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Scottish Parochial Index
If your ancestor was born or married in Scotland and your goal is to find the birth or marriage dates, check the index to the christening and marriage records of the established church of Scotland up to 1855 contained in the Scottish Parochial Index. Prior to the establishment of Civil Registrations in Scotland, the established Church of Scotland, the Presbyterian Church, maintained the vital information on the citizens. Until this index was put together, if you didn't know what parish your ancestor was from, you would have to search every parish in Scotland, one-by-one. Since many Scottish ancestors came to the United States before the 1860s when parish names were not often recorded on ship passenger lists or death records, this was nearly an impossible task. With this index a name can be searched throughout Scotland and the birth and marriage dates located from the late 1600s to 1855. Of course, the more you know about your ancestor, such as other brothers and sisters, possible localities in Scotland, occupation, parents' names, etc., the more likely you are to find exactly who you are looking for in this index. |
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