This illuminating guide to discovering your Scottish family history has been fully revised and updated to take account of changes to resources and methods for researching your Scottish ancestry over the last few years. Accessible in style and comprehensive in coverage, this new edition stresses the importance of traditional methods of family history research while also embracing the exciting possibilities afforded by new technologies, sources and developments in genetic science.Indispensable to both the fledgling researcher and the more experienced family history specialist in Scotland or elsewhere, this book provides a guide to the very latest resources available to assist with research. Covering Scottish primary and secondary sources in full detail, this book also provides illustrative case studies of family history research, lists of useful websites and archives, and family history organisations and societies.Highlights of this new edition:*An updated chapter dedicated to aspects of recording, scanning and storing information*New insight into accessing English, Irish, emigrant and immigrant records*An update on developments in DNA genetics of relevance to the genealogist*A substantial and broad-ranging bibliography essential for those who want to take their research even further.

Indispensable step-by-step guide to discovering your Scottish origins.

This fully revised second edition of Ian Maxwell’s Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors is a lively and accessible introduction to Scotland’s long, complex and fascinating story. It is aimed primarily at family historians who are eager to explore and understand the world in which their ancestors lived. He guides readers through the wealth of material available to researchers in Scotland and abroad. He looks at every aspect of Scottish history and at all the relevant resources. As well as covering records held at the National Archives of Scotland, he examines closely the information held at local archives throughout the country. He also describes the extensive Scottish records that are now available on line. His expert and up-to-date survey is a valuable handbook for anyone who is researching Scottish history because he explains how the archive material can be used and where it can be found. For family historians, it is essential reading as it puts their research into a historical perspective, giving them a better insight into the part their ancestors played in the past.

The revised and updated 7th edition of the bestselling guide to easily discovering more about your Scottish ancestry. Scotland has the best-maintained records and facilities of any country in the world for undertaking family research, and now that the National Archives of Scotland are available online they can be consulted by anyone from whatever country. Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors is the National Archives’ official guide and is written in an accessible style from the unique perspective of a custodian of the records. It details all the latest internet developments, including a chapter on family history on the web. It also points to more traditional resources, explaining step by step how to research records of births, marriages and wills. “Excellent help with every phase of genealogical research . . . This book will be a valuable finding aid for many people using the Scottish Record Office, and by no means only for the family historian.” —Books in Scotland “Includes the sort of online sources that have transformed the field since its first publication in 1990, this guide is indispensable for the serious investigator.” —The Scotsman

Discover your Scottish roots! You take the high road, and I'll take the low--and your family tree will be in Scotland before you know it. This book will help you uncover your Scottish heritage, from identifying your immigrant ancestor to tracking down records in the old country. With help from Scottish genealogy expert Amanda Epperson, you'll learn about church records, civil registrations, censuses, and more, plus how to find them in online databases and in archives. Inside, you'll find: • Basic information on how to start family history research, including identifying and tracing immigrant ancestors • Step-by-steps for finding and using records from both the United States and Scotland • Crash-course guides to Scottish history, geography, surnames, and naming conventions Whether your ancestors hail from the Highlands or the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, this book will help you grow your family tree in Scotland.

The new, fully-updated edition of Collins Tracing Your Family History is the definitive handbook for anyone interested in tracing their family’s past.

You don't have to learn everything about genetic genealogy before asking specific questions of your DNA! That's the premise of Diahan Southard's brand new book, Your DNA Guide - the Book, now available for pre-order at a special sale price. Your DNA Guide - the Book is like no other genetic genealogy book on the market. Instead of learning more-than-you-need-to-know in textbook style, you'll choose a specific DNA question to start exploring right away. You'll follow concrete step-by-step plans, learning important DNA concepts--in plain English--as you go. Do you want to learn who your 2X great grandmother is? Turn to page 23. Do you want to know how you are related to one of your DNA matches? Page 37. As you proceed, you check your progress and get new guidance based on your specific results at each stage. (Including troubleshooting, like when your matches just aren't responding or your great-grandparents turn out to be first cousins.) This powerful, hands-on approach is based on Diahan's 20 years of experience in the genetic genealogy industry and especially in the past five years, as she helps clients one-on-one make DNA discoveries. It became clear to her that while each client's situation may be unique, there are patterns in how you can find solutions that you can apply yourself. Your DNA Guide - the Book is for anyone who has taken a DNA test or may want to. It helps genealogists reconstruct family trees. It helps adoptees identify biological relatives. It can help you identify a specific DNA match. In short, it helps anyone explore what their DNA--and their DNA matches--can tell them about their origins.