Abernethy & Kincardine, Inverness, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #90a (formerly in Morayshire)

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

History
ABERNETHY, a parish, in the counties of Inverness and Elgin, 5 miles (S. W. by S.) from Grantown; containing KINCARDINE. This parish, to which that of Kincardine was annexed about the time of the Reformation, derives its name from Aber, signifying in Gaelic, in conjunction with Nethy, the "termination of Nethy." which is descriptive of the situation of the church, near the entrance of that river into the Spey: Kincardine, or Kinie-chairdin, implies the "clan of friends." The church in the district of Abernethy, a commodious structure, with seats for 600 persons; and that of Kincardine, a well-built and finished edifice, 7 miles distant from the manse, containing about 330 sittings, in 1804.

These two parishes were joined into one in very early times. Until 1870, part of the parish lay within the boundaries of the county of Moray.

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 and 1911 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, 1841-1911, 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. The censsu is also indexed for many of these years on www.findmypast.co.uk and www.ancestry.com

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: 1737–1749 birth entries are numbered consecutively, but not in chronological order prior to 1741. No entries February 1749–September 1765; November 1776–May 1780. Entries from September 1765 to May 1771 and August 1771–November 1776 are numbered consecutively. Two leaves, July 1784–March 1785 are wasted. Records irregularly kept 1780–1787. Marriages: Entries prior to 1742 are not in chronological order. No entries May 1749–November 1765; two entries between August 1770–December 1772, December 1776–July 1780, and September 1783–June 1787. 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 1731, 1739–1761, 1838–1923 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/1054.

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.

Abernethy Free Church
History— This congregation was formed at the Disruption. A catechist was appointed, and ordained ministers gave occasional services. A site for place of worship being refused, the congregation met in private houses and in the open air, until about 1850, when a site was at length secured. Church, manse, and offices were erected. Sanction as a regular charge, asked for in 1853, was granted in 1855; but no minister was settled till 1862. The congregation suffered through the depopulation of the district; but the growth of Nethy Bridge as a summer resort led to a greatly increased attendance in the summer-time. Membership: 1870, 126; 1900, 156. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #918572.

Records— No known pre-1855 records.

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
Abernethy &amp; Kincardine was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Inverness until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Inverness. 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 Inverness-shire and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Inverness. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Inverness-shire. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of inverness-shire and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records.