Tools and Resources

Anyone researching local and family history in North-East Scotland will find these tools and resources helpful:

Scotland's People - the only online source you need to find birth, marriage and death certificates for Scotland

Local organisations and resources:

Aberdeen & North East Scotland Family History Society
Family History Society of Buchan
Moray Connections Local Heritage Directory
Moray Local Heritage Centre
North-East Scotland Folklore Archive
Routes to your Roots in NE Scotland - a directory of local organisations and resources

Archives:

Aberdeenshire Archives for which an online catalogue is available
Aberdeen University Archive Collection also with an online catalogue
National Archives of Scotland
Scottish Archives Map

Research guides:

GENUKI Scotland - a useful directory of genealogical resources for Scotland
Getting started - basic advice from Scotland's People on beginning your family history research

Digitised records online:

Am Baile - Highland History Online
Clock and Watch Tax Records from 1797
Commercial Directories for Scotland
Farm Horse Tax Records from 1797
Groome's Gazetteer - an incomparable source for details of Scottish counties, cities, towns and parishes
Historic Maps from the National Library of Scotland
Scottish Digital Archive - visit the Virtual Vault to access a selection of digitised archive material
Scottish Screen Archive - an online collection of film clips from all over Scotland
Statistical Accounts of Scotland - 18th and 19th century descriptions of every parish in Scotland

Interpreting historic material:

Dictionary of the Scots Language
Scottish Handwriting - an excellent guide to deciphering old Scottish documents
Palaeography Tutorial - further guidance in interpreting old handwriting, from the UK National Archives
Scots legal terms

Locating specific places:

Burial Grounds in NE Scotland - an online map
Scotland's Places - a searchable database of places throughout Scotland named in historic records

Working lives:

Fishing Boats - a mushrooming database of fishing boats and their owners
War Casualties - records of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Bankruptcy and Insolvency - the Edinburgh Gazette offers a search facility for historic cases