The Joys of Off-Line Genealogy

Computers and the internet have revolutionised genealogy and researchers of 40 or 50 years ago would be amazed that we can all call up key documents like BMD records or census returns from the sofa.

The problem with the internet is that the main genealogy sites like Ancestry or FindMyPast have a vested interest in keeping you on their site, so make it seem as if there is nothing that you can't find out. Although there is definitely LOTS to explore, it's a big mistake to ignore the hard copies of documents in various archives around the world.

What's held in Scottish Archives?

Scotland has many different archives across the country and the information you will find will depend on purpose. The National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh - as the name suggests - holds records of national importance or created referring to the whole of Scotland. They have government records, Church of Scotland records and many criminal records.

Each council in Scotland also has their own archives which hold records created on a local basis - things like local maps, planning applications, Poor Law records, burial records, school records and local newspapers. Poor law in particular created some amazingly detailed records which can be very helpful in breaking down brick walls, but they are not online and in some cases, you can't even look at an index online.

Accessing Archival Records

The first step in seeing records is to identify the archive which might hold them. This isn't always straightforward; Scotland went through various local government reorganisations over the 20th century and records may be held in a range of places. I recently had issues tracking down burial and cremation records for a client - just because someone died or lived in one local council area, that doesn't mean they were buried or cremated there.

Luckily, Scotland's archivists and local librarians are usually pretty helpful, and a quick email usually confirms whether you're looking in the right place and if not, the archivist will point you in the right direction.

Once you've identified the right archive, contact them to ask about accessing records. Some access may be restricted, especially for records created within the last 100 years. Gone are the days where researchers could just turn up and see records; archives will now ask you to make an appointment - often a couple of weeks in advance. If the records you wish to access are held a long way from your home, think about hiring a local researcher to look for you as this is often cheaper and quicker than you travelling several hours. I regularly do this sort of job for other genealogists and researchers in archives in Glasgow.

Most archivists will be happy to let you photograph records but always check. Scotland's People are notorious for only allowing transcription on site, other archives will ban flash photography to preserve the paper and ink, some will ask you to sign a waiver or pay a few pounds for a photography licence so it's worth asking when you book your appointment.

You never know what you're going to find in archival records - it might be that key piece of information to break down a brick wall.