was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Dunkeld until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Dunblane. 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 library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Perthshire 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 Perthshire. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Perthshire and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about about Scotland Probate Records.