Genealogy links and support

There are many helpful written guides, societies and even professional genealogists which may be able to help you in your research. Here are a few suggestions:

Read a book 

There are many published guides to researching Scottish ancestry in print. We recommend: 

National Records of Scotland Tracing your Scottish ancestors: a guide to ancestry research in the National Archives of Scotland (Edinburgh: Birlinn, 2020) 

Bigwood, Rosemary The Scottish family tree detective. Tracing your ancestors in Scotland (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2006) 

Durie, Bruce Scottish genealogy (Stroud: The History Press, 2017) 

Join the club 

Become a member of a family history society in Scotland. You may be able to benefit from work already done by fellow members via a society’s register of members’ interests. If you live abroad and become a member, a society may undertake limited research on your behalf. If you live in Scotland, family history societies offer advice and tuition, group visits to record offices, and an opportunity to talk about your family history with other enthusiasts and publish the results of your research. 

Hire an expert 

If you do not want to travel to the relevant parts of Scotland where the information about your ancestry may be held, you could hire a record agent to carry out research on your behalf. The Association of Scottish Genealogists and Record Agents (ASGRA) has many experienced and competent researchers. Some Scottish archives keep lists of record agents and researchers in their areas. Other Scottish archives offer a research service.