Scottish Indexes updates Sheriff Court paternity case records

Some further indexed Sheriff Court paternity case records have been added to Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com) this evening:

SC1/13 
Aberdeen Sheriff Court Processes 1913-1917

SC16/10/257-258
Kirkcudbright Sheriff Court Processes 1848-1850

SC6/22/18-21,343-344
Ayr Sheriff Court Processes 1816,1861-1865

SC1/13
Aberdeen Sheriff Court Processes 1913-1917

SC29/10
Inverness Sheriff Court Processes 1799-1806,1825-1859

SC25/24
Dingwall Sheriff Court Processes 1912-1917

SC25/7/1-14
Dingwall Sheriff Court Decrees 1830-1919

SC29/7/39
Inverness Sheriff Court Decrees 1886-1889

For more on the datset, visit https://www.scottishindexes.com/learningcourt.aspx

(With thanks to @GM_Ancestry)

Chris

My next Scottish Research Online course starts March 11th 2019 - see www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Scottish High Court Records added to Scottish Indexes

From Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com):

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - Scottish Indexes, genealogical and historical records website, has added over 133,000 High Court records to their online indexes, making it easier than ever to find out about your criminal ancestors, including those who were transported during the Victorian period. (Search here: www.scottishindexes.com/scotlandscriminaldatabase.aspx)

The High Court (officially “The High Court of the Justiciary”) heard a great variety of cases, including all the more serious crimes but also repeat offenders of lesser crimes. In Victorian Scotland, only the High Court had the authority to sentence people to transportation, so if you are looking for Scottish convicts this is the website for you. The surviving records are very detailed and include fascinating witness statements and descriptions of the crimes.

Graham Maxwell, genealogist at Scottish Indexes, says, “We love working with these records because they give so much detail. We have even come across an outline of the accused’s foot! Where else could we find such amazing records about our ancestors?”

To help you get the most out of these records, Scottish Indexes have also added new how-to guides to their Learning Zone, which include examples of the records and also video tutorials. The quick guide gives you an overview (https://www.scottishindexes.com/learninghighcourt.aspx) or you can dig a little deeper with the advanced guide (https://www.scottishindexes.com/learninghighcourtadvanced.aspx). Emma Maxwell, genealogist at Scottish Indexes, says, “We want to make it as easy as possible for people to find their Scottish heritage, whether your family left Scotland on a convict ship or stayed here in Scotland, these records can help you to find out more about the lives of your ancestors.”

Scottish Indexes is a genealogy and historical records website, providing free high-quality indexes to over 700,000 historical records, from paternity records to criminal records, property records and health records. The ever-expanding Learning Zone has easy to follow guides to help you trace your Scottish ancestors in a variety of records, both online and offline.

(With thanks to Emma Maxwell)

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Sheriff Court paternity cases indexes for Inverness added online

Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com) has added more Sheriff Court paternity cases indexes to its website for the city of Inverness, as sourced from the National Records of Scotland held collections catalogued under SC29/7/32-34, and covering the period from 1853-1869.

For more on the record set, and details of the coverage for paternity cases across Scotland, visit www.scottishindexes.com/helpcourt.aspx.

To search the database visit www.scottishindexes.com/courtsearch.aspx.

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Ancestry adds Scotland Sheriff Court Paternity Decrees index

Ancestry has added a new third party index database for Scotland:

Web: Scotland, Sheriff Court Paternity Decrees, 1792-1922
https://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=70851
Source: http://www.scottishindexes.com/courtsearch.aspx accessed 10th October 2017.

This is essentially another entry point to the collection as indexed by Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com). To access the site's own search page, visit http://www.scottishindexes.com/courtsearch.aspx - to understand more about the records you are searching, visit http://www.scottishindexes.com/learningcourt.aspx

For additional information on the various Scottish courts in existence for genealogical purposes, including the Court of Session and the Sheriff Courts, read my book Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, available from retailers worldwide - further details on this are available at https://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. (An ebook edition is also available)

Also released by Ancestry are further church records for Kent, England:

Kent, England, Extracted Parish Records, 1539-1876
https://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61552
Source: Electronic databases created from various publications of parish and probate records.

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

More paternity cases added to Scottish Indexes

Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com) has added more paternity cases from The Registers of Extracted Decreets from Dumfries Sheriff Court for the year 1857 to its Sheriff Court Paternity Cases index, as sourced from the National Records of Scotland.The growing collection is accessible at www.scottishindexes.com/courtsearch.aspx.

So far the registers for most Sheriff Courts in Scottish counties south of the Forth and Clyde have been completely indexed, as well as Aberdeen Sheriff Court. For more about the records visit www.scottishindexes.com/learningcourt.aspx.

Chris

My next 5 week long Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course commences Nov 6th 2017 - details at https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Asylum records added to Scottish Indexes

A belated news item from Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com), the original press release having been sent to a now defunct email address...

40,000 ‘Lunatics’ - Scottish Genealogy Website Enables People to Discover the True Lives of their Ancestors

Glasgow, Scotland – Scottish genealogy website www.scottishindexes.com moves another step closer to their goal of indexing all historical Scottish mental health records from 1858 to 1915. This release means the index now has 40,000 entries from across Scotland and includes people from every walk of life.

These historic mental health records give the story behind the facts. A census record may tell you that your great-grandmother was in an asylum, but not why she was there and that’s what we really want to know. This project, lead by Scottish Indexes, is supported by a growing team of volunteers.

Emma Maxwell, genealogist at Scottish Indexes says, “Our mission is to help people not only research their Scottish family tree, but also understand the lives of their ancestors.”

The records being indexed by Scottish Indexes are held by the National Records of Scotland (NRS) in Edinburgh. Without an index they are hugely time-consuming to search and access to the records would usually mean a trip to Edinburgh. These records contain not just names, dates and places but personal information. For example the admission form of John Rae Thomson tells us that the supposed cause of his mental health problems was ‘Premature Birth’. The same record gives his mother’s account of how boys tormented this poor 26 year-old.


Viv from Scotland says, "Although I knew that some of my relatives were in mental health institutions, the indexes at Scottish Indexes and linked original records have allowed me to find out far more about their stories. I feel that I know so much more about these people, and the information is invaluable."

Ailsa from Australia says, “I have been using Scottish Indexes for quite some time now and found many references to my own family within them. They are great for me to use from Australia.”

(With thanks to Emma Maxwell)

Chris


My next 5 week Scottish Research Online course commences Sept 11th 2017 - details at www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Scottish Indexes adds mental health register and Sheriff Court entries

Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com) has added an update to its Mental Health Records indexes at http://www.scottishindexes.com/mcsearch.aspx, bringing the database up to 16,130 entries. The update includes entries from the 'General Register of Lunatics in Asylums' (National Records of Scotland: MC7) from July 1863-May 1864.

Also added within the last few days are indexes to records from Ayr Sheriff Court (1837-1842).

(With thanks to Graham Maxwell)

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Scottish Borders nonconformist indexes join Ancestry

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added third party web indexes to its site linking to three datasets of Scottish nonconformist records (i.e. non-Church of Scotland), created by Graham and Emma Maxwell, and mostly from the Borders area.

The collections are:

Web: Scotland, Non-OPR Births and Baptisms Index, 1666-1874
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=70829

Web: Scotland, Non-OPR Banns and Marriages Index, 1656-1875
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=70830

Web: Scotland, Non-OPR Deaths and Burials Index, 1673-1855
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=70831

The datasets redirect to the couple's Scottish Indexes website at www.scottishindexes.com - details of areas covered by these collections is available at www.scottishindexes.com/coveragebmd.aspx

NB: Further information on Scottish church records, from the established church and the nonconformist denominations, is available in my book Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), available for sale in a print edition in Canada and Australia (see http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html)

The books is also available worldwide via Genealogy e-Books at www.gen-ebooks.com/discover-scottish-church-records-2nd-ed.html.

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Historic mental health institutions in Scotland resources

The Scottish Indexes website, run by Graham and Emma Maxwell, has added a new dedicated page detailing known mental health institutions, and the locations of records (some of which they are indexing), which may help with your research.

From the site:

Over the past few centuries, many mental health institutions have operated in Scotland. It is relatively easy to find information regarding the large public asylums. Many smaller institutions also existed, some of which had only a few private patients. We aim to include as many of these as possible as we expand these pages. For the moment, the pages contain details of all licensed institutions operating when the 1857 report of the Royal Lunacy Commission was being prepared. The commission visited each licensed institution in Scotland, and the appendices of the report contain accounts of each of their visits, the text of which is to be found in these pages. We have also added pages for some other institutions which operated prior to 1857, and which opened later, but many still need to be added. We hope this serves as a starting point.

For details of institutions per each county, visit http://www.scottishindexes.com/institutions/countylist.aspx#c45

(Image: Murray Royal Lunatic Asylum, Scone, Perthshire)

Chris

My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts Monday 17th May - see http://pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Mental health records added to Scottish Indexes

From Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com):

To celebrate the The Scottish Association of Family History Societies’ annual Conference on 23 April 2016 Scottish Indexes has releasing thousands of Scottish paternity and mental health records, as well as releasing a new section of their website ‘Mental Health Institutions in Scotland’.

These newly indexed genealogy resources can help you trace your family tree but also help you understand more fully the lives of your ancestors. The new section of the website, ‘Mental Health Institutions in Scotland’, is designed to help you locate each Scottish mental health institution and its records as well as learn about the history of mental health care in Scotland.

Emma Maxwell, Genealogist at www.scottishindexes.com and secretary of the Scottish Genealogy Network, will be giving a talk ‘Understanding Our Ancestors - A Look at Prison Registers and Mental Health Records’ at the SAFHS conference. Emma says, “Mental Health is all too often misunderstood, even today. It is our hope that by shining a light on these records people can understand their ancestors better.”

(With thanks to Emma Maxwell)

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. My Pinterest account is at https://www.pinterest.com/chrismpaton/.

Paisley paternity cases indexed

Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com) has added more cases to its Sheriff Court Paternity Decrees index at www.scottishindexes.com/courtsearch.aspx, covering Paisley Sheriff Court from 1833-37.

The full list of available indexed cases to search is detailed at www.scottishindexes.com/coveragecourt.aspx.

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including my recently released Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Hamilton and Paisley paternity case indexes online

From Scottish Indexes:

Annan, Scotland – To celebrate the “Lanarkshire Family History Society Local and Family History Show” (the largest family history show in Scotland) www.scottishindexes.com is releasing thousands of historical Scottish paternity records. The total number of paternity records now indexed is 11,723!

These records give a unique insight into the lives of our ancestors and allows people with illegitimate ancestors to trace their male line more easily; often helping you overcome a ‘brick wall’ in your family tree! The new additions are Hamilton paternity cases 1845-1915 & Paisley cases 1830-1833

As these are a new source to many researchers Scottish Indexes provides a free ‘Learning Zone section to guide you: http://www.scottishindexes.com/learningcourt.aspx

Graham Maxwell, genealogist at Scottish Indexes, says, “For years people have struggled to trace the father of their illegitimate ancestors, our hope is that this index will lead people to the key sources they need to trace their family tree. Without the aid of our volunteer this index would not be possible.”

Scottish Indexes is also using the ‘Sponsor an Index’ initiative to fund some indexing and major new releases of indexes mental health records and prison records are planned in the coming year.

(With thanks to Emma Maxwell)

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including my recently released Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

English, Scottish and Australian additions to Ancestry

A few new additions to Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk), including two third party indexes, an English records update and a new Australian collection:

Web: Scotland, Prison Records Index, 1828-1878
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=9736
This is an index to a third party collection compiled by my genie chums Graham and Emma Maxwell of Maxwell Ancestry in the Borders. The records indexed are sheriff court records from Dumfries and the Borders.

Web: Darlington, England, West Cemetery Index, 1770-2012
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=9738
A third party collection from Darlington Historical Society.

Dorset, England, Wills and Probates, 1565-1858
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=2119
An updated collection - no information on the nature of the update.

New South Wales, Australia, Land Grants, 1788-1963
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=5117
Source: State Records Authority of New South Wales, Kingswood, New South Wales. Full details on the nature of the records via the link.

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

Launch of Scottish Indexes website

Graham and Emma Maxwell of Maxwell Ancestry (www.maxwellancestry.com) have launched a new website called Scottish Indexes. The site is a new platform that will provide access to indexes to various record sets "from unique sources such as prison and court records to more commonly used sources such as birth, marriage, death and census records" - most collections concern the Borders counties. In most cases there is a basic transcription provided, though full transcriptions of the original records can also be ordered from the couple.

To access the indexes visit www.scottishindexes.com.

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks